Ringo4422 wrote:This would be the perfect Christmas gift for my 11 year old. Totally non-professional and featureless means it should be pretty easy for a kid to use.

Not entirely . . . on-board sound and sampling is ultimately simpler. If it is intended for music study, a greater range may be wanted as well. This assumes you're after something for performance and not PC-interfaced composition, of course.

happysnappah wrote:Will this work with Audacity?

Yes

The Fast Track is merely a high quality Low Latency External sound Card. Very good and inexpensive mobile solution for Recording Vocals and guitar to your DAW Software (Protools, Record, Live).

Your Query about Recording to MP3's or WAV really applies to the Software you are recording with and what format it exports to. Protools can definitly record and export to WAV but thats like using a Jackhammer when you need a tack hammer. Audacity with the the L.A.M.E MP3 encoder plugin will exaclty what you what you want and its Free. (Let your Google do the walking).

jtickle wrote:Would this keyboard be any good for an amateur pianist? I want to stress the 'amateur' part there. Right now I have a keyboard about the same size but the keys have no velocity, which is very frustrating when you're trying to express music.

See my first post. More specifically though, this has enough keys for a double octave with both hands. That's all you really need to become proficient. If you're looking to become a performing or career musician, then you'll probably end up investing in a full weighted keyboard or digital piano. This keyboard will be good if you plan on always practicing near your computer and you have space to keep it at proper height and distance.

Sorry if some of these points have already been made...I'm too lazy to read all gazillion posts.

I have the FastTrack interface, Protools Essential, and the AV-30 speakers. Love it all! But there are some considerations:

Avid's Win7 64-bit drivers suck. After messing with every possible setting and reading tons of forums, I ended up dual-booting Windows XP 32-bit, and it works perfectly. It may be a 64-bit issue vs. Win7, so 32-bit Win7 or Vista may work. The main issue was lots of pops/hisses, and high latency, which makes syncing multiple tracks virtually impossible. Save yourself some trouble and install on a 32-bit system.

Don't expect to use the mic with the FastTrack interface. The mic is USB only, and you need an XLR mic for the interface. Also, this mic is a condenser mic, which requires phantom power. This particular FastTrack interface model does not have phantom power, but the mic is able to get the phantom power it requires via the PC USB port.

The speakers are phenomenal! I actually have them connected to the FastTrack via the stereo RCA jacks for when I'm recording in WinXP 32-bit, and then when I'm booted in to Win7 for other tasks, I connect to my PC sound card via the front AUX jack on the speakers. Works well, and only one set of speakers on the desk.
Protools is an incredibly powerful piece of software, but if you are unfamiliar with recording software or mixer boards, be prepared for a learning curve. But once you get it down, you'll be amazed at the power and versatility.

Here's a link to some of the recordings I've made using the FastTrack and Protools: http://www.set4e.com/Songs.html

For comparison purposes, the first two tunes on the site were recorded with Protools via the FastTrack USB interface and a quality vocal mic. The second two tunes were recorded using a chap lapel mic and Audacity. You'll hear the difference in a hurry.

bigmike485 wrote:See my first post. More specifically though, this has enough keys for a double octave with both hands. That's all you really need to become proficient. If you're looking to become a performing or career musician, then you'll probably end up investing in a full weighted keyboard or digital piano. This keyboard will be good if you plan on always practicing near your computer and you have space to keep it at proper height and distance.

Again, this is not a "turn it on and play" keyboard. It's a MIDI controller and must be hooked up to a computer to produce sound. It has no on-board speakers or headphone jack.

Just sos ya knows beforehand.

wootski wrote:Does anybody know whether the USB recording box will record directly to a WMA or mp3 compressed format ? I expect it does wav only.
wav is good quallity but big files. I use a Creative USB recording unit similar to this and often record XM radio shows with it. I really like to record directly to 320 kbs wma directly.
small files and decent quality for radio.
I went to m-audio for the info and could not find it.
Note at this web address:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.bundled&ID=50a10130480a3cd3635e77ed72c233ce they state the recording software does not work with Win XP media center edition.

