HELP - Recording with a Dell Laptop and Pro Tracks

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:49 pm

After driving myself up a wall, my wife said I should write to this forum.
I have been in many studios and recorded many songs. However now its time to start recording in digital at home. So here it goes. I am using a program called Pro Tracks 2.2 {ProTracksRecording.com} wth a Dell Latitude D620 Laptop. {Windows XP Home Edition} The problem is a term called Latency. I have done much research. I asked many questions. I still dont know what to do. I found out my {intergraded}sound card can not process the information fast enough. Someone sugested a Creative pcmcia sound card. Please Any Suggestions!!!!!.
Many Thanks!!!

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:33 pm

CaptainBone wrote:

Someone sugested a Creative pcmcia sound card.

Tell this person to peel the gluebag off their face. Laughing

........Anyway.

You can buy any number of inexpensive interfaces that will do the trick but to get all the necessaries out of the way. What are you recording? What kind of mic are you using? What kind of monitors do you have?

ProTracks is usually included with some sort of interface already. Do you happen do have a Digitech board such as a GNX4 or the like? If you do, it's probably a matter of selecting the right driver. I don't know if ProTracks supports ASIO, you will want to use the Digitech ASIO driver in the setup menu of ProTracks. If not you still need to make sure that you are recording directly through the Digitech board and not through the soundcard.

At any rate ProTracks is hardly a professional software. I don't know why they advertise it as such. It still doesn't support VST as far as I know which is the standard apart from TDM or RTAS plugins.

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:22 pm

Your wife doesn't know about your latency? We do. Thanks for joining us the poor, the hopeless, the miserable, the audio engineers.

All computers have latency to some degree. We want to keep it as short as possible. Most folks don't record something in their computer while playing back. And so, we have special pieces of equipment generally needed to help combat this problem. Some are in the form of software such as the generic "ASIO" drivers that speed things up. To E to E pass-throughs on low-cost USB & FireWire interfaces. So your computers internal card is good for enjoying your favorite DVD movie, surfing the net, listening to sound clips, recording some nonclinical/noncritical good time fun. Certainly not for anything serious. It really can't cut the mustard when it comes to anything serious. That's why you need a nice little external audio interface. I mean my Hewlett-Packard laptop with "Altec Lansing" speakers and 24-bit 96kHz high-definition sound capabilities, CAN'T RECORD ANYTHING WORTH SQUAT. So I have multiple external USB audio interfaces I use on those things when needed.

I mean we all wear clothes to go with our bodies. So you need to wear an external audio adapter to go with your computer. It's not include at birth. They're all optional equipment after the sale.

Pick one
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:14 am

WOW!!!! Thank you for the support. I will try a few external USB audio interfaces. I have a huge amount of riffs that I need to record. I have my own band {LoveBone that signed to Retrospect Records in October, as well as all my previous band ARDENT, DC STRUT, & FOUR LARGE MEN}. I also write for other bands.
I have read other post and have many ideas. I find this site very informative. I am glad I signed up. I am just "old school" !!! So I will take a Latency pill to make this all better.
Thanks Roy
www.MySpace.com/RoyCoston
www.MySpace.com/LoveBoneRocks
www.LoveBoneRocks.com

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:26 pm

I purchased a Lexicon Omega Desktop Recording Studio {Omega 8x4x2 USB I/O mixer} for my Dell Laptop. The problem now is, my laptop acknowledges it for about a minute, than it states "A problem occurred during hardware installation. Your hard might not work properly". Any ideas??? Thanks.

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:03 pm

Download the latest drivers. Use an external power source.

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