A/D Converter??

SteveCPerrino

New member
Hey, I'm Steve, I'm quite new to recording.

I just found out that I guess I need an A/D Converter to convert my mixer to my computer and be able to seperate the tracks instead of having 1 stereo track or whatever.

I was wondering how an A/D Converter works so I can understand it before I spend a million dollars on one.

Thanks!

-Steve
 
All you need is a decent quality sound card having left and right line inputs. All sound cards include A/D and D/A converters. However, if you want to record more than two channels at once you'll need a sound card with more inputs.

--Ethan
 
I'm sorry, I'm confused.

I mean that I want to use an analog mixer for multi-track recording (probably 10 inputs at one time), and this is because I want to use Pro Tools.

So I was wondering how I could still have seperate tracks on Pro Tools for each channel on the mixer?
 
You would need to look at one of the 003 series units from Digidesign, or one of the various M-Audio interfaces (I hate the term "sound card").

These products, with appropriate add-ons, would allow you to record up to 18 separate tracks at once.

You would not really need a separate mixer with these setups...
 
I suggest an M-audio setup....because I have a 1010 for sale and it works great with Pro Tools.... :p
 
Hey Steve, seeing as you're a self-proclaimed newbie, your post begs a few questions. Why do you need a mixer?? Why do you need 10 inputs??? And why do you need Pro-tools??

There are interfaces available that have 10 inputs and I can suggest you can start your search here.

http://www.sweetwater.com/c683--FireWire_Audio_Interfaces/low2high/pn2

But do you really need 10 inputs?? Depends on what you're trying to do. Record a whole band at once. Live gigs, maybe? quick demos? If you don't need the full 10 inputs, you can save more money.

My question about the mixer is because a lot of new people think you need a mixer to record. They see the big boards at the big studios and think it's necessary to have one to record. Not true. Once you have your interface and a good DAW, you can do all your mixing in the box using the mixer in the DAW. It's a good practice, not to make adjustments to the audio signals before capturing them to tape (or hard drive). This allows you the freedom to make changes once you're mixing down, so each part fits in the song. If you adjust teh signal before capturing to tape (eq, dynamics, etc), those changes are permanent and may not work with the whole mix.

My last question is why pro-tools?? There's a lot of good DAW's out there that work well. Pro-tools has this moniker of being an industry standard, but it's not necessarily the only choice. I think there are better choices to make, especially if you're on a budget (Cubase, Sonar, etc). With Pro-tools, you're locked into a certain hardware set and RTAS plugs. RTAS plugs are about twice as much as VST plugs.

Just my thoughts. You might have your reasons, but a little forethought might help you out in the long run.... :)

peace.
 
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