Cheap mixing desk for Otari MX5050 MKIII

[HendryJ]

Hello!

I recently purchased this Otari which Im very excited to get up and running but Im kinda on the lookout for a new mixing desk to use with it. Right now Im using an old Fostex 8 channel model 450 (i think), and though it has served me well I think it is time to upgrade. I remember reading a little about desks with tape return but I cant seem to find it again in these forums.

Maybe someone can help me with some tips what to look for? I dont have the biggest budget but I wouldnt mind saving up a little. Im also looking for some decent compressor unit for mixing purposes...

Cheers all

 

[ecc83]

Hello!

I recently purchased this Otari which Im very excited to get up and running but Im kinda on the lookout for a new mixing desk to use with it. Right now Im using an old Fostex 8 channel model 450 (i think), and though it has served me well I think it is time to upgrade. I remember reading a little about desks with tape return but I cant seem to find it again in these forums.

Maybe someone can help me with some tips what to look for? I dont have the biggest budget but I wouldnt mind saving up a little. Im also looking for some decent compressor unit for mixing purposes...

Cheers all

You need an 8"bus" mixer? Not likely to find such a thing new, cheaply and second hand could be iffy.
My solution would be to find a mixer with the required number of ins and make sure it has inserts. I have often doodled the switching to turn inserts into tape send/returns.....Corse, you analogue only boys HAVE to be wizards wiv a sloder iron donecha?

Dave.

 

[mdainsd]

1) How many tracks is the Otari?
2) what do you intend to do?

That will help generate answers.

 

[HendryJ]

Hello and thanks for the answers The MKIII is 8 tracks, and what I intend to do with it is both recording onthe Otari and mixing down from it on to a 2-track using a couple outboard effect units (mainly compressor and reverb).

 

[ecc83]

Hello and thanks for the answers The MKIII is 8 tracks, and what I intend to do with it is both recording onthe Otari and mixing down from it on to a 2-track using a couple outboard effect units (mainly compressor and reverb).

Ah! Well now, if you wanted to get 8 tracks recorded at once you would need 8 mic pres and 8 outs but maybe that is not your goal? If you want to BUILD 8 tracks piecemeal and then mix those down to stereo you only need a 2 bus mixer, i.e. 8 line ins, 2 outs.
In fact I have the very chap! Allen and Heath ZED1O (actually the FX usb version) . 4 excellent mic pres (enough?) and a total of 8 possible line ins (4 mono 2 stereo) Bit of a fudge to get 8 mixes but you will probably not beat the quality of sound and build at the price?
Mind you, if you want posh P&G 100mm faders it'll cost thee!

Dave.

 

[mdainsd]

Ok then. Id look for a mixer with 8 to 16 inputs. The additional ones let you add more tracks at mixdown, like 8 from the Otari and 8 "live" if you think you may need that. Otherwise an 8 channel. Myself I would then narrow the search to units that have "direct out" on each channel strip. These hook up to the Otari inputs. The outputs from the Otari go back into the "line inputs" on each strip. This preserves the Inserts send and receives for use with outboard processing on each channel.

 

[fgonza2]

Hello!

I recently purchased this Otari which Im very excited to get up and running but Im kinda on the lookout for a new mixing desk to use with it. Right now Im using an old Fostex 8 channel model 450 (i think), and though it has served me well I think it is time to upgrade. I remember reading a little about desks with tape return but I cant seem to find it again in these forums.

Maybe someone can help me with some tips what to look for? I dont have the biggest budget but I wouldnt mind saving up a little. Im also looking for some decent compressor unit for mixing purposes...

Cheers all

Get an Allen & Heath 20:8:2 - good quality, preamps, not too expensive and it has 8 busses and it has a small footprint. I paid $350 for mine like a year ago.

 

[ecc83]

Ok then. Id look for a mixer with 8 to 16 inputs. The additional ones let you add more tracks at mixdown, like 8 from the Otari and 8 "live" if you think you may need that. Otherwise an 8 channel. Myself I would then narrow the search to units that have "direct out" on each channel strip. These hook up to the Otari inputs. The outputs from the Otari go back into the "line inputs" on each strip. This preserves the Inserts send and receives for use with outboard processing on each channel.

I am not dead sure because I have not used that setup but surely if you set the tape machine for "source monitoring" it will feedback?

Dave.

 

[Blue Jinn]

A 12 in 4 out board that also has direct outs is fine for an 8 track, depending on your methods. There are a lot of discussions here on various models that would work. You can use the add'l 4 inputs for effect returns. When I first got an 8 track it came with a Teac 5, which is an 8x4 board, with one effect send, channel inserts, direct outs. It only has four tape returns, so need to repatch four inputs for a mix down, as opposed to flipping a switch on the board. But even with those apparent limitations, it still has a lot of ins and outs, so it can be expanded with, e.g. something like an 8x2 (Teac 1) board with some creative patching. I think the more I/O the better.

Also, I think ecc83 is correct, you need to verify the signal routing to avoid an ugly howling sound, although I tend to record direct in using the line ins more, and also rely on the busses.