Audio Interface vs Mixing Audio Interface

[Farrestor]

I was wondering if you guys had 700 bucks at your disposal which one you would recommend.

A straight Firewire Interface which brand?


or

A combination like a Mackie Onyx I?

Thanks for any opinions or advice.

 

[cobaltaudio]

interesting question.

Here are a few resources that might help you make that decision:

First option would be a multichannel recording interface and some recording software
Alternatively, a multichannel recording desk (which you would still need a computer to record onto but would be useful for live gigs / PA mixes etc)
Or a standalone recording unit which to get a decent one, is probably out of 700 buck price range.

All these pages are part of a series designed for people recording at home which you might find useful too.

Personally, the dedicated interface and software is much more versatile and probably better value than something that also does analogue mixing which you may not need anyway.

Want the simple answer?

Get Lexicon Ionix FW810s (nice mic amps) and Reaper for a computer. Can't go wrong.

Hope it helps!

 

[Farrestor]

Thanks colbalt! I have an eleven rack and sonar and I'm great at capturing guitar sounds, but was looking for an updated interface for recording drums and vocals. The Lexicon looks wonderful!! I would love to have an analog mixer to mix after it returns back, but can I just hook up a mixer off of the lexicon and do it that way? Thanks for all your help you seem to have an answer for all my noob questions.

 

[arcadeko]

The Mackie 1620 is $899 - if you are recording drums you are going to want 16 channels - if you want something a little less expensive the Alesis Multimix 16 USB 2.0 is about $600 new on ebay, probably elsewhere too (its usb not firewire, not that it makes any difference).

 

[audiodoctor]

I like the Mackie personally since you can record multiple tracks at once and is compatible with many systems and programs today. I still have my Mackie Onyx 1640 that I bought in 2005 and it works with Logic and Macbook Pro 2011 model. On top of that, it has analog preamps which gives you a warm sound in your recordings.