need HELP/suggestions UPGRADING STUDIO

[peaceandloveringo]

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[Benoni]

Did you want to go Mac or PC?

If PC, then Build a nice i7 based PC with 8-12GB of DDR3 Ram
Minimum of 3 internal Western Digital Caviar Black SATA III 64MB cache hard drives
At least 1 dual interface (USB + E-SATA )External Hard drive for backups and portability of sessions to other computers.
2 Monitors (screens)

Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate 64 bit

Pro Tools 9 of course.

And an 003R or 003R+ for your interface. Of course with PT9, you are not locked to Avid interfaces, so you have many great options.

[zedhed]

Originally Posted by peaceandloveringo

i talked to a worker at apple about the iMac and he said instead of buying a firewire external for the audio drive, just get an internal solid state.

As per your first post "ready to spend pretty much any amount of money" You didn't say that to the worker at Apple did you?

[Obsidian Dragon]

Here's is what I would do

Computer:
If portability is not a requirement, you might consider a MacPro. The fact that it has internal drive bays allows you to have the drives easily installed (One for the system and Protools and the other for the session files). Additional drives can be added for sample loops etc. Get the fastest processor(s) you can afford and get your memory from a third party as it is way cheaper. The MacPro has expansion slots in case you ever get the itch to go with a HD Native or HD TDM system.

Drive:
You need a minimum two drives. One for the operating system and the Protools application and the other oe for your session file. (This may be why you are having problems with your Sony Vaio if you ar only using one drive). The system drive can be a SSD for faster reading but there seems to be mixed results for writing. The Audio Session drive should be a (Non-SSD) SATA drive. The aforementioned WD Caviar Black seems to be a favorite on this forum. If you an external drive to exchange files with other studios, get a firewire drive from Glyph or OWC. Make sure it is 7200 RPM of faster.

RAM:
As mentioned above, get your additional RAM from a 3rd party. Crucial seems to be pretty good. 4 GB seems to be the right amount for Protools since it is still a 32-bit application. Getting more worn't hurt as you prepare for the future 64-bit version and some plugins/virtual instruments.

Video Monitor:
Get two large monitors. More if you like but two works for most. Depending on the size of your work area, you can get anything from 19" to 65" monitors or HDTVs to your liking.

Interface:
Most interface nowadays have pretty good specs in terms of AD/DA. Depending if you have other mic pres will determine if you want an interface with build-in mic pres or line ins.
Good - M-Audio 2626, Presonus, Mackie
Better - Metric Halo, Apogee Ensemble, RME FireFace, Focusrite Liquid Saffire.
Best - Avid HD or Apogee Symphony based Interfaces.

Software: Definitely crossgrade to Protools 9. You have a qualified Mbox2.

There are many other items that I don't have time/space to get into like mic pres, mics, patch bays, cables, outboard gear, reference monitors, control surfaces, etc. One thing I do want to encourage you to look into is acoustic room treatment. Before I'd spend the kind of scratch we're talking about here, I'd make sure I was putting the gear into a properly treated room otherwise you're wasting your money because you won't hear correctly what you are workiing with.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by peaceandloveringo

do you think there is any way to record acoustic drums great with my current set-up? i can see how the rough Kinks/Beatles recordings could be done with what i have, but for a more modern Killers/Oasis, i'm just not sure.

No. In short, to do a drum kit with 2 mics, you need a great kit, in a great room with 2 great mics. Sounds to me like you probably don't have all this going on. Going with a better interface and a reasonable set of mics will get you good drum tracks(as would a midi kit with a VI drum package like BFD or Superior Drummer).

[albee1952]

Definitely need better mics. And probably some room treatments(worth every cent).

[Darney]

Originally Posted by peaceandloveringo

do you think there is any way to record acoustic drums great with my current set-up? i can see how the rough Kinks/Beatles recordings could be done with what i have, but for a more modern Killers/Oasis, i'm just not sure.

With all due respect to Albee, you CAN do this with your current setup. Just get a mixer, take the stereo line outs to your MBox line ins....
Record a click track and a bass track first.. or guitar.. whatever, then add drums - you just need to get a good stereo mix into your two drum tracks.
If you want a sample of how good this can sound, let me know. My first Pro Tools setup was an original MBox w/PT 5.2 and a 28 year old Peavey mixer.

[getz76]

If you do not know what you are doing, you will likely get a better sound by using fewer (and better) microphones on drums. The more microphones, the more complex. Fine for trying to learn, but you can do plenty with three microphones.

If you have an Mbox 2, consider expanding it by buying a preamplifier with a SPDIF output. You can get them on the cheap, like this ART unit. Nothing spectacular, but on a budget... it will give you four simultaneous inputs for your Mbox 2; kick, snare, overhead right, overhead left.

Treat the room the best you can and good luck.

Just my opinion.

[getz76]

Originally Posted by peaceandloveringo

any thoughts/think it would be a good computer to build a bigger home studio with?

Plenty of studios do with much lesser computers. How much does that iMac cost? You may consider a lower-end Mac Pro if the price is not much different. The ability to use additional internal drives instead of FireWire makes life a bit easier.

The last thing I would worry about is the computer, though. Even older Core 2 Duo machines have plenty of power for most workflows.

[getz76]

If I was planning on going portable, I would buy the new MacBook Pro quad i7. It is as powerful as that iMac and has Thunderbolt. If Thunderbolt comes good, either with storage peripherals or audio interface, the new MacBook Pro exceeds the iMac.

I don't know enough about your current Vaio laptop to give a full opinion. You would need to post a SANDRA report on the Windows subforum to get some ideas. Are you running your current laptop with the sessions on an external drive?