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Location: south east Michigan | 
I purchased a Line 6 instrument / computer interface devise.
So far I'm very happy with it.
The Line 6 seems to communicate very well with Gearbox.
It came with Ableton Live Lite which I am not really pleased with but I have the same beef with similar programs.
IMHO, someone needs to come up with a beginner version with something less than a 400-page user manual. The designers, bless their little techie hearts, pile on feature after feature until the basics are buried like the proverbial needle in the haystack. They seem to forget that there are novices out here. Let me get my feet wet with just half the bells & whistles and I'll built up to the more exotic features later. Just imagine how much more they would sell if they nurtured the noobies rather than just throwing them into the deep end.
I've decided to use Reaper. Not that it is less complicated but for the simple reason that I can put the cursor on a button and it will tell me what the function is. When you are just starting out that in itself is a big help.
I’ll just print out 30 pages of manual at a time and read them during lunch |
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Location: closely held secret | Welcome to the dark side. |
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Location: NJ | . . .he'll be selling-off his boat in NO time.
btw;
I just hooked up a pair of KRK RockIt5 monitors that I bought off of Al . . .
. . . MAN! . . . What a Difference!!
It's like going to the doctor's and having all the wax removed from your ears!!
(Thx,Al!!) |
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Location: Utah | Originally posted by Slipkid:
IMHO, someone needs to come up with a beginner version with something less than a 400-page user manual. The designers, bless their little techie hearts, pile on feature after feature until the basics are buried like the proverbial needle in the haystack. They seem to forget that there are novices out here. Let me get my feet wet with just half the bells & whistles and I'll built up to the more exotic features later. Just imagine how much more they would sell if they nurtured the noobies rather than just throwing them into the deep end. I have the same complaint with Guitar Tracks Pro. The features are amazing, and honestly one could record a commercial CD with it. But they use all the jargon, some of it their own and some of it industry standard, with no regard for the noob. There is an excellent users' forum for GTP where there are answers to most any problem. Without it, there would be no way to even get started with the basics. |
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Location: NJ | I would assume that Line6 has a UsersForum . . . |
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Location: East Tennessee | When recording, most of the time, "Less Is Better". |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | "I would assume that Line6 has a UsersForum . . ."
They do (I'm playing around with a UX1 - the smaller version of Brad's UX2), but I found it only slightly more helpful. Post, wait a week, get useless answer, re-post, wait again...Guess I'm just used to forum's that actually have people in them. What I did find helpful was their initial tutorial. Well worth the time to go through it. Of course, after I did, I switched to Reaper as well.
In any case, I'm still trying to fill out the basic requirements (i.e. the monitors you just picked up, Cliff.). Thank God the process isn't holding up my world tour. |
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Location: big island | cliff, what did you hook your new monitors up to? do you have a mixing board or are you going through your computer/software? |
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Location: NJ | I've got a 6-channel Behringer mixer. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Originally posted by cliff:
I would assume that Line6 has a UsersForum . . . Yes... I have gotten some good advise there.
Here is a couple links they sent me to:
http://benvesco.com/tonemonster/the-digital-age/2008/basics-setup/
http://benvesco.com/tonemonster/the-digital-age/2008/basics-project...
http://benvesco.com/tonemonster/the-digital-age/2008/basics-recordi...
And I have started lurking on the Reaper forum.
They are nothing like the OFC tho.
On the OFC I feel I can post a question about advanced quantum mechanics and get a good answer. |
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Location: NJ | quantum mechanics? no.
string theory? yes. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | A good Funny answer,
not a good correct answer.
Unless Temp's on line.... |
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Location: closely held secret | StudioCentral |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Reading all this ,confirms ,that my aquiring a Korg D3200 was a real good move,everything is of great quality,it has a biggish manual,yet , much of it is self explanatory , and in the long run cheaper than computer add -ons !!
