Help me help my kid

D

dhall152@caroli

New member
Hello, I have a child with mild autism who is really into audio/video stuff. He likes recording and mixing music and has been using Reaper.

He has a cheap interface and a decent condenser mic. I would like to get him a mixer that will work with Reaper or one of the other cheaper DAW software programs.

As I understand from my reading, the mixer needs to work with a DAW as far as selecting, arming and recording multiple tracks, eq, panning ect. I/O for headphones, monitors ect.

I thinking about 350-500 dollars new. I would really appreciate any suggestions as to the mixer/interface and a compatible DAW.

Also; I've read about control surfaces and the usb or firewire mixers. What's the difference?

Thanks for any help!
 
If you don't mind, I'll start from the last question first.

The difference between a control surface (such as Mackie Universal Control) and a firewire mixer (such as Mackie Onyx) is that the control surface doesn't have any audio electronics in it. The control surface is specifically designed to control the DAW. So, it will give you a bank of faders with which you can control the software "mixer" that's built-in the DAW. It will also allow for some control over plugin processors (EQ, compressor, etc) and plugin instruments (synths, samplers).

A mixer however will take audio signals, and will allow you to treat them *on the mixer itself* with levels, EQ, routing, and then present them to the DAW either as a two channel mix or as individual tracks (this depends on the mixer at hand).

At this point it would be difficult for me to recommend which route you go. If you already have a nice interface, mic preamps, etc and you are mainly concerned about tactile control of the DAW then probably a control surface would be the way to go. On the other hand, if you are looking for an audio interface, mic-pres and such, a firewire mixer might be a better approach.

Note that not all Firewire mixers will incorporate DAW controller features. If you are looking for something along those lines, that is a mixer AND a control surface, then you might want to look at Tascam DM3200, but it's pricy. I am sure there will be others with better suggestions in this regard.
 
I've had a bit of experience working with autistic children, my wife and I headed a support group for several years. An interesting point you may want to consider while choosing a product is the actual physical appearance of the mixing surface. Autistic children (adults too) tend to respond better to rotary objects, your child might be more comfortable with a control unit with knobs rather than sliders, and the fewest number of flashing lights.

It's good to know that others are trying to help children with limitations to realize they can do more than most people give them credit for. I applaud you for your efforts.
 
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