Live recording four separate tracks on laptop????

snicholshms wrote on 2/1/2005, 9:29 PM
What do I need for my laptop in order to record several instruments at the same time, each with their own individual track in Vegas?
I have a Tascam USB 122 with four mic inputs but it combines all four iinto only one track.
I need to record four individual tracks...one for each instrument so they can be mixed later. Appreciate any help.

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 2/1/2005, 9:31 PM
DON'T try to do this with USB. Look at either Firewire or Cardbus. USB is too latent, and too processor dependent.
Echo, M-Audio, TC Works, PreSonus all make great tools to input up to 8 tracks at a shot.
Look at the Echo Layla 3G or the new FireStation from Presonus. Roland has a couple great boxes too.
snicholshms wrote on 2/1/2005, 9:58 PM
Thanks for the advice, SPOT.
The part I am not getting is...how does Vegas (on my laptop) "see" the four tracks coming in from the four mics via , lets say, the Presonus? Does the Presonus initialize/ackNnack Vegas and tell it there's four tracks coming in?

farss wrote on 2/1/2005, 11:01 PM
No,
you add 4 tracks on the timeline and assign each one to the record input on the device. You arm each one and then when you hit the master record button you're away.

Only thing I'm not 100% certain about is I think you have to record them as stereo pairs, no drama there, in your case that's just two stereo pairs and then you can split them later. If I'm wrong about the last bit someone please tell me how to record as separate mono tracks.
Bob.
Coursedesign wrote on 2/1/2005, 11:03 PM
No, it all goes through Windows device drivers, getting into the list of audio devices.

From Vegas, you just pick the list you want in Options>Preferences>Audio Device. Better cards will have ASIO drivers.

snicholshms wrote on 2/1/2005, 11:54 PM
Thanks for the explanations. I'm just getting into electronic/digital recording... my experience was as a musician recording in analog studios back in the 70's & 80s. All the software available today blows me away....it's incredible what can be done on a PC/MAC!
Spot|DSE wrote on 2/2/2005, 6:42 AM
The four tracks can be recorded as stereo pairs or as individual mono tracks. So, you could have 2 stereo tracks, or 4 mono tracks.
In the input section of Vegas, you'll choose which input goes to which track. Usually input 1 goes to track one, etc.
In Prefs/Audio Hardware, you specify the device for recording regardless of what Windows sound card is set to, but you'll almost always want to turn off Windows sounds anyway.