Question about mixing

[refused99]

I am new to home recording. I am a drummer and I hook all of my drums into my Peavey 8-track mixing board. I run that directly into my home stereo to record through the RCA cables in the back. I was wondering what kind of equipment I need to get to be able to play back the recording and mix each channel? I know I can't do it with a cassette tape.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanx,
Mike

[dobro]

Well, the 8-channel mixer's a good start. Now you need a multi-channel recording device. I use my computer, which has an 8-channel soundcard and software to make it all work. There are other ways too, and other people will tell you about them. I mention the computer route, because you obviously have a computer, and it offers loads of flexibility. In other words, you bypass the stereo completely.

[Terroid]

Recording your beats onto a computer and then, using a mixing program is probably a very good ideea in nowadays' terms, when you can not only mix up to 16 chanells of loops using a soundcard, but you can also apply a large variety of effects on you drum samples, using programs like Cool Edit or Sound Forge to make your music the way you want it to be.
If you're a computer hater, then I wouldn't recomend this method to you at all, because sometimes it takes a lot of patience from your side but the results are guaranteed to be the best. But go ahead and make your choice...

[regebro]

Yup, you need a multi track recorder of some kind. The options are basically two:

1. Computer
2. Dedicated hardware

If you the computer route, you need a soundcard with multiple inputs, since you are recording several tracks at once.

If you go for the dedicated hardware route, you also need something that can record as many tracks as you need at once.

In both cases, you also need something that can take the microphone signals and turn it into line level signals. Most mixers have this, and your Peavey obviously do, since your using it now. But unless the Peavey has more than two outputs you won't be able to use that to amplify more than two microphones. Some multiple input soundcards have microphone preamps built in. Otherwise you need external microphone preamps.

Are your head spinning yet?

[T.J.Hooker]

Hey Mike, how are ya ? I think it all depends on what kind of quality you want. And and what you have to spend on this venture. I think with recording your drums you are gonna want some sort of gate/compressor, the gate to seperate your drums for mixing. Otherwise I don't think there would be much to mix. You would have all your drums bleeding on to all your tracks. Although I have never recorded drums this way, I have heard about it. I'm sure someone will speak up and explain it better than I can. Also I think your gonna have to be able to record alot of tracks simultaniously (boy that's a big friggin' word) so your best bet is probably the computer. If anyone disagrees please set me straight.

T.J.

[LongWaveStudio]

get the guillemot ISIS card. 8 simultaneous ins. perfect...

[Take5]

for the budget minded 80's person:
I don't know the model# but I do know that Tascam used to make an 8 track CASSETTE (yes,that wonderful prehistoric format) recorder. WithOUT a mixer attached. you won't eat up hard drive space and I bet with a little research, you could start bidding on ebay tomorrow.

[Take5]

better yet, cassettes don't run on WINDOWS!!
they never lock up.

[virtual.ray]

You're talking about the 238;look on the Tascam forum on this site.Cheers!

[regebro]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Take5:
Tascam used to make an 8 track CASSETTE (yes,that wonderful prehistoric format) recorder. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And they did 8-track reel-to-reels to. I guess they'll cost you more, and the tapes are more expensive. The sound is better, of course. No free lunches here.

[John Sayers]

hey mike - I'm going to give a plug for my recording manual as you are starting out in recording - the manual is designed just for you and people like you - its cheap and easy to read and covers all the things you are going to need to know.
http://www.lis.net.au/~johnsay/Acoustics