performances question and new guy says hi

urb1 · Post by **urb1** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:11 am

hello everyone, first off, thanks for your efforts in maintaining such a cool and informative forum. You guys gave me confidence in my purchasing MOTU gear and now i'm completely hooked, coming back here more than often to read and learn more!
now to bizness, here are a few newbie questions that've been making me sweat these last nights

i'm n ow getting a 24i/o to add to my analog studio, finally making the step from 1inch real to HD recording...
and i'm planning on getting a powermac 1,8Ghz / mono / 1.5GB RAM.
- Will that be good enough a config to, say, record 20 simultaneous tracks max 24/96 (full drums miking + vocal guide + guitar guide for eg.) ?
- Will i be able to playback 20 to 40 tracks routed through the 24i/o to my mixing desk?
- Is audiodesk good enough for a start? (i got this project to record soon and i figured this would be a good start for me, not to go straight into the DP5 abyss which i'm planning to get later on (i'm a bit familiar to DAWs but not that much and i need everything to be fully working, including me;) only few days after the purchasing...

oki that's about it for now.... be sure you'll read from me soon though as my brain is kinda on heat at the present times... thx everybody for your help and ciao aus rainy berlin!

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:01 pm

Welcome, urb1!!

I'm not sure how sales are structured in Berlin, but as far as I know a buyer in the US has the choice of installing either DP or AudioDesk under the same serial number/authorization code--- but not both. I don't see AudioDesk being sold separately (at least in the US). This means that where one or the other app were concerned for the same price, the user may prefer to use Digital Performer for the extra features over AudioDesk. At least in the US, there is no apparent benefit to using AudioDesk as a starter where price is concerned.

AudioDesk also has its a limited functionality, so you may want to make sure (if AudioDesk) is really what you want-- that it does what you require of it.

AudioDesk Features:
http://www.motu.com/products/software/a ... tures.html

Digital Performer Features:
http://www.motu.com/products/software/dp

There's no apparent reason why your Mac couldn't do what you want. I've had 40 audio tracks running on my old G4 867 with various plugins. I would recommend using a bit more than 1.5GB RAM. DP and OSX will use half of that, so putting in another 1- 1.5GB will give your 1.8 system a lot more leg room. DP *can* access as much as 4GB, for what it's worth.

Cheers,
Frodo

urb1 · Post by **urb1** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:22 pm

hey Frodo,
thanks for your answer... it does help a bit. Here in Eu, AD comes for free with any purchased Motu soundcard... mm, it does with the 24 i/o anyway, and to get DP you have to buy it extra (around 500•‚¬)... So it seems easier/cheaper to first try with this AD...
As far as doing what i want, from reading the features, it should (basic editing and few if no plug ins as i will still use my outboard gear for most of dynamics and FX treatments).
I was already thinking about getting more RAM but wasn't sure, i am now

ok thanks again, more helped needed i guess soon...
cheers
U1

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:11 pm

Ah, of course. I bought DP and my interfaces about the same time, so it makes sense that AD comes with the interface drivers... as does CueMix.

As long as you are not spending more cash to try out AD, I'd say you are in a great position.

btw-- here's the comparison chart I intended to post above (you may have already seen this page by now)
http://www.motu.com/products/software/a ... grade.html

I find that EU upgrade prices are expensive!! •‚¬500?? It's only $395 USD, which I figure to be just over •‚¬300. It sounds as if you would be charged full price for DP, more or less.

No matter what happens, best of luck in your search. I think you will really find AD and DP quite intuitive and user-friendly.

urb1 · Post by **urb1** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:55 am

thanks Frodo for the tip on the comparison page... Had not seen that one. And yeah, i'll check updates from AD to DP when time (mmm and money) comes.
BTW, 575•‚¬ for DP indeed but not as an upgrade from AD... that might be less, i'll check that out!
peace,
Urb1