Confused about multi tracks

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Joyof60

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Please help. I may have just blew some bucks that I was trying to save. I have been recording with a Roland FA66 with cakewalks Sonar X3c 64bit, (Win7 64bit), and I have been impressed how well sonar sees and treats all if the inputs in the FA66 as seperate tracks, but I needed a few more inputs. So I bought (trying to save a buck) a Behringer Qx1202usb mixer, thinking I would get at least 8 seperate tracks plus the four with the FA66 which would be 12 and I would be cruising. I hooked up the behringer mixer with the USB and all Sonar gives me as input choices are behringer L, Behringer R, or Behringer Stereo. My FA66 options are there but they are greeted out and are not accessible. How can the FA66 work so well but the mixer is so limited. Should I not have at least 8 channels to choose from instead of doing a manual mix then record it all on just one track. Can anybody help me understand this? Did I throw my money away?
Thanks for any insight at all!
 
Hi there,
I don't know your specific Behringer mixer but the clue is often in the name : Mixer.
Regardless of the number of inputs, they often mix down to stereo so your DAW sees left, right or stereo.

Another problem is that most DAWs will only see/use one interface at a time.
There are exceptions but they're usually advertised exceptions, like the presonus fire pod which allows you to daisy chain multiple fire pods.
OSX lets you create 'aggregate devices' which are virtual interfaces containing several hardware interfaces, but the general rule is that your software will only be happy speaking to one device at a time.

Short answer - You need a new interface with a greater number of inputs.
 
Joyof60 said:
Please help. I may have just blew some bucks that I was trying to save. I have been recording with a Roland FA66 with cakewalks Sonar X3c 64bit, (Win7 64bit), and I have been impressed how well sonar sees and treats all if the inputs in the FA66 as seperate tracks, but I needed a few more inputs. So I bought (trying to save a buck) a Behringer Qx1202usb mixer, thinking I would get at least 8 seperate tracks plus the four with the FA66 which would be 12 and I would be cruising. I hooked up the behringer mixer with the USB and all Sonar gives me as input choices are behringer L, Behringer R, or Behringer Stereo. My FA66 options are there but they are greeted out and are not accessible. How can the FA66 work so well but the mixer is so limited. Should I not have at least 8 channels to choose from instead of doing a manual mix then record it all on just one track. Can anybody help me understand this? Did I throw my money away?
Thanks for any insight at all!
Click to expand...

Yeah man. You likely just threw some cash at something that won't work.

Steeno is right, you are likely unable to get any benefit from the mixer. At least not in the way you were hoping.

Interface with more input channels is the way to go man.
 
The FA66 has digital inputs as well, so you could use those with a preamp with digital out. Like a ART DSPII. I have one I can sell, though I don't know where you live. Still, much better to upgrade your interface for your needs anyway.
 
Thanks guys!
Indeed what I was afraid of. I currently use the digital inputs to run my Fantom X8 through, a pair of low Z mics through the 1 and two ins, with an acoustic guitar pickup through the 3/4 inputs. I could maybe split the 3/4 ins and run the mixer through one of those with the USB disconnected? Using the other 3/4 for the acoustic pickup? Does that sound feasible??
 
It looks like your interface has four analog inputs and two of them are unbalanced. You won't get more out of it any which way.(digital excluded).

Your guitar is mono so it should take up three or four. Not both.
If you piped the mixer into the remaining input you'd actually be limiting it's use to mono!
The only use there would be to combine analog signals down to mono pre-daw, or to use the mixer as a single mic preamplifier for that interface line input.

How are you getting the fantom into that interface? Looks like the fantom has s/pdif over coax but the interface wants to see it over light pipe?
 
Thanks for the insight, and time!!
I am actually running the Fantom R/L analog out to a A/D converter and from there into the digital in (optical/tos) on the FA66. I am trying to embrace the fact that the 12 channel stereo mixer with nice preamps and EQ with effects is going to be used as a single mic mono bridge to the FA66. There is an aux send on the mixer, if I'm able to patch into the FA66 without the USB connection, maybe I can run the mains mono to input3 and dedicate another channel to the aux and connect it mono from the aux send to input 4 in the FA66. At least if that will work I will feel a little better getting the use of two balenced inputs on the mixer instead of just one. ; /
I can recreate a nice stereo simulation in the DAW. Or am I thinking all screwy again?
 
Sorry, I think there's crossed wires.
What I said before was on the assumption that your mic inputs were in use and channel 3 was in use by your guitar.

If interface inputs 3+4 are free then just run the mixers main outputs to those inputs.
Anything panned left on the mixer goes to 3, anything panned right goes to 4.

All of this is assuming the mixer will operate as an analog unit without USB connection. I don't know if it will or not.
 
Well ...... Now that makes perfect sense and much more simple than my plan. Steen I thank you very much!
 
The other dilemma here is that you can't use two interfaces at the same time in Windows. If I'm getting you right, that is.

Cheers :)
 
What about using the SPDIF input/output on the FA66. Does the mixer have SPIDF in/outs you can plug into the FA66? Can you return the mixer for a stereo preamp that has SPIDF in/outs.
 
PDP said:
What about using the SPDIF input/output on the FA66. Does the mixer have SPIDF in/outs you can plug into the FA66? Can you return the mixer for a stereo preamp that has SPIDF in/outs.
Click to expand...

Mo Facta said:
The other dilemma here is that you can't use two interfaces at the same time in Windows. If I'm getting you right, that is.

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

All covered, Gentlemen.
 
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