Good price for all this stuff.

No, and it's probably for the best. With Pro Tools you need to buy an mp3 plugin and you can bounce any or all tracks in one session to an mp3. I think the plugin is $20.00, but it's conversion quality is great and has all the options you need.

I was wondering if the Torq Mixlab would work with my ProTolls LE 8 (I have a Digi002 rack) to edit parameters.

brandie346 wrote:Again, this is not a "turn it on and play" keyboard. It's a MIDI controller and must be hooked up to a computer to produce sound. It has no on-board speakers or headphone jack.

Just sos ya knows beforehand.

Technically is a UBS controller that uses software to convert to MIDI. Thus the reason it’s so limited on compatibility. Actual MIDI devices are plug and play with any PC or Mac, this on the other hand is a bit proprietary. Most if not all of Pro Tools hardware is like that.

But yes, it’s just a controller, like a mouse.

i just got the keyboard. I hope it allows for fuity loops control

2617dunbar wrote:Technically is a UBS controller that uses software to convert to MIDI. Thus the reason it’s so limited on compatibility. Actual MIDI devices are plug and play with any PC or Mac, this on the other hand is a bit proprietary. Most if not all of Pro Tools hardware is like that.

But yes, it’s just a controller, like a mouse.

My point is, people who purchase this expecting to plug it into the wall, turn it on and hear sounds when they press the keys are going to be disappointed.

But thanks for saying what I said with fancier words. :eye roll:

I've had an M-Audio Producer USB for quite some time now and I love it. The high-quality 16bit sound is definitely noticed by those on the other end of a VOIP call. I use it to record voiceovers as well and the quality is excellent for an entry level high bandwidth microphone.

I recommend making your own Vox Pop screen using the following tutorial:

http://www.jakeludington.com/project_studio/20050321_build_your_own_microphone_pop_screen.html

It'll run you <$10 and it looks and functions well.

no more speakers?

gunslingerpc wrote:The USB interface is just that: an interface. The format you record to with it depends on the software you are using. For example, if you used Windows Sound Recorder, you would get WAV as an output. Protools records in it's proprietary format, but you can mix down and master to WAV. I then use VLC to convert to mp3.

Pro Tools records audio to .wav by default. The session file is a Pro Tools only format, but the audio is stored in a separate file folder (Audio Files) in .wav format.

brandie346 wrote:My point is, people who purchase this expecting to plug it into the wall, turn it on and hear sounds when they press the keys are going to be disappointed.

But thanks for saying what I said with fancier words. :eye roll:

Hey, thanks for seeing my words as “fancier”!

I want to take my mp3 songs and put them in a program where I can balance and save the levels, etc., so that when you are playing your songs the levels and eq do not vary so drastically between cuts...I'm sure we've all had that problem listening with headphones on your ipod. Will Pro Tools Recording Studio allow me to import and export mp3s? Thanks.

wootski wrote:Does anybody know whether the USB recording box will record directly to a WMA or mp3 compressed format ? I expect it does wav only.
wav is good quallity but big files. I use a Creative USB recording unit similar to this and often record XM radio shows with it. I really like to record directly to 320 kbs wma directly.
small files and decent quality for radio.
I went to m-audio for the info and could not find it.
Note at this web address:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.bundled&ID=50a10130480a3cd3635e77ed72c233ce they state the recording software does not work with Win XP media center edition.

Good price for all this stuff.

I have several M-Audio recording interfaces and they all do what they do. Capture Audio. The format is dependent on your software. Most software records wave files then you convert to the format of your choice.

sthrall wrote:I want to take my mp3 songs and put them in a program where I can balance and save the levels, etc., so that when you are playing your songs the levels and eq do not vary so drastically between cuts...I'm sure we've all had that problem listening with headphones on your ipod. Will Pro Tools Recording Studio allow me to import and export mp3s? Thanks.

Import: yes. It will allow you to drag and drop almost any audio file you can find on the planet.

