#1349800 - 12/01/14 06:49 PM
Then and now....
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Seff
Planeteer
Registered: 03/06/14
Posts: 32
Loc: California
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I'm a longtime vs2000 (hobbyist) user and have always been happy with how easy it is to record and make cds with the unit. However, I've wondered lately if it may be time and upgrade to computer based DAW- if the benefits of sound quality/technology now far surpass the VS. I thought this may be a good place to get some advice? And would also appreciate any opinions about setups in the $1,000 (software + input hardware) range, if your in that camp. Thanks!
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#1349861 - 12/01/14 09:29 PM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: Seff]
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uptildawn
Planeteer
Registered: 12/15/01
Posts: 9108
Loc: on land
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Just have time to shoot out a couple of quick ideas that you could start with...... maybe gather your thoughts and do a couple searches for gear.
1- nearly any desktop pc of the past 5-7 years is well within the capacity to do good recording, editing, mixing...
2 - demands on the cpu and ram will be eaten up mostly by effects plugins and soft synths, samples, etc.
3- the more streamlined your needs, the better performance you can achieve from the simplest, tweaked laptop, or desktop.
4- even without many audio-specific tweaks, but simple commonsense tweaks (such as turning off wireless Ethernet while recording, for instance), a modest computer can prrr.
5- the computer will work best for your needs when ram is at least 2-4GB.
6- any computer with a 7,200rpm hard drive - sata, or ide, or both for data needs will also work very well for basic recording, editing, mixing.
7- load a computer up with tons of gunk and you get gunk performance.... keep it lean, not starved, but modest.
8- at least usb 2 is needed to get good performance if using external hard drives - it is commonplace in most computers of the last 6-8 years, I believe.
9- a decent dvd-r/rw drive is needed - internal, or external... not dvd-rom (read only)... many off the shelf pc's of the last decade are equipped with dvd machines that can burn cd-r/rw, but only read dvds. used, or old stock dvd-r/rw machines can be had cheap.
10- soundcard/interface must be determined by your own needs. simultaneous inputs and outputs, midi connections (possibly), digital I/O, ADAT digital (8-channel both ways), or S/PDIF (standard 2-channel), optical, coaxial, sync to external hardware needs - word clock, through s/pdif, or adat lines, etc.
11- add up those needs and that will help determine what type of interface you need - usb, pci, pci express, etc.
12- those needs will also determine in a large way what brand and model you choose - which will also be determined by cost and driver stability.
gotta run.... I might find more time to add to this later.
hope this helps a bit.
_________________________
uptildawn
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#1350072 - 12/02/14 05:58 PM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: uptildawn]
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Seff
Planeteer
Registered: 03/06/14
Posts: 32
Loc: California
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Uptildawn- yes, helps a lot thankyou!
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#1410292 - 08/15/15 10:29 PM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: Seff]
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Slabraton
Planeteer
Registered: 12/16/12
Posts: 16566
Loc: California
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Seff, I have a different point of view. My VS is synced to the computer.
The computer is a multi-use machine. It's performing many tasks while you work on your music. For example, if you don't get a video card, your system will be working creating video while you record audio. And although you can get a solid state hard drive which is silent, you still have the fans making noise.
Your Roland VS 2000 actually is a computer. One dedicated to recording digital audio. I would compare it to Windows XP as they were introduced about the same time. While the effects are dated, recording at 24 bit isn't. And it has USB 2.0 out so I am surprised you haven't connected it already to a DAW such as Logic 5.5 which supposedly works well with VS units.
My recommendation is that you build on what you have. Starting from scratch on the computer is only going to slow you down and frustrate you. You are also going to have to buy software that replicates what you can already do with your unit. You've put many hours into learning the VS 2000; why throw that knowledge away?
1) find a Roland rep (or Sweetwater)tell them about the VS 2000 you already own and ask them about the V Studio series or any audio interface product that might be appropriate for your 2000.
