How can I get 3 separate live headphone mixes??

elenore19

elenore19

Slowing becoming un-noob.
Recording an album in september, revamping my setup and one thing I really want is no delay headphone monitoring with separate mixes on each. Only need 3 separate ones, guitarist, drummer, bassist.

I'm planning on my interface being the Focusrite 18i20.

Is there a simple way of achieving this? Thanks for the help!

-Elliot

EDIT:
I was thinking possibly the adat output of the Focusrite into this guy Behringer Powerplay P16-I | Sweetwater.com

I don't understand adat very well at all, but it's just a thought. Otherwise I suppose just one mix into 4 headphones would just be the easiest, most cost effective, way of making that happen.
 
Do you really feel you need separate mixes? Are you planning on recording every instrument live at once or overdubbing the other tracks later?

You have 8 outs on the 18i20 so you could just use something simple like the HA4700 headphone preamp, and just send separate outs to the AUX in's of each channel for adding additional instruments to each mix.


Please explain how you intend to record this record. That will make it easier to give you advice.

:)
 
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I small mixer with multiple AUX busses would certainly help in getting really "seperate" mixes...but most times, all they really each want is "more me".

You can use the setup Jimmy mentioned...and at least I know with my Samson headphone amp/mixer, there is a way to be more creative with the mix for each headphone, plus you can "jack up" individual mixes by adding "more me" level...but you have to bring those in seperately and go into the Aux of each headphone channel.

Furman has some more involved cue mix options...and there are others....but the question comes down to $$$ and what you REALLY need AFA "seperate" mixes.

In my case, I have a full size mixer, plus the headphone amp/mixer...so I can get somewhat creative/compicated AFA seperate cue mixes...but I've honestly had little cause to ever do that. Like I said...it's mostly "more me" and not anything more involved than that! :D
 
Here's an idea:

Rolls PM351

Rolls PM50s

I get to use a big analog mixer, which works great except that we've got it setup for rehearsal and all my usual monitor mixes are used up for wedges and I'm using the control room mix as the headphone mix for tracking. So I've thought about getting a couple of the above units so people can have some "more me" control.
 
Looking for some financial advice

Hey everyone, my name's Elliot and I'm addicted to music. Not sure if this is the right forum to put this in, but I didn't think there would be any forums where this would actually make sense going? You decide.
Here it is.

Situation:
About to leave my band for 7 months, originally planning on recording album in 6 months which by that time I'll have the $2250 I need to setup my new recording rig. But I was thinking, I could afford to do it right now by means of credit card, then pay it off in about 2 1/2 months realistically. I'm already $900 in the hole with my credit card.

It'd be better to record now because we're way more rehearsed than we'll be in 6 months (obviously).

What would you guys do? I know this is a pretty ridiculous question, but I'm leaning towards just going for it for the sake of the music. Also I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of finding a drumset when the time came to record if we did it right now.

Thanks!


I would find a financial forum to post this on, but there wouldn't be musicians and they probably wouldn't fully understand...So here I am.
 
jimmys69 said:
Please explain how you intend to record this record. That will make it easier to give you advice.
:)
Click to expand...
Planning on recording drums, guitar, and bass at the same time. Vocals separate. The bass will most likely be run straight in and post-processed pretty hardcore. The guitar will be a mic'd twin reverb, and the drums will have the recorderman mic arrangement.

Not looking to overdub too hard, but probably will end up laying down more guitar tracks later to add some depth.
 
Should I get nice preamps for drum overheads?

Dilemma is I want to record drum tracks in the next month, but wasn't planning on buying them for another 6 months and doing vocals at that time. I'll be getting them eventually anyways, is it worth a couple months of credit card debt to have the nice pre's for recording with the drum overheads?
 
elenore19 said:
Planning on recording drums, guitar, and bass at the same time. Vocals separate. The bass will most likely be run straight in and post-processed pretty hardcore. The guitar will be a mic'd twin reverb, and the drums will have the recorderman mic arrangement.

