Post your computer specs please.

I'm guessing you need a soundcard AND your computer isn't really built for that stuff. Let's start with computer specs tho imo. These are two different issues kind of. The computer is lagging when trying to process the vst effects, etc. and if you record something the latency will cause what you record to be behind what you are playing back, etc. I have run 60+ tracks on my new i7 laptop but if I tried to record in with the built in soundcard it would be almost a full second behind i believe.

Definitely a soundcard problem.

When I started with my DAW I ran Sonar 4 PE on a Win XP Dell with a P3 processor. I also had an Maudio Audiophile 196 soundcard. Didn't have any latency problems unless I ran major effects on multiple tracks.

Upgraded to a quad core a few years ago and it came with Vista. I have never had any problems with that at all, even running a symphony of tracks.

You really should turn off everything on your DAW though and optimize it for music only.

I missed the part about you having ok performance with vsts. What are you plugging into? The mic input? Could also check buffer settings and raise them. I'm not sure about that particular software. If it ends up being sound card you can buy something to get going for under a few hundred.

Oh, and as far as DAW software, Reaper is cheap (like $60) and well respected by a lot of people. It also has a demo period to try out.

I downloaded the free VSTHost program and am just fiddling with VSTi's right now, synths and effects. But, I did immediately notice there was significant lag on the MIDI keyboard (software keyboard). Since I couldn't figure out how to use the WaveRT drivers, I downloaded and installed ASIO4ALL drivers, and that cleared up my lag completely. I never got a chance to try ASIO in Mixcraft 5 before my demo ran out. I thought WaveRT was the best driver to reduce latency on Vista, so I had been using that.

My specs:
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit SP2
Intel Core2 Duo 2.66GHz w/4 gigs RAM
EVGA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard (USB 2.0)
Azalia(HDA) onboard audio chipset with RealTek audio drivers

I built it myself, but I guess it's older than I thought... hard to find much info on that motherboard anymore. It might be as old as five years now (wow, doesn't seem like that long).

I have been spec'ing out a new Windows 7 system, again I'll put it together myself. One of the big questions I've had with it is... do I need to buy a soundcard, and which one should I get? If I get an external USB audio input, can I skip the soundcard? And lastly... with USB 3.0 still being a mess (standards-wise and all that), should I worry about getting a motherboard with that, or should I just get IEEE 1394 (Firewire) to plug into... or something else altogether?

BTW, this is Mixcraft

http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft-pro-studio/index.htm

I haven't tried Reaper yet, but I'm aware of it of course.

dunno yet. At least 70 bucks, as that's what I paid for the kit.

http://buildyourownclone.com/overdrive.html

I'm prolly interested. Have you painted it yet? Post pics imo

Haven't painted it yet, just finished populating the circuit board.





I have primer and the base color paint, but I gotta figure out how I'm going to do the tone level and drive letters or words or whatever imo.

Well good, paint it how you want it.I'm buying. Make it a 2+2 pedal

got my pedal in and messed with it a bit. can get a ton of different sounds out of that thing. not sure how much i will be using it yet, but will be fun to mess with.

Music should be fun and exciting Jmitch, so whatever it takes to drive that is a good thing imo.

Take effects away from people like the Edge for example and it's a whole different ball game. He admits it himself, but the way he uses effects is unique and signature.

It's like effects can be like another instrument and they open up additional creative opportunities.

I mean an electric guitar is just made to be used with some sort of effect or feedback, it's quite dull otherwise, even in the hands of a master.

Yes you can get a USB audio interface and not worry about a soundcard. From all I've read since getting back into this stuff USB 2.0 is plenty even if you are running a huge amount of data through so don't buy a usb 3.0 audio interface or anything. If the computer had usb 3.0 ports I wouldn't worry though I don't think. I think usb or the new mac interface Thunderbolt? may be safer than Firewire. Others can chime in if they think otherwise.

Now, as far as soundcards, you can get something for just recording yourself or small live performances like dj'ing, all the way up to stuff with enough ins/outs to record a whole band. Something like this is cheap, low latency and gets good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Saff.../dp/B002R9ILOY

I've been looking at a lot of usb interfaces since I'm looking to perform live and use a laptop so I'm not all that familiar with internal soundcards and stuff. Hopefully other people can help you if that's what you want.

