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Jordan-Tom

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Hello. Before I begin I appologize for any mistakes I make on this thread.

I have a Soundcraft M12 mixer with a Shure PG42 (non USB) Condensor Mic. I got them for christmas and rushed into buying them stupidly without considering what else I needed. I have speakers for my computer but I was told I need to get Monitor Speakers with a Jack input not mini jack. I have also been told I need to get a DI Box for recording my guitar and I was told I needed to get a new soundcard. I have a custom built computer which was not cheap.I was told I need to get a better soundcard which supports SPDIF because on my Soundcraft M12 mixer it has a SPDIF mini jack on the back. Is there any other way to connect the equipment? I want to get the best results.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
You have a number of options, but basically you need an audio interface that will take the audio ouput from the mixer (or a microphone or a DI'ed guitar) and convert it to a digital signal to transfer to your computer. Typically this is done with an audio interface with USB or Firewire ouput. You could get an audio interface with SPDIF input, too. The non-discontinued Tascam USB-800 would fit the bill.
 
^What he said.
There are some mixers that come with USB (Alesis's Multimix USB/FX) or firewire (Presonus Studio Live) capabilities, but I don't think there's any easy way to get the sound from your Soundcraft to your computer for DAW editing.
You don't necessarily need to get new speakers; you could technically get a converter for 1/8" to 1/4" phone jack. The only problem is, if you're using one of the cheaper converters, it's going to increase your sound floor.
You don't need a DI for your guitar unless you like the DI sound and have an amp simulator for your DAW. A new soundcard also isn't necessary, you can use the onboard one for your computer.
 
Forget the sound card. Forget the DI box. All you need to look into is an audio interface. You can get an interface for as little $160 USD they come with 2 to 24 or more inputs. Most of them come with combo XLR 1/4" inputs. midi & spidf I/O when considering your interface don't think what do I need now think what do I plan to use this for in the future. 6 months down the line are you planning on joining a band & want to record the whole band at once & the like.
google audio interface & you will be overwhelmed with the choices out there.
 
I think it's better to inform you of what things do and give you a better chance to decide:

S/Pdif: If you hook your soundcraft up this way then all of the mixers channels are sent into your computer in L and R fashion. You will not get multi track functionality beyond recording only 2 channels and panning them both L and R. If that is ok with you then go s/pdif.

Using the direct outs on the mixer: This would require quite a bit more cash especially if you wanted to record all 12 channels onto it's own track. You would need to purchase a larger interface and run each channels (using TRS to TRS or TRS to XLR depending) direct out on the board into a line input on the audio interface. Even on the cheaper end of things this is a little pricey especially if you want all 12 pres on their own track.

Ditching the mixer totally (*not sell, just not use): Ditching the mixer means no DI box in most cases (since most audio interfaces include an impedance matched 1/4" jack for plugging in instruments) and a much smaller footprint (again most are just 1U rack space or smaller). You lose the eq of the soundcraft, the hardware inserts you had on all those channels and the sound of the mixcraft preamps (which I'm sure sound great).

Basically you need to decide what kind of situation you want. If you want to record multi track drums down the line then option 2 is probably what you want to shoot for. If your just recording a couple tracks at a time then the cheap audio interface with s/pdif is probably fine.
 
Nice one on the M12! Don't be down on your equipment, those are good pieces of kit to possess.
Even if you ditch the mixer in favor of a USB/Firewire interface, you might have reason to later put it back in. I'm actually currently in the position where I need to insert an earthed mixer between my mic and my interface because in the absence of any other connection to earth in the system, I'm getting electric tingles from my mic! And believe me, I'd love to have a mixer like that lying around when I needed one.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I am still deciding what route to go down though. I basically want to get the best out of the mixer in terms of sound quality and using all the channels. I though it was a better sound quality using spdif but that's just word of mouth. I want to be able to record vocals and guitar and mic up a whole drum kit.

I am going to be recording some acoustic tracks, some just vocals and some full band covers. Hope this gives you a better idea.

Thanks again for the replies, keep them coming! :)

Jordan
 
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