Export: no. Not without buying an .mp3 option from Avid.

You can however: Get your levels set and bounce to disk as a .wav then burn to disc and convert from there.

I think iTunes will also help you make the conversion to .mp3, without fee, from .wav.

But to do it in Pro Tools you will need this:

http://archive.digidesign.com/download/mp3/

I have the M-Audio Keyboard. It is super easy to use with GarageBand on a Mac. If you have ever been interested in playing piano but didn't want to spend a lot of money, this is the way to go. I've gotten many hours out of this little keyboard, just plugged into laptop, and with some headphones I can practice without waking anyone up! I also purchased a sustain pedal that plugs straight into the back which really makes this a practice-worthy piano setup. In summary:

- Great value for its versatility, especially at $70, these usually go for around 100.
- You can tweak the sound of the piano voices in Garageband to suit your style
- With a pedal, it is an even better piano experience

This is the one I have and it works great: http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/M-Audio-SP2-Sustain-Pedal?sku=703613

- In Garageband, you can use drum presets and use the keyboard as a makeshift drum set


Anyways, those are my thoughts in the keyboard!

For your convenience, Product Pages and User Guides at M-Audio:

Torq MixLab

User Guide

KeyStudio

User Guide

Pro Tools Vocal Studio

User Guide

Pro Tools Recording Studio

User Guide

Studiophile AV 30 - Compact Desktop Speaker System

User Guide

Thanks. That is a big help and lead.

Steve

2617dunbar wrote:Import: yes. It will allow you to drag and drop almost any audio file you can find on the planet.

Export: no. Not without buying an .mp3 option from Avid.

You can however: Get your levels set and bounce to disk as a .wav then burn to disc and convert from there.

I think iTunes will also help you make the conversion to .mp3, without fee, from .wav.

But to do it in Pro Tools you will need this:

http://archive.digidesign.com/download/mp3/

rafaelsanp wrote:My dad has been trying to record himself playing guitar for ages now, would this be good enough for that? He is not very computer literate.

A number of people have told you yes, but that's not a very good answer. It depends on what he wants to do. Does he want to sing and play the guitar, and record him doing both? In that case, this isn't going to cut it, because you only get one mic input on the recording interface. The only option would be if he was using electric guitar and just wanted to record that direct using line in, and then simulate an amplifier in software, but I can't imagine that's what he wants to do.

If he just wants to record solo guitar without any vocals, then yes, the mic and interface should do that for him.

sthrall wrote:I want to take my mp3 songs and put them in a program where I can balance and save the levels, etc., so that when you are playing your songs the levels and eq do not vary so drastically between cuts...I'm sure we've all had that problem listening with headphones on your ipod. Will Pro Tools Recording Studio allow me to import and export mp3s? Thanks.

You might be able to, but this is the wrong way to do it. The best way would be to use a player that supports Replay Gain, and update all your MP3s with volume information. The second best way would be to edit the MP3s with an editor that can adjust the MP3 volume parameter without reencoding, like MP3 Direct Cut.

The second-worst way would be to open them all in an audio editor, adjust the levels, and re-encode as MP3s. That'll give you even worse MP3 compression artifacts, and is more work than the better options. The very worst way would be to do the same thing, but with a commercial audio editor that you paid money for.

Actually, I guess the VERY worst way would be to buy this audio interface, record MP3s to the computer through the interface, so you're running through a digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion, and then do the editing.

The USB Box is just an interface for your mic or instrument into your computer. It's the software program that you use to record the incoming signal that will decide the format. Audacity is a good free prgram that will record and convert to most audio formats.

wootski wrote:Does anybody know whether the USB recording box will record directly to a WMA or mp3 compressed format ? I expect it does wav only.
wav is good quallity but big files. I use a Creative USB recording unit similar to this and often record XM radio shows with it. I really like to record directly to 320 kbs wma directly.
small files and decent quality for radio.
I went to m-audio for the info and could not find it.
Note at this web address:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.bundled&ID=50a10130480a3cd3635e77ed72c233ce they state the recording software does not work with Win XP media center edition.

