Music Audio Technology Questions & Answers

[FemMecha]

Some of these are questions that could easily be answered at your local music store, but since there are a few members here into music audio recording and technology, it might be nice for the community to chat about it. And I do kinda need help/support. I've been getting into this more, but my knowledge is like Swiss cheese and full of holes. However, I can also answer some questions as well. I can answer questions about GarageBand, iMovie, Soundstudio, Finale, and a few others things.

Also, I would like to tag more people, but I only know people who do electronic music from their blogs. Please do mentions or rep me to tag more people.

 

[FemMecha]

This is my audio interface that I don't understand. These are the images of the inputs and outputs and the parts the box explains. Some parts are not explained.

On the back I see the USB output and I have the cable for that. What is the K output? There is no explanation for it. There are also Line outputs which I understand are for audio cables going out to speakers.

On the front the two inputs are for quarter inch audio cables, correct? What is the difference between LINE and INST on these input selections? I understand that "GAIN" is volume. "MONITOR" is for playback level, but then there is a headphone jack with another output playback leveling. What is the difference between MONITOR and 1-10 output knobs?

These are the parts the box explains.

I know some of my questions are kindergarten, but I can answer questions about GarageBand, iMovie, Soundstudio, and a few others things. Most of my work is acoustic, but that needs to change.

 

[Polaris]

[MENTION=14857]Powehi[/MENTION] Unfortunately, I know oodles more about software than hardware, so I'm unable to assist you with your above post.

Anyway, the main programs I use for music production are FLstudio, which I particularly like for its piano roll display with labeled notes; a free notation software called MuseScore; and a programming environment called PureData that is largely geared toward the creation of audio-related programs. I can answer questions anyone has about any of those.

 

[Jaq]

I've also used MuseScore.

 

[FemMecha]

So I found out that direct line in recording doesn't sound very good. I've been basing all my equipment investments on that assumption for the past few years. They sound better when you record acoustically by mic'ing the amp.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Garageband is a vastly underrated program. Problem is affording a machine to run it on. But despite its limitations, one can make some pretty great sounding music if they learn the tools available and have an ear for mixing. Its relatively userfriendly layout makes it a good stepping stone to more complex programs like Logic, which is built on similar programming. I've never used the tablet/phone version but the mac version has led me to some good sounds, both intended and accidental.

 

[FemMecha]

The next generation of keyboard instruments. This is kinda awesome actually.

Seaboard: The Future Of The Keyboard | ROLI

ROLI Seaboard RISE 49 | Musician's Friend

 

[á´…eparted]

I use Ableton Live as well as Max/MSP/Jitter and I absolutely love it. I know a fair amount but am still very much in the learning stage.

As far as your attachments go, if you are just going the software route you're likely only going to need the USB inputs/outputs so the hardware can communicate with the software. The rest of the ports would be for speakers like studio monitors, amps, and general speakers. One of the nice things about audio ports is you don't need to use all of them, just the ones you need. If you're going to be using speakers then you'll want to check the ports on the speakers to see what you need. I can't answer specifically because I only use monitor headphones at this point and that goes through my laptop.

One thing I have learned as I practice is it's very easy to get overwhelmed or feel like you don't know anything, but curiously you don't really need to learn all that much just to get started. The best way to go about it is to decide what sort of hardware/software you want to specifically use, then connect those specific things and learn how to do that with those specific things. No need to worry about the rest.

 

[á´…eparted]

The next generation of keyboard instruments. This is kinda awesome actually.

Seaboard: The Future Of The Keyboard | ROLI

I've seen these frequently and they do seem really fun to use. They're sort of like a keyboard+, where modulation parameters are sort of imbeded within the keys beyond the standard key velocity variable. Definitely lets you do tons more during live play.

 

[á´…eparted]

To illustrate the power and potential within Max/MSP/Jitter, the this song (which is also where I got my current avatar from) was created and composed within that program. The music video was composed/created within it as well (Jitter does video input). It's a visual programming language that lets you do pretty much anything and quite a lot of musicians have been using it for years, many of whom are experimental artists. What's most fascinating and profound is that for this album and composition, she created an AI that she taught/is teaching how to sing in response to live singers, and is included into it. It's absolutely stunning. She's quickly become my favorite artist and one of my main people I look up to.

Like with anything, I strongly recommend quality headphones.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I use a Korg microkey (49). It’s a really simple design but it’s perfect for me. It’s more keys than the last midi keyboard I was using so I can play more parts simultaneously instead of having to constantly record the lower notes separate from the higher notes.

 

[Sacrophagus]

The next generation of keyboard instruments. This is kinda awesome actually.

Seaboard: The Future Of The Keyboard | ROLI

This is my first time hearing about a Seaboard. I've been disconnected from the music industry for a while now. I figured "No way Jordan Rudess would miss this beast".

Here he is explaining meticulously all the delicious details about this instrument. I'm enamored with it to say the least.

 

[FemMecha]

Now I can't stop thinking about the Seaboard Grand which costs $3500. I do have a great electronic piano - a Roland FP-50 that I got on sale at Musicians' Friend a couple of years ago. It does not have a USB output, but MIDI output and I have that audio interface, so I am planning to record all my song accompaniment tracks with it. However, the Seaboard Grand would really fit with my spooky, spacey, transcendental love songs.

Here's a hardware question. To get the actual sounds and timbres from a keyboard like the Seaboard Grand, is there really no way to send a direct wave (non-MIDI) signal of high quality directly into the computer? I've been basing all my home studio assumptions on that possibility, but you can really only directly input MIDI, so the sound capability of the input instrument is a moot point, really truly?

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I think Hans Zimmer uses a seaboard as well. Or something similar.

 

[FemMecha]

What do you think of this mic compared to others around $100? In my case for vocal and acoustic recording. [MENTION=7111]Fidelia[/MENTION] is this the one you were telling me about?

 

[Fidelia]

Is that the snowball? I have an older model of it and it makes nice recordings. I haven't used it much but my sister recorded a whole CD with one and it sounded excellent.