Laptop Audio Recording

[Essor]

How to, a primer.

By you, gentle reader, and experienced sound artist, because I'll be damned if I know anything about it.

I'm looking at the

Echo AudioFire Pre8 - 16 x 16 FireWire Audio/MIDI Interface
$649.00

and

Roland FA-66 - Portable FireWire Interface
6 Input/6 Output (24-bit/96kHz)
4 Input/4 Output (24-bit/192kHz)
2 Microphone Inputs with Phantom Power
Price :
$ 399.00



as an extra option for recording besides the SD 788.


And I have no idea what the process would look like.

I'm sure others are in the same boat as me.

 

[Kaku Ito]

For that price, I would try to look for something smaller if you are looking to use the bus power. When you start using the onboard mic preamps then probably lower the performances of other inputs. Choosing smaller interfaces probably better reserve the entire quality.

If there's anything, having video in and the timecode feature would help to match the audio with R3D files.

 

[Rob Castiglione]

Basic how to

Basic how to

Hi Essor,

I take it that you are asking for how this actually works in practice?

I used to do loads of laptop recording via a Metric Halo ULN-2 to a laptop. All the power comes via the laptop. The hardware you buy will come also with a software interface showing you all the active inputs, where they are routed to etc

The ULN-2 which I still have has spectacular mic pres. That is something to watch out for. Cheaper models might not be so well endowed I suspect.

After several years, I gave up on recording to my laptop as I found it just too finicky in the field. Powering up the computer, hoping that there is not some glitch in the software, the dreaded beachball of death coming up on the laptop etc etc. I now record to a four track Sound Devices and am much happier.

I have no idea if any of that is helpful or not

 

[Essor]

It's very helpful. What exact problems did you encounter, and how frequent/disturbing were they?