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Hi all. I'm looking for some advice on modernizing my studio. A few years ago I was running a small home based studio based around Digital Performer and MOTU equipment. I sold some stuff and packed away the rest - gave the music business a break for awhile. However I have recently decided to get back into it. I was wondering what your collective thoughts were on modernizing. I have about 5000 to spend on gear and would like to get the most bang for my buck so to speak.

Here's what I currently have:
Macbook Pro 15" 8GB Ram 2.66 Ghz i7
MOTU 828 MK II
MOTU 2408 MK II
Yamaha DP-85 Keyboard
M-Audio Nearfield monitors
Some decent mics (Octava, Shure, etc)
Behringer Compressors

Spectrasonics Omnisphere
Spectrasonics Stylus RMS
Reason 4
Digital Performer 7
Kontakt 4

I guess what I need is some advice on how to take this setup to the next level. I've been looking at the Digidesign 003 however I already have a decent FW interface in the 828. Here are some of the things I've been thinking about:

Control surface
2.1 monitor loudspeakers
mic pre/compressor
furniture
Pro Tools?
Second disply

I would like to be able to multitrack maybe two sources at once. I would also like the ability to create music that features a mix of acoustic instruments (ac. guitar, percussion, wind instruments) and electronic samples of hi res pianos, strings, synth, drums, etc...

My Macbook is mid 2010 and fairly powerful however what kind of performance should I expect in regards to VI's? Additionally, I think it only has a 5400 RPM drive in it, should I upgrade that to a 7200 RPM or use an external FW drive for streaming audio? Keeping in mind that the Macbook Pro only has 1 FW port how will that impact my audio interface? Can external drives and FW interfaces be daisy chained without issues? How many tracks can I expect to get out of USB 2? Should I just bite the bullet and get a Mac Pro? That would be about half my budget.

Thanks for any suggestions/guidance, it is much appreciated!

Eric

Update: I think I want to stay with the 2408 and 828 and not get a 003. I have been looking at the Mackie Universal Control Surface and I really like it. Does it work well in your experiences with DP?

MCU works fine with DP.

ripeart:
A couple of things to keep in mind is that the 003 is not useable outside of ProTools. If you want a control surface that'll work in multiple daws then get the MCU.

Another is that with ProTools 9 you don't need an Avid interface anymore. If you don't need an extravagant amount of I/O then this is the way to go. PT9 will even now work with a computer's internal sound device.

As to hard drives - if you can by all means upgrade that internal drive to a 7200 rpm drive. That and a couple of FW drives will do you good. Remember that with FW you can daisy chain devices and they can be just about anything - drives, sound I/O, etc. You didn;t say what laptop you have so telling you whether to go with that or a MacPro desktop can't really be done without more info.

A second display is definitely a good thing. Just don't spend the bucks on an Apple display - they only offer a 27 incher nowadays. There's less expensive displays out there that are just as good. One bad thing with the Apple displays is they cram too much on a screen and subsequently things are on the small side. Hello eye strain for those that are oldish.

Thanks for the advice. I ended up buying 3 Lacie USB 3 drives, a krk sub and krk monitors, a furman power conditioner, an internal 7200 rpm drive (8gb cache!), a lacie USB hub, and some misc accessories. I'm still debating whether or not to ditch my mackie 1202 for a Alesis Master controller or a MUC.

Thanks again.

What designs do you have on USB for hard drive usage? It's not the most attractive hard drive connectivity (data transport) option, to say the least.

I'm not sure if the Macbook Pro can do USB 3.0? Definitely better to use Firewire external drives.

Also good to get one or two good mic pres and some all around mics for recording vocals and acoustic instruments. There's a lot of good choices at reasonable prices out there.

For a control surface, are you used to using faders? I ask this because I basically only use the mouse (Magic mouse) and computer keyboard these days - i used to own a control surface, but didn't ever need to use it, even though I do a lot of complicated mixes with lots of tracks and automation.

You might like to have some kind of a monitor controller (like a Presonus Monitor Station, or even better, a Dangerous D-box) - this makes it so much easier for headphones, mulitple speaker setups, etc.

>I'm not sure if the Macbook Pro can do USB 3.0?<

Since Intel has yet to support usb3, no Apple product does - yet.

If you need blazing speed from an external, you can get eSATA if your Macbook has a PCIe slot or eSATA.

frodo wrote:What designs do you have on USB for hard drive usage? It's not the most attractive hard drive connectivity (data transport) option, to say the least.

They hold samples, projects, sound files, etc. One backs up the other, and the third is for backing up the Macbook Pro OS drive. At the point that I start having issues with bandwidth to/from the drives, I'll put an external FW into the mix. It's only myself working right now so I don't generate too much of a load on the machine. Additionally I got a great deal on them and they look really cool. http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10076

jlaudon wrote:mic pres and some all around mics...

For a control surface, are you used to using faders?

Yes absolutely. I am considering the MUC. I recently discovered the DP control app and am using it with my ipad. What a game changer, I wish they would fix that little app up a bit. I'm going to get very used to using DP Control before I decide on a control surface.

Thanks for all your responses. If I could wax inspirational: I sat down at my workstation area this morning. The house was quiet. Before I started working I put on some music and just sat back and listened. I was reminded of why so much trouble and effort (and cash) goes into the gear we talk about here. Music is beautiful in all its varying forms. I don't get the goosebumps all the time anymore when listening to stuff but under the right circumstances I still do. Like this morning. Inspiring.