Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and pretty much to all that is home recording. Right now I'm building my studio and I've been trying to find a piece of equipment that will fit my needs, but given the fact that I have little to no experience in this area, I come to you guys!
I guess having more information is better for you guys than having barely any and trying to guess what I'm trying to do, so here it comes.
I'm a drummer. My main focus will be recording covers in my free time, and then eventually recording my band/other people's bands. My kit can be hooked up with 8 mics. I'm also looking forward to learning how to mix and master properly. I need Firewire streaming because I want to be able to receive each mic separately in its own, dedicated track.
I've been looking around and my main question is this: Is it worth getting a 16x16 mixer with nice PreEQ'ing capabilities for what I need, or would an interface do the job just the same (or better)?
I've been looking at the Mackie Onyx 1640i (tried to link you guys the product information, but I can't for having less than 10 posts) for a very long time, but then I realized...Wait, can't I just add all those pretty EQ effects afterwards through the DAW? Obviously my answer was yes, but I still prefer coming to the guys who know!
After looking at that Onyx, I turned my attention to the Mackie Blackbird. This one looks pretty good for what I need (and its $1100 cheaper!), the only thing being that even though it states being 16x16, there are no 16 inputs! Only 8 physical inputs (correct me if I'm using the wrong terminology) and 8 other inputs I can access if I connect it to another interface or mixer through an ADAT cable.
Is the PreEQ'ing that the Onyx offers really worth those extra $1100, or should I just lay low with the Blackbird? I was thinking maybe the Onyx will make the whole thing easier because I can probably get 80% of the sound I want through PreEQ; on the other hand if I get the Blackbird I will be more motivated to learn how to use the DAW properly.
Also, when I went to a local Mackie store, one of the guys working there told me that the Blackbird had a bit of a "crunch" sound to it. Now, I have literally no idea what he meant by that. Is that good or bad?
Thanks for listening guys, if you need any more information I would be glad to try and get it to you, also I very much look forward to getting reviews from other interfaces/mixers!
Thanks for your time.
I guess having more information is better for you guys than having barely any and trying to guess what I'm trying to do, so here it comes.
I'm a drummer. My main focus will be recording covers in my free time, and then eventually recording my band/other people's bands. My kit can be hooked up with 8 mics. I'm also looking forward to learning how to mix and master properly. I need Firewire streaming because I want to be able to receive each mic separately in its own, dedicated track.
I've been looking around and my main question is this: Is it worth getting a 16x16 mixer with nice PreEQ'ing capabilities for what I need, or would an interface do the job just the same (or better)?
I've been looking at the Mackie Onyx 1640i (tried to link you guys the product information, but I can't for having less than 10 posts) for a very long time, but then I realized...Wait, can't I just add all those pretty EQ effects afterwards through the DAW? Obviously my answer was yes, but I still prefer coming to the guys who know!
After looking at that Onyx, I turned my attention to the Mackie Blackbird. This one looks pretty good for what I need (and its $1100 cheaper!), the only thing being that even though it states being 16x16, there are no 16 inputs! Only 8 physical inputs (correct me if I'm using the wrong terminology) and 8 other inputs I can access if I connect it to another interface or mixer through an ADAT cable.
Is the PreEQ'ing that the Onyx offers really worth those extra $1100, or should I just lay low with the Blackbird? I was thinking maybe the Onyx will make the whole thing easier because I can probably get 80% of the sound I want through PreEQ; on the other hand if I get the Blackbird I will be more motivated to learn how to use the DAW properly.
Also, when I went to a local Mackie store, one of the guys working there told me that the Blackbird had a bit of a "crunch" sound to it. Now, I have literally no idea what he meant by that. Is that good or bad?
Thanks for listening guys, if you need any more information I would be glad to try and get it to you, also I very much look forward to getting reviews from other interfaces/mixers!
Thanks for your time.