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Music and Audio Hardware - part 3
Sound Solutions: MIDI Interfaces and Mac audio options
In part one of this article, we looked at some of the basic questions you might have when considering what hardware to get for audio and MIDI applications. In part two, we dug into some of the problems you might encounter. In this section, we'll look at some Mac sound options and MIDI interfaces.
Sound Options for Mac
There are a variety of ways to add audio hardware to Macs, including those without internal expansion slots. The simplest and least expensive option is surely the iMic, a diminutive USB-connected audio input device from Griffin. Although inexpensive, it is not without its appeal to the casual musician. For starters, it is natively supported by Mac OS X -- a bonus, considering the potential for hardware investments requiring exotic drivers to suddenly become obsolete with the release of a new system software release. It supports ASIO, and there's a cool program called Final Vinyl on the Griffin website that allows the unit to capture recordings directly from a (vinyl record-playing) phonograph. The iMic has an onboard switch that allows it to support mic- or line-level inputs.
There are many other external USB audio interfaces. Most support the Mac and Windows PCs. As noted in part two of this feature, the product lines of M-Audio and Edirol are the two we'd recommend exploring first.
Used Hardware
We won't spend much time here discussing internal cards for older Nubus-equipped Macs, or the built-in audio hardware on ancient AV Macintosh models. However, if you happen to find one at the right price, you might find it useful for running older audio or MIDI software. Early releases of Logic Audio, for example, provided up to 16 audio tracks on a supported Mac.
At or near the top of the heap in terms of capabilities at the time of its release in the early 1990s was the 4-track DigiDesign Audiomedia II. It runs on Nubus Macs from the IIfx and up. Following it was Audiomedia III (8 tracks), compatible with PCI-based Macs released during the rest of the decade. Note, however, that there is no upgrade path from Audiomedia products to ProTools, and the Audiomedia boards are subject to some fairly serious limitations, some of which we mentioned in part two of this article. If you're even considering such a purchase, be advised: Apple's newest Macs won't even run the software you need to fire up this system. You'd be better off to buy a product without such built-in obsolescence.
ProTools
If, however, you've got the hots to get into DigiDesign software and hardware, there's another caveat: this stuff is expensive, and you'll find new costs at nearly at every turn. There's no mystery why many music stores have a "digiguy" who is wise on the topics of Pro Tools, SampleCell, and the Audiomedia hardware -- there's buckets of money to be made for them in this market. And, many happy ProTools users will confirm, there's a good market for those with ProTools skills. There's nothing that says "I'm a studio pro and my production services are worth a lot" like an outlandishly expensive ProTools setup. Suffice it to say, if ProTools is in your future, you need to find your own "digiguy." So shop around -- you are buying a relationship with an expert, not just a piece of hardware. If you're a dabbler, but want to learn the chops, there's a freely downloadable version of the ProTools software at the DigiDesign website that can help you learn the ins and outs of the program. It's at www.digidesign.com
Korg
Another formerly popular sound card for PCI Macs (and Windows PCs as well) is the Korg Soundlink DRS 1212 I/O PCI Multi-Channel Audio Interface. This now-discontinued unit shipped with audio multitracking software called Deck II. It also supported Cubase VST 3.5, Logic Audio 3.0, Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer and berkley integrated audio software (bias). The card provided a variety of digital I/O features, including an ADAT interface, for Alesis' innovative VHS tape-based digital recording system.
More recently, Korg announced the OASYS PCI, a synth and audio card with dedicated onboard DSPs the company says integrates professional-quality synthesis, effects processing, and computer audio input and output into a single, professional PCI audio card. For more information, see Compatibility.
There are, of course, many other audio cards on the market. About the only card we absolutely don't recommend to Mac users under any circumstances is the trouble-plagued Sound Blaster Live! Mac Edition. In a classic chicken-and-egg situation, the company gave up development of the drivers due to poor hardware sales, and Mac users avoided the product in droves after reviewers found early drivers for the card hideously buggy.
MIDI Interfaces
On the PC, the least expensive (and least sophisticated) MIDI interfaces usually connect to the joystick port on your sound card. They sell for about $20. For a little more than that you can pick USB MIDI interface, with one or more ports.
Users with specialized needs for scoring films or otherwise syncing music to tape can pick up a MIDI interface with built-in SMPTE sync capabilities, at prices starting around C$175. If you need a SMPTE-compatible interface, be sure to find out whether you need LTC or the more expensive VITC.
More elaborate sound cards (The Audigy Platinum and Platinum eX series comes to mind) include a full-featured breakout box, with analog and digital audio I/O, a MIDI interface and, in the case of the eX, even an IR remote control.
On older, Apple Desktop Bus-equipped Macs, the interface was typically connected to the modem or printer port. Newer Macs, for better or worse, did away with all three of these ports. Today, USB-connected MIDI interfaces for Macs range from tiny boxes with an IN and an OUT plug that sell for about $40, to super-sophisticated modules with time-code and SMPTE synchronizers, multi-channel MIDI implementations, status readouts and just about any other geegaw a gadget-happy computer musician could want -- for about as much as you care to spend. Some of the most sophisticated boxes are being built by MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn). Its line of interfaces includes models with connectors and features for MIDI, digital audio and even digital video gear. Kelly's Music has a useful guide to MIDI interfaces that can help you sort out the features you need.
There are several caveats to note: for starters, avoid any and all products by Opcode. Although the company was once a respected name in audio and MIDI products, it has discontinued all support for its MIDI hardware and software products. It's unfortunate -- its once-popular Studio 64X interface model for PC or Mac was, at one time, one of our most highly recommended MIDI interfaces. Despite its unfortunate demise, it can help us in at least one way: as a benchmark of what you should look for in a full-featured interface.
