industry standard productions while travelling?

Arsenu,

Arsenu,

Member
Oct 30, 2008
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hey guys!

so iv'e been wondering... what's the minimal, yet optimal gear i need to carry with me in order to be able to track and produce music at industry standard levels while travelling?
i mean, what's the minimum setup that can fit inside a backpack?
and is there a way to use an iPad with either Pro tools/cubase/logic etc'?

i'm trying to list the stuff i need for the road and where should i buy them and what iv'e come up with is this:
a macbook
apogee DUET
2 mics, probably SM58 and SM57, maybe a ZOOM mic instead...
a DI box
and of course a DAW that fits macbook, in which case i have to ask, can pro tools run on mac while using DUET?
i really don't know ANYTHING about PT and it's time i start adapting to it

also, the hardware that's compatable with pro tools is much bigger than that cute little DUET thing, so duet comes first...

i think a DUET is a must because of it's size and relative quality, and if an iPad can replace the laptop it'll be even lighter.

if anyone has ever had a mobile setup i'd love some advice, i think it's really awesome to be able to produce live music anywhere.
 
You don't need any specific hardware to use Pro Tools 9, so it'll work fine with your duet.
 
alright, so that's one thing out of the way.

what about the rest of the setup? possible? and if so, can it be done with an iPad instead?
 
No possible way to do it with an iPad - do you fully understand what an iPad is? It's not running a traditional OS, and you can't install a DAW on it, let alone connect the Duet.

What I'd bring along is the laptop, Duet, an SM57 and DI box, and either an SM7b or LDC for vocals.
 
This is exactly the type of setup I'm gonna buy when I'm sure I'll have to travel a lot.

Macbook pro 15" with i7 if possible
An very light interface
a 57 and a 58 though I might taking only my 58 and would remove the cap to have a 57, 2 in 1 option
Reaper

And now I take care of the fact I'm only using plugins that are vst and rtas so that I will have the exact same setup at home, though I may end using only the mac in long term.
 
thanks guys!

so, basically 57 and 58 are the same but i still think theyr'e both the smallest, sturdiest, and considering their price will provide the best result.
the SM7b, besides being WAY more expansive, is much bigger and more delicate, don't think i'll carry that around.

about the iPad, i know what it is but obviously someone will release a DAW for tablets, just a matter of time!
i mean, come on.... it's obvisouly going to happen.

and what's that about the duet being able to track guitars with no DI? sounds too good to be truth.
and if it is truth, is it as good as tracking with a DI? or noisy and hissy?
 
Arsenu said:
thanks guys!

so, basically 57 and 58 are the same but i still think theyr'e both the smallest, sturdiest, and considering their price will provide the best result.
the SM7b, besides being WAY more expansive, is much bigger and more delicate, don't think i'll carry that around.

about the iPad, i know what it is but obviously someone will release a DAW for tablets, just a matter of time!
i mean, come on.... it's obvisouly going to happen.

and what's that about the duet being able to track guitars with no DI? sounds too good to be truth.
and if it is truth, is it as good as tracking with a DI? or noisy and hissy?
Click to expand...

The Duet has an instrument input, so it should be perfectly fine for tracking DI's :)
 
Yeah, the SM7b is tough as shit. Big, but not delicate. I still need to do an instrument in vs DI box + mic pre comparison on my Duet, but I'm inclined to say the DI box route would be better. Better enough to justify carrying around a box... maybe not.

As for iPad DAW's... not anytime soon. The iPad2 is the only one really able to do it, processor wise, and there's still no way to hook up an interface to it. Even with an adapter for FW input (which is not available at this time, nor have there been any rumors about it), battery life would either suck or not provide bus power to the FW device.

It *might* happen in the future, but I honestly don't see it happening for 2-3 years. And when it does, it'll be Logic on the iPad and probably nothing else for another 5 years.
 
