greypilgrim76
New member
Hi All,
I'm starting to assemble a very basic home recording setup, and I've run into one of those fork-in-the-road type decisions, so I figured I'd throw it out to you experts and see what you think.
I'm planning on recording some basic tracks with vocals, acoustic guitar, and maybe a little electric guitar at times. I suspect I'll record each track separately, so I'm not terribly worried about more that a basic stereo output from the mixer/interface. Right now, I've got guitar and vocals going into my recently-purchased Yamaha MG06X mixer, and I need to get it from there into my 2013 MacBook Pro for recording in GarageBand (and maybe something more advanced once I learn enough to warrant it). Since the MG06X doesn't have a USB out, I've been looking at audio interfaces, and I like the look of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2:
Amazon.com: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First: Musical Instruments
However, in researching my options, I discovered that the next step up in Yamaha mixers, the MG10XU, does have a USB out, along with more channels, FX, mixing options, etc.:
Amazon.com: Yamaha MG10XU 10-Input Stereo Mixer with Effects: Musical Instruments
Since my 6-channel mixer is still in Amazon's return window, I could ship it back and get the MG10XU for basically $99. So here's the question: would you recommend keeping the non-USB mixer and running it into the Focusrite audio interface, or switching for the MG10XU and using it for both mixing and interface? I'm certainly interested in thought about each approach generally, and also any brand-specific thoughts on any of the mentioned hardware. My budget's pretty much set at $100–$150, so while I'm sure there are MUCH better pro options out there, I won't be able to explore them right now.
Thanks for any advice!
I'm starting to assemble a very basic home recording setup, and I've run into one of those fork-in-the-road type decisions, so I figured I'd throw it out to you experts and see what you think.
I'm planning on recording some basic tracks with vocals, acoustic guitar, and maybe a little electric guitar at times. I suspect I'll record each track separately, so I'm not terribly worried about more that a basic stereo output from the mixer/interface. Right now, I've got guitar and vocals going into my recently-purchased Yamaha MG06X mixer, and I need to get it from there into my 2013 MacBook Pro for recording in GarageBand (and maybe something more advanced once I learn enough to warrant it). Since the MG06X doesn't have a USB out, I've been looking at audio interfaces, and I like the look of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2:
Amazon.com: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First: Musical Instruments
However, in researching my options, I discovered that the next step up in Yamaha mixers, the MG10XU, does have a USB out, along with more channels, FX, mixing options, etc.:
Amazon.com: Yamaha MG10XU 10-Input Stereo Mixer with Effects: Musical Instruments
Since my 6-channel mixer is still in Amazon's return window, I could ship it back and get the MG10XU for basically $99. So here's the question: would you recommend keeping the non-USB mixer and running it into the Focusrite audio interface, or switching for the MG10XU and using it for both mixing and interface? I'm certainly interested in thought about each approach generally, and also any brand-specific thoughts on any of the mentioned hardware. My budget's pretty much set at $100–$150, so while I'm sure there are MUCH better pro options out there, I won't be able to explore them right now.
Thanks for any advice!