Signal Flow Question!

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dheh250

New member
Alright I'm very new to this stuff so please bare with me...

So I'm recording a drum set with 7 different mic's and the rest of my band from a home studio i'm making.

I need help understanding if this is the best thing to do:

8 drum mics into -> Allen-&-Heath-ZED24-Mixer (are the pre-amps good?) -> Compressor? (or is that not needed?) -> Apogee Duet -> Mac/Logic Express 9

I want to avoid mixing in the computer because I prefer mixing with the hands-on approach with the knobs and all.

Thanks for your time guys
 
I don't know very much about signal flow so my main question was if it was logical or efficient to do what i listed. I havn't bought any of the items I listed other than the drum mic's yet so just making sure i'm making the right purchase.
 
You would be better off recording the individual mics instead of a mix of the drums. Any small mistake you make mixing the drums can not be undone later if you mix it on the board on the way in.

If you get an interface with 16 in's and out's, then you can record everything separately and bring the sepearate tracks out to all the channels of the mixing board and mix with it if you really want to. That's the best of both worlds.
 
dheh250 said:
I don't know very much about signal flow so my main question was if it was logical or efficient to do what i listed. I havn't bought any of the items I listed other than the drum mic's yet so just making sure i'm making the right purchase.
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ah! if i were you i'd buy a firestudio and run it into reaper and call it good. I know you said you'd rather have a hardware mixer, and i've been there, but you'll get over it pretty quickly i think.

you'll save a ton of money this way and be using a WAY better daw.
 
Farview said:
If you get an interface with 16 in's and out's, then you can record everything separately and bring the sepearate tracks out to all the channels of the mixing board and mix with it if you really want to.
Click to expand...

this^^ i incorrectly read the OP to mean he'd be recording drums then the rest of the band.
 
Farview said:
You would be better off recording the individual mics instead of a mix of the drums. Any small mistake you make mixing the drums can not be undone later if you mix it on the board on the way in.

If you get an interface with 16 in's and out's, then you can record everything separately and bring the sepearate tracks out to all the channels of the mixing board and mix with it if you really want to. That's the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

So are you saying I buy an interface and run the interface into a mixer then into the DAW or into the DAW first?
 
dheh250 said:
So are you saying I buy an interface and run the interface into a mixer then into the DAW or into the DAW first?
Click to expand...

Buy an interface with 16 inputs and 16 outputs.

Use the direct outputs of the mixer to send the individual channels of the mixer to the interface so that you can record up to 16 individual channels at once in the computer.

When you are ready to mix, route the individual channels in the DAW out the 16 outputs of the interface. Plug the outputs of the interface into the line inputs of the mixer. Then mix using the board and sending the main output of the mixer to two of the inputs on the interface and record those as your mix.

I'm with EZ on this one. I have a 32 channel mixer, 32 channels of ins and outs of my interface, and all the outboard gear (compressors, gates, effects units) left over from when my studio used tape, and I do 99.999999999999% of all my mixing in the computer. Knobs are nifty, but there is much more flexiblity in the computer. The first time you reset the board and then realise that the mix was perfect, but the bass was a little too loud, you will pull your hair out. You can't get the mixer set exactly the same ever again. In the computer, when you open the session back up a year later, everything is back exactly where it was.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with the mixer you are talking about, there is nothing great about the way it sounds. There are many free plugins that will give you nicer EQ than that mixer. There are just too many advantages to mixing in the box unless you have a $100,000 console with automation and another $100,000 worth of outboard gear.
 
Thanks a lot for your advice guys.

So basically the most logical thing to do would be to record into the interface and mix on the computer? No need for the duet or compressor?
 
Yes, but getting an interface that has enough intputs to record a drum set all at once would be a good thing.
 
dheh250 said:
I was looking at these two. Either one of them better than the other? Or do you have a better suggestion?

http://www.samash.com/p/Saffire PRO 40 Firewire Audio Interface_-49955601

http://www.samash.com/p/8pre Firewire Audio Interface_-49964083

And what about running these out into a apogee duet then into the computer. Would it improve the sound or change the sound at all?
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The motu would be the better bet.

the apogee is only a two channel interface, what would be the point of running an 8 channel interface into a two channel interface?

Anyway, once the signal is digital, the interface isn't going to change the quality of it.
 
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