New to it all

Olhead

New member
I am totally new to home recording/ mixing . I am in need of help . I have purchased a QSC GT 5 with 2 Peavey SP.2XT Speakers . I got these and several microphones and associated cables along with and assortment of cables. I am trying to understand connecting this with a Behringer Xenyx 1832USB. . I am leary as to the proper hook up . I would like to hook up my Yamaha digital piano P-45 , along with a guitar or two. The instructions are vague . I have a Asus notebook with Windows 10 . Also ans Ipad tablet . I am looking for assistance .
 
Hi there,

The core of your system is the xenyx and computer, connected via USB. Your on-board sound card should be disabled and the xenyx takes its place, handling all input and output.

I'm not sure how useful the Peavey speakers will be as they look more like passive (require an amp) PA speakers.
It doesn't look like your mixer has built in speaker amplification but correct me if I'm wrong there.

Regardless, passive speaker amplifiers or active speakers should have line level inputs via TS/TSR 1/4" or XLR.
Your mixer's main outputs left and right would connect to these inputs and, in your case, the amplifier outputs would connect to the speakers.

The Yamaha piano doesn't appear to have midi or line outputs but it has midi capability over USB and a headphone output.
That means you could either run the phones output to a pair of mixer line inputs, with the appropriate cable (TRS 1/4" to 2x TS 1/4", all male) and record the analog audio as you play,
or you could hook it up via USB and use it to trigger a virtual instrument.
Recording a headphone output isn't really ideal so midi over USB might be the way to go here? It also allows you to make corrections and adjustments very easily after recording, as you're really recording notation data rather than audio.

As for a guitar or two. Electric or electroacoustic direct would want to go through a DI box into a mic input on your mixer.
For a an acoustic recording of acoustic guitar or amp you'd be using a microphone connected to a mic input on the mixer.

One fairly big snag is that your USB mixer is exactly that - It presents only two channels of audio to the computer so if you have, say, 6 microphones plugged in,
you don't get 6 tracks of audio in the computer.

This won't be a problem if you're only intending to record one thing at a time, but it would be very limiting if you were recording a small group or a drum kit, for example.

Hope some of that's useful.
If you've any specific questions, shoot!

Welcome to HR. :)

Edit: Moving into 'Digital Recording and Computers'.
 
Yes, welcome. I am going to be a bit harsher than Mr S! Ditch the mixer!

Well, keep it if you can/like because such mixers are always useful but as the centre of a 'music creation system' not good, why?

1) It is 16 bit operation. Nothing wrong with 16 bits, CD after all but in these 1st gen' mixers it is badly implemented, noisy and give poor latency mainly because you cannot use the vitally important ASIO drivers.
2) Limited to 2 in, 2 out. Latest gen' mixers are full multitrack devices and many can record to an external hard drive i.e. no PC needed.
3)Routing signals and the general 'MO' for track building and overdubs is bad to impossible.

Two options: Buy a multitrack AI such as the Tascam 16/08 (or its latest incarnation) or, keep the mixer and buy a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 interface. That would give you 4 tracks (+S/PDIF) MIDI but also very low latency, also comes with a copy of Cubase A1 (steep learning curve but winter will soon be upon us!)

The passive speakers and amp could be fine, will varder their specc' .

Dave.
 
Checked out the speaker/amp system. Do you want to record music or remove walls!?

Unless you have another use for a 120dB+SPL PA rig sell the lot and look at 'Active Monitors' . The choice here is vast and you will get MANY confusing testimonials from people. Depends somewhat on your chosen genre but try to avoid 'small and cheap' . Unfortunately monitors don't really get good until you pass the $500 per pair mark.

Dave.
 
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