Running a DAW live?

[zaubertuba]

x4 on the Presonus. We use one for both live sound and live recording. The beauty of units like the Presonus (and their more expensive brethren) is that you *can* control them remotely, but actual latency is nil because the laptop/ipad/whatever is only a "dumb" controller, effectively sending commands to the presonus to "increase channel 3 10db," for example. If the controller goes down, no problem---the signal path never leaves the actual board.

If you want small there are several DSP's out there that can be conrolled remotely--and only take up a rackspace or so:

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I demo'd one in a Church installation a few weeks ago and it was really slick. Could control it over a wireless network from a laptop at the back of the house---or even my android phone. Wouldn't use the latter in a complicated mixing situation, but you can even script your own laptop interface and customize it to your heart's content if you need to.

It's a relatively new product, but the hardware seems solid, and it's wayyy more future perfect than analog technology because upgrades are as simple as a download.

 

[MNAirHead]

Zauer...

How long did it REALLY take you to learn the Presonus board... meaning enough that when the "excriment hits the blades" that you confidently knew how to remedy?

 

[zaubertuba]

Zauer...

How long did it REALLY take you to learn the Presonus board... meaning enough that when the "excriment hits the blades" that you confidently knew how to remedy?

Um, he showed it to me after a rehearsal and I felt like I could be comfortable with it after a 15-minute tutorial. We ran it several subsequent gigs running both live and recording feeds and had zero issues.

To be fair, my keyboardist and I have over 40 years collective experience in the industry. The board at the venue I run is a Soundcraft k2. Learning curve is not an issue.

But really, these digital mixers are designed to be intuitive. The Yamaha rep. Did a great demo of an M7 last year and I was really impressed with how easy it was to run. They actually did focus groups with everyone from professional sound guys to volunteer church B'ops when they designed the logic of the board. I don't think we would have any problem 8training our student operators on it whatsoever.

But my apologies to the OP-we may have taken this far afield from his original query. I think the original post was more concerned with using an already owned laptop, with no intention of buying a high-end console.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're going to go hi tech, I'd trust even some of the less pricey purpose-built gear to a laptop. Just IMHO.

 

[gotmule?]

While I don't know much about the digital side of mixing, it does sound like you have an idea of what you're doing. However, one of the most important rules of mixing is to make sure the band is comfortable with what you are doing. If the band has any doubts or feels uncomfortable in anyway, they may not give their best performance, which will make your job a bit more difficult. The band I currently work for had some doubts about how well I could mix because they were the first band I had ever mixed for. In result, I showed them the books I read (the Yamaha book along with another excellent book: Live Sound Reinforcement by Scott Hunter Stark) and explained the reasoning for my setup and the quality of the gear I could provide (Yamaha MG series mixer and RCF powered speakers). As a result, they now trust me fully and have even recommended me to other bands which has further increased my work. You may not always be happy with what you have to deal with, but especially for a bar audience, they will be happy as long as the band sounds good. As for the band, as long as you make them sound good and make them comfortable, there will be no problems in the long run. When you further establish your credibility, your dad will probably give your rig a shot, but for now, make sure you make everyone comfortable with what your doing and most importantly, don't argue with the band, present your idea in a civil, but confident manner and even if they say no, they will appreciate your dedication and sincerity and think very highly of you and what you do.

 

[DuraMorte]

to the OP-we may have taken this far afield from his original query. I think the original post was more concerned with using an already owned laptop, with no intention of buying a high-end console.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're going to go hi tech, I'd trust even some of the less pricey purpose-built gear to a laptop. Just IMHO.

Hey, no worries - I'm well aware that a StudioLive would be the best route for what I want to do. Unfortunately, I don't have any cash to spend on gear that I'll never make the money back on.
So, I'm basically trying to make a "poor-man's" StudioLive with the gear I already have.

As far as the band's comfort level... They were fine with my system. They loved the control I had over the sound, and seemed to be really excited about it. It's just my dad, being the stubborn mule that he is, demands that I use what they are used to, because "I know it will work".
My recording system has been working for about three years now, with no major problems, and only occasional minor ones. I know it will work too. His unwillingness to let me try it is what gets me.
All I want is a shot, and I can't take it, because the coach told me to pass. Frustrating.
But, I plan to stress-test it with my band this weekend, and see what kind of results I get.