The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    No more MIDI hardware! I'm now fully upgraded to software and USB.-apple_midi_interface-jpg

    After getting into MIDI hardware when Apple first introduced the little interface in 1984, I made the leap from open reel tape to MIDI and digital recording as soon as CPU power reached a level that would allow decent capture and processing. I used the MIDI ins and outs on my Kawai K1 and Kurzweil keyboards to drive the primitive MIDI instruments that were available at the time, and I used their audio outs for analog recording. With my Crown SX724 and a patchbay, I could multitrack with some effort and was able to overdub decent 3 or 4 part recordings before the noise level reached gross audibility. But I finally sold my Crown deck about 20 years ago when I was comfortable that digital quality was good enough.

    When USB MIDI came along and the world of plug-ins expanded enough to give us many excellent options for MIDI instruments and effects, recording high quality digital audio without an ADAT became much easier and much less expensive for musicians to adopt at home. But my studio was put together well and I was happy with what I could do for several years. When we finally sold the house and moved to an apartment a few years ago, I had to shrink my studio from the sprawling complex it had become in our basement and library into a small area in the second bedroom in our apartment. This was an opportunity to move from hardware MIDI to software MIDI, and I took it.

    Fortunately, it turned out that my old MIDI stuff has become desirable to young 'uns who seem to think that older sounds better. So I was able to sell the Kawai keyboard / synth, my original rack mount Roland guitar synth and MIDI interface, my Rotosphere, and a bunch of other stuff for enough money to upgrade my studio. I kept the Kurzweil ST76 because I still get a few calls to play it on gigs, and it's a very fine machine. But for the studio, I bought an Alesis QX88 Mk II that does a stellar job. It's not the best made hardware in the world, but it's also not going on the road and I can replace it with little loss if and when the next gen comes along to eclipse it. I got a pair of JBL 305s on sale from GC for $90 each (!) and I already had an Emotiva Stealth-DC1 balanced DAC that's pretty fine.

    I added a good Logitech webcam (which is sitting on top of the monitor in the picture - those are cabinets above), and I already had 6 very good mics from the old days. I bought a TASCAM DR40x digital recorder (sitting on the desk to the left of the keyboard), which is a fine USB DAI with very good onboard mics and 4 channel input capability. And I use both the Blu 6 (sitting behind the DR40) and my Superblock US (off camera) as front ends if I want a different sound. I'm recording audio on Tracktion if I need plug-in instruments and Audacity if I don't. I use OBS for video recording and Lightworks for post-processing. I'm loving it!!!

    No more MIDI hardware! I'm now fully upgraded to software and USB.-studio1000-jpg

    The computers are off to the left end of the counter. My general purpose PC runs Windows 10, and I have a dedicated media box running Ubuntu Studio. The monitors are on 4" high stands with open bottoms. So I can push the keyboard under them when I'm not using it, since this is also our desk and computer station. It works great and my wife is as happy with the spatial setup as I am with the functionality and quality. It's a win-win!

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    wow..heres my set up...usually my 2 cats in there somewhere..ham radio on the side....it all works...No more MIDI hardware! I'm now fully upgraded to software and USB.-site-jpg

  4. #3

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    OP, looks good. I think those speakers could be seperated a bit more to create a proper triangle. You didn't talk about treating the room. I guess Ubuntu is a daw. I couldn't make out if you're using an audio interface.

    In treatment for a small room, the biggest thing you can do is low-frequency absorption—those two-by-four-foot Corning 703 acoustic panels can be set diagonally against any two walls/ceiling/floor. In a small room diagonal from a wall to ceiling doesn't take up any space. I did four of those and put down a throw rug and it made a world of difference.
    Attached Images Attached Images No more MIDI hardware! I'm now fully upgraded to software and USB.-20200430_164246-jpg 

  5. #4

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    Ubuntu Studio is a distribution of the Linux operating system. Comparable to Windows or iOS, but better, and free.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    Ubuntu Studio is a distribution of the Linux operating system. Comparable to Windows or iOS, but better, and free.
    Thanks - you beat me to it on providing this info.

    Studio is much more than just the OS. The core is a current Ubuntu OS distribution optimized for media use. It has a low latency kernel (the code that forms the heart of the system) that improves audio performance. But it’s a standard Ubuntu Linux system that uses anything and everything available through the Ubuntu support system and app repositories.

    Packaged with the OS are many media apps of all kinds. There are apps for audio, video, graphics, photography & image creation / management / editing, desktop publishing etc. So the full package is a big download with a lot of software most of us will never use. You can choose which you want to install up front, and you can add or remove any at any time. And there’s a huge, active community of users with endless support that starts with the Ubuntu Project at Ubuntu.com and the UbuntuStudio at ubuntustudio.org .

    Linux is a fine OS, and many of the current versions in wide use are small & efficient- especially compared to Windows. But compared to many Linux distributions, the full Studio installation is big. The latest download is 2.6 gigs. The minimum recommended drive space is 25 gigs and the “required” RAM is 8 gigs. But many users recommend a minimum of 64 for audio recording, creation, editing etc. I run it on an older Intel 2 core box that will only take 8G of RAM, and it does run out of gas when I get up to 3 or 4 stereo tracks and am using plugins on them all. The CPU killer is loopback monitoring - the stuttering and latency make recording impossible if I try to monitor the recorded tracks and live input for another one through the DAW. So I have to use all the latency compensation in the DAW, and I monitor what I’m playing live from the input while recording. I often have to realign multiple tracks after recording them.

    As I also get audio glitches in Audacity when I push it, I can’t blame the software. Those system recommendations are spot on, and I’m going to have to build myself a new box with enough speed, space, and power for better and easier recording. But I’ll continue to use Ubuntu Studio because it’s excellent.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit

    As I also get audio glitches in Audacity when I push it, I can’t blame the software. Those system recommendations are spot on, and I’m going to have to build myself a new box with enough speed, space, and power for better and easier recording. But I’ll continue to use Ubuntu Studio because it’s excellent.
    FWIW, the Reaper DAW is available for Linux and it is free to demo. It is said to be very efficient especially if you stick to the plugins that come with it.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    FWIW, the Reaper DAW is available for Linux and it is free to demo. It is said to be very efficient especially if you stick to the plugins that come with it.
    Reaper's a fine program for sure! Ardour comes in the Ubuntu Studio package and is also great. And Tracktion Waveform Free is equally excellent and cross-platform. I use it on my Windows PC and my Linux boxes. I wrote a comparative review of recording software for audiphilestyle.com a while back when I was doing a series on the Raspberry Pi. So I have several DAW packages installed on multiple computers running Windows, a few flavors of Linux, and Raspberry Pi OS.

    My test of a DAW's efficiency and how much stress it puts on the processor is to run it on the last few iterations of Raspberry Pi. If it runs well on a stock 3B+, it's light and nimble. If it runs well only on a hot rodded Pi 4 with 8 gigs of RAM and an extrnal SSD, it's more of a resource hog. And if it stumbles even on the baddest Pi in the bakery, it's a glutton. I've recorded live stereo with a Pi 3B+ running Tracktion and on a 4 running Ardour. And Audacity works great on 3Bs and 4s whether stock or modded. But I couldn't use loopback monitoring with any of them - I had to trust the level indicators in the GUI (I use an old tablet as a display for remote recording).

    I'm told that Reaper will run well on a Pi. If so, it's much lighter than the others. I need to try it out.