the box doesn't matter?

[mcconnellsteve]

what are your thougths on the following statement and why....

the box (e.g,. digi, motu, omega, mackie) and connected software (e.g., protools) doesn't matter nearly as much as the quality of mics, instruments, preamps that come before it.

agree? disagree? why?

steve

[davetron5000]

Depends on what you mean by "matters". Sound-wise, my understanding is that your assertion is correct, that DAWs, when used as basicaly tape machines, are just that.

But, what about ease of use? Compatibilitiy with other studios? Available plugs? HW/SW compatibilitiy for new upgrades? Price?

You always have a fixed budget and fixed level of experience and fixed outboards at any given time, so it can make a difference...

[TheLP]

Well there are a couple of ways to look at this...

Of course quality is the biggest concern of anyone recording. So mics, pre-amps etc. are all in most cases the most imporant thing. However, depending on how many people you like recording at the same time (the "box"), and how many features you want in a program, that's also something a lot of people worry about. So if you record one person at a time, with software you like, the mics, pre-amps etc. are all the most important thing. And in most cases it always is. But when people get comfortable with that, they move onto wanting to upgrade the software, and blah blah blah. But it really depends on the actual person.

Hope this helps.

[EGS]

The song, first and foremost. Then the performance, instument, engineer, room, mic, pre, recorder. A good song recorded on a $20 cass deck is still a good song. A bad song recorded in a million dollar studio is still a bad song. So let's say you've got a good song ... get PT. My opinion.

[Windshore]

If we're assuming all other things are equal, but asking opinions about what matters the most in terms of getting sound to a recorded media, I would offer this:

I believe that the mic pre can be the most significant component. A great pre can make a huge range of mics from cheap to ridiculous sound great generally.

Mic selection would probably be next. Having the right mic for the right application can make a huge difference in sound, as well as how comfortable an artist might feel while listening to their own sound.

Next the interface... this would include converters. There is a huge range of interfaces (and converters) that have been used to create great sounding albums... including good old black-face Adats & Tape of course.

Last would probably be the software. It will all generally sound the same, if everything else is the same, though that's not taking into account plugins and ability to manipulate the audio generally.

Like others have said, there are many other important factors involved. This is strictly my experience in priorities for the capture of sound to media.