Good price for all this stuff.

Are these compatible with most audio recording software?

keteloneandtonic wrote:Yeah...$500 and $59 is a fair comparison.

of course no one expects them to be on par. But the OP said that it wasn't fair he paid $500 for the setup including the krk rp5 and that he "wasted" his money because he couldn't wait for the offer with cheaper speakers.
My point is this is not a waste of money. The RP5's are high end monitors and worth their cots. If he doesn't need that level of studio monitor, that's his fault for buying it. Resell value is high, he could sell the barely used pair and get most of his money back, as well.

Must resist temptation...shoot I just bought the Key and Vocal Studio. I can't resist after all.

mop wrote:Does anyone have experience using the mic to record acoustic guitar in addition to vocals?

I bought the keyboard from woot a year ago and I'm thinking of getting the mic to complete some sort of recording ensemble.

Just mic your guitar at the 12th fret and track your recording (i.e. record the guitar, then record your singing later). It's a large diaphragm condenser mic, so it should sound pretty decent. I've used similar mics to record acoustic guitars before. That technique should produce decent quality recordings.

Does the microphone work well for Karaoke?

Hi. anyone know if the Recording studio work with Windows 7? I'll have to cancel my order if not

vidmakr wrote:It's a midi controler, you'd need some sort of software, but not forced to use Pro Tools essentials...

If you use the ProTools that cones with the KB, you need to use usb audio adapter (or a ProTools compatible audio adapter -- apparently not my soundboard) - but with other Midi tools just the keyboard works fine.

I have a good USB microphone but want the PT Essentials software that is in the vocal studio. The M Audio site only lists the Pro Tools 8 Full Versions which are very expensive. Does anyone know if this software can be obtained separately or is the deal so good I should just get the Vocal Sutdio and try and resell the mke?

Unlike many on here, I am not satisfied with Audacity for voice overs

producingyou wrote:Does anyone know if the keyboard supports MIDI connections as well as USB?

Midi communications are handled over USB no problem.

mrosen01 wrote:Pro Tools supports AIFF and Wave but not WMA. Digidesign sells additional software that let's Pro Tools support MP3 natively. A cheaper solution is to mix down the session as a Stereo Wave file, then import the file into iTunes to create an MP3 version for free.

don't forget to tell iTunes to use MP3 as the default encoder when saving files.

If you don't want everything to end up in your iTunes library just get a free MP3 converter program. There's a ton of them, just google it.

speakers gone

julesee wrote:speakers gone

yeah, and they're the only thing I wanted from this set too. c'monn woot get more of these so i can give you some of my money.

Does anyone who has purchased the Recording Studio deck know, would I have to just plug my guitar directly into this unit? Or am I able to run effect pedals (or, ideally, a whole pedalboard) through it?

I don't want to buy the thing, and then fry it by running too hot of a signal through it. Does anyone have experience with this at all?

brmacy wrote:Total load of crap. ProTools is the industry standard recording software, and even with this lower tier interface, the price can't be beat. This is an amazing deal, and if you haven't figured out how to use ProTools don't bash it.

Yup, ProTools is otterific and ProTools branded HW is what is used in the best recording studios. M-Audio is really good stuff too, but to be fair, it is at best pro-sumer quality. Even at normal retail prices, M-Audio is fantastic value for money.

Speakers sold out? can't choose them when I try to place an order.

grumb wrote:I have a good USB microphone but want the PT Essentials software that is in the vocal studio. The M Audio site only lists the Pro Tools 8 Full Versions which are very expensive. Does anyone know if this software can be obtained separately or is the deal so good I should just get the Vocal Sutdio and try and resell the mke?

Unlike many on here, I am not satisfied with Audacity for voice overs

Pro Tools is hardware dependant, so you need the M-Audio, Avid or DigiDesign hardware to use the software.

With Pro Tools you have to get a package deal, hardware and software, to make sure all will play nice together.