Vic
..if only it had a bigger LCD screen.. |
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Location: Tennessee | Vic, I just got a D3200, too. I've been using these self-contained units for a long time so it just seems to fall into place. A very fat manual, but the Quick Start guide has everything I need to get up and going. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Stonebobbo ,Congrats !!
Do n`t ya just Love the quality of the pre -amps ,and that session drummer, so easy ,and fun to play with.. :)
Vic |
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Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by cliff:
quantum mechanics? no.
string theory? yes. Also String Tubes. |
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Location: big island | just checked out the korg d3200. that's a serious gadget! looks like tons o' fun. oh man, oh man...
oh yeah...and brad, congrats on the line 6. let's hear some stuff from ya soon! |
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Location: Tennessee | The D3200 is fifth generation for me ... started back on my friends Dokoder reel-to-reel with four channels, then onto a used four channel Tascam cassette unit, then to a Tascam 564 mini-disc with xlr inputs, and most recently an Akai DPS16. The Korg just adds a bit more all the way around. I think the session drummer is alright, but mainly as a placeholder when putting the other parts down. I suppose it'll be fine for demo tracks, but you need a live drummer to really make it right ... besides, I need someone to bring the pizza. I think the best new feature I'm getting on the Korg is the integrated mastering capability. I found this unit brand new for $900 shipped, including a JoeMeek large diaphram condensor mike and a free t-shirt. I already had the outboard gear I need so it's pretty much plug and play. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Brad - check this home recording out. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Slipkid, I apologize for high -jacking your thread
Mr.Weaser , thank you for the link
Vic
Brad..PM sent |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Mr Weaser...?
Did my Dad join the Club?!?! |
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Location: 92W 39N | I've been recording on various rigs since 1983. These days I mainly use a Yamaha standalone because it's simple and portable. I still have a pair of 3M wide track analog machines and a DAW set up on my old Mac, but it's the standalone machine that I generally start with and usually it gets the job done. The preamps are a bit noisy and lack sufficient gain for use with ribbon mikes, so I usually use a small two channel preamp and run signals in at line level.
Cheers,
Otto |
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Location: Utah | So today I recorded a backing track to practice some solos. No big deal, the Elite plugged in to one channel and mic'd into another. A little compression, a little reverb, a touch of chorus. Sounds ok, so save the final mix as a WAV. Convert the WAV to MP3.
Now the dang software for my MP3 player won't recognize the file to download it to my player. Two good hours down the drain.
Sometimes I miss that cheap little cassette recorder I had 30 years ago. The backing track would have been recorded in 2 minutes. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Originally posted by Weaser P:
Mr Weaser...?
Did my Dad join the Club?!?! Sorry Mr. Weaser ... Sir ! :)
OFAJEN,
The low impedance of ribbon mics. is exactly the reason why I `m thinking of getting one with build -in pre -amp, alternatively , try to use a transformer :)
http://microphonium.blogspot.com/2007/07/ribbon-microphone-transfor...
Vic |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | FlySig,
Jefferson would have kept the tape -recorder :)
Vic
..I feel for ya , such has happened to me too.. |
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Location: Utah | Vic, isn't technology supposed to make our lives easier and more time efficient? Though it seems that historians say that we don't really have more leisure time today than people did a couple hundred years ago. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Originally posted by FlySig:
Vic, isn't technology supposed to make our lives easier and more time efficient? Though it seems that historians say that we don't really have more leisure time today than people did a couple hundred years ago. Flysig,
Ya got it all wrong , Technology makes it easier for us to get multiple headaches , while scrutinizing ( beefy ) manuals , `fcourse them oldies had more leisure time :)
Vic
:D |
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Location: south east Michigan | I am gonna get this.
I know I got the brains, I just gotta grasp the concept and the language.
I'm not asking for any answers here. I'm reading the manual page by page, step by step. I know it made sense to the guy who wrote it because he already knew it.
This is what I'm gonna do.
This Friday, before practice, I'm gonna stop at a couple music stores and the local Guitar Center. I'm going to post a flier on their bulletin board.
