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\ | | | We take the time to answer the little questions that sometimes slip through the cracks of day to day coverage of Macs & Music. Questions from our readers are one of the best ways for us to know what direction to go with our coverage. Remember, the only stupid question is the one left unasked. Stream of Questions . . . "I am involved with a project to bring live streaming audio to the web. I am currently using a beige G3/266 w/RCA inputs and OSX server running QuickTime Streaming Server. I would like to use an iMac but need some way to capture the audio. I have tried using the Microphone input but the quality is really low. I am looking for a USB device to capture the audio. It also needs to be compatible with Sorenson Broadcaster. You have a great review of USB Studio (D) and I was wondering if it is compatible with Sorenson. Have you also tested Opcode's DAT port? Have they released the Mac drivers? Are there any other products that you know of?" iMac can be a good choice for your input needs, but I feel like USB may not be your best choice of protocol for your specific needs. There are great USB audio products shipping and near shipping, but FireWire will eventually be the preferred choice of high speed, high bandwidth busses and there's a very good chance the cost of future devices will be in the same range as the newly emerging USB ones. So if you do go with iMac, make sure it's a DV model. More important, double check with Apple support regarding both OSX the QTS server operating on iMac. I would also consider a Blue G3 minitower over iMac since the prices on used, demo and refurbished models with warranties are in the same price range as new iMacs (as of date of publication). That way, you can get a really good, lower cost, pro-quality sound card until a superior FireWire dongle is available. Or expand to better PCI based systems such as ProTools. How to be a Y2kDJ, more or less. "I have been A DJ for 10 years and I want to create original mixes. How can I hook up my CD/Cassette player (what hardware?), clean up the sound, and add or edit sounds or effects (what software?) to create my own music? I realize there are many options but I need a starting point. Please help me start my own recording studio." So you want to be a Y2kDJ? Assuming you already have some type of DJ mixer and input sources, there are several ways to do what you want to do. USB and FireWire, as you can read elsewhere at MacRocks.com, both have current and future options for sound input. You probably are going to be operating in a 'production studio' mode rather than a full blown multitrack rig. In other words, you're only recording two tracks per pass. In that case, you are best off spending a majority of whatever budget you have on the right Mac & software, and invest less in the in between hardware -- for now. One might get away with plugging their DJ rig right into iMac or PowerMac tower audio ins and outs. Not the optimal situation, but in theory it could work. The Swissonic USB Studio is a good choice for USB audio mixers. Again adhering to the two-in, two-out principle. Simply plug the RCA outs of your DJ mixer into the balanced RCA ins of USB Studio and mix as usual while having a plethora of extra channels available. There will be higher quality, more expandable FireWire devices to come, but we have not had confirmation of anything close to shipping. Rest assured, we will let you know. That's why some kind of iMac might be the best CPU choice for you. Especially the new DV models. Also, Marathon Computer is soon to release a rackmount retrofit package for Rev. A through D iMacs. We have great expectation about these one space wonders. Marathon tells us there will eventually be some kind of version produced for the DV models at a later date. If you have done any for hire work, you'll appreciate the mobility of racking your Mac. When it comes to DJ software, our #1 pick is MegaSeg. It uses your Macs' built-in QuickTime capabilities to crossreference and store a huge catalog of any kind of audio (AIFF, WAV, MIDI, etc.). Best yet, the interface is slick and familiar to anyone who's mixed in the house. You can preset fade rates and cue times change your playlists and cues on the fly. There's lots of other software you might need, depending on what all you'll end up doing. Do a little research on the web over time to decide what you need. Lastly, you can sample phrases and clips of audio and use them to scratch and cut to the beat of your mix. For this, you need a good set sample software tools -- such as our two favorite product lines, Bitheadz Software and Koblo Software. We have never been able to say which product line is better, there both good but different. And different is good! Both companies have free demo's available at their respective sites, so it's worth checking them both out and perhaps buting a little of both. Bitheadz has a great line up of vintage synth, sampler, drum machine and utility software. We really like the versitility of Unity sampler software. Voodoo is a fun drum machine with great sounds. If you have keyboard (the musical kind) skills, an inexpensive and compact MIDI keyboard can be integrated to your system and play with Retro's cool and expansive synth library. Koblo has a spin on simular, but totally different product line that might be better suited from the perspective of a DJ, and not necessarily a musician, due to it's slick user interface. They also have a sampler/sequencer, synth and drum machine line.
Published: 01/25/00 |
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