Very New to All of this So here's acouple Newbie questions...

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chasethesunset2

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Hi all,
I tend to ramble so there's a summary at the bottom with the main question(s)
Just to give some background I am a drummer of around 7 years and have recently taken an interest in recording myself and my band mates.

I have an HP desktop computer running Windows Vista Home Premium with SP 1 and am using Sonar 7 Studio Edition for my recording software. My sound card is a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! USB
I have an Alesis Multimix-8 USB mixer that has 4 mic inputs and 2 stereo 1/4" inputs and as I understand it, one stereo out. I currently use 4 CAD mics for my drums, because it's all I could afford at the time.

After fooling around with just getting my gear setup and getting my drums recorded I've read some articles and interviews and found that I'd really like to be able to record each of my mics to separate tracks so I can tweak each individual drum.
As I understand it my recording software is totally capable of this, but my current hardware setup is not...
So I'm hoping someone can explain to me what equipment I absolutely need and what I should have as well.



Main Point:
What equipment do i need to record multiple mics to separate tracks on my computer using Sonar 7 Studio Edition?


I appreciate any help anyone can offer and I apologize if this sort of this gets asked a lot.
 
You need an audio interface that will do 4+ inputs at a time. This will generally connect via Firewire or be a PCI device. You're going to have to find a model that supports Vista as well, as not all the audio interfaces out there do.

Look at the Echo devices, or M-audio. Those are a good place to start. If you can spend $500, the MOTU devices are great.
 
So if I were to get the

pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-FastTrack-Ultra-USB-2.0-Audio-Interface?sku=241806
M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB 2.0
I would be able to record up to 6 mics/instruments at a time, all to separate tracks, plugging directly into this interface?

Also, am I understanding it correctly that if I use a mixer, I need as many OUTS as INS so that I could then run into the mixer, and from the mixer to the audio interface so that all inputs can be recorded to their own tracks?
And what are the outputs on the unit for if this is, as I understand it, the last stop before the audio arrives on your computer?


Another question I thought of today is:
I've heard people talk about Pre-Amps...and as they were saying it sounded like you *need* these....Do you really *need* them? and what exactly do they do?
 
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Stay away from that device. Ive never heard a person who owned one say it worked correctly. Ive seen first hand several that don't. You need to avoid USB if you want to spend time making music instead of trying to figure out why your interface doesn't work right.

You have to have a preamp for each mic. You can use a mixer, outboard standalone preamps, or get an interface that has them built in.

On an interface, inputs are for recording the sound, outputs are for getting it back out (i.e., running to speakers to listen back or to headphones)
 
Alright. Thanks for the answers, now I'll do some more looking around at interfaces and go from there =]
 
You don't need to buy a multi-channel interface - your mixer is both a mixer and a USB audio interface. Connect the mixer directly to a USB port on your PC. Get the latest ASIO drivers from the Alesis website. That mixer sends each channel to the PC individually, so you can route each one to a discrete track in Sonar. You can't, however, record through the mixer and the soundblaster at the same time - Windows only allows one ASIO device to be active at any given time.

Cheers,
PG
 
Okay. I hadn't even tried hooking it up via USB yet...lol.
So I installed the latest drivers and that went fine.
I started up Sonar and did the Wave Profiler thing and disabled the drivers for everything except the Alesis mixer, which is labeled as: USB Audio CODEC
And now, my only options for inputs are: left, right, and stereo microphone in the category: USB Audio CODEC (1 In, 1 Out)
Also: after the Wave Profiler did its thing the driver mode was set to MME (32-bit)....and if I change it to ASIO, it says there isnt anything on the computer that has ASIO drivers, or something to that effect.
Is there a setting I need to change or something?
 
I don't use Sonar, so can't help with those specific issues, but I took a look at the manual for yer mixer (off the Alesis website) and there's a step-by-step section on how to use it with Sonar. I'd give that a shot.

Cheers,
PG
 
I don't have first-hand experience with that unit, but I've heard the Alesis USB mixers only send stereo out through the USB. The Firewire ones send the individual tracks.
 
Good point. The MultiMix USB 2.0 sends invidual tracks, don't know about the original version. Hey chase - which model do you have?
 
Ok so as far as any manuals and help topics and such can tell me in sonar and for my mixer, there is currently no way I can record my drums to separate tracks with my current setup.

So, if the firewire version of my mixer does indeed send the inputs individually instead of all together, would that be a smart, choice for me? Or can anyone recommend a slightly cheaper brand or device. I don't need the best of the best, I just want something that works for recording myself and my buddies.

I don't have a whole lot of money that I can dish out, because if I can't upgrade my setup for a relatively low amount of money (preferably right at or around $200) this might take a back seat to upgrading my drumset until I start working for the winter season.
 
Well after looking through the description for the fire wire Alesis mixer, it says that it is for Mac OS X and Windows XP only, so it most likely won't work with my computer.

So I guess my only other options would be finding a firewire mixer that would work with vista or finding an audio Interface with 4+ inputs that would work with vista?
 
chasethesunset2 said:
Well after looking through the description for the fire wire Alesis mixer, it says that it is for Mac OS X and Windows XP only, so it most likely won't work with my computer.

So I guess my only other options would be finding a firewire mixer that would work with vista or finding an audio Interface with 4+ inputs that would work with vista?
Click to expand...

Maybe sell/trade your mixer and buy the newer version (the USB 2.0)? They're $329 at Musicians Friend. If you want to keep your current mixer (and it has individual channel outs), you could get a Delta 1010 for about $200 bucks and slap it in your PC.

PG
 
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