It's gonna say.... WANTED.... instructor for basic operation of REAPER software. Will pay guitar lesson rates.
All I need is about an hour or two of someone that will translate the instructions in the way that humans talk to eachother. In the meantime I'm going to keep reading and keep experimenting.
I am gonna get this!!! |
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Location: closely held secret | Remember, we're pulling for you. We're all in this together. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Thanks.
I know that.
I found some online videos.
We'll see. |
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Location: 92W 39N | Originally posted by HumblePie aka Solid Top:
Originally posted by Weaser P:
Mr Weaser...?
Did my Dad join the Club?!?! Sorry Mr. Weaser ... Sir ! :)
OFAJEN,
The low impedance of ribbon mics. is exactly the reason why I `m thinking of getting one with build -in pre -amp, alternatively , try to use a transformer :)
http://microphonium.blogspot.com/2007/07/ribbon-microphone-transfor...
Vic
Otto |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Thanks.
I know that.
I found some online videos.
We'll see. I'm with you, Brad. Frustrating but, like golf, I just can't seem to walk away from it. If you find any hints, pm me if you would and I'll certainly do the same (although I'm taking the "I can do it alone" tactic and failing miserably).
I think you and I should plan a road trip out to some of these guys who do it well - Waskel would be great, I know T is well versed as are many others but whuddya say we visit, oh, I dunno, maybe Lanaki? |
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Location: Jet City | I think the plan is to do a home recording workshop of sorts at the NW gathering.
Hop a Greyhound! ;) |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | am gonna get this!!!
--------------------
Brad
---------------------------------------------
That`s the Spirit !!
_________________________________________________
DAMON :
I think the plan is to do a home recording workshop of sorts at the NW gathering.
Hop a Greyhound!
--------------------------------------------------
If that`s all it would take , I´d be the first to sign up , but crossing the ocean without the means to do it..
__________________________________________________
OFAjen
Them transformers are as noisless as can be , the Ribbon mics. , that I had in mind have a -18 db treshold ( with built -in valve pre -amp ),and even less with fets , but such mics. would only do justice ( imo ) to first -rate vocalists , or real good acoustic instruments, for me , it`s the Peavey Pm 22 Diamond ( dyn. mic.), yet , IMO , the AKG C535 EB is the all -rounder , that can take it all. :)
Vic |
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Location: Jet City | Vic, in your case, take a Greywhale :D |
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Location: south east Michigan | A small but measurable amount of progress has been made.
Half was from instructions, half was, "let's push this button and see what happens." |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | When I finally decide to get in the studio, I think I'll just go over to Stephen's and pay him engineer rates. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | :D Weazy....Brad....if you stick with the basics (simple single track) it will be easier on you.
If you try to figure out effects loops and inputs/outputs and chaining, etc..etc...you will kill something or somebody.
Just plug your guitar into the input and activate one track. Do that till you are comfortable with the sound you get (just re-record over the same track since it probably will improve each time)
While I still primarily use Cubase and Samplitude, Reaper is a really cool program that I have noodled with a bit. It's midi features are currently pretty weak and lame but that's not anything you would care about for some time to come.
Brad....you know the door is always open! |
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Location: south east Michigan | Thanks Stephen.
Beleive me.... I got my goals set pretty low.
Before I went to work this morning I figured out how to record 1 mic and 1 guitar at the same time. This was quite a breakthough.
Looping, punch editing, MIDI,... that is all way, way down the line.
Some frustration is expected. But if I find myself pissed off, I walk away from it for a while. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I have the loop machine down for live stuff and I believe Cubase software came with the Zoom, but I've never looked at it. |
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Location: big island | Originally posted by Weaser P:
Originally posted by Slipkid:
Thanks.
I know that.
I found some online videos.
We'll see.
I'm with you, Brad.... but whuddya say we visit, oh, I dunno, maybe Lanaki? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I have some older books on Cubase, Sonar, Reason, etc, etc...that I would be happy to send out to you guys for the cost of postage.
