How is the M17x for studio recording?

My son wants to use his M17x for recording his band.

We'll be swinging by Guitar Center to figure out a reasonable piece of mixing software but I'm concewrned that maybe the built in sound card won't be up to the task.

Do you think it wise to get one of those Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook plug in modules?

 

on the software get pro tools!

 

no idea about the laptop, but don't get the creative labs sound card. You're going to want an external USB or Firewire interface with enough inputs for what your son wants to record. Presonus, Mackie, Tascam and M Audio all make good, reasonably-priced interfaces. Make sure it has both XLR and 1/4" inputs. You'll see interfaces ranging from 2 to 24 inputs.

I would recommend another software suite besides Pro Tools. Anything but Pro Tools HD is restricted in track count and features. Check out REAPER at www.reaper.fm. Also, many of the interfaces come bundled with some sort of recording program.

 

For software, check Cubase Studio. It's quite powerful and user friendly. It's strong for audio recording and MIDI as well.

 

Hi KCMO,

FWIW, MacBook Pros are considered great studio recording laptops, and they have integrated basic audio, just like your M17x. I was shocked when I got my MBP and discovered this. However, it is really a non-issue, as most professional recording is done using a device called an "audio interface" which bypasses the onboard soundcard anyway. You will find interfaces that connect both by firewire (IEEE 1384) or USB. If you have a choice, grab the firewire. However, I would guess that the onboard audio inputs for the M17x are probably sufficiant, as the soundcard is at least as good as in the MacBook Pro (if not in fact the same one, as both use nVidia based motherboards). I was using a Pocket Pod to interface my guitar to my MacBook Pro, and noticed that it wasn't as crystal celar as I had expected. It was still good-enough for my purposes. Good luck!

Rich S.

UPDATE: The Creative Labs Express Card sound cards are really meant for gaming, if you want to get some hardware for this purpose, an audo interface would be better. Plus, these types of devices keep the audio path out of the inside of the "noisy" (electrically speaking) computer interior. Good luck!

Rich S.

 

DPC Latency = run away! Latency spikes will cause audio sync issues.

This is a terrible choice for audio recording. TERRIBLE. I would even go as far as to say it is the worst possible option.

 

well, dpc was fixed, stutter is what is left so if he turns off powermizer or gets ati cards, hes fine. Right ?

 

The best type of prorgrams to use are reason, pro tools, virtual dj, audacity, torq mixing dj, a nice turn table. headphones denon! Top quality love what i have but i can imagine how much more nicer they are with their top of the line classes. M17x is great for almost anything! The sound blaster is a waste of time. In terms of speakers get JBL, Yamaha, or Polk audio.

 

If you are in the market for an audio interface MOTU makes the best that I have seen for an interface under $1000. They have a $400 and $500 dollar model both of which are very good. Check www.musiciansfriend.com I have been dealing with them for years. Guitar center is unfriendly and very unprofessional (especially the one in Glen Burnie Md!).

 

Nope it wasn't.

If he turns off Powermizer he'll have fan noise.

Maybe that's not a big deal, but most musicians I know hate noisy computers.

 

forgot about that

 

Are you gonna be recording from the mic or why would the fans bother you again???

 

Wow, you guys are great, thanks! I'll investigate your leads. I recently downloaded Auacity - I guess it's public domain type software.

So.. I think first step is to record a bunch of tracks (maybe about 8???) to see if the laptop hiccups. If it doesn't, then maybe I won't have to invest in a hardware interface. They plan on recording one instrument at a time..

They're all new at this, aged 16 through 18, but, bless their little death metal hearts, they have dreams!

 

Metal FTW! Tell 'em I said good luck, and that ESP is the only guitar for metal!

 

Actually I have zero isses with video editing and audio recording... NONE and all studio quality IMO. This was even before the A03 fix!

 

Im not gona lie, if you are talking about recording through the built in mic its not going to sound good either way. If your going to spend $1600+ on a laptop to record music on not having an interface would be like buying a ferrarri with a go kart engine.

 

Throw 10 M17xs in full blast with my band and they still won't hold a sound over a sole riff by our bassist. OH YEAH! Ha! Ha! This is Death Metal, and I don't know of one person in the basic metal scene that is bothered by noise, given that our music is essentially ear-bleeding chug from pillar to post.

I've used plenty of machines with DPC latency for recording. We don't care about noise, but then again, our genre takes care of whining fans, this issue is how we record.

Currently, we use an external digital studio for the actual track recording, and then use the M17x for mastering and mixing on-site.

Unfortunately, if you want a good, 'direct sound' that won't make your music production sound like a garage-session of low-fi standard, then you will have to go for a more advanced setup. Perhaps even consider proper microphones with good tolerance for compression, and moments where you'd favour plugging in your instrument directly. I would never use the M17x or its built-in microphone as a standalone solution.

By the way: I also use Audacity, and it is fine for post-recording tasks such as mastering and mixing; that's where the M17x is actually put to use. However, for the actual recording, I always use an external means so if you plan on recording one instrument at a time, then best go for an added device. There's even a Line 6 product that works through the USB port and helps filter the sound quality along with a good assortment of production effects and tweaks for that final mixing process.

 

hey KCMO, it is true that the alienware comes with plenty of issues and that it has features that just will just never work properly (like hybrid graphics)

but despite that, once you manage to configure it properly and get rid of the latency issues the m17x feels real smooth to use.

The sound card doesn't seem to be designed for audio creation comparing to my old Audigy 2 ZS (no hardware asio, just 1 input, etc..) but I use it for recording stuff with cubase and it works fine.

Just make sure you get ASIO4ALL and the only issue you will have is that you won't be able to use it for more than one program at the time. for instance cubase at the same time you play a song on winamp or media player for instance won't work. (good thing guitar rig has that playback option on top!!)


I think, bottom line is that it doesn't come fully optimized to work 100% (like macs, i've never had one but you can see the amount of effort they take to make it slick) and the support is not that great either.

It has some issues and you'll find some workarounds that will make it less stable (the whole thing about integrated graphics when the plug is off goes to waste when all the workarounds are in place) but in the end of the day you'll have one of the best laptops that exist at least in terms of specifications, and hey! once you finished changing the settings it kinda actually works fine!

BTW: those creative usb external cards are rubbish, I tried one once and it had a minimum of about 30ms of latency!.

 

Death Metal solves everything. GWAR FTW

 

Sorry for spiking an old thread, everyone.
But after reading the following, I couldn't resist...

I hate to break it to ya, but musician's friend has actually been owned by guitar center for over a decade. So don't pin one bad experience in one location onto the company as a whole.