XPost: rec.audio.pro   
   From: hankvc@blackhole.lostwells.net   
      
   In article <4bb59b19$0$56778$edfadb0f@dtext02.news.tele.dk>,   
   Peter Larsen  wrote:   
   >Hank wrote:   
   >   
   >There are two hardware/OS platforms that together have 99.9999 percent of   
   >the relevant audio tools, you have the appearance of insisting to use   
   >anything but.   
   >   
   >I have a completely suitable winxp box as experiment box which I bought for   
   >DKK 250 including XP professional license, it would be usable for your   
   >project and you would be productive with an over the counter version of   
   >Audition 3 for a total budget that is about USD 500, I even think that   
   >budget would allow putting an extra harddisk in that box. Your approach to   
   >solving this strikes me as extraordinarily peculiar in case your objective   
   >is to get some audio digitized in a reasonably productive manner.   
   >   
   "Two platforms?"  I see only one in your comments.   
   Pee Cee hardware I've got---several.  Disks I've got---several.   
   Windows I haven't got.  Microsoft Tax for same ranges between   
   $200-$300 depending on version, level, OEM install vs. full, etc.   
      
   XP vs. Windows 7?  Hmm---let's got look for drivers for the M-Audio   
   cards.  Some yes, some no.  Do I want to run Creative Soundlaster   
   cards?  Hmmm---not really into gaming these days.   
      
   And is Pee Cee hardware a suitable low-noise environment vs. Sun   
   Sparc?  I've already mentioned electrical noise in the Pee Cee.   
      
   Cost of Pro Tools, last I looked, $300.  Filter add-ons, not included.   
   Looks to me more like $1000 for software licenses, and that with no   
   development system (more $$$) and no hooks for devising filters that   
   aren't included in the shrink-wrapped stuff.   
      
   And what have I got when I'm done?  Maybe it will work and maybe it   
   won't, particularly when the driver question is considered.   
   Notwithstanding all the other drawbacks to relying on Microsoft to   
   deliver anything with adequate availability.   
      
   Cost (to me) of setting up a Sparc with the M-Audio card, drivers,   
   OS, etc.: zero.  Solaris is a major player in the Enterprise O/S   
   world.  Like the Timex watch, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.   
   Sparc Debian (yeah, I can download suitable software, prebuilt, for   
   that) comes in second---by quite some distance.  So say nothing of   
   having not one, but two development systems, software available in   
   modifiable source form all of which I don't have to go get because   
   I've already got it.   
      
   >> I'd expected more and better pro-level audio processing   
   >> software to be available in the open source world.   
   >   
   >They are too busy telling us audio guys how poor our working production   
   >systems are to find the time to discover how to actually make something that   
   >works out of the box or download file.   
   >   
   Let's just say that I am not "they."   
      
   >> Certainly   
   >> somebody who is trying to earn an income doing pro audio isn't going   
   >> to be able to devote the time and effort I can to getting a good   
   >> stable alternative to the Windows stuff---which has plenty of   
   >> problems of its own.   
   >   
   >THAT is a very well made point, thank you. If you need to get something done   
   >reasonably fast then I stand by my USD 500 suggestion above as a better   
   >approach, but I can certainly share the fun of getting things to work, and   
   >wish you the best of luck with the quest.   
   >   
   At this point, I've spent a month assessing what's available, set up   
   some hardware, looked at software issues, And think that for a modest   
   time investment, I can get some good results.  And, with a bit of   
   diplomacy, maybe get those results back into software that others can   
   use.   
      
   Hank   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)