- It connects to a readily available port (it was actually rather weak in this area, plugging into the not-very-plug-and-play friendly serial port).
- It sports a so-called Panic button (all notes off)
- SMPTE sync
- 64 channels of MIDI
- thru switch (so that you can use other serial devices without disconnecting the unit).
Notebook users
As you may know, there are certain USB devices that can draw power from the host computer, rather than require their own independent power supply. One such device is the Roland SC-8820 (another is the now-rare and absolutely unauthorized Midiman clone of this unit); there are many others. With such as device, you can use a notebook for MIDI Sequencing with a minimum of cabling.
Parallel-connected MIDI Interfaces
Generally, we don't recommend purchasing a MIDI interface that connects to a parallel port, such as the MIDI Translator from OpCode or similar parallel-only interfaces from MIDIman, MusicQuest, MOTU and some other manufacturers. Why? Well, for starters, many newer PCs don't even have parallel ports. (Macs never had 'em.) Cables tend to be bulky, drivers tend to be problematic, bla bla bla. About the only interesting feature we can think of in the MIDI Translator's favor was the ability to chain up to four of them in a row. (You'd be better off with a MIDI patch bay, though.)
Multiport MIDI Interfaces
Musicians with more than 16 channels worth of MIDI sound gear can add this capability with any one of several different models of 32- or 64-channel MIDI interfaces. There are many models that allow you to "gang up" 32, 64 or even more channels. The MIDIman 64-channel model seems to be the best value.
Some dealers we've spoken to do not recommend interfaces by Mark of the Unicorn (often abbreviated MOTU), citing incompatibilities with various programs and other issues. You may run into unexpected problems with whatever brand you buy, of course -- another reason to make friends with the music store's "digiguy."
Other MIDI Gear
As your MIDI setup grows, you might need a MIDI merger, splitter, patch bay, etc. Any reputable pro audio/electronic musical instrument retailer will be able to help with just about any feelings of MIDI inadequacy you may be having. Similarly, they are your best bet for getting the right mixer, mics, etc. You won't find pro audio gear at Radio Shack or cheapo electronics retailers.
Tips: if you have more than three or four MIDI devices in a daisy chain, use a MIDI splitter junction box to avoid signal delays and timing problems.
Look for demo versions of music programs online before buying. Often, computer magazines that ship with CDs will have save-disabled versions for you to test.
More on Sound card(s)
Some sound cards feature onboard synthesizers (usually of the cheesy FM variety), others include onboard sample RAM and still others use your computer's hard disk for sample storage. Some offer all of these capabilities and throw in an effects section (or several) for good measure. In this section, we'll look at the pros and cons of hardware versus software playback of wavetables.
What, you may wonder is a wavetable, anyway? Simply put, it's a bank of waveforms -- usually prerecorded, sampled, looped and assigned to various pitches -- that allow the sound card to more simulate a given instrument -- say, a piano. Sometimes the actual sounds of a real piano are sampled and stored; other times, the sounds are produced using an algorithm that recreates the tonal and percussive characteristics of the instrument, as Roland has done with some of its electronic pianos and synths. This sort of advanced software synthesis typically sounds richer than most ROM-based samples do, and, unlike a waveform, a well-crafted synth doesn't suffer from ragged loops or sudden fadeouts.
So, why would you want to use a waveform in ROM or stored on a disk, when a synthetic recreation can more authentically recreate the attack, sustain, decay and release characteristics of the real thing? Why even bother with sampled wavetables? Simply put, because it usually (but not always) sounds more realistic. It's the little imperfections that cue our ears that something is real -- the scrape of a violin bow, the portamento slide of a trombone, and so on.
This is presuming, of course, that realism is a goal worth seeking. There's a growing backlash against cheesy sounding brass and other fake-sounding instruments and, sadly, even a very expensive sampler with the best samples available can sound atrociously fake in the wrong hands. It's probably obvious, but you can't play a violin like a piano -- yet, on a sampling keyboard, many players try to do just that.
The best sounding samples, not surprisingly, tend to be very large samples. Thus, computer-based -- or at least hard-disk-based -- samplers are considered the current sate of the art. It doesn't necessarily cost much to get these capabilities: even a $50 Sound Blaster Live card can act as a hard disk-based sample player, and the company's EMU sound libraries (many of which are directly copied from real EMU instruments and Proteus sample libraries) are actually quite good.
A few of the many computer-based sample players available include: Reason, Gigasampler, HALion and SampleTank. There are literally dozens of others. Reason, which also includes a vast array of synthesizers, drum machine functions and signal processing options, is probably the most advanced of the group.
Signal Processing
Indeed, signal processing is an important part of the mix. Adding a little reverb, chorus or other spicy sauce to your audio output can make all the difference. Of course, adding effects in real time, while also creating the waveforms, recording the music and/or performing any number of other demanding tasks can take a considerable mount of processing power. If you missed it, refer back to part one of this series for an overview of the kind of computer you'll need to keep everything running smoothly.
As an example, consider Yamaha's Yamaha XG SoftSynth, a software wavetable synth that allows you to add 3D stereo spatialization, reverb and very cool "TX" wavetable sounds to virtually any soundcard -- all in software.
Speakers for Multimedia
Although many users find that a simple AUX IN connection to their home stereo provides a more than adequate sound system, there are a plethora of sound systems designed for multimedia PCs (or Macs) on the market. See our collection of Speaker Reviews for info on this topic.
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