”Would it be possible to assemble a system that could record 16 inputs onto a multitrack for under $2000?”

The answer is… well, read for yourself. It’s a bit of a lengthy thread but well worth the time. SPOILER ALERT: His solution involves and iPad and the AudioBox 1818VSL.

Here’s a highlight:

"I ran a test last night. 16 tracks at 24/96. Recorded for a minute. Added another 16 in record for a minute while playing back the first 16. Then added 5 more stereo tracks. Hit record. Then added 6 more stereo tracks. Hit record. 

Several observations:

1) This is not real world because we don't record 1 minute songs.
2) CPU usage at its highest never exceeded 30%. There are CPU and Disk Space Usage meters right on the front of the mixer.
3) I got "Low Memory" messages at least four times, so I finally quit every other app BUT Auria. That seemed to eliminate the problem.
4) It only bailed on a recording one time, and that was when I had the buffer set to 128. I upped it to 256 and it seemed fine. By then I was playing back 42 tracks at 24/96 and recording 12 more.

I considered doing a stress test and recording for a long duration but file management using iTunes, at least to someone accustomed to using a computer, seems like a real headache. I'm going to wait to do that test until after I finish my actual music recording. I don't want to fill up the drive with huge empty files.

Like the guy at the Apple store told me, "the iPad is designed for GATHERING information." Fascinating. In the big picture, I think he's right. It's a content-vacuum. Videos, pictures, audio: it's designed to collect info. It's really easy to import stuff into an iPad. Exporting (apart from tossing it into iTunes), not so much. So far, it seems like the recording will be the easy part. At least to this seasoned pro who is accustomed to using multiple backup drives and backup utilities like SyncPro and drag and drop file management."

Read the entire thread over at 3D Audio! There’s some great mobile recording opportunities with this setup…

Two birds, one stone:  He also regaled us with his story of how he came to find Studio One… and why he stuck with it!
CTRL-C, CTRL-V:

I was using an entry-level set up of Mixcraft as a DAW with a Lexicon Alpha USB Interface.  I wanted to move to an interface that could provide phantom power and better audio quality.  PreSonus had just announced the VSL series of interfaces.   Reviews of the previous interfaces were positive so I bought a AudioBox 22VSL—wish I had bought a 44VLS for extra inputs.  I liked the VSL software concept that allowed virtual mix control over inputs signals.  It included Studio One Artist but at the time I thought Mixcraft was giving me what I needed.  I started working with the 22VSL and immediately noticed the difference.  With the old interface I was constantly power cycling, reboot, etc to keep things running.  The 22VSL was rock solid, turn it on and it worked the entire session.

 I started having major problems with Mixcraft experiencing CPU crackles/pops and also critical file corruption issues which caused the loss of audio tracks and even entire projects. I decided to try the free copy of Studio One Artist that came with the 22VSL. It was quickly evident that I had made a light year jump in DAWs. No more crackles, pops or corrupt files.  More importantly, the features and sonic gains on recordings were incredible and the integration with 22VSL was seamless.  As I learned more about Studio One I realized I was now using a world class DAW.  Wanting more features, I upgraded to Producer and haven’t looked back.

When I compare the new tracks we’re producing with the AudioBox 22VSL/Studio One to what was produced with the old set up, I want to go back in time and re-do everything using 22VSL and Studio One.  The next phase for my home studio will be to add a StudioLive 16.0.2 using FireWire.  There is no question in my mind that Studio One will be the core of that set up as well.

First, Rick sets up his Mac Mini to auto-launch VSL on boot. So, assuming proper connections and having everything powered up, his Mac Mini will auto-connect to his StudioLive seconds within powering up.

But keep watching… it gets real interesting. Via the iPad, Rick uses VNC Mocha Lite to connect to his Mac Mini desktop: no monitor required! This configuration allows you to run and interface with both VSL Remote and also access Capture or Angry Birds during the show. Rick keeps it simple and thorough at the same time—but you might wanna make sure you know what an IP address is before viewing.

It’s nice that I can always count on Rodney to keep me informed of the latest and greatest. It’s like the guy has a prototype 12 GHz bluetooth receiver implanted in his cereberal cortex that receives a constant feed of stuff that’s #NowAndRadical. Fortunately for me—and subsequently, you—Rodney likes to share.

So, Rodney, what’s iOS Music Meet all about, and what’s it got to do with PreSonus?

“It’s the first time it will happen, and we think it’s an awesome idea. A real live show based around iOS is perfect for us to be part of, since there are tens of thousands of PreSonus StudioLive mixers in venues today, all of which are capable of being controlled by iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones. A show like this gives people the chance to show that this stuff isn’t just theoretical pie-in-the-sky, it’s already a fully working and road-tested mature product that we’ve been shipping for the past year. Also, with the new Smaart integration, we can set up the PA and have it sounding perfect using iPad control—faster and easier than anyone could have thought possible.”

Interested in partaking? Details follow. Registration is free, but of course there’s a hoop or two to jump through.

The Nits and Grits:

JustMusic and CDR present: