Analog to ADAT to PC confusion

I

ivansc

New member
My mixer died so I have decided to finally go in the box.

I have a 6 core AMD box I am in the middle of building & an Emu 1212m in my old music computer.
Also bought a Focusrite Octopre with the ADAT card when the mixer died.

I now have the chance to buy an RME HDSP 9652 at a fairly good price, which would give me the capability of expanding my analog IO later thru the extra ADAT connectors.

So which way should I go?
I have a Seck mixer which I am using for monitoring, but will prolly not cut it for tracking.

So do I go for the 1212m in the new machine and forget using the original PC for music (had thought it would give extra grunt for VSTis) or do I buy the RME and use THAT in the new box with the focusrite, upgrading to more analog IO later?

The most I will be doing with this rig is tracking a four piece band with electronic drums.
But I do have a couple of nice analog outboard pieces that I woul dlike to be able to keep in the plan.

Help!
 
Tough Call.
Both ideas are legitimate, it just depends on your workflow and what works best for you.

I have the RME card in my computer and I am using the 24 channels out (through converters obviously) to mix and monitor through my Topaz.

I like it due to the fact as I get older (I am 52) I dislike squinting at a computer screen for everything. and the mouse? pffft ... forget it...
It helps my workflow to use a console for monitoring and mixing.
I use stand alone pres on my front end.

If you don't mind mixing in the box the Emu coupled with the Octopre gives you a good and smaller setup with less external wires and electronics to deal with.

I just prefer the 1st senario after doing this for 15 years... it works best for me.
I don't know that I can't achieve a similar product on either, but mixing out of the box is quicker and easier for me.
 
Yeah - until very recently that is how I worked.

Big ol` A&H auto desk and the final result after visiting my outboard stuff into a computer.

Trouble is, I also have a Behringer BCF2000 and a Korg nanokontrol which I have been fooling around with for a while, since I guess I had a premonition about the mixer going pear shaped.

So it looks like ITB for me at least for the present.

What converters were you using? I checked out the ADA8000 as a cheap but evidently decent way to get 8 more line in and outs plus 8 not-so-good mic pres... Wish I had bought one when they were $150 new.
 
Converter wise I have a mix.
I have 16 channels I/O of RME ADI-8 via lightpipe into the RME 9652 and 2 channels of Lucid 2496 I/O via SPIDF. I recently rounded out the final 8 channels of lightpipe I/O with an ADA8000 I picked up for pretty reasonably.
I have to admit...it is pretty nice for around $100.
The ADA8000 is pretty much dead quiet for playback (which is all I use it for) and the sound clear, but a little lacking in the lows and low mids compared to my other converters, but extremely usable for stuff like backing vocals and acoustic guitar doubled tracks...string pads ect...you know stuff you mix on the light side anyway.

unless you can pop for a Lucid 8 channel lightpipe (used) around 7-800 bucks the Behry is a good alternative on the cheap.

So total now I have 26 channels I/O.
 
Useful food for thought there tom - thanks.
At least I feel a litle vindicated in how my thoughts have been going.

So it looks like keep the emu and stay how I am, or go with the RME for any more analog IO.

Had briefly looked at the fostex boxes, mostly out of nostalgia for my D90 days but they just dont seem to stack up too well against the bang per buck of the behri.

Guess I will go look at the AD boxes from RME now as well....
 
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