Hey, I have a M-audio Fast Track Pro and a pair of M-audio BX5a monitors, and a macbook pro, I would like to know what more equipment should I get to get the best of home recording... (I have one passive bass and one active) Should I get a pre-amp , or a DI or something? Cause I really don't like the tone I get plugging straight into the m-audio, it sounds like it's preamps are a bit weak for bass, good for vocals though..
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Recording Equipment
- Thread starter Sptz
- Start date
A preamp is probably what you need, but a good one is expensive. There are a bunch of small preamps for like $100 but they're not very good, just like the preamps on the m-audio. You might want to look at something like an Avalon U5 or a GT brick, but you're going to be paying $400-$600 for a single preamp.
An alternative is getting a different interface with better pres, because for $500-$700 you can get an interface with 8 pres that will all sound better than the m-audio ones (plus it will have better converters and overall quality/features). If all you want to do is record bass this all may seem like overkill, but if you want to record other instruments or a whole band, you'll want more than 2 inputs eventually anyway.
An alternative is getting a different interface with better pres, because for $500-$700 you can get an interface with 8 pres that will all sound better than the m-audio ones (plus it will have better converters and overall quality/features). If all you want to do is record bass this all may seem like overkill, but if you want to record other instruments or a whole band, you'll want more than 2 inputs eventually anyway.
+1
also, if you have a line out on any of the amplifiers you are using it could be worth a try. Could well be better than using the pres in that unit.
unless you have great A/D converters the extra outboard gear is not going to give you all it can
if you ever use mics, then a mic preamp with a DI may be a better investment
U5.. I'm not a fan
the Brick is ok, REDDI much better, (both tube based) but REDDI is not a mic preamp.
if you ever use mics, then a mic preamp with a DI may be a better investment
U5.. I'm not a fan
the Brick is ok, REDDI much better, (both tube based) but REDDI is not a mic preamp.
I was using a Fast Track Pro as well to record my bass. I wasn't thrilled with the sound. Recently I replaced my 15 year old boss mixing board with an Alesis 8 channel USB2.0 board and sold the Fast Track Pro on Ebay. I then ran the direct out from my Backline 600 into the Alesis which has an XLR input and recorded into Cubase on my macbook. This Alesis mixer passes all audio via a USB 2.0 connection.
This sounds much better then the fast track pro to me. I just sold my backline but I'm going to do the same thing now with a Sansamp RBI I just picked up.
This setup works well for me. It really comes down to what your expectations are. With the above setup I get acceptable quality to record myself practicing. I also get the added benefit of haveing multiple things going through the board. It's a great way to practice along with BIAB.
Adam
This sounds much better then the fast track pro to me. I just sold my backline but I'm going to do the same thing now with a Sansamp RBI I just picked up.
This setup works well for me. It really comes down to what your expectations are. With the above setup I get acceptable quality to record myself practicing. I also get the added benefit of haveing multiple things going through the board. It's a great way to practice along with BIAB.
Adam
I believe (though not completely certain) that the 1/4" inputs on the Fast Track Pro are lo-z... not intended to plug your bass straight into. Instrument inputs typically require a hi-z input. This is why you are likely getting a thin/weak signal. A decent DI would be your best/cheapest option.
lambro's advice is the best so far... I wouldn't worry too much about stuff like the A/D conversion of the m-audio ... it's probably fine for your needs. And m-audio pre's aren't all that bad... at least compared to about anything else less than $600 with 2 or more pres. As a matter of fact, their DMP-3 is widely considered to be a pretty decent pre and an excellent value for the $$$. Knowing the proper setup and connections for your equipment goes a long way.
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c
lambro's advice is the best so far... I wouldn't worry too much about stuff like the A/D conversion of the m-audio ... it's probably fine for your needs. And m-audio pre's aren't all that bad... at least compared to about anything else less than $600 with 2 or more pres. As a matter of fact, their DMP-3 is widely considered to be a pretty decent pre and an excellent value for the $$$. Knowing the proper setup and connections for your equipment goes a long way.
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c
I took a quick look at the Fast Track product page.
