So my Apollo has 16 converters.
I only forsee recording 3-5 tracks simultaneously, but most often it'll be just 2.
As of now, just one track per source.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t want to keep playing 20 questions about your interface, and saying that it has “16 converters” didn’t entirely get at what I’m trying to understand about your equipment, setup and use of said equipment...so I read up on your interface.
A key question here is this: how many tracks do your DAW projects amount to? I think I asked that before. If it is more than 12 you need to think about how it is you are going to use a 12 channel console to mix more than 12 tracks. So let me know about that. If it is less than or equal to 12 let me know. This drives how many channels of the Apollo are connected to the console.
Once I can get a clear picture via answers to the questions I’m asking I can at least tell you how I would hook stuff up and how I would use the different features of the console.
A couple questions:
What is the use of PGM outputs vs the Direct Outs?
The direct outs are only going to have one source passing through each one. If you have a kick drum connected to the input of channel 1, the direct out jack of channel 1 is going to have...a kick drum.
The PGM groups are summing busses...they combine multiple sources...whatever you assign to each respective buss. In a pre-DAW world project studio where you had limited track count (often 8 or maybe 16 tracks, “home” or personal studio many times 4 tracks), you didn’t have the luxury of dedicating a track for each source or you would run out of tracks. So when you had, for instance, multiple mics on a drum kit you couldn’t afford to take up that many tracks, one for each mic. So instead of maybe 6, 7 or 8 tracks for a drum kit, one might make a stereo sub-mix of the tom and overhead mics and put those on 2 tracks, and leave the snare and kick on their own tracks; 4 tracks...sometimes mix the whole kit down to a 2 channel stereo mix even, or maybe a stereo mix and just the kick on its own track. So in the first scenario with 4 tracks for the drum kit one might assign the left overhead to PGM 1, the right overhead to PGM2, and the tom mics assigned to PGM 1 & 2 with their respective PAN controls set to place the individual toms across the stereo field of PGM 1 & 2. The individual channel faders of the sources would be set to create a balanced mix of those sources, and then the outputs for PGM 1 & 2 would be connected to the inputs of two tape tracks. PGM groups are also used as a convenient way to route individual sources to any tape track. Let’s say we have an 8 track tape machine and your M-512. If you had each PGM out 1~8 connected to tape machine inputs 1~8, you now have a way to get any input source to any or all tape tracks without any re-patching, simply using the assign buttons and PAN controls. So that was common in professional studios where, over the course of long days (and sometimes around the clock) the studio would have multiple artists booking time in a day, and it was beneficial to be able to zero the console in between sessions and then be able to use the control surface of the console to quickly patch inputs to tape tracks without plugging or unplugging anything...it wasn’t uncommon to have a 24-track tape machine and a 16 or 24 buss console.
It is important to note also that in the case of the M-500 consoles there is no dedicated L-R stereo summing buss. Often, on a console with multiple mix busses, you would have assign switches to the subgroups (mix busses, PGM groups) as well as an assign button to a separate stereo “main mix”. On an 8 buss console with a separate main buss the rack of assign switches might look something like this:
[1-2]
[3-4]
[5-6]
[7-8]
[L-R]
But the M-500 consoles have 8 subgroups or “PGM groups” and no separate main buss. It is intended that you use one pair of your 8 PGM groups as a main stereo mix buss.
For mixing, what is the benefit of the Tape Ins vs the Line Ins?
So, electronically speaking, there is no difference between the two. IIRC the circuit design for the tape and line inputs on an M-500 console are identical. But the important thing to note is the way you can access those inputs. Notice on the input channels the AUX buss source switches include something else as an option aside from what is selected as the input for the channel (“TAPE” on channels 1~8 IIRC for instance). What that means is the channel input could be sourced to the MIC input, but independent of that AUX 1-2 could source the TAPE input on that channel. Now you have an independent way to monitor tape track playback and or route that signal elsewhere, like to the headphones of the talent. Also notice over in the MONITOR mixer, the bunch of knobs above the PGM group faders, the individual mixer input channels can source either “BUSS”, or “TAPE”. On the M-500 consoles the MONITOR mixer is the way you audition your PGM groups, okay? Everything that is assigned to a PGM group goes to each group’s fader and then to the group’s output jack, but also post-fader, each PGM group goes to the respective MONITOR mixer input select, accessible via the “BUSS” source option. Then the stereo sum of the MONITOR mixer is accessible via the “MON” source option in the MONITOR SELECT switchrack just above the PGM 3 fader. That switchrack determines what you hear in the headphones connected to the console as well as what is sent to the STEREO A and B faders and their output jacks. Okay...so since you can use the MONITOR mixer to monitor either BUSS or TAPE sources, it gives you even another way to access and monitor your sources connected to the TAPE jacks.
Hopefully you see where this is going...if you are going to use your M-512 to mix DAW stems, you want to connect line outputs from the Apollo to TAPE IN jacks. Those jacks are intended for multitrack tape returns, and the functionality of the console design is setup to be able to easily shift how the multitrack returns are accessed differently during the tracking, overdubbing and mixing stages of recording. Yep. There are only 8 of them on the M-512. The M-512 was designed to mate with an 8-track tape machine. So that means you either limit your DAW projects to 8 tracks if you want to use the console as designed, or submix some tracks in the box to reduce the stem count, or connect Apollo outputs to non “TAPE” line inputs. This isn’t terrible...you could use the TAPE jacks on channels 1~8, and the LINE jacks on channels 9-12 as those inputs have the same inline monitoring access in the AUX section independent of the channel’s selected input source. That way you would have similar functionality for 12 multitrack returns, you just wouldn’t have independent access to all 12 in the MONITOR mixer.
Lastly, I noticed that I am getting a weak signal from my Channel 3 Tape In and zero signal from Channel 6 Tape In. Both channels are giving a strong signal with the Mic In, however. Any things I should look at that could be causing this? The board was completely recapped 4-6 yrs ago.
I would start by gently manipulating the RCA plugs connected to those jacks while monitoring those inputs to see if that results in any crackling or intermittent signal. That would tell me there are broken solder joints or similar that need repaired. If that doesn’t help, I would also exercise those channel’s source select switches (rapidly flip the toggle switches back and forth at least 25 times) while applying some contact cleaner (I recommend DeoxIT D5...connect the straw to the nozzle of the can and stick it down into the guts of the switch), and do the same to the MONITOR mixer channels 3 & 6 source select switches. No change? Time to open up the console and start tracing the signal. Just to clarify, how are you monitoring those TAPE jacks when you have the faulty signal level? Through the channel fader, or via one or more of the AUX busses, or via the MONITOR mixer?