Chosing DAW software and hardware (part 1)

There are dozens of studio software packages to choose from.  These can range from a $10,000+ Pro Tools rig to free open source applications such as Audacity. Your options narrow slightly depending on what operating system you’re running. Still, considering the number of software applications multiplied by the number of audio interfaces  available on the market, there are easily hundreds of possibilities.

The best place to start is to ask yourself what you plan to use your recording setup for. Are you a singer songwriter looking to make demos? A five piece pop-rock band wanting to record your first EP? Knowing what you want to accomplish helps you make the right choice. How many audio inputs and outputs do you need? Is advanced MIDI editing necessary? Virtual instruments? Or what about integrated CD authoring?

Thoughts on the M-box

I asked singer/songwriter Scott Cooper about his setup, and why he chose it. Here’s what he had to say:

I have the M-box 2 Mini. It’s a pretty neat little thing, but for a little bit more money you get WAY more bang-for-your-buck with the standard M-box 2. I went the Mini because my needs were to find a portable Pro Tools solution for writing/demo’ing, and also for mobile editing on my laptop. Which meant portability/size was a factor, too.

The Mini is basically the cheapest real Digidesign hardware/software interface option to get Pro Tools + factory plug-ins. (I know there are technically cheaper M-Audio/M-Powered options, but I just wanted the real thing. Plus, M-Audio has so many hardware options it began to confuse me.)

Mini cons are no MIDI interface, and only one XLR input. (2 inputs total, the other is just a 1/4″ line) it does have +48V, though. I’ve also found it to be quite a resource hog for a laptop. I have 2GB of RAM and I still occasionally bog it down.

As a singer/songwriter the main purpose of Scott’s setup is for songwriting and creating demos. He also uses it for editing work he does in a professional studio running Pro Tools.

For Scott, having “real Digidesign” hardware and software is important. Because he does work elsewhere in a full-blown Pro Tools studio, compatibility between his personal setup and the pro studio he works at was important.

Likewise, if you collaborate with other musicians, it’s a good idea to find out what software they’re using. If they like it and you’re going to be working together, get the same thing so you can easily trade files and projects.

If you’re recording a full band, small 2 or 4-input interfaces are going to force you to cut some corners when recording. If you can afford it, consider an interface with at least 8 inputs. And, if you don’t need to be 100% compatible with Pro Tools like Scott, there are more options. I’ll talk about those in Part 2. -mc