Multitracking.. Need stuff, but not sure exactly what.

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BagelBoy

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Ok so I've been doing home recording for a while now and have built up a small collection of very basic stuff- A yamaha 8 track USB mixer, a crappy 2 track behringer mixer and 5 decent mics. Now, I've been trying to do/record some drum tracks for my solo stuff, they havn't turned out bad at all (considering im using a 57 on the kick), but all the mics are going into one track. I know I can pan left and right and get a 2 track going but i was wondering if its possible to get all 4 tracks on the yamaha(the ones with pres) to go onto seperate tracks? Do I just need to get a new sound card like the
M-Audio MDA2496, or do i need to do something more?
Also
Is there a way i can connect my two mixers together so i can get 6 mic pre amps going? I could probably figure it out i guess but seen as I'm here... I think i should probably upgrade and get a bigger mixer anyway. Opinions??????????
Thanks people!
 
Probably not, because the number of channels you can record is not dependent on the number of mic amps, but the number of channels the USB is programmed to carry. It is most likely that it can only send the stereo mix down USB.
What model is the desk? If you tell me that, I can find out more accurately for you. If it's one like this then it is only 2-channel USB I'm afraid.
And before you ask, running two desks together probably won't work either because they won't run in sync with each other and the recording software all at once.
 
Thanks for the reply.
The mixer model is the Yamaha mw10, so its actually a 10 track. Assuming from what I just read it can only do two separate tracks at a time but yea I'm not too sure about this kind of stuff, hence me being in the 'noob' section of this site. I think its probably time to upgrade though, when i got it last year I only had one mic and I thought it was enough for what I wanted to do but now I want to do more. A lot more.
If anyone could suggest how I should go about upgrading my set up it would be much appreciated.
What I want to be able to do is multitrack a drum kit with at least 4 mics, but something with 6 to 12 channels strips with pres would be cool so i could also do a whole band live.
I guess I need advice on what make/type of mixer I should get and how I should connect it all together if I get a sound card which can handle it.
 
What's your budget? There are lots of choices with the prices going up as you get more and more channel capability.
Do you have Firewire capability on your computer? Does it have the power for large number of tracks?
 
I won't recommend a specific interface but you'll want one with as many inputs on it as you want to record SIMULTANEOUSLY. At a minimum, I'd want 8 with a path to expand, but that's just me. In a nutshell, you need a real nice soundcard with a lot of gozintas and gozoutas. Many of the interfaces on the maket have mic preamps built in and that's want you''ll be needing (mic preamplifiers). Whatevr combination of the two depends on your needs and your budget. Now to your mixer. Does it have INSERTS on the channels with mic inputs? If so, those can be utilized as sends to the interface you choose. MUCH to learn you have, weedhopper.
 
I love the Alesis Multimix 16 USB 2.0

I think I paid under $500 for a used one on ebay.
16 track recording right into Cubase - I went through about 5 other set ups upgrading each time until I got to the Multimix 16
I use it with Vista 64 Bit
works like a charm

multimix-16-usb-2-0.jpg
 
There are basically many options, as you will have gathered from all the suggestions people have brought up here.

I suggest you have a read through some of this series on multitrack recording, and in particular have a look at the pages on usb desks and interfaces that are under the 'Multitrack Equipment' section.

Hope it helps!
 
Thanks! I deliberately tried not to get too tech-speccy with the examples I suggested. I generally figure that anything more specific that people want to know for a given application, they can find out through the page links included. Exactly as you have :)
Thanks for the thumbs up, really glad you like the content.
 
Hey thanks for the replies guys!
Some good advice. I looked at the Alesis Multimix and it looks pretty good. Also the article on multitracking was very helpful.
Cool.
 
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