Requesting feedback on first multi-instrument recording setup: Scarlett 18i8 and PA system

Q

qualiaMachine

New member
I am trying to setup a live recording of an amplified guitar, a bass guitar w/ no bass amp, a keyboard with unbalanced output, an electronic drumset with unbalanced output, and a condenser mic for vocals. I have a Scarlett 18i8 (https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-interface/scarlett/scarlett-18i8) and a PA system to get the job done. In the past, I have mainly just used my Scarlett 18i8 for recording my own guitar and some vocals. Seeing as I’m pretty new to this, I’d appreciate some advice and feedback on the setup I have in mind!

For starters, I have been reading up on the pros and cons of placing the audio interface before or after the mixer of the PA system. Since we tragically only have the PA speakers to run the bass through, I am thinking the best setup would be to make use of the Scarlett’s great preamps before connecting to the mixer. All in all, we are basically just using the PA system as our monitoring speakers, but it might be nice to have the option to adjust treble/bass and other parameters on the fly via the mixer.

With that in mind, here’s how I think each instrument should be setup, and what cables to use, etc. Please point out my ignorance!
  1. Guitar -> guitar amp -> SM57 -> preamp on front of Scarlett. Nothing new here for me. Pretty straightforward.
  2. Keys/drums (both are unbalanced mono outputs): instrument -> TS cable -> line-in on back of Scarlett -> TS cable going from line out on back of Scarlett to unbalanced line-in on mixer.
  3. Bass guitar -> TS cable to Scarlett preamp (set to instrument level) -> TS cable going from line out on back of Scarlett to unbalanced line-in on mixer.
  4. Condenser mic -> Scarlett preamp (phantom power turned on) -> *TRS* cable going from line out on back of Scarlett to balanced line-in on mixer.
I suppose if I wanted to really just use the PA system as just a monitoring system, I could maybe route the headphone (?) outs to the PA to get all of the instruments mixed together. Somehow it seems better to have the option to mix with the PA, though. I’m not sure I see a huge difference. This option would maybe require a few less cables, though.

Also, this is a more minor point, but I think I need to configure the Scarlett tell it which line-level input corresponds to which line-level output. Can anyone point me to a resource that tells me how to do this, or explain it briefly?

I could really use your guys' experience on this so I don't screw something up for our upcoming recording session :D. Thanks in advance!
 
I suppose it depends on what exactly you need - if the PA is simply monitoring - I might be tempted to use Cubase (My favourite DAW) connected to the interface, and then do a live mix to stereo?
 
I would use the PA as a monitor and connect the Scarlett line outputs (rather than the headphone outputs) to it. But your method of routing each instrument out its own channel would also work.
 
Well, OK, without trying to make everything worse. I assume your PA only has two channel out.
You have 4 pre-amps on your Scarlet and 4 ins on the back. Now, you can DI your guitar or mic the Amp, but your 1 is correct. Use the second input for Bass as DI or Mic, then two pre-amps for vocals. Here is where it gets tricky, for the drums, Mic up your drums and run those through the PA but get you mix for the drums in the PA (don't worry too much about levels, just get the Mix correct. Run that mix to the back 5/6, run your keyboard in the back 7/8. Get your levels set and DON'T CLIP, you can't fix that.

That would give you a pretty good setup and a decent mix. The drums will probably take at least 4 mics, (Snare, Kick, Overheads) if not more. try that on for size, if you work with it you should be able to get pretty good results.

I would get a headphone amp for recording, becuae you will not be able to monitor while recording. If the vocals are going through the computer, you will have a hard time playing when you can't hear the music. This assumes more than one person playing. HD amp (connected to headphone out on the Scarlett) for 8 connections with volume control for each person, costs about $100.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
I would use the PA as a monitor and connect the Scarlett line outputs (rather than the headphone outputs) to it. But your method of routing each instrument out its own channel would also work.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comment. Just to clarify, are you saying that it's possible to use just ONE line-out going from Scarlett to the PA (as opposed to each instrument having its own line-out)? There must be a way to do that with the Focusrite software that I've just overlooked. Also, why do you prefer that method to using the headphone outputs?
 
Yes, the Focusrite app should have a way to mix the inputs and feed them to the main line outputs. It should also allow adding the playback to the mix for doing overdubs.
 
Yes, you can configure the outputs to be from your DAW's master mix. If the PA is just for monitoring after tracking, not sure why you would be setting it up yoru way anyway. If it is for monitoring while recording (full band?), then you have a good chance of a feedback loop (with a delay/reverb from latency) with mics being used and speakers at the same time.
 
mjbphotos said:
Yes, you can configure the outputs to be from your DAW's master mix. If the PA is just for monitoring after tracking, not sure why you would be setting it up yoru way anyway. If it is for monitoring while recording (full band?), then you have a good chance of a feedback loop (with a delay/reverb from latency) with mics being used and speakers at the same time.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's helpful. It is for monitoring while recording the full band. Would I have better luck avoiding a feedback loop somehow if I routed every instrument's output individually? Or am I doomed to deal with feedback and just have to keep an eye on my gains being set low enough? Do you have any suggested setups that could help reduce feedback? Lastly, if I route a master mix out of the interface to the PA, is it preferable to to use a TRS or a TS cable? I figure a TRS cable will allow the mics to remain balanced without having any negative impact on the the quality of the unbalanced inputs, but I could be misunderstanding how the master mix output works.

Lol that's a lot of questions. Appreciate you guys chiming in.
 
I would not put the interface between the band and the PA.

When I recorded something like that I would use an 8x splitter (Behringer makes a perfectly functional one, though it's labeled different than every other splitter). You can run all your mic's into that, and even supply the phantom power from the F'rite by taking the direct lead from the condenser, and sending the isolated (split) output to the PA. Use a DI on the bass, and take the XLR to the splitter. If the PA handles the bass input, just go with the pass-thru to the PA, otherwise take one of the outputs from the splitter to the PA. Unless you really need a stereo keys in the PA, I would just take the typical L/MONO into another DI and treat it like the bass. I'm surprised the drums don't have a stereo out, which would be a better thing to record. If there's really a stereo signal there, find that and same as the others DI to XLR to a line in on the interface and a thru signal to the PA.
 
If the Focusrite can be set up for zero- or low-latency monitoring for headphones, it can be set up the same for speakers. If you can sing live using the speakers to monitor the mic, you can record live using the speakers. The one thing that will be a potential challenge is that the vocal mic will pick up all the other instruments and the PA, so it won't be a clean recording like it would if you overdubbed it. Still, if your mic technique is good and the band volume isn't out of control, you can get a good recording.

For low-latency monitoring, you may need to disable input monitoring in the recording software and just use the input monitoring in the Focusrite app.
 
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