Not looking to overdub too hard, but probably will end up laying down more guitar tracks later to add some depth.
Click to expand...

OK, I should have been more clear. In the same room??? Or are you isolating the players? I am just going to guess the same room.

Well your biggest issue either way will be the volume of the headphone mix for the drummer. Normally the mix for each player is not such a big deal in my experience. Especially if they are near their own source while recording.

Separate headphone mixes are more important in my experience when each player is isolated from the others.

If in the same room, I would just go with a multiple output monitor amp and call it done. Buy one with channel Aux inputs if one musician just needs more of something that another can't stand to hear.

I typically have found that to never be an issue, though I don't know the ones you are recording. :)
 
You are leaving your band for 7 months......Why?? to work?

Why get into debt?? I advise against it. You'll be buying stuff on credit that may be obsolete by the time the band gets back together...if it does at all. Lots can happen in 7 months. The gear you buy now on credit, you'll be able to find on CL cheaply 7 months from now.

Overall, in this economy, I highly advise not going into debt. You got 7 months to save up money. Do that instead.

I put my first studio on credit cards. by the time I got them paid off, the gear was worth pennies on the dollar.

It is far better to only use credit only for big stuff, like a house, car, or maybe an SSL board.
:D
 
Leaving to work, yes. Even if my gear is obsolete in 7 months, that would still be the case when I bought the gear in the future. My current recording setup has lasted 8 years...I'll get the time out of my gear and I don't plan on selling it in the future, so its value is in its abilities.

As for if the band will even get back together...Been playing with these fools for 10 years...We WILL be back together in 7 months. But right now the only window we'll have to record is in 6 months for 3 or 4 days. We'll be rusty, sloppy, time-crunched.


EDIT: Wow, that sounded very argumentative. What I meant to say is, I sincerely thank you for your reply and advice, and I will take it into account. :)
 
RFR said:
It is far better to only use credit only for big stuff, like a house, car, or maybe an SSL board.
:D
Click to expand...

You know...I always wonder how some of these middlin studios are able to fund the uber expensive consoles and rack gear.
OK...some may have the finances, and some my have more than one investor...but there's gotta be some HUGE loans out there funding some of that high end gear.


Anyway...my advice to the OP....spend it when you can. :D
A small piece of advice I got from my sister awhile back, who's had some lean years back in her early career days, but who also has managed to live better than most in her later years...when I told her once how I just splurged on some audio gear that was a bit much for my budget and I was then feeling guilty...she said that she never felt guilty about spending money. When she had it she spent it, when she didn't...she didn't.

So...if you can absorb the credit and repay it quickly without concern, then go for it if you really feel you must (and not just because you have the itch to pull the trigger on some recording gear)....but if you are kinda pushing the envelope, then I agree with RFR, don't build up unsecured debt if you don't really have to. It's too easy to get caught up in it and then you're paying interest on the gear while it's depreciating faster than you can say "Take 1".

I use CCs all the time...and pay them off every month. Haven't paid $0.01 in interest in over ten years. :)
 
elenore19 said:
Hey everyone, my name's Elliot and I'm addicted to music. Not sure if this is the right forum to put this in, but I didn't think there would be any forums where this would actually make sense going? You decide.
Here it is.

Situation:
About to leave my band for 7 months, originally planning on recording album in 6 months which by that time I'll have the $2250 I need to setup my new recording rig. But I was thinking, I could afford to do it right now by means of credit card, then pay it off in about 2 1/2 months realistically. I'm already $900 in the hole with my credit card.

It'd be better to record now because we're way more rehearsed than we'll be in 6 months (obviously).

What would you guys do? I know this is a pretty ridiculous question, but I'm leaning towards just going for it for the sake of the music. Also I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of finding a drumset when the time came to record if we did it right now.

Thanks!


I would find a financial forum to post this on, but there wouldn't be musicians and they probably wouldn't fully understand...So here I am.
Click to expand...

