Yamaha Mixer/Audio Interface Question

greypilgrim76

New member
Hi All,

I'm starting to assemble a very basic home recording setup, and I've run into one of those fork-in-the-road type decisions, so I figured I'd throw it out to you experts and see what you think.

I'm planning on recording some basic tracks with vocals, acoustic guitar, and maybe a little electric guitar at times. I suspect I'll record each track separately, so I'm not terribly worried about more that a basic stereo output from the mixer/interface. Right now, I've got guitar and vocals going into my recently-purchased Yamaha MG06X mixer, and I need to get it from there into my 2013 MacBook Pro for recording in GarageBand (and maybe something more advanced once I learn enough to warrant it). Since the MG06X doesn't have a USB out, I've been looking at audio interfaces, and I like the look of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2:

Amazon.com: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First: Musical Instruments

However, in researching my options, I discovered that the next step up in Yamaha mixers, the MG10XU, does have a USB out, along with more channels, FX, mixing options, etc.:

Amazon.com: Yamaha MG10XU 10-Input Stereo Mixer with Effects: Musical Instruments

Since my 6-channel mixer is still in Amazon's return window, I could ship it back and get the MG10XU for basically $99. So here's the question: would you recommend keeping the non-USB mixer and running it into the Focusrite audio interface, or switching for the MG10XU and using it for both mixing and interface? I'm certainly interested in thought about each approach generally, and also any brand-specific thoughts on any of the mentioned hardware. My budget's pretty much set at $100–$150, so while I'm sure there are MUCH better pro options out there, I won't be able to explore them right now.

Thanks for any advice!
 
From the information you've given, you don't need a mixer, just get an interface such as the Scarlett 2i2 and it will do what you need. Mixers can be handy at times and maybe you might hang on to the non-USB one you bought, but you shouldn't need to have one for basic home recording. Just plug mics or instruments (acoustic guitar you'll want to mic) into the 2i2. Effects or other editing/manipulation of recorded audio can be done in your DAW(recording software).

Most here, as well as myself will recommend REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits for recording. Free to give a try, but well worth the $60 to buy.

Added while I was posting, so you do need a mixer :)
I should add: I also use the mixer for live performance, so I'll have to have some sort of mixer around either way.
 
I knew that was going to happen! Sorry about that. So, yeah, the mixer needs to stick around either way, so I guess a better way to ask my question is this: if I need a mixer anyway, is there a drawback to just using the MG10XU to send signal into my computer compared to the Scarlett 2i2? In other words, am I sacrificing any noticeable sound quality? For the foreseeable future, I can't imaging needing to send more than one channel at a time into the computer (since I sing better when not playing and vice versa), so the output limitations on the mixer shouldn't cause me any trouble. (That I'm aware of, at least.)
 
'Usually' a USB mixer will send audio to the DAW as a stereo track and not mono (although possibly could be setup to record mono). If you're building songs track by track you would generally want mono tracks. An exception to this might be if you're using external effects which have a left/right stereo image in the effect. I do have a USB mixer, but have generally found my older Tascam interface easier to use as far as tracking and monitoring.

The MG10XU appears to have 24 bit recording, so it should have comparable quality to an interface such as the 2i2. It would work, but probably not the preference of most here.
 
Yeah, as I've continued looking into the issue this morning, it looks like the main issue with the MG10XU will probably be the ease (or lack thereof) of lining out and back in, though it looks like it's doable. I'm leaning toward the mixer upgrade, mostly because my budget's a bit limited right now, and the mixer upgrade adds live tools to my overall setup that the AI doesn't. And if the mixer route ends up sucking, I can always pick up an AI down the road. Thanks for the tips!

And, of course, if anyone has anything to add, I've still got a while before I pull the trigger! :)
 
While a USB mixer does send it back as "stereo", some DAWs let you split the input into two different channels. Ableton for example allows me to take any 2 inputs (1/2,3/4, etc.) and either allow them to either be 1 and 2 or stereo.

You may want to look at your DAW and see if it will let you split the input signal.
 
While a USB mixer does send it back as "stereo", some DAWs let you split the input into two different channels. Ableton for example allows me to take any 2 inputs (1/2,3/4, etc.) and either allow them to either be 1 and 2 or stereo.

You may want to look at your DAW and see if it will let you split the input signal.

To be honest, I don't have a DAW yet. I was planning on just starting with GarageBand, though Reaper was mentioned above in this thread, and the Yamaha comes with Cubase. I've obviously got a lot of learning to do once I've got my setup. But hey, I'm a tinkerer, so that's the fun part for me.
 
Yamaha makes some good gear, it's a good way to start out, and you need a mixer anyhow. If the mixer becomes limiting in the way you record you can always upgrade later on when the budget allows and have a bit more knowledge about recording.
 
Yamaha makes some good gear, it's a good way to start out, and you need a mixer anyhow. If the mixer becomes limiting in the way you record you can always upgrade later on when the budget allows and have a bit more knowledge about recording.

That makes a lot of sense. And yeah, I don't know nearly enough yet to start over-diversifying my gear. I think the mixer'll be a good start, and then I can still put the AI on my Christmas list next year if I decide I want one. :)

Thanks, all!
 
Audio interface. USB mixers usually are 16 bit, not 24 bit (edited to add - the Yammie is 24 bit, I see from other comments?). The A-D converters tend to be noisy (volume over a certain level adds a whine to the sound). Monitoring options are limited (direct vs DAW tracks). The drivers tend to not be great for low latency.

I started out with a USB mixer - but I was recording to a stand-alone recorder, not USB to computer initially. I just wanted a way to have everything plugged in at one time.
 
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