tidalwaveten wrote:
I see people are still trying to sell used MG12/4s for between USD $200 and USD $250. Possibly pristine used. So then I'd wished I'd Bought It Then for the B.I.N. price of $150. All in, USD $117 with non-expedited shipping. It's funny--the expedited and non-expedited shipping had the same arrival dates. Anyway, thanks for describing what I'd be giving up if I went with the newer model. Too limiting.
Ok, that sounds good, you'll be looking at connecting up as follows:-
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11+12 will be your fader for DAW return
9+10 will be level for FA
1-8 gives you the expansion for future.
Master fader controls speaker volume.
And then the Group 1+2 buttons (One per channel), you just engage/disengage on whatever channels you want and they go off to the DAW, without affecting how your hardware is connected.
So, you see, you have it all at hand there, which is nice.
As you're getting the 2i4 interface you then have the front 2 inputs to plug mics/guitars into easily - that's all i use my front inputs for, just quickly plugging stuff in that isn't laying around.
tidalwaveten wrote:Also, I thought, hey, with the mixer's effect sends, I can purchase some old multiverbs / multi-effect rack-mount units for nearly nothing. :-)
Yeah that's when a mixer comes in really handy, you can go out via a send on that mixer, or it has inserts too, so you have plenty of options for additional fx if needed. Inserts just need special Y Split cables, but an insert you can have different FX for each channel on the mixer, whereas an aux/fx out you send varying balance of the mix out to the FX box, all quite simple.
tidalwaveten wrote:Yeah, we'll see how long I can keep my eyes of a laptop screen or monitor. Possibly not very. :-) Leading to... the Mac. So, forget it I've mention, but I found a somewhat beefy Mac Mini on sale for USD $600:
Quick specs: Apple Mac mini - Core i5 2.6 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 1 TB HDD - Intel Iris Graphics - OS X 10.12 Sierra
(I believe the memory is upgradable to 16G)
Hmmm. I'm hesitant on that, i mean it is good for what you want to do (HDD you're best with an SSD or a 7200RPM traditional drive), but i'm concerned that you won't be getting long term value for money. The Mac Mini's are due a refresh and that current line is the same Mac Mini's that have been on sale for several years now. I think they're 2014/2015 models? Yet Apple aren't really clear on what they're doing with them.
If you can hold off a while, do so, if you can't.... Well, don't discount windows machines of course. Sorry, but i really like to make every penny count, so maybe over critical here! :-)
One other thing with those mini's is that i don't think the RAM can be upgraded after they've been bought as they are soldered in. However, you won't need more than 8GB unless you got into seriously LARGE sampling library territory. I'm talking silly large though.
tidalwaveten wrote:Any issues with the # and type of I/O ports? They say there are two ThunderBolt ports, but I only see one (?). If I go this route, I want at least two monitors if not three. Can a box like this handle that? I know it's got HDMI. And though I know very little about Thunderbolt, I believe video can be routed through it.
2x displays at once on those i'm afraid, not 3. And yes Thunderbolt can be used for all sorts, including displays.
It's got USB ports, too so you're good on that front. Some of the newer MacBooks have gone thunderbolt only so you have to use USB/Thunderbolt adapters, but you won't suffer with that.
tidalwaveten wrote:So, I ordered some TRS balanced cables. They're cheapies and won't last forever, but they're balanced. Brand is HOSA. They are stereo pairs that one can pull apart completed if desired. I purchased:
HOSA are good, you'll be fine with those.
tidalwaveten wrote:Any other cables I should get? Shorter ones for connecting the mixer to a multi-effects unit, etc?
I drew a basic diagram so you get an idea of connecting up, but you're probably good, i wouldn't get cables until you pick up a cheap effects unit, as they may differ as to how many i/o's they have.
tidalwaveten wrote:A cheap bass guitar. Probably a USD $200 Fender P-bass (?) knock-off, like a Fender Squire. Preferably used and in great condition. When I was in metal / punk / art rock bands in high school, I believe our bassists used the latter, not being able to afford anything better. Any suggestions?
