The Digidesign Digi 003 is a strong value if you need this much mixing and I/O facility. But is it overkill for our reader Lynn?

Gear isn’t everything — but getting geared up is the one hurdle that can hold up beginners. In the Ask CDM series, we’ll be answering at random some of the questions we regularly get in our inbox. First up, Lynn Morgan, who’s ready to make the jump to digital. Lynn writes:

My questions will quickly [make it] apparent that I’m from the old “tape” school of recording. But nonetheless, I do understand sound recording to some degree, having recorded 5 long-play projects in “Guitar City”.

I want to set up a home studio where I can record my own tunes. I’ll use guitar, guitar synth, bass and some keyboards and, of course, my vocals. I want the sound to be totally professional and I want the ability to interface with other users of Pro Tools, for possibly background vocals or drums, etc.

My question is this, What do I really need for equipment? The 003 Digidesign looks impressive but what would I need beyond that?

It turns out Lynn isn’t currently a Pro Tools user, but she added this when pressed:

I want to set up a recording system that will not be outdated in 6 months and sound quality to equal the best out there. The transition from “tape” to digital they say has its advantages and disadvantages. I’m just not sure what I need in the “digital” world to make it all happen.

Good questions — and ones I expect will spur some reader comment, too. But let’s divide this up into some smaller questions and look at it that way. I did intend to answer just this sort of question with my book Real World Digital Audio, but there are some specifics I didn’t get into there, so we’ll look at the specific questions.

This wound up being a huge answer, but I know it’s a very Frequently Asked Question.

What do you need?

I think the best way to begin is to think through what you need to do and work backwards from there. With audio hardware, you’ll want to think literally to inputs and outputs and how much you’ll be recording at a time.

You liked Gary Kibler’s all-Korg KAOSSilator album just a little too much, and his bandwidth is gone. So, if you’ve had any trouble getting at the music, we’ve got a brand new link on ReverbNation.

But that raises another question. As it happens, CDM community member FauxAudio was just asking about hosting music files on our forums:

online audio host - reccomendations?

So far, in the running:

• Amazon S3 (and as I noted, Yahoo just opened up their player tool)
• musicane.com (also sells albums)
• payloadz.com (ditto)
• Twango, which also hosts video and still images but supports an embeddable audio player (thank you, Nokia)

Interestingly, Amazon S3 seems to be the current favorite.

What would you want from a music host? I guess that’s the first question. Other experiences / preferences?

Data center photo: skreuzer, via Flickr.

I consider myself operating system atheistic: I refuse to believe in an operating system unless solid, empirical data is presented proving it exists works. Okay, actually … I spend a considerable amount of time doing production on both Mac and Windows, and even some time working with Linux (not to mention administering Linux servers).

But we’d like to know more about what you use in your music. Our site analytics don’t tell us a whole lot: they tend to sample random users, not regulars, and if you use a work PC to browse, we may not know what you use at home for music.

For that reason, we’d love to have you tell us more about how you work. This isn’t a race, so no need to stuff the ballot box for the OS you like. (And we already know you use some obscure OSes — and some of you even browse CDM from your iPhone, Nintendo Wii, Sun Solaris workstation, Amiga, and PSP, based on our server stats). Anyway, an OS is just as interesting if few of you are using it as if many are. No, the idea is to get an honest metric of what you’re using. We’ll happily share the results.

The survey is now closed. Thanks for your help! We’ll have results up soon.

As readers look for the ideal mobile recording device, we’ve had ongoing, vibrant discussion about the Zoom H4. Its built-in stereo mic pair, real XLR jacks, and low price are big pluses — enough so that at least some are willing to overlook fidgety mic level settings. But one major problem could be a deal-breaker: an audible buzz in recordings.

Fortunately, it seems there’s a fix: if you don’t want to have to plug in the AC adapter all the time (which would defeat the purpose of a mobile recorder), make your own DIY battery pack. Zoom forums and RC car enthusiasts to the rescue!

Brad Linder, whom I met today at the NYC Jelly coworking session out in Brooklyn, is a blogger (Weblogs, Inc.) and NPR freelancer. Needless to say, NPR’s audio requirements will be higher than the typical amateur podcaster. Brad extensively documents his DIY RC battery pack.

Building an external battery pack for portable electronic devices [Brad Linder's Digital Home]

Good stuff, and now that I’ve just gotten my own H4, I’ll be trying this out myself.

A couple of other questions come to mind, though: have others had trouble using external mics (which is part of the point of getting an H4)? And, power gurus, I wonder if a LiPoly battery (Polymer Lithium Ion), as used in cell phones and sold via vendors like SparkFun Electronics, could do the trick? They’re not cheap, but the slim design is a big improvement over the Ghostbuster-esque design above. Thoughts?

Previously:
Zoom H4 Mobile Recording: Useful for Movie Production?

Zoom H2 Portable Flash Recorder Coming Soon; Mic Design Delay (with loads of comments from Zoom owners and folks who went with competitive devices like the Edirol mobile recorder)

One of the reasons to look beyond conventional controllers for music (like the ubiquitous, piano-style black-and-white keyboard) is that these controllers have a certain range of expression. But these constraints also impact people with different physical abilities. The piano assumes a certain kind of physical facility, and even as it makes playing easy for people with that facility, it prevents others from being expressive.

Case in point: reader Niels Schuddeboom has been looking for alternative controllers or software that would allow him to overcome cerebral palsy:

I am looking for a solution to make it easier for me to play complex compositions…Due to my disability I can’t use my fingers all together.

I have cerebral palsy, from a musical perspective, this means that I have very stiff movement of my fingers and wrists. That makes it very difficult to play scales, Chords, loops - in other words, it is very hard to play a complex melodies and completions. When I move one or two fingers, naturally the others go with them.
Of course, there are several alternatives. One of them would be to use the mouse or to use BIAB-like software. Problem with the first solution is that you quickly lose the big picture, the second solution, BIAB like software would in my opinion, kill the nature of musical expression.

About the music I like to play: I actually have a very wide taste, from abient to jazz. Not too technical. But I have to say I haven’t played for a very long time because my mind could think of many things but physically it became a frustration. 2 companies were interested in helping me out, but either their custom solutions were way above my budget or they didn’t get back to me.

Okay, readers: got any advice, even for a place to begin researching? Have any of you had to find a way to adapt musical playing to overcome a physical disability? (I certainly know pianists who have had to redevelop their keyboard technique after an injury — either an accident or repetitive stress.)

It absolutely provides an added impetus to think more broadly about how we play music, in terms of hardware and software. Look forward to hearing what you think.

Photo by talented Flickerer Patrish. Nope, not a digital instrument — but, isn’t that funny, notice the uncanny resemblance to the primary interface on virtually all synths?