Adat mixing: analog or computer?

[eh91311]

How many of you ADAT users are mixing down your recorded tracks using analog equipment (mixers, reel-to-reel or DAT) and how many of you are transferring the digital ADAT tracks to the computer and mixing with software? If you are transferring to computer, what hardware (soundcards, digital interfaces) and software are you using, on PC or MAC?

[foreverain4]

i typically transfer everything to my pc to edit and mix. cant beat the automation this provides. i use a motu 2408mkIII. this provides the transfer of 24 tracks at a time.




lynn
www.therecordinghouse.com

[Track Rat]

I'm mixing ADATs and/or HD24 through an analog board.

[eh91311]

Foreverrain4 & Track Rat, thanks for your responses.

Track Rat, do you prefer the sound of mixing in analog from your ADAT/HD24 compared to just transferring into the computer and using software plugins?

[Track Rat]

Definately I prefer the sound of the console to software mixing. I also have a MOTU 2408 mkII to get tracks from the ADATs or HD24 into the computer where I do all editing. This way if I want to use a plug in on an individual track, I can. With my set up I can use plugins and hardware processors simultaneously.
The console tends to sound rounder and warmer than software mixing. I don't believe the the software designers have the main mix buss thing figured out yet. I want to say that my preference has nothing to do with mixing with a mouse, I'd prefer that but the overall sound just isn't there yet.

[foreverain4]

i too, prefer the sound of analog console summing. but most of my clients could care less. they get a polished final product in half the time it would take to gather 4 guys around an analog console each assigned to a fader or two. track rat, do you come out of your motu through your console? or do you dump stuff back on the recorders?





lynn
www.therecordinghouse.com

[Track Rat]

For the most part, I transfer tracks back to the ADATs or HD24 for mixing and archiving (I also archive .wavs to CD-R) and also to give to clients but many times I'll send tracks from Cakewalk through the MOTU and use the HD24 as D/A converters and mix through the board. As I said, this way I can use plug ins (real time) and hardware at the same time.

[foreverain4]

i just got my motu, so forgive my stupidity, but can you generate adat sync from the card to print stuff back to adat? i thought this was just a sync in.





lynn
www.therecordinghouse.com

[Track Rat]

You couldn't take just one track and print it back to the ADAT between existing tracks and have it sync. I send all tracks to the computer and then send all tracks back to the ADATs at once so there are no sync issues track to track. As far as clock sync. I use a GenX6 master wordclock generator/distributer so transfers are pretty clean and the whole system has VERY low jitter.

[eh91311]

Track Rat, I too thought that you could fly in just one track from the adat to the computer, process it and send it back to the adat in sync. Transferring all the tracks from the adat to computer and back again eliminates chances of tracks being out of sync with each other. I'm in the process of putting together a PC with a Sonorus Studi/o card to bring the adat tracks into the computer and send them back out thru the adat's converters to mix thru the board.

[foreverain4]

i know that with the alesis adat edit card ( which i previously owned) it was possible to take just one track to the pc, edit, then bring it back and be sample accurate. heck!! you could just take one measure of one track if you wanted. that card wasnt a bad little setup cept for all the issues the thing had with windows.




lynn
www.therecordinghouse.com