First off I would like to say hello to you Elliot. :) We have met without name on another thread.

I would say that it will take much longer than 6 months to become great at recording to begin with. Hell, I have been at it for two decades and do not consider myself anything special. Though things make more sense and we find that tough decisions become stupid easy after some experience.


Now that being said, I could see your investment in some gear to 'capture' the performance of the band as it is now. As long as you record it well now, you can always address the mixing later. But that means much more than just the gear you are looking to purchase.

Room treatment, mic placement, gain structure, etc, and overall understanding of any DAW setup takes a shitload of time and use to be able to make good decisions about.

Keep in mind that it is not easy to get it right the first time. I am still working on that myself.
 
I'd be inclined to agree with the above.
For the majority this is a hobby and hobbies are money pits. I don't imagine the average home recordist makes back what he spends.
Maybe I'm wrong there, but I doubt it.

Personally I would not want to rack up debt to make a recording unless I had a dependable fan-base and knew for certain that I'd make it back on CDs and local gigs, or whatever.
Even then.....I'm not sure.
If your band is splitting for several months for whatever reason I'd be inclined to roll with it and see what happens. As stated, that's a long time.
The band may not happen again after all that time.

If it does you'll be rusty, sure, but you'll have saved a stack of cash and should have the determination to get your shit together again.


On top of that, do you want a home recording setup or do you want an album?
You might want both and that's fair enough, but if you just want a good album I'd suggest telling everyone in the band to save up a grand during this break.
When/if you get back together, there'll be plenty of cash for rehearsal rooms and for booking a decent studio. ;)
 
I have one question.....why are you funding the whole thing if it's a "band"...?

I would say buy the gear if you are building something for the future....not sure if it's worth the immediate expense just 'cuz the band is breaking up for 7 months......just sayin.


But hey....I know when that itch comes on strong!!! :p
I'm the last person to tell someone NOT to buy more audio/music gear!!! :facepalm:
 
elenore19 said:
Leaving to work, yes. Even if my gear is obsolete in 7 months, that would still be the case when I bought the gear in the future.
Click to expand...
Yes, but if you paid cash. it would be paid for before it was obsolete.

elenore19 said:
My current recording setup has lasted 8 years...I'll get the time out of my gear and I don't plan on selling it in the future, so its value is in its abilities.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that. hell most of my gear is 20 years old plus!

elenore19 said:
As for if the band will even get back together...Been playing with these fools for 10 years...We WILL be back together in 7 months. But right now the only window we'll have to record is in 6 months for 3 or 4 days. We'll be rusty, sloppy, time-crunched.
Click to expand...

Well good, so you have a history with these folks.

Still, I'd wait. Save up dough. On a musical aspect, breaks are good. You are soaking up influences, getting away from the rut that ALL bands fall into, getting away from that comfort Zone. When you get back into it, don't think of yourselves as rusty. Take more the approach of coming back into it fresh.

Just like a mix....you listen to it the next day with fresh ears.

elenore19 said:
EDIT: Wow, that sounded very argumentative. What I meant to say is, I sincerely thank you for your reply and advice, and I will take it into account. :)
Click to expand...

No worries, You asked for advice, I gave, and others have given. I took no offense at your response,nor did I find it to be argumentative.
 
What budget? What mikes will you use? How are your converters? What is the rest of your signal chain?
Really hard to answer that question without context. :)
 
elenore19 said:
Dilemma is I want to record drum tracks in the next month, but wasn't planning on buying them for another 6 months and doing vocals at that time. I'll be getting them eventually anyways, is it worth a couple months of credit card debt to have the nice pre's for recording with the drum overheads?
Click to expand...

I really think it would be best to keep your topic to one thread so we are not all jumping around with the same basic question here Elliot. :)

I merged them.

Hope this will help to keep the questions/responses organized.
 
Ok, the merge is out of context because of the timeline. Multiple threads ongoing at same time...

Ugh.. I will try to fix this.


Chill for a bit Elliot... :)
 
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