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Are you setting the line input to "guitar"? That gives you 500k input impedance instead of 10k in the line input setting (using an unbalanced cable).
Also, I wouldn't worry about the signal being overly loud during recording. It is going to sound pretty vanilla if you aren't using any plugins. I notice that a lot of gear with guitar inputs will keep the available gain on the lower side to prevent digital clipping (i'm assuming). Having a clean and accurate waveform with no clipping is a great starting point for post production.
If you were looking to switch to something more bass-friendly in the same price range, look at the Line6 TonePort UX1. Comes with some decent pre/amp/cab sims and effects. I wouldn't expect any big upgrade in overall audio quality until you get into something like a Presonus Firebox or even better, a Motu Ultralight.
As much as the less expensive USB interfaces aren't equal to the top-shelf gear, they are actually pretty good. Way better bang/buck than they used to be. I use a NI Audio Kontrol 1 that I bought on a lark to have something portable and it hold its own against way more expensive stuff.
Just a few ideas. Hope they help.
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Are you setting the line input to "guitar"? That gives you 500k input impedance instead of 10k in the line input setting (using an unbalanced cable).
Also, I wouldn't worry about the signal being overly loud during recording. It is going to sound pretty vanilla if you aren't using any plugins. I notice that a lot of gear with guitar inputs will keep the available gain on the lower side to prevent digital clipping (i'm assuming). Having a clean and accurate waveform with no clipping is a great starting point for post production.
If you were looking to switch to something more bass-friendly in the same price range, look at the Line6 TonePort UX1. Comes with some decent pre/amp/cab sims and effects. I wouldn't expect any big upgrade in overall audio quality until you get into something like a Presonus Firebox or even better, a Motu Ultralight.
As much as the less expensive USB interfaces aren't equal to the top-shelf gear, they are actually pretty good. Way better bang/buck than they used to be. I use a NI Audio Kontrol 1 that I bought on a lark to have something portable and it hold its own against way more expensive stuff.
Just a few ideas. Hope they help.
I use the Fast Track Pro at home with Cool Edit Pro, and plug my Fender Rumble 100 direct out into the input, and I think it sounds pretty good - not "holy **** this is the greatest" good, but for the money involved, I'm happy. I'm sure using a direct out on a decent amp would do you in good stead.
Well, so much for that theory... looking at the m-audio site, it appears the inputs are labeled as "mic/inst" which would lead you to believe they are proper. But then again, who knows.. Oh well. Do you have a recorded sample you can post? ... I'm curious what it sounds like. Maybe you're just used to hearing yourself playing through an amp? A direct signal will sound quite different than an amp. You could always get a decent mic and mic your amp to get closer to the sound you know.
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c
I had a fast track pro and was able to plug my bass right in. Just make sure the padding is set properly.
Adam
Adam
Besides the "pad" being a potential issue, the only other complication I see could be this (from the manual):
If you have it set to line with your bass plugged in, you would likely have the issues that I eluded to in my original.
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c
It is like a single-position volume control ahead of the converter. It lets you run higher gain sources into it without as much danger of clipping. You should hear a dramatic drop in volume with it engaged. It is also known as an audio attenuator, fixed attenuator, fixed pad...
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Thanks for pointing that out, but does that really change the point of my post which was making sure that the OP was using the correct settings?
So you think a pre-amp would actually improve, would it be bypassed through the m-audio pre's? I think an avalon u5 or other kind of pre would be nice for studio recording as well as live. (I'm gonna start recording an album pretty soon, not at my house obviously, at a studio).
These things are all relative. Compared to an API, yes that thing is junk. Probably better than what is in that Fast Track Pro. I would advise against buying it though, you will outgrow the thing pretty fast.
If you want to get in to recording and only need a few tracks at a time I would advise staying as modular as possible. Get a modest soundcard with a couple of line-level inputs, not with built in preamps, if it also has an S/PDIF in even better. Get a decent stereo mic pre, the ART MPA Gold(NOT the tube MP) is not a bad place to start for real cheap. This way you can upgrade things one at a time, very few all in one pre+converter+interface units are any good, none that I know of for cheap.
best of luck
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