You can use this setup for almost any application you will ever need you have only 2 inputs in use:

- Logic or Reaper for DAW + no iLok plugins. No need for dongles this way
- 2 mic stands
- 2 pop filters
- 4 mic cables (as they break)
- 4 instrument cables (they break too)
- 1-2 DI boxes
- 2 dynamic mics
- 2 LDC mics
- 2 SDC mics
- 2 headphones and a headphone amp with 2 outputs or more outputs

Use 1-2 inputs at a time and choose the appropriate mic for each source. But as others said, the Duet has a HI-Z input, so you don't nessecarily need a DI-box. If you plan to use them on the road in a bus, forget the LDC's and just use the SM58's and even maybe a pair of Röde M3's (if the Apogee Duet can't provide phantom power, M3 can be battery operated), but if you plan to use them in hotel rooms and such, bring the LDC's too.
 
alright, after doing some thinking iv'e narrowed what i need to:

MacBook pro (which i might buy refurbished straight from apple)
Duet (which is available for 200$ on e-bay, i just need to solve shipping issues)
SM58 which is already have
SM57 which is really easy to find
and 2 XLR cables.

all should fit in my bag along with some clothes, and as Bear Grylls would say: "i'm good to go!"

my plan is, making a trip to europe starting end of june, go to some festivals and afterwards either find a studio to work at or produce bands independatly using this small setup. bieng some sort of "wondering musician"...
i have a european passport (czech) and able to work (if i run out of cash) as a bartender, security guard, medic or anything relating to live sound setup which i'm already experienced at.
my main goal is to form a band (guitar or vocals, check my sig) or find a studio to work at.

it's pretty insane, so any help would be more than welcome, especially if you own a major studio :)

pardon me for getting carried away, just felt like every sentence i wrote needs to be explained.

cheers!

S.O.
 
The suggested setups are pretty much what i would also take with me if i had to do that. I would however consider carrying a pair of sdc. You can do allot with a pair of sdc and a sm57. Your obviously compromising when doing this, you can never really have a full complete setup if you want to stay light. With a pair of sdc you can do some stereo recording's of just about everything and the sm57 gives you the standard work horse for any dynamic needs. So my suggestion would've been:

Laptop
Duet
SM57
SDC pair of your choice and budget
XLR cables
 
I suppose you could use an iPad with garage band to record but I doubt the mic input is anywhere near "industry standard."
I actually just got my iPad 2 yesterday and bought garage band today but I haven't tried the mic input yet.
Oh and it believe it only records in AAC format.

Anyways the laptop way is the way to go. I've used a macbook pro with a duet a few times and it's pretty darn good.
 
as far as iPad goes, i guess it'll take a couple of years really...
even tough they released that MIC which is probably good but i don't think it's capable of multitracking, and anyway, still isn't strong enough.

about tracking drums, well...
i'm trying to build my setup around the duet and apple stuff in general, and iv'e yet to come across an interface which is as small, efficiant and sturdy as the duet.
besides, iv'e always been a "16 drum channels, otherwise programmed!" kind of guy.
can't stand the tought a tom fill won't start at your right ear and move gradually to the left :)
 
Arsenu said:
about tracking drums, well...
i'm trying to build my setup around the duet and apple stuff in general, and iv'e yet to come across an interface which is as small, efficiant and sturdy as the duet.
besides, iv'e always been a "16 drum channels, otherwise programmed!" kind of guy.
can't stand the tought a tom fill won't start at your right ear and move gradually to the left :)
Click to expand...

Um, if you use a stereo overheads, they do that? :) And you don't need 16 tracks to record drums: 1 kick 2 snare 3-4 overheads or 1 kick, 2 snare, 3-5 toms, 6 hihat, 7-8 overheads. Works like a charm. You can sample replace all the drums too if that is a problem.

More than likely way inferior in quality than the Apogee, but a viable option with it's 8 mic inputs + 2 ADAT options: http://www.alesis.com/io26

edit: nvm, looks like it's out of production
 
Are there any benefits to the Duet over an RME Babyface other than price? I'd like to do something similar, but I have an incurable hatred for Macs.
 
That MBP isn't bad but I'd say it's worth it to spend 600 more and get a quad i7, to be sure.


As for Babyface over Duet... the Babyface will have worse pres and build quality, from what I've seen, as well as costing a lot more.
 
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