Yo Curve,

Finally getting around to posting something here :)

Near Perfect DAW for me would include the following (these would be minimum specs):

- Great mic pres, converters

- Support for high resoultion formats at any track count

- 24 tracks simultaneous record/playback

- XLR and 1/4" inputs for each track

- Switchable phantom power for each track

- 24 dedicated, motorized, touch sensitive faders

- Digital inserts on each channel so you could go out and back in using digital outboard gear without conversions(not sure about feasibility of this, but hey I'm dreaming here)

- Analog inserts on each channel

- Full midi implementation, sequencing, and multiple midi ports

- Dedicated EQ, Compression/Gating with knobs on each channel

- Several programmable knobs on each channel for customizing functions

- Super quiet soundproofing built in to chassis.

- Multiple drive bays, hot swappable

- Instead of a meter bridge, how about a video bridge? Shows all the metering of a meter bridge but is also wide enough to display track parameters, efx, routing, etc.
or shift between functions.

- multi video monitor output functions

- internal "help" system, just press help button and there's basic manual and how to info thrown up on screen, searchable with annotations

- A system "site map" screen, ala block diagram, that shows current status, critical system params settings along with routing map

- Support for third party efx, dsp cards, and directx/VST plugins

- A hand held remote control with small lcd for controlling things like transport, song loading/unloading, bus assignments, speaker switching, channel switching, Arm/Mute/Solo, etc. Sometimes you just want to stand up or walk around while you listen.

- An auxiliary recording track to record verbal notes, etc.

- Here's a simple but nice one: lighting! How about some panel illumination with dimmer or at least an option for a couple of gooseneck mini-light things.

- Support for multiple file formats

- Ethernet

- Easily Upgradable OS

- Built in cd player/burner with full I/O integration

- Upgradable memory/processor! Need more features/speed? Just add more memory or 2nd processor

- Padded arm rest :)

- wireless mouse and keyboard

Hmmm.... looks like we're up to about a half million dollar console so far :)

Well it would look something like that, whaddaya think, would you buy one?

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Fishkid

Wow, lots of great ideas, bro.

I would add to that...

•FireWire ports, with built-in MLan MIDI sequencing.

•A built-in keypad; and voice-recognition for that auxiliary recording track to record verbal notes, etc., that you suggested. The board would transcribe your verbal notes to a digital notepad, and index the notes.

•A broadband internet connection, so that if we were, say, recording in Philly, we could send real-time data streams to Jules in London for re-mixing.

We're not pulling money out of our pockets here, so your imagination is the limit. Keep the suggestions coming, folks.

I love a lot of fishkid's suggestions. It seems to me that he's harkening back to the standards of analog days, but he left out one critical component of analog console design, the same one digital controller manufacturers have abandoned as well... modularity!

I envision a DAW contoller that is completely modular in design, which would open the door to many, many options.

You want a high quality pre? Buy the hi quality pre module and drop it in the slot! What's that, you only need 8 hi quality pre's and 50 line inputs (that have mic pres thrown in, but considerably less than $1000/ch)? Get 8 HQMP modules and 50 CGMP modules. Got 4 digital fx? Get 4 AES i/o modules.

You want EQ/COMP controls on the middle 16 channels? Get 16 EQC modules and drop em in the slots. Want some dedicated controls for specific plug ins? How about a AAT module (Antares AutoTune)? Or a BFMF module (Bomb Factory Moogerfooger)? Just tell 'em how many knobs/buttons you need and what they control... voila'.

You want panpots? Panpot module. You want 5.1 joystick? Joystick module.

Moving faders? Drop in moving faders. Dumb faders (save a few bucks)? Drop in dumb faders. No faders (talk about short loading!)? Just use your mouse till you get some cash.

You want the master section in the middle? All the way to the right? 16 channels to the left? Your choice.

Starting with a frame around $10,000... buy only the options you need, keeping the whole starter system down to around $50,000 (basic DAW included). Whenever you outgrow one option (or save enuf money), buy some new modules and you're up and running. If you have $1,000,000 from the start, go ahead and max it out.

What do you think?

How bout some kinda of easy digital transfer btw systems? An ASCII for music. Even if

We've been recording on a Roland 1680, and I watch the guy who owns the machine have a hard time finding tracks and several other mixing-type things that take place seemingly quite a bit easier and faster in Cubase (I suppose a little record-keeping goes a long way).

Just last night, I met with a reggae guy who has two ADAT's, one 16 bit and the other 20 - I didn't know there were two formats.

I noticed that Curve Dominant announced PTools as part of his setup. Can you run the Roland tracks into PT then mix and master it there? You guys are obviously way ahead of me in your knowlege of recording, and I'd love to take the magic carpet ride of the setups you describe. My DAW is mainly for solo projects, but it would be absolutely cool to be able to work up a song here and take it over to the other guys' house (he has the mics and pres and compressors that I can't afford) and just plug it into his rig and start playing along. Then maybe transfer some of that with the reggae player. He has a Roland Strat, which I knew exsisted, but had never heard. I was in a crowded bar, but I moved all around the place and just could not see a keyboard. Maybe with better AD/DA conversions, the need for some kind of universal protocal might be less, but the time factor favors pure digital transfer.

what was that Aerosmith song......
Dream On?.......
lol...you guys have some awesome ideas...shall we start building it now?
Opus