The Construction of My DAW Continues

My trip to Calgary this week was a productive one. Not only did I get to see KMFDM in concert, but I also got to hit all may favorite toy stores: Axe Music, Long & McQuade, and Mother's Music, respectively. After scouring all three stores for recording gear, studio monitors, production software, and drum equipment, I nearly left Calgary empty-handed. That is, until I rummaged through the discard bin at the exit of Mother's Music.

I found a Mackie Spike in the bin, unopened, the price tag slashed to less than half the advertised price.

What happened next can be surmised in one word: "Yoink!"

Of course I paid for said item. In addition, the bin also had a copy of Peak 4LE, mastering software for next to nothing. For the uninitiated, all music goes through a mastering process before it goes to Disc; it's the final stage of the recording process, where the recording is equalized, and a bit of compression is added to the recording in order to smooth out any loud spikes that may still reside. There is a bit more to the mastering process, though only audiophile geeks would find any interest reading it.

The Mackie Spike is a recording interface. When a person wishes to plug an instrument into their computer with the purposes of recording (a guitar, keyboard or microphone), an interface is required to provide the proper voltage -- and also because the plugs used on instruments generally do not fit into any computer port. The Spike is an entry-level interface, allowing two inputs of CD-quality digital audio, plus MIDI jacks for keyboards and/or sequencers. Sure there are other interfaces that will provide up to 24 recording inputs, but I don't have the bankroll to justify such a steep purchase. I was eyeing up a Firepod, that provided 8 simultaneous inputs, but I could not see the merit of spending 800 bucks for an item that may or may not get a lot of use. The 290-dollar price tag for my Spike was far easier to swallow.

The Spike is compatible with third-party software, such as Garageband, so I am looking forward to singing on top of my creations. When I upgrade to Logic, the Spike will continue to be supported.

To make the price tag even more manageable, the Spike came bundled with all kinds of software and plug-ins. It came bundled with Tracktion, another easy-to-use digital recording application, Ableton Live, a loop-based sequencing program, and a variety of free plug-ins, like the Nomad Warmer-Phaser. What I found most impressive, was the built-in XD-2 DSP that included a Compressor, Noise Gate, and 4-band Parametric EQ that rivals Metric Halo's Channel Strip, which incidentally, carries a hefty $699 price tag.

Given the above facts, I surmise that I got a pretty sweet deal.

The building of my recording studio will continue, and I believe the next additions to the studio will include studio headphones, studio monitors, a MIDI controller (like the Oxygen8), more microphones, and more software.

I should take trips to Calgary more often.