Actually, here's something with a bit more ins/outs, better quality, and also usb. I'm prolly buyin this after i build a new desktop this spring.

http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_babyface.php

2001 Les Paul Class 5 (tangerine burst)
1993 Fender Strat Plus Deluxe w/ red, blue, and silver lace pickups (crimson burst)

1979 Marshall JMP 50 watt w/ a 4x12 cab (can't remember which kind)

Line 6 delay mod, Vox wah, mxr phase 90, danelectro daddy-o, boss comp/sustain, an ebow, and a dan-o cool cat chorus that I don't have hooked up anymore. Voodoo labs pedal power 2 plus.

Need to upgrade my pedals, looking for some kind of cool reverb and modulation as well as maybe some kind of tube driver... any suggestions?

I've also got an old shure 55s mic that I bought from a church for something like $10 or $20 but I've never switched over the cable.

The rest of my band's gear...

singer/guitarist-
2000ish Gibson SG (red)
2005ish Epiphone Les Paul jr (sunburst)
2003ish Fender 2x12 twin reverb

Big muff, boss overdrive, and something else that's not coming to me.

bassist-
1990's fender (not sure ab the details... it's sunburst)
1970's fender bassman 100w w/ 4x10 and 1x15 cabs

drummer-
All kinds of stuff...
Main kit- badass palmetto 5-piece (14", 16", 18" toms not sure ab the bass drum) w/ sabian hand-hammered cymbals.

He also has tons of aux percussion, a couple of different Mapex sets, several snares, and tons of cymbals. Ironically, for shows he usually only plays with 2 crashes, hats, ride, snare, bass, and 2 toms.

You can see most everything except for my amp in this clip... sound quality isn't too good.

<object width="400" height="224" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/2130613317126" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/2130613317126" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="224"></embed></object>

I guess I've forgotten how to embed video... damn DOJ.

Just feel like writing this down since i havent done it yet. Built my rig from scratch over the last year as i live in SE Asia now and had no gear; great fun.

Guitars
Custom Built Warmoth Telecaster Custom (arctic white, SD pearly gates neck humbucker, SD Jerry Donahue bridge).
Custom Built Warmoth Strat (Black, SD Custom 5 bridge humbucker, Quarter pounder mid, Custom Flat neck)

Pedals
Hardwire HT-6 Polyphonic Tuner
Mxr CSP202 Custom Compressor
Micro POG
EHX Small Stone phaser
Budda Budwah Wah Pedal (!)
Fulltone OCD
Earthquaker Devices Monarch distortion (!!)
Wampler Triple Wreck distortion (!!!)
EHX Big Muff Pi
Tc Electronic Vortex Flanger Toneprint
Hardwire Stereo Chorus
Hardwire Delay/Looper
DigiTech JamMan Solo Looper

Fender Blues Junior III /modded
Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb

No real regrets. In hindsight i might have gone for a more boutique pedal rather then the hardwire chorus and delay, but they really cant be faulted, and for the price cant be beat. Just being nitty.
Most used pedal: EHX Big Muff, its just got THE sound. The TripleWreck is probably the best pedal i own (and by far the most expensive) but i still fall back on the big muff. Chorus is almost always on (discretely). Use the looper alot, so fun. The monarch is LOUD.

http://tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Here is a good link for home studio advice.

Lewis and Clark carbon fiber cello



realist pickup


boss rc 300 loop station


this loop station has some built in effects, but they aren't amazing and also not all that performance friendly (takes too long to switch between effects), so I want to get a really good effects processor and then my setup will be complete!

Does anyone here use a kaoss pad 3?

Was wandering around the internet yesterday and found that Best Buy had the Line 6 UX-1 audio interface on sale for more than 1/3 off - $93 instead of the $149 asking price that's standard elsewhere. Scooped it up right away, should arrive in a week.

Also grabbed the Avid/M-Audio KeyStudio 49-Key Keyboard for a MIDI controller on sale for $70, which may not be the best one out there but it does feature velocity-sensitive keys and has assignable controls as well as both pitch and modulation wheels.