Obviously DAW specific but a lot of good information that cross-translates into DAW's in general. |
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Location: big island | pm sent on the cubase book |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | What's a DAW? I don't think I want to know. |
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Location: Jet City | Digital audio workstation |
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Location: south east Michigan | Hey, even I know what DAW means.
Of course, if you asked me last week I wouldn't have had a clue. |
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Location: closely held secret | Dumb Ass Wecodoh. |
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Location: NJ | I always thought it was what a deaf crow says . . . |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Originally posted by Damon67:
Vic, in your case, take a Greywhale :D What would the fee be on such a ride.. :D
Vic
..at least showers are included.. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Well, things don't seem quite so desperate today.
I'm recording guitar & vocals together and adding a third track of harmony.
I think I can say that I've scratched the proverbial surface.
Between amp models and stomp box effects there are a ba-ga-zillon different guitar sound options. Then after that you have the same number of choices on the vocal track. When I do find a combination I like it's going to be hell remembering all the settings.
I am very happy about one thing. For a long time I have not had much practical use for the Breadwinner. Now I can see that there will be some opportunities to put it to use. |
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Location: NJ | They grow up SO fast . . . |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Slipkid:
When I do find a combination I like it's going to be hell remembering all the settings. MAKE NOTES. |
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Location: NJ | got a digital camera? |
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Location: closely held secret | ... to record the look on his face when he accidentally wipes out "the perfect take" and has no idea how to recreate it? |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Brad, try taking a screen shot of your settings and give it a nice descriptive name. Of course, you'll still have to remember where you put the screen shot. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
"the perfect take" Yeah, when pigs fly.
GuitarBox has a "save settings for future refference" feature..... I just have to figure out how to use it. |
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Location: NJ | Look for "Save As" and name it something . . . |
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Location: NJ | . . preferably, "Loretta". |
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Location: south east Michigan | The "save settings" feature is not part of the main "File", "Save", "Save As" dropdown menue. It has it's own little dialog box right in GearBox. It won't be hard to figure out once I need to.
Thanks for the suggestion there, Loretta. |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | Bradly,
PM sent... |
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Location: Issaquah, WA | Oh lord, this is timely. I have been eyeing how to get a little home recording setup, you know, go digital, play with it a little. But this thread has convinced me to go back and figure out how to plug the mic into the back of my old casette deck. Like somebody said earlier, I thought technology was going to make our lives easier?
And by the way, it's 2008. Where's my jet-pack? |
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Location: south east Michigan | Craig... I know just what you mean. But I'm in this far and there is no turning back now.
Tim...
Here us a LINK to the Line6 forum thread that was very helpful.
And there was some good help HERE at Studio Central. |
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Location: NJ | Don't let any of it intimidate you . . .
. . you probably felt the same about "e-mail" a bunch of years ago . . . |
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Location: south east Michigan | A week ago I was intimidated.
And look at me now. Shelling out advise like I think I know what I'm talking about. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | And you had me on the line too, Brad.
That is until I clicked the link to the Line6 forum and it didn't work... :D
Did they upgrade the forum? If you really found it helpful, I'll have to re-visit it and see what's changed from when I was there the first time. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Let me try that again...
nope... did not work
Try to copy and paste this...
http://line6.com/support/thread.jspa?messageID=214294
It works as "copy & paste" but not as a link.
Stupid technology. :mad: |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | Well, I'm trying a slightly different route than Brad. I running the UX2 using the Gearbox software then trying to interface it with my PowerTracks Pro Audio 8. I'm a little more comfortable with PT8 and I want to see what I can come up with before trying Reaper or the Live Lite 5 software. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Hey, whatever works. |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | I know I'm about 5 or 6 versions behind with Power Tracks, but at least it's paid for. |
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Location: closely held secret | Only 4, Tim. They're on version 12 now.
Power Tracks is great software for the price, which has always been low. PGMusic, same company that does Band In A Box. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | BIB is kinda a cool program. I use it for jam tracks since they are mostly built in. |
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Took the leap into recording hardware