Tracking With Hardware or Software?

[Sparky1]

Hello Everyone.

I recently purchased an Avid Carbon and it's been great.

Historically I would track with a little compression and some reverb (for vocals) - all through external hardware (not printing the reverb for vocals - just used to create a better recording environment for the vocalist)

The more I explore the Avid Carbon - and the ability to use software plugins - I am trying to decide if I should just go straight into the system and use software plugins to replace the hardware?

Thanks,


Sparky

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by Sparky1

Hello Everyone.

I recently purchased an Avid Carbon and it's been great.

Historically I would track with a little compression and some reverb (for vocals) - all through external hardware (not printing the reverb for vocals - just used to create a better recording environment for the vocalist)

The more I explore the Avid Carbon - and the ability to use software plugins - I am trying to decide if I should just go straight into the system and use software plugins to replace the hardware?

Thanks,


Sparky

No actual correct or incorrect answer. The answer is much more simply about individual workflow and personal preference with only a few caveats that could apply

In general it's mostly about weather you simply prefer the sound of your Hardware effects over plugin's

The one caveat about using hardware as inserts so it not getting printed to the track is you are limited to 8 ins and outs

Now I personally because I am only recording myself and have only two -2 channel Hardware units (Comp and Reverb) I use them as inserts which uses up 4 of the 8 channels and leaves me the other 4 for mic inputs

[Sparky1]

Thanks for the reply K Roche

I am currently just working on my own stuff right now.

I don't use the hardware pieces during mix-down...

I have the used the reverb during vocal tracking occasionally - it's a Lexicon PCM 70 - but this Avid Carbon is quite powerful - and trying to decide if I should just sell the PCM 70 - and use plugins for gentle compression and reverb while tracking...

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks,

Sparky

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by Sparky1

Thanks for the reply K Roche

I am currently just working on my own stuff right now.

I don't use the hardware pieces during mix-down...

I have the used the reverb during vocal tracking occasionally - it's a Lexicon PCM 70 - but this Avid Carbon is quite powerful - and trying to decide if I should just sell the PCM 70 - and use plugins for gentle compression and reverb while tracking...

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks,

Sparky

Interesting so far what I have done, is only use the hardware as inserts so they are on while tracking but do not print.
But I keep threatening to track with HW comp

Have not ever used a PCM 70 so can't comment
But yes with the DSP ability of Carbon it is not necessary to use HW FX's to track basically latency free .

Now Avid's Reverb One says it is DSP compatible, but I am not aware of any others as most of them are AAX native only not DSP (which may not be a big deal given) reverb HW or software is basically a time domain delay effect. with some inherent latency AND one great thing great about the Hybrid aspect of Carbon DSP is you can run/track with both DSP on some tracks and Native on some at the same time. (THE ONLY CAVEAT) being any tracks downstream of a native/non dsp track will not be in DSP mode

In other words if you were to track with say a non DSP reverb, then that track an all tracks downstream of that track will also not be DSP mode So depending on where that tracks sits in you session you may start getting some latency, depending on how powerful your computer is and how much processing and inherent latency is in the plugins that may be on those non DSP tracks

How ever if say you have the PCM on a parallel reverb aux track (which is what I do with HW reverb) then you can track with it and that track can still be in DSP mode

See below all the tracks are in DSP mode Now the M7 track ( 3 rd from right) is a parallel reverb track with my M7 hardware reverb unit as an insert and it is in DSP as are the 2 Mix track and the Master Fader are also if that was a Native plug in the the 2 mix and Master fader would be out of DSP mode

[trimix]

Originally Posted by Sparky1

Thanks for the reply K Roche

I am currently just working on my own stuff right now.

I don't use the hardware pieces during mix-down...

I have the used the reverb during vocal tracking occasionally - it's a Lexicon PCM 70 - but this Avid Carbon is quite powerful - and trying to decide if I should just sell the PCM 70 - and use plugins for gentle compression and reverb while tracking...

Decisions, decisions...

Thanks,

Sparky

I'd keep the PCM70 and insert it on DSP channels as Kevin describes, the only AAX DSP reverbs available are a far cry from a PCM70, keep it inserted at mix and Tiled Room that snare all day...

I track through outboard preamps and compressors, committing as we go, may throw some AAX DSP channel processing on but that's just in the monitor path.

[MarkH]

Avid ReVibe, Sonnox Oxford Reverb, and Metric Halo Haloverb support AAX-DSP. Sonnox is powerful.