Timed transfer from eight track to computer?

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ot7doc wrote:

> I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
> some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
> imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
> each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
> the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
> right on the computer?


Which 8-track? Can you use a MotU 2408 for ADAT lightpipe or TDIF, and
do them all at once?

Barring that, you can record a pulse on all eight (just before or after
each song), then line that up visually after you've copied them in one
(or two) at a time.

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ot7doc <ot7doc@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
> some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
> imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
> each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
> the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
> right on the computer?

It'd be helpful if you listed what equipment you have at your disposal -
what's the 8 track, your soundcard, computer, OS, etc.

--
ha

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

S O'Neill wrote:

> ot7doc wrote:

> > I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
> > some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
> > imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
> > each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
> > the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
> > right on the computer?

> Which 8-track? Can you use a MotU 2408 for ADAT lightpipe or TDIF, and
> do them all at once?

> Barring that, you can record a pulse on all eight (just before or after
> each song), then line that up visually after you've copied them in one
> (or two) at a time.

And some DAW apps let you align 'em by their own timestamps, but I
knoweth not what he has. One can also transfer in pairs, using one track
over and over as half of a pair and then aligning that track to itself
for each pair, and then deleting all unwanted instances of that track.
Xfer track 1 + 2; track 1 + 3, etc.

--
ha

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On 31 Jan 2005 18:18:43 -0800, "ot7doc" <ot7doc@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
>some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
>imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
>each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
>the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
>right on the computer?

Midi won't give you continual sync. It will only align start points.

Maybe your digital 8-track can dump wav files. What is it?

CubaseFAQ www.laurencepayne.co.uk/CubaseFAQ.htm
"Possibly the world's least impressive web site": George Perfect

Archived from groups: alt.music.home-studio,alt.music.home-recording,rec.audio.pro (More info?)

You could rent some gear that would allow you to transfer all 8 tracks
in one pass.

Al

On 31 Jan 2005 18:18:43 -0800, "ot7doc" <ot7doc@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
>some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
>imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
>each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
>the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
>right on the computer?
>
>Thanks.

Archived from groups: alt.music.home-studio,alt.music.home-recording,rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"ot7doc" <ot7doc@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1107224323.120581.53780@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> I have always used a digital eight track but now would love to transfer
> some of the songs I've been working on there to computer. The trick, I
> imagine, is getting the tracks to come to the computer in time with
> each other. Can I use midi sync somehow to send one track at a time to
> the computer and get the timing from track to track to match up just
> right on the computer?
>
> Thanks.
>

Depending on the digital 8 track you have, you may be able to use MTC (midi
time code) or SMPTE sync to keep the tracks in sync, but you'll have to
start each pass at exactly the same point (the beginning of the song), even
if the track you're trying to record doesn't have anything on it at that
point, You should be able to send two tracks at a time, since your sound
card's digital input should be stereo. If you have a way to sync between the
PC and the 8 track and you start every track from the beginning, the tracks
should be in sync when you get them all recorded. If you can't do digital
sync of some kind, you may have to record through the analog inputs, but
then you'll probably have to do some tweaking to get the tracks
synchronized. I've done it that way before and it's tedious, but you can get
the timing close enough.

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Sure. I've got a Fostex digital 8-track with a few midi options (I've
used it to sync up and record drum machines but that's it). My
computer is a Mac G5 desktop running the latest OS X. My interface
between the two is an Edirol Audiocapture and I want my music to end up
on Garageband.

I know it's just Garageband, nothing fancy, but then all I was using
before was a Fostex.

I will truly miss my outboard tube-driven reverb by going to computer,
but the idea of not having to bounce; of being able to leave volume and
EQ knobs pegged to different points without jumping back and forth
between faders and EQ (and having to start over the poorly mixed
takes); of being able to leave all my settings in place without
extensive pencil note-taking and erasing and re-note-taking on each
song... well, it's downright dreamy.

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Rental is real hard in these parts, but I'm curious... what would do
that? ADAT something? I've home-recorded a long time avoiding ever
learning about ADAT, though I know it can provide an 8-track at once
out. Although most of these songs have 14 tracks that need to be
synced up...

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That's what I'm hoping for. I'm gonna give that a shot this weekend.

You know, maybe the trouble isn't worth it, and maybe I should just be
happy with my current setup. But mixdown is just so tedious for me on
the eight-track.

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Oh, I just changed to gmail, btw. Hence the new address below. Is
there a way to hide my email address? I want to avoid spider spam.

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Do you have SMPTE on these machines ?

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I don't think so...

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In article <1107305286.078293.170940@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
natjordan@gmail.com wrote:

> Rental is real hard in these parts, but I'm curious... what would do
> that? ADAT something? I've home-recorded a long time avoiding ever
> learning about ADAT, though I know it can provide an 8-track at once
> out. Although most of these songs have 14 tracks that need to be
> synced up...
>

You could rent something like a MOTU 896 or other firewire interface. At
that level they can take 8 or more inputs at a time. If you have
Garageband 2 you can do it all in one pass. Older garageband only has
stereo in.