For the two of them combined plus tax I paid about $175. I was just about ready to go ahead and buy the Line 6 KB37 which goes for $349 everywhere. I figure I got pretty much the same thing with the UX-1/KeyStudio for half the price. Had to go this route instead, couldn't pass up the sale prices once I noticed them.

Will post feedback on both products after I get them and try them out next week. I'll be using Mixcraft 5 for my DAW.

OMFG, the UX-1 is simply amazing. With the POD Farm 2 modeling, it's like having an infinite variety of sound pallettes at my fingertips. I was so stuck in a rut playing thru my little Gallien-Krueger amp with my Boss distortion pedal and nothing else... I've already put the amp away and will probably try to sell it. For me, as a hobbyist, this is exactly what I needed.

Since the UX-1 is a soundcard, when I plug it in (to the USB port, not into the wall, doesn't even need external power) it takes over from my PC speakers... it's a bit annoying to play thru headphones, but there's a huge benefit since Winamp also comes thru the phones. I can pull up a song I want to jam to, turn the volume down so I can hear myself playing, and pull up a amp/effects model that sounds similar and play along. That's always been what's most fun to me, just jamming to records (yeah I'm old, they'll always be "records" to me haha) and trying to figure the parts out by ear. There's zero latency obv.

There's two 1/4" analog outs on the UX-1, for L/R monitor speakers. I don't have any, but I'm gonna go grab a couple of 1/4" to RCA adapters, then run a red/white RCA cable into the back of my living room stereo receiver and see how the whole thing sounds coming out of my stereo speakers. I hope I don't blow em out, they're nice Axioms about 4' tall. LOL

The Avid M-Audio KeyStudio is pretty basic, but it works like a charm. Been fiddling so much with the guitar, I haven't done much with the keys yet except to test it out in Mixcraft and make sure it all works. I can't use the ASIO drivers with POD Farm 2 running, but the WaveRT drivers seem to be working fine with no latency. Everything comes right into Mixcraft and I can compose songs as easy as can be. Having the physical keys is so much nicer than having to use the virtual keys (the keyboard) for MIDI input. As someone had advised me, having a keyboard with velocity-sensitive keys is almost a must. I can play lightly or I can play heavier... and can always adjust the velocity easy in Mixcraft afterwards. But nice to be able to play how I want it to sound, then edit it after, rather than vice versa.

Well that's about it, you guys probably know a lot more than me about this stuff, but feel free to ask questions if anyone ever runs across this post and is thinking about buying the Line 6 UX-1. Highly recommended. I already purchased all the add-on model packs for it, I can tell I'm gonna be using this thing non-stop. It's amazing what having all the various sound models does for creativity, as opposed to having just one sound/tone with almost no variation.

Can someone recommend a simple cheap mixer for me?

Here is what I need:

I have a loop station and I'm trying to create a click track for me and a drummer. The signal is too quiet, and only plays in one ear. So i'm looking for a mixer which will raise the volume, split it into both ears, and send it to two headphones.

edit:
the sub output through which i'm routing the click actually has both a right and a left channel...but when I plug my headphones into either channel, it plays in the same ear! Is this odd?

i feel like you can probably replace the click more easily than buy a mixer. do you really need it in both ears? what are you using now?

i would just plug a laptop into the sub and run a click track off whichever DAW / sequencer you have on there.

The sub out on my looper consists of a right and left 1/4" audio jack. The looper has a built in rhythm track which syncs up with the tracks I record. I can route this rhythm track to the sub output only.


I could replace the click if the looper communicated the tempo and start/stop to the laptop. maybe if i connect via usb?

There is also MIDI...is there a simple MIDI device that could receive tempo and start/stop and generate a click?
Edit: I have a Boss DB-90 metronome back at home in the states (im in korea ) which has MIDI in. I could probably hook this up via MIDI and it would solve my problem, right?

http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CDIQ8wIwAQ

If the looper has midi out or a usb midi port you can make a DAW the slave and the looper will be the master. Turn on metronome. Profit??

Ham,

D5s delayed until April 6th. Boo!

Taylor 414ce

Yamaha acoustic I paid $20 for off Craigslist. It's one of those "box" guitars that comes with the starter kit at GC IMO.

DBJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