mixing desk to DAW?

[jamesbecker]

hey

iv had been wondering for a long time now how to big studios get signal from an analog desk, or something similar, into a DAW and then be able to mix the levels etc from the desk? if anyone can explain the signal flow it would be greatly appreciated

reason why im asking is that in the future i hope to upgrade my little set up to include a desk to get more inputs (2 inputs is restricting) and have more freedom when mixing the session instead of using the mixers in the DAW.. i like to be more hands on.

also, would sound quality increase? assume the same mics are used, sound quality would increase when using a desk as the preamps are better then on an interface? correct me if im wrong.

cheers

 

[TimOBrien]

How to Hookup a Mixer

works the same with small mixers as with big desks.

 

[Track Rat]

The short story is you'd need a sound card/ interface that has as many inputs and outputs as you'd want mixer channels. That's the type of system I run. I use a Alesis HD24 along with a MOTU 2408 mkII as a 24 channel "sound card" along with a Tascam M-3500.

 

[Mo Facta]

hey

iv had been wondering for a long time now how to big studios get signal from an analog desk, or something similar, into a DAW and then be able to mix the levels etc from the desk? if anyone can explain the signal flow it would be greatly appreciated

As it has already been alluded to, you will need an interface or converters with the same number of physical inputs and outputs as your mixer. Here is the signal flow for every channel of a 24 channel system:

Channel 1-24 direct out -> Channel 1-24 A/D in
Channel 1-24 D/A out -> Channel 1-24 line/tape in

reason why im asking is that in the future i hope to upgrade my little set up to include a desk to get more inputs (2 inputs is restricting) and have more freedom when mixing the session instead of using the mixers in the DAW.. i like to be more hands on.

also, would sound quality increase? assume the same mics are used, sound quality would increase when using a desk as the preamps are better then on an interface? correct me if im wrong.

Bare in mind that you are not likely to see an improvement if you use a prosumer-grade mixer like Mackie or Behringer. You will almost certainly get better results mixing in the box (ITB), in my opinion. Coupled with a mediocre interface it might even degrade the quality of your mix. Also bare in mind that big studios that use this type of setup have usually spent a ton of money on all components in order to achieve a "better" sound quality.

Although, that's not to say it won't be a worthwhile exercise to learn the basics of this approach. That being said, if you're working with more tracks than you have mixer channels you will still have to stem everything out to the console and rely on the DAW for automation, plugins, etc.

This is on the topic of "summing" and it is widely accepted that summing in the analog domain is only worth it if you have 16 channels or more of top quality conversion and summing channels.

Cheers

 

[Hakea]

hey


reason why im asking is that in the future i hope to upgrade my little set up to include a desk to get more inputs (2 inputs is restricting) and have more freedom when mixing the session instead of using the mixers in the DAW.. i like to be more hands on.

As others have suggested, increasing inputs is not an automatic function of switching to a mixer, it's a separate issue. Unless you have a specific reason to want to mix audio 'outside the box' then for home recording a popular solution is to get a better quality audio interface with more inputs. There are reasons of course, but they're not just about the method of control. You may already know some of this, but there's often confusion about exactly what task each part does. Mixers aren't just beefed up audio interfaces, they do a different job. They won't necessarily give you "more freedom" - but they may allow you to play with some knobs and sliders, if that's what you're really after. You might also like to look into the option of a 'control surface' - which looks similar to an external mixer but which allows you to control the mixing in your DAW using external sliders and knobs instead of a mouse and keyboard. I'd definitely recommend doing some more research on how each option works before buying anything as it's easy (and pretty common if posts here are anything to go by) to buy the wrong tool, because it's not hard to get, uh.... mixed... up about which component does which job and why.

also, would sound quality increase? assume the same mics are used, sound quality would increase when using a desk as the preamps are better then on an interface? correct me if im wrong.

cheers

Yes, you're wrong, or at least not necessarily right. As Mo Facta said, a cheap mixer might actually make things worse. Assessing the quality of preamps, whether they're built in to mixers or audio interfaces, or stand alone boxes is an issue in its own right.

Good luck with it, you're going the right way by doing the asking and reading before buying.

Chris

 

[jamesbecker]

thanks for the replies guys, really cleared up a lot!

not going to be rushing into buying anything expensive yet though, just for future planning. i just got into a 2 year sound production course that has a few really high grade studios that i'll be working in in the near future, so no doubt i will be learning a lot about outboard gear etc when doing that.

after reading around, would it be better to get say an 8 input interface and use a control surface for the faders etc to mix out of the box? iv done more live FOH work then studio work (other then the stuff i own) and i prefer the feel of using a desk, or faders, to control the mix..

cheers

 

[Capt Hair]

after reading around, would it be better to get say an 8 input interface and use a control surface for the faders etc to mix out of the box? iv done more live FOH work then studio work (other then the stuff i own) and i prefer the feel of using a desk, or faders, to control the mix..

cheers

That's up to you. If your workflow is that much better using an actual control surface by all means go for it, just realize that will be more money that could be going to a new microphone or preamp that will actually improve your recordings. Just my opinion, a control service is nice to have, but by no means necessary.

 

[Mo Facta]

With a control surface you're still technically mixing "in the box" because you're merely controlling the software. All operations are still done internally.

It can, however, give you a more hands on feel and it forces you to listen because you're looking at the faders and not the screen when you're making your balances, etc.

Cheers