Alesis ADAT XT help connecting to Peavey Mark III 16 channel Mixing console

swamprocker

New member
I picked up an Alesis ADAT XT 8 track recorder with very little use and a nice used Peavey Mark III 16 channel mixing console to do some band recording. My question is the connections hooking up the ADAT to the mixer & back. I've used a few different mixers over the years but this is the first large console. I have two 8 channel recording snakes witch are rca to 1/4". The ins and outs on the adat are rca and all the jacks on the Peavey board are 1/4". The adat guide says to connect the 8 outputs from the adat to the mixer's 8 tape or line ins, and then connect the mixer's bus outs to the adat ins. Each channel on the mixer has pre & post sends and returns and there are 4 master faders marked main a & b & mon a & b and also stereo, sum and effects level controls. On the back of the mixer it has 1 tape out, 2 line outs, 2 effects outs, 6 aux inputs marked main a&b, effects a & b and monitor a & b, effects return, sum in, sum aux, sum out and finally 2 main & 2 monitor outs witch i assume go to the power amp and power the speakers. So that leads me to where i make my connections and how many tracks i'm capable of recording at once. I believe this is a 4 bus and i really only need to be able and record 4 tracks at once. Then i'm mixing down to a Sony CD recorder. Help greatly appreciated.
 
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Congrats on scoring an ADAT- they are cheap these days, one that has no issues (transport issues seem to be the most common) are not so rare. IMO, the ADAT format has lots more years left in it.

Either because it's late and I'm tired (ask Lt. Bob what happens when those conditions are met,) or you didn't compose your post in a way that I could fully understand it, but I think you are using a board made more for live sound than recording. Recording-orientated boards usually have direct-outs for each channel, for instance- I see no mention of those in your post.

If you are using the board only for recording (or are not using your board to run a live show AND to record it,) you can go from the pre or post outs (I'd prefer the post) to the ADAT, giving you 8 different channels to record. Yes, you say you only need 4, but that can go by the way-side in a big hurry.

Chances are, the outs of your board are balanced, whereas RCA outs are not. If you get the snake that connects to the big, multi-pin connector on the ADAT, and has TRS plugs on the fan-tail, you will send balanced signals to the ADAT.
 
Thanks Steve, yea this ADAT has very low hours on it,like new. A band i played with back in '96 did some nice recording on one but i couldn't afford one myself then. No, There are no jacks marked direct out on the Peavey, but i had thought that the sends maybe were the same as direct outs. I have an 8 channel DOD board i use for live shows and got the peavey just to record with because the 8 channel board only has XLR & 1/4" line in jacks on each channel and 2 rca tape ins and outs. So you say i should be able to run from each of the post sends to record to the adat then and if the sends are not balanced i should find a multi-pin connector? I also figured there would be 5 line out jacks on the back, being there are 4 master faders main a & b and mon a & b plus the tape out, but there is only 2 line outs a & b, 1 tape out and 2 eff outs a & b? Still alittle confused there.
 
Almost forgot the connections back to the peavey from the adat, i would connect the outs on the adat to the returns on other channels or connect them to the aux ins?
 
I don't believe the Mark III series had direct outs for each channel. The Mark IV series had pre and post send/receive jacks for each channel that can act as direct outs.
 
Like I thought I would, I got confused due to the late hour. Your board does NOT have inserts, I see from your description- instead it's got "Each channel on the mixer has pre & post sends and returns," right?

NOTE: The power just went out, and I thought I was gonna lose everything I typed. Turns out I didn't, but the Universe was sending me a message: KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID! So, I am attempting to KISS.

1. Get one of these, used: ADAT Multi-Track Cable Get the TRS one.
2. Hook it up to the ADAT and your board's post send and returns. No effects, no out-board EQ. KISS. So, your signal path is source>Pevey board>board's post send>ADAT>board's post return.
3. Record something in 8 tracks.
4. Unhook everything, and connect it like the ADAT manual says- but I can't see how you would get 4 outs that will be workable- you'd probably have to use the mains A and B for two, the Mon. A and B for the other two. Controlling them on the fly would drive me nuts, with two affected by the faders and two not. But try it, anyway.
5. Record something in 4 tracks.
6. Compare the two recordings. Trust your ears. If it's a toss-up, I'd go with the 8. If the 4 sounds better, you will have 4 unused tracks on the ADAT- go from the Tape Out with an insert cable, to record in two tracks to the ADAT's tracks 5 and 6. (you might surprise yourself and find the stereo mix you have is just fine. Hey, it could happen.) You can mix down from the 4 tracks to two using tracks 7 and 8, and bring some of 5 and 6 if you want. Of course, you can't do any that if you go with the 8 track option- maybe record to 6 tracks and use 2 to mix down.

Oh, one more thing, not germane to your question, but maybe helpful: Analog tape machines had three heads so you could use the 3rd to listen to what was actually on the tape, to check the sound of what had actually been recorded for things like tape over- or under-saturation; I don't recall if the ADAT has the means to do that, but if it does, you should be able to use the board's headphone jack and pre/post listen switch (if it has one) to achieve that.

Here's the manual for the board, if you need it:
http://www.peavey.com/media/pdf/manuals/80361051.pdf

If you locate another ADAT, they can be connected together so you can record and play back 16 channels at once. Now, wouldn't THAT be cool?

Okay, I'm done. And, I invite anyone who is more versed in this than I to critique my post. Maybe I missed something, did not explain it as clearly as I might, or maybe I am just dead wrong on some or all of it. Go ahead, call me out. I'd much rather than the OP get bad info.
 
Steve, I was checking out the manual for the peavey and the post send & returns are unbalanced but so are the rca ins & outs on the adat, so it wouldn't work with that TRS cable then? Actually i'll be using 7 tracks for recording in all, the first 4 tracks at once, 2 on drums,1 on bass & 1 on rythym guitar. Then overdub a lead guitar,lead vocal and backup vocal seperately. Am i going to able to do that?
 
Let's see...
If the sends/returns are unbalanced, you can go with an unbal. cable, of course, but I think the TRS will work, just not be a balanced signal (weak link syndrome and all.)

I think your plans will work, but that is 11 different tracks- you will have to bounce some tracks down from 2 or more to one to get it all done on an 8-track machine. I gotta tell you, that is much easier to do on more modern, hard-drive or memory-card based units like the DP-01 or Zoom R16. But you got what you got, and it can work.

But I think that if you can locate another ADAT in as good condition/as cheap, you will be in high cotton.
 
Thanks alot for the help steve. I'm still learning some with this but i have a much better idea of how to go about it now.
 
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