Rockin' the Mouse
September 21, 2000
Are you ready for the virtual studio?
by David Korn
'Even old analog faves like the Prophet-5 are slowly being condemned to the expendable list.'
Welcome to this first installment of the Harmony Central's Rockin' the Mouse, in which we'll focus on all things having to do with computers and music. For me, the two have been interwoven for a long time: My first computer was a Yamaha CX-5 -- remember MSX? The second was an Atari 1040. Then came a bushel of Apples, recently supplemented by a Wintel computer (I had to find out what everybody was talking about).
Some of the best sound design tools (such as GRM-Tools) are only available as software plug-ins. (Click for a close up) |
A Kinder, Softer Studio
At first, the computer was just an extra piece of gear in my setup, along with the synths, samplers, effects racks, four-track recorder, and mixer. The four-track recorder was actually more like a three-track, given the need to dedicate the fourth track to timecode. Then I found out I could more or less do without the four-track if I cut my parts into small segments that I could sample and trigger with MIDI to give the illusion of a continuous track. (Though this sounds pretty mundane now, it was pretty cool ten years ago.) That's when I first found myself spending much more time in front of the computer screen.
As digital audio hardware became more affordable, I dove into the wondrous world of digital audio editing. That is, I was cutting up guitar parts into microscopic pieces and shifting them around until they were perfectly aligned with the beat. By then, my computer was front and center in the studio.
Digidesign's range of Pro Tools TDM systems ushered in computer-based mixing. (Click for a close up) |
But the concept of the desktop studio really took hold when Digidesign introduced Pro Tools with TDM, which offered powerful recording, mixing, and effects processing on a card, all controlled by a desktop computer. With the advent of software-based plug-in effects processing, my collection of rack effects started to look superfluous. Even my old mixing console was suspect.
Steinberg brought the computer-studio concept to the masses with Cubase VST, the first software to offer realtime "host-based" digital audio: In place of costly hardware-based DSP, the computer's processor would be in command of the audio. Since then, a host of developers have followed suit, including Emagic, Mark of the Unicorn, Cakewalk, and -- with the introduction of RTAS and the Digi 001-- even Digidesign.
Some software synthesizers, Koblo Vibra 9000 for example, actually compete with the best analog synths of yore. (Click for a close up) |
And now, software synthesizers and samplers threaten the last vestiges of hardware in my studio -- and I'm not just talking about sample-playback synths. Old analog faves like the SCI Prophet-5 are slowly being condemned to the expendable list as well. (Don't stone me!) There's not much left that you can't do with your computer. The question is: Can a computer completely replace hardware as a recording solution?
'You've probably developed a special relationship with a few pieces of gear along the way.'
So-o-o Convenient
The "studio-in-a-computer" concept is appealing for several reasons. First, it concentrates functionality (recording, mixing, synthesis, and more) in a portable package you can set up in a few minutes. Plug the soundcard into a pair of active monitors, and you're ready to go. Cabling is kept to a minimum, reducing clutter and potential noise problems.
Computers are upgradeable, another key advantage. Add new software, a better soundcard, a bigger hard disk, or a faster processor, and your machine gets a new lease on life. Try that with your old multitrack tape machine.
But the software studio's greatest strength may be the way it brings high-ticket features -- such as automated mixing and total recall -- to the average recordist. No need to keep track of effects settings, patch numbers, or patchbay states: Every time you open your session, everything is as you last left it (well, hopefully).
Some plug-ins have established new trends. Line 6 AmpFarm kicked off software amp simulation. (Click for a close up) |
With today's accelerated production schedules, that convenience is a big plus. I know some users who've even been willing to swap their Lexicon hardware for the software LexiVerb plug-in -- even if it meant a loss of sound quality. This is not to say effects plug-ins or software synths are always sonically inferior to their hardware counterparts -- that's up to the developer, and dependent upon the resources of each individual computer system.
Computer-based recording boasts some sound-quality advantages in its own right. In a traditional studio, signals do a lot of traveling -- sometimes going through several A/D and D/A conversions, which can degrade the sound. In contrast, once you get your sounds into the computer, they pretty much stay inside until the final mix.
Performance
Needless to say, the virtual studio has its drawbacks. Apart from computer-specific issues (the occasional crash, buggy software), the main problem is that all those tasks -- recording, processing, mixing, synthesis, sampling -- use the same CPU. At some point, that one extra EQ or reverb will choke your computer.
A DSP board, such as Creamware's Pulsar will let you run a large modular synth, among other things, while freeing the CPU for other tasks. (Click for a close up) |
This is less of a problem if you have a DSP hardware-based system -- such as Digidesign's TDM, a Korg Oasys PCI, or a Creamware Pulsar board. With these, the soundcard powers certain tasks, freeing the main CPU for others. Unfortunately, hardware-based systems cost quite a bit more than host-based systems.
If you plan to use a computer for both synthesis and recording, you may want to dedicate a separate machine to each. Actually, certain programs, such as Nemesys GigaSampler and GigaStudio (see our GigaStudio review) more or less require a computer's complete resources. Running several computers in a network brings up several interesting issues that we'll cover in future columns.
The limited physical interaction offered by the virtual studio is another issue: Tweaking parameters with the mouse can be frustrating. Luckily, more affordable control surfaces, such as the CM Automation Motor Mix, are hitting the market. Some even feature motorized faders.
Lastly, let's not forget we're all human: You've probably developed a special relationship with some key pieces of gear along the way -- an old Roland D-50, or perhaps a Memorymoog. We need comfort to be creative, which may come in the form of a set of trusty pieces of equipment, or maybe the Sony Aibo robot dog. It's important that your computer-based solution strikes a balance between the cutting edge and the comfort we all need to be creative.
We'll revisit these issues in future columns, but next month, we'll look into how well computers fit our musical needs.
Related Links
Apple [www.apple.com]
Cakewalk [www.cakewalk.com]
CM Automation [www.cmautomation.com]
Creamware [www.creamware.de]
Digidesign [www.digidesign.com]
Emagic [www.emagic.de]
Koblo [www.koblo.com]
Korg [www.korg.com]
Lexicon [www.lexicon.com]
Line 6 [www.line6.com]
Mark of the Unicorn [www.motu.com]
Nemesys [www.nemesysmusic.com]
Steinberg [www.steinberg.de]
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David Korn has been writing about digital audio technology since it became as much fun to use as his Minimoog. His articles have appeared in various magazines around the world, such as Keyboards (France), Audiomedia (UK), and Keyboard (Japan). He is based in Paris. |
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