EMERGENCY question from a newbie...

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

Hello everybody,

I am in a little-big emergency, and would really appreciate any help from you.

I have already checked through past forum topics, but I haven't been able to find a similar question: in case, please just redirect me, thank you.

My problem is very down-to-earth and straightforward. The "emergency" character arises from the fact that I need to get up and running within next Wednesday: there is a concert in our Cathedral and I have been requested to record it. I hope you would understand my urgency.

My system is a PC running Win XP SP2 with an external sound card connected: the card is a M-Audio Fast Track Ultra, 4-channel USB sound card, correctly installed and recognized. There are 4 microphones connected to the 4 inputs.

I simply need to record the 4 channels at once, and then save the 4 microphone tracks as separate WAV files , for later editing with another software. That's all. No MIDI, no effects, no nothing: just a plain multitrack recording, 4 channels in and 4 WAV files out. I have a solid background on Goldwave, if any of you knows it: what I need from MUTOOLS is to behave as a 4-channel Goldwave.

I am unable to configure MUTOOLS for that. The "MU.LAB Docs" page in the website is far too concise, and it's my feeling that it is addressed to users which already have knowledge of the terminology. I need that somebody explains me from the beginning, step-by-step, "MUTOOLS for dummies", how to open 4 empty mono tracks, how to assign each of them one of the 4 inputs of the Fast Track Ultra, and how to save the 4 WAV files at the end.

Please get me out of this nightmare in time for the Cathedral recording!

Thank you very much in advance!

[MuTools]

That is not yet possible with MU.LAB 2.

MU.LAB 2 can only do a single mono or stereo recording per take, i.e. 1 or 2 channels at once.

It is planned to develop multi-track recording for MU.LAB in the future.

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

OMG NO!!!!! Could you please suggest me some EASY software I can use for that??? All those huge things like Protools and Ableton's Live are by far too complicate to learn to use in 3 days! And, above all, I don't need all those functions!
What could I use please??? Send me a PM if you so prefer...

[robenestobenz]

If you just need the software to do some long-take audio recording and not any sequencing per se, I'd recommend using an audio editor, like the excellent freeware Wavosaur editor.

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

If I download and install it, could you please give me a hand to get it running??? I am sorry, if you think I'm panicking, you are right, but I have just 3 days left and am at a flat zero!...

Oh, but... are you sure Wavosaur can work with 4 tracks?!? It doesn't seem so...

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

Okay, I just checked the Wavosaur page, it doesn't seem to have the capability to record more than 2 channels at once... any idea please????

[popmoney]

If I download and install it, could you please give me a hand to get it running??? I am sorry, if you think I'm panicking, you are right, but I have just 3 days left and am at a flat zero!...

Oh, but... are you sure Wavosaur can work with 4 tracks?!? It doesn't seem so...

Hey there.
Don't have a heart attack.You can do it!

You can also try the demo for Reaper.I did a quick check on Youtube for tutorials and came up with this


cheers

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

Hey there.
Don't have a heart attack.You can do it!

I am not quite sure... and I would exchange a [light] stroke for getting out of this bloody mess!!

I checked Reaper's features, and it doesn't seem to be different from MUTOOLS (about the 4-audio-track record capability). As a matter of fact, I have been quite surprised by Mutool's reply here in the forum, stating that MUTOOL cannot record 4 tracks at once... it seemed so... Damn I am melting down, if you hear any report about somebody's brain melting the Earth down to China, it's mine...

[MuTools]

As a matter of fact, I have been quite surprised by Mutool's reply here in the forum, stating that MUTOOL cannot record 4 tracks at once... it seemed so...

I'm sorry MU.LAB cannot do it yet. It's on the whishlist and will be developped! (though not before wednesday)

Damn I am melting down, if you hear any report about somebody's brain melting the Earth down to China, it's mine...

Well, i think there are many brains melting down these days due to the financial crisis.

And all those melting brains is not good for the global warming either

(Try to) Stay cool.

[popmoney]

Hey there.
Don't have a heart attack.You can do it!

I am not quite sure... and I would exchange a [light] stroke for getting out of this bloody mess!!

I checked Reaper's features, and it doesn't seem to be different from MUTOOLS (about the 4-audio-track record capability). As a matter of fact, I have been quite surprised by Mutool's reply here in the forum, stating that MUTOOL cannot record 4 tracks at once... it seemed so... Damn I am melting down, if you hear any report about somebody's brain melting the Earth down to China, it's mine...

Well , you do have a sense of humour so you aren't completely lost.

I used reaper with an mbox 2 set up to record 2 tracks simultaneously (line in and mic ) and that worked fine.But u say it can't do 4 ?

[ynot]

audacity,krystal audio (both free),ableton live also has a 14 day fully funcional demo will work too.reaper should work as well afaik.not sure on this one but maybe even sony acid xpress (free).

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

OK, I haven't installed Reaper yet, I am trying so many programs, if I keep installing new ones I will soon end up without any free disk space to record audio... Anyway, it's just an educate guess. Reading Reaper's features, I could not find any mention to a RECORDING capability beyond the usual 2 channels (or one stereo track). If you are recording 2 tracks, LINE and MIC, it's the same thing MUTOOLS, GOLDWAVE and many others can do... I need to record four inputs and save them as four separate WAV files. Are you able to open four tracks for recording in Reaper?...
If someboby comes out with the right idea, (s)he will get a 1:1 scale marble statue...

[popmoney]

I only have stereo inputs on this soundcard here but I did a quick check in Reaper.
Open up new project.Insert 4 tracks. Arm them by clicking on the R button , far left of track. Right click on input meter and select your various inputs from the "mono inputs" ( I think ). When they are all armed hit record on the transport bar and watch those peaks !

U would also have to check in preferences under audio devices for audio set up.

Hope that works for u.Otherwise keep asking here cos there are certainly a few very experienced individuals on this forum.

[ynot]

in reaper go to options/preferences/audio/devices.enable input send 1 as first input & 4 as last (unless your recording stereo tracks then select 8 as last).be sure to select your sound card above as well.create 4 tracks.in each track click the vu meter & select the input sends.keep in mind there are stereo & mono options.

[MUTOOLS_newbie]

WAAAAAAIT!!! WAITWAITWAIT A SECOND!... You folks are certainly very experienced in digital audio, but please try to explain things like you would do to a monkey, OK?... popmoney and/or ynot, could you please explain that more clearly?... The time you need to write, I will download and install Reaper...

Thank you again!!!