2) check out the more recent stand alone recorders. You might find one that could sync with your VS and "upgrade" it. Or professional audio cards. My sound card has 8 i/o.
The Zoom R series (R8, R16, R24) are multi-track wav recorders that the computer sees as hard drives. You can move files and edit accordingly.
3) Check out all of the interfaces specifically made for whatever instrument you play.
4) before investing money in a DAW, download and learn Reaper which is free. There is a plug-in which will allow you to turn your proprietary Roland files into wav.
Finally, a tip on buying audio software: last year's edition is usually about 50% cheaper. So buy modern, but remember that "last year" is the sweet spot.
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#1410325 - 08/16/15 12:17 AM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: Slabraton]
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bear
Planeteer
Registered: 10/25/99
Posts: 6639
Loc: abq,nm,usa
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Reaper is not "Free" - it is free to TRY for 30 days then costs $60... you can steal it easily, because it requires no dongles or any other anti-piracy stuff... if you have low moral standards.
The company is so fair and the price is so reasonable for such a great piece of software you would have to be a pretty low life to not pay for it.
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#1410421 - 08/16/15 05:03 AM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: bear]
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uptildawn
Planeteer
Registered: 12/15/01
Posts: 9108
Loc: on land
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No doubt about that, bear!
Reaper is on a par with other daw software that costs nearly 10x that, in my opinion.
_________________________
uptildawn
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#1410840 - 08/17/15 07:32 PM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: bear]
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Slabraton
Planeteer
Registered: 12/16/12
Posts: 16566
Loc: California
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Reaper is not "Free" - it is free to TRY for 30 days then costs $60... you can steal it easily, because it requires no dongles or any other anti-piracy stuff... if you have low moral standards.
The company is so fair and the price is so reasonable for such a great piece of software you would have to be a pretty low life to not pay for it.
Sorry I misspoke. The only reason I have ever used Reaper is to us the VS import feature. My platform is Sonar.
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#1410842 - 08/17/15 07:35 PM
Re: Then and now....
[Re: Slabraton]
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Slabraton
Planeteer
Registered: 12/16/12
Posts: 16566
Loc: California
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Seff, I have a different point of view. My VS is synced to the computer.
The computer is a multi-use machine. It's performing many tasks while you work on your music. For example, if you don't get a video card, your system will be working creating video while you record audio. And although you can get a solid state hard drive which is silent, you still have the fans making noise.
Your Roland VS 2000 actually is a computer. One dedicated to recording digital audio. I would compare it to Windows XP as they were introduced about the same time. While the effects are dated, recording at 24 bit isn't. And it has USB 2.0 out so I am surprised you haven't connected it already to a DAW such as Logic 5.5 which supposedly works well with VS units.
My recommendation is that you build on what you have. Starting from scratch on the computer is only going to slow you down and frustrate you. You are also going to have to buy software that replicates what you can already do with your unit. You've put many hours into learning the VS 2000; why throw that knowledge away?
1) find a Roland rep (or Sweetwater)tell them about the VS 2000 you already own and ask them about the V Studio series or any audio interface product that might be appropriate for your 2000.
2) check out the more recent stand alone recorders. You might find one that could sync with your VS and "upgrade" it. Or professional audio cards. My sound card has 8 i/o.
The Zoom R series (R8, R16, R24) are multi-track wav recorders that the computer sees as hard drives. You can move files and edit accordingly.
3) Check out all of the interfaces specifically made for whatever instrument you play.
4) before investing money in a DAW, download and learn Reaper which is free. There is a plug-in which will allow you to turn your proprietary Roland files into wav.
Finally, a tip on buying audio software: last year's edition is usually about 50% cheaper. So buy modern, but remember that "last year" is the sweet spot.
Of course, sometimes we are just sick of looking at the old equipment and want to start fresh. And, although not obsolete, the VS series is only getting older.
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