The vintage modified are great Squier's if you see any of them, i really like the 5 string version in the Jaguar/Offset style, but not great if you want to play/learn slap bass. But they're great for a guitarist wanting to play bass parts! :)
tidalwaveten wrote:For a guitar, I have a "mexican" Fender strat purchased new circa 2015; vs. the Standard (?) strats built in the U.S. And a "crap" amp (fit my need at the time): Line 6 Spider III amp with built-in effects. I don't like the built-in effects; at least the routings are limited. But hey, for USD $150 used for a loud amp with multi-effects built in, it was a bargain and Got Me Back Into The Game. My strat--never had a proper set-up done on it. Can't seem to get or keep her in tune. No warped neck or anything like that. Just needs a set-up I suspect.
Yeah those Line 6 Spiders are a touch metally i always find. There's some great guitar plugins which may impress you, you just go straight into the front of your audio interface with guitar and through to the amp sims, and they sound superb, plus you can alter the sound AFTER you've recorded which is handy. Personally, i like to use a real amp with 2x mic's picking up the sound, but most people use amp sims when recording now i bet.
As for guitar going out of tune, Maybe your guitar just needs new strings? Also check that your strings are the correct size/gauge for your guitar, as sometimes using different gauges can cause the strings to sit in the nut incorrectly and dip out of tune, particularly if temperature changes.
Another thing, is that when tuning, i always tune down first, and then turn up to the correct frequency... i.e. the last time i touch the tuners is to tighten, not loosen. Even if i have to tune down, i will go lower than the target frequency and then tighten up to that note.
tidalwaveten wrote:So, damn, thanks man for all the detailed back and forths! Would buy you a pint--or several--if I was in the U.K. Been to the U.K. twice--London a few years ago, just as a short Eurostar side trip from Paris; and technically the U.K--Northern Ireland, in the late 90's on a trip of the Republic of Ireland.
No probs, i tend to talk about music more than i get to do it nowadays, i had a really bad blip a few years back where i couldn't write anything... or at least nothing that was good, so i've been refreshing my skills this year, learning more music theory, subscribed to a 'guitartricks' website, and you know, it's going really good.
So hopefully get a good stab at recording again soon, right now i'm just enjoying playing and doing stuff i wouldn't normally do.
tidalwaveten wrote:While not a "trad" music guy, I had many a pint of Guinness in Ireland, where the musicianship in the pubs was stellar. It's the same here in the southern U.S. where we have bluegrass music and large bluegrass festivals. While I don't often listen to bluegrass music, I love seeing it live. The musicianship is off-the-charts phenomenal; especially when you consider these guys are playing insanely fast on acoustic instruments. Mental.
Totally, i saw a band from the late 80s/90's (Soul II Soul) - thought it would be a laugh to go see them, and they were great. However, they had a Jazz-funk type band support them, James Taylor Quartet, i knew the name but didn't know much about them.
Holy crap, it was immense, massive Hammond (Or similar) Organ on stage and all seasoned professionals jamming around that. It was fantastic, and i think was the turning point of me questioning my own ability. I wouldn't sit and listen to an albums worth of it, but being in that room and just having fun with it is what music is all about. Even the people in the room reacted differently to them than other bands that i've seen.
I can't wait to track them down again when they next come.
tidalwaveten wrote:My playing, quite frankly, is crap. I only do rhythm guitar and bass. This is why sequencing was a revelation to me when I discovered it. You mean all the compositions I'd like to write, based on experimentation and what I'm hearing in my "mind's ear", I can implement to perfection in a computer? Wicked! :-)
You can get lost in it, don't know about perfection!! :)
My mate is into it big time, has built an Abbey Road replica studio in his garden (It's a building within a building - same doors, same windows etc.), and he will sit for hours staring at waveforms and manually moving snare drums by milliseconds to get the sound he wants, immense! I could never be that person, i can be driven to tears by the cheapest tape recording of a band, it's that reaction why i love music, and there's no better buzz than doing it yourself. It's like a drug.