mixing through an desk to cd

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frist44

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mixing through a desk to cd

I'm currently recording through nuendo and keeping everything on the computer until the cd is written. I have a question for those using a mackie or ghost or some 8 buss console like that for mixing. When you come out of the computer into the board, where do you mix to if your intention is to later burn cds? Does it go back to the computer and if so, do you just use the mixer to warm things up say in a soundcraft ghost case? I'm interested in the reasoning behind a big board like them and there purpose. I've recorded several 24 track mixes and just mixed on the computer and it worked well. I will eventually upgrade things and wondered if that was something i should look into.

Thanks,
Brandon
 
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Lots a people prefer sending their tracks back out to a good mixer for the sound and for the hands-on-ness of it, and say mixing in software can't touch it. (Though it does add an extra layer of d/a conversion.)
The mix-to medium could be digital and or analog tape.
My (minimal) experence was from doing that on the mackie 8 bus, to mixing in sonar, and I thought the quality went up. But then that mixer and most of my analog 'stuff' is not exactly in the stellar league. So I guess it depends....:D
Wayne
 
I have an RME Hammerfall card, do you think the extra d/a and a/d conversion to go through the mixer would be a negative thing?

Brandon
 
frist44 said:
I have an RME Hammerfall card, do you think the extra d/a and a/d conversion to go through the mixer would be a negative thing?

Brandon
Click to expand...

Now there's a wide open subject.:D
You trying to decide which direction to go for mixing?
 
I mix thru an 8 buss StudioMaster from either a Alesis HD24 directly or from Cakewalk9 via a MOTU 2408 mkII then thru the HD24 for the D/A converters. I have mixed both to DAT and back to the computer through analog inputs of the MOTU. Lately I mix to the computer exclusively (24 bits and better converters than the DAT). As soon as I get a grand to burn, I'd like to get an Apogee Rosetta to two track to the computer.
 
I've worked in a studio where all the mixing was done inside a Yamaha O2R. The computer was basically used just as a glorified multitrack (with editing capabilities). Sound was piped via lightpipe to a RME Hammerfall. I always liked the sound, though I'm sure that there are some here who wouldn't.

The rationale for going to the board was to offload a lot of the responsibilities from the computer. Inside the O2R, there were better EQ's, compressors, and gates, than what were inside the PC. So during mixing, we created scenes and automation and stored them. For final mixdown, we just played back the tracks through the board into 2 tracks in the DAW. It came out pretty nice.

Other reasons could be to "warm up" that "harsh" digital sound (not my words), or to go out to another medium (DAT, ADAT, 2", 1/2", cassette, etc). And once you've mixed on a board, you'll never mix with a mouse again. I had to get a control surface, because one track at a time is just never going to cut it.

-mg
 
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