X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

M

Michael Evans

Freshman
Dec 26, 2012
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Melbourne, Australia
Good Morning from sunny Melbourne, Australia
Rather than clog up the X32 Discussion thread that I am an avid reader, I thought I would be best to start a new one asking for suggestions.

I am new to the Behringer X32 and hence the whole digital domain and I am learning lots.

I work with a couple of bands and do amateur theatre work and by no means am making a living out of this work.

Anyway, I want to explore the whole recording side of things from the X32 and this in itself is a whole new world to me.

I intend to buy a dedicated laptop/workstation to use for this purpose.

My questions are as follows:-

Am I better to use the Firewire connection or USB from the desk to the DAW

I was intending to start off with Reaper as the price point is great to get into it. The hardware requirements are not definative on their web site and I want to get this at least 90% as I am purchasing new hardware

To record the bands for example I generally am using 24 - 26 channels that I take into 8 groups for the final stereo mix.

I am guessing I am best to at least try and record live the 24 - 26 channels as individual, if that is not going to be possible then at worst take my 8 groups and record those.

I am thinking something like an i7 processor, 8 gig of RAM, as much hard disk space as I can afford

Now depending on the question above about Firewire or USB, I am obviously going to need a port to get the audio into the box

Anything else I need to consider ?

Thank you in advance
Michael
 
Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

Michael Evans said:
Good Morning from sunny Melbourne, Australia
Rather than clog up the X32 Discussion thread that I am an avid reader, I thought I would be best to start a new one asking for suggestions.

I am new to the Behringer X32 and hence the whole digital domain and I am learning lots.

I work with a couple of bands and do amateur theatre work and by no means am making a living out of this work.

Anyway, I want to explore the whole recording side of things from the X32 and this in itself is a whole new world to me.

I intend to buy a dedicated laptop/workstation to use for this purpose.

My questions are as follows:-

Am I better to use the Firewire connection or USB from the desk to the DAW

I was intending to start off with Reaper as the price point is great to get into it. The hardware requirements are not definative on their web site and I want to get this at least 90% as I am purchasing new hardware

To record the bands for example I generally am using 24 - 26 channels that I take into 8 groups for the final stereo mix.

I am guessing I am best to at least try and record live the 24 - 26 channels as individual, if that is not going to be possible then at worst take my 8 groups and record those.

I am thinking something like an i7 processor, 8 gig of RAM, as much hard disk space as I can afford

Now depending on the question above about Firewire or USB, I am obviously going to need a port to get the audio into the box

Anything else I need to consider ?

Thank you in advance
Michael
Click to expand...

My advice... Get a cheap used MacBook with FireWire 400. Have mine running right now playing back 24 tracks previously recorded live with. 32.
 
Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

John Chiara said:
My advice... Get a cheap used MacBook with FireWire 400. Have mine running right now playing back 24 tracks previously recorded live with. 32.
Click to expand...

Hi John

Hmmm thanks for that.. Always been a PC dude myself and never dabbled in MacBook environments.

I'll do some looking for 2nd hand MacBooks in the interim
 
Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

Michael Evans said:
Am I better to use the Firewire connection or USB from the desk to the DAW
Click to expand...

FireWire is always the better interface for audio. It can work independently of the CPU whereas USB is heavily dependent on the CPU. This leads to lower latency and lower overhead while recording for FireWire. True, CPU's these days are pretty powerful, why potentially box yourself in if you don't have to? Your buying new hardware so get a decent rig with the best interface for the task at hand.

With PC's not all firewire chipsets, nor drivers are created equal. If you are going to buy a PC laptop I would search through audio forums where programs like Cubase or Reaper are discussed an look for those who post positive experience with FireWire for their respective hardware. Just beware that sometimes PC manufacturers (Dell has been the worst in my experience, but HP isn't unknown from doing the same) change out chips mid production even for the same model, so sometimes knowing just the make/model isn't enough to ensure success.

Or, as others suggested just buy a Mac laptop. Even if you are going to turn around and just load Windows on it. You won't have to worry about the chipset or drivers...
 
Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

John Chiara said:
My advice... Get a cheap used MacBook with FireWire 400. Have mine running right now playing back 24 tracks previously recorded live with. 32.
Click to expand...

FWIW I have recorded 24 channels ( 32 in out set up) with an old 3gig laptop with no problems - and using USB - with reaper! if you have a current laptop lying around I suggest you try it out before spending extra dosh - I think I remember Christian said he has done recordings using an old netbook.


(The only other thing to remember about doing recordings with the X32 is to ensure you have a sensible gain structure for the live mixing which can also then be used for the recordings - i.e. leave plenty of headroom at the pre-amp stage- normally for live recordings a mic and line split would be taken before the pre-amp stage - one going to the live desk and one to the recoding HW - but in this instance you would be doing the spilt after the pre-amps - Oh and always better to record each channel individually and mix down later - for a quick review of the show you could always record a stereo output to USB)

Nick
 
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Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

I have recorded 32 channels simultaneous on a 5 year old "white" Macbook. You don't need much horsepower anymore for the multiple channels of recording. Where you need it is for dealing with plugins and virtual instruments. Those will be the ones that need lots of power. Depending on how much you intend to use these (think things like NI Komplete, BFD, Superior, Slate VCC, etc, etc) you should tailor your build to that. A decent i7 system is the route I would suggest if you are going to build a PC. No need to go top end though.
 
Re: X32 Recording Hardware Requirements For A New Recording Setup

Michael Evans said:
Good Morning from sunny Melbourne, Australia
Rather than clog up the X32 Discussion thread that I am an avid reader, I thought I would be best to start a new one asking for suggestions.

I am new to the Behringer X32 and hence the whole digital domain and I am learning lots.

I work with a couple of bands and do amateur theatre work and by no means am making a living out of this work.

Anyway, I want to explore the whole recording side of things from the X32 and this in itself is a whole new world to me.

I intend to buy a dedicated laptop/workstation to use for this purpose.

My questions are as follows:-

Am I better to use the Firewire connection or USB from the desk to the DAW

I was intending to start off with Reaper as the price point is great to get into it. The hardware requirements are not definative on their web site and I want to get this at least 90% as I am purchasing new hardware

To record the bands for example I generally am using 24 - 26 channels that I take into 8 groups for the final stereo mix.

I am guessing I am best to at least try and record live the 24 - 26 channels as individual, if that is not going to be possible then at worst take my 8 groups and record those.

I am thinking something like an i7 processor, 8 gig of RAM, as much hard disk space as I can afford

Now depending on the question above about Firewire or USB, I am obviously going to need a port to get the audio into the box

Anything else I need to consider ?

Thank you in advance
Michael
Click to expand...

Honestly any decent laptop will do the job, USB or Firewire. Yes, generally speaking firewire is better for audio but as previously mentioned, multi track recording is not really that big of a deal for modern hardware. My 4 year old Dell Inspiron (soon to be replaced with a macbook pro) with a core 2 duo and 3 gigs ram will do 32 tracks on reaper all day long without breaking a sweat. Reaper is a good choice not only because of the price, but also because its extremely light on computer resources compared to other daws. And although I've never used it on a Mac, judging by the reaper forums it appears to be a tad more stable on PC due to the fact that Windows is essentially its native OS.

At any rate, sure, a macbook pro with firewire is never a bad idea for anything audio. However almost any new decent PC recording via USB will treat you just fine. I installed an X32 and a PC desktop in my club gig. I put a firewire card in the PC, but I tried the USB recording and the stability, CPU usage, and performance, were pretty much identical. As in, neither one of them appeared to have any affect on the computers performance when multi-tracking 32 tracks off the X32.
 
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