Confusion: MR-8 with an external mixer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike BL
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Mike BL

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Okay, after spending some time with my new MR-8, the next step is to pick up a mixer so I can record drums adequately. The one I've got my eye on is the Behringer 1202. As much as I look at all the photos and even read the manual on the Behringer site, though, I can't quite figure out how everything gets hooked up. Just as gospel said in his post about his new monitors, I've got some serious issues figuring out exactly what wires are supposed to go where.

Here's what I want to do...it's very simple, I think: record drums with 4 mics (snare, kick, 2 overheads), and mix 'em down to two tracks on the MR-8.

So my questions:

A) How exactly will the mixer be connected to the MR-8?

B) How exactly do I make four tracks become two

C) Would my monitors (or headphones) be hooked uo to the mixer or to the MR-8?

Thanks in advance...like I said, I'm pretty new to this, so all your help is greatly appreciated.

Mike
 
Mike;

Hi Bro and welcome!!! I don't own the MR8 but I do have the Manual on PDF. I use the VF160CDR

A) How exactly will the mixer be connected to the MR-8?
Click to expand...

You can run two 1/4 guitar cords from the Main Outputs on the UB1202 to the Line Inputs (A&B) on the MR8.


B) How exactly do I make four tracks become two
Click to expand...

Buy using the UB1202 and it's Main Outputs, you are already Mixing your 4 Mics down to 2 Outputs which will become 2 Tracks when recorded into the MR8.

C) Would my monitors (or headphones) be hooked uo to the mixer or to the MR-8?
Click to expand...

For initial mixing of the Drums, you want to use your headphones on the UB12002 to get a good basic mix before recording. Then you can set the levels on the inputs of the MR8. Make sure that you start low on the Trim Controls on the MR8 and slowly turn them up.

If you will be isolated from the Drums, you can use the Monitors instead of the headphones.

While recording, you can check both the mix in the UB1202 and the MR8.

Hope this helps. :cool:

CR ><>
 
Just to add a little sumpin. You don't HAVE to record on two tracks. Your 4 mics can just as easily be recorded on one track....just arm one track.


bd
 
Thanks, folks.

So when I connect the mixer to the MR-8, and I arm, say, tracks 1 and 2, those four tracks on the mixer will automatically be recorded onto those two tracks?

I will be doing all of my panning and EQ-ing on the mixer itself, correct?

Thanks again.
 
Yes, unless you want to pan the tracks too. The MR8 will send the left input to track 1 and the right input will go to track 2, so the panning can be done at the mixer, but you can also do some counter-panning by using the pan controls on the MR8. Did that make any sense?


bd
 
Axe4Yahweh said:
For initial mixing of the Drums, you want to use your headphones on the UB12002 to get a good basic mix before recording. Then you can set the levels on the inputs of the MR8. Make sure that you start low on the Trim Controls on the MR8 and slowly turn them up.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to have the levels on the MR-8 set anywhere besides all the way counterclockwise, to "line." Otherwise you'll be using the MR-8's crappy pre-amp's on each input, which will add noise/coloration. Although the Behringer mixer's pre-amps aren't known to be all that spectacular either, I'm sure they're better than those on the MR-8, which I haven't been happy with at all. In other words, you can get an identical degree of gain, but with less noise, using the mixer to control your recording levels, rather than the MR-8.

Note that the faders on the MR-8 DO NOT control recording volume!!!

Only those little knobs near the XLR jacks on the top left control the recording level. The faders on the MR-8 are just for monitoring volume, and should be kept towards the top, right where those three lines are, when you're using that particular track. So in your case, you want to move the faders up on only the two tracks you have "armed" and are recording to, unless there's stuff you're monitoring on the other tracks while you record (probably not, since drums are typically recorded first, right?). Otherwise all the other faders besides the master one should be all the way down.

So I'd recommend using the mixer's controls to alter your recording levels, watching for clipping on the MR-8's LCD screen; don't mess with the trim controls on the MR-8 (just leave them set to "line")
 
I use a little Mackie board exactly as you describe. I love Mackie boards. I use the 1202 VLZ pro for my drums and we use a CFX16 for our P.A. ... you might take a look at Mackie if you haven't already snagged a board.
 
Holy canoli

THAT'S what I've been doing wrong! I have been using the mr-8's "crappy little pre-amp" by adjusting the trim instead of setting it to "line" and allowing my lil' mackie to do the job!

I am assuming that this would be applicable to any instrument input from a seperate mixer?

You may have just shaved years of experimentation and failure from my existence!

Let me know if I have interpretted this correctly as far as other insruments....

A thousand thank you's preceed your answer!
 
MidnitEvil said:
I use a little Mackie board exactly as you describe. I love Mackie boards. I use the 1202 VLZ pro for my drums and we use a CFX16 for our P.A. ... you might take a look at Mackie if you haven't already snagged a board.
Click to expand...

I have a mackie 808m. I am not at all familiar with the models you listed, but would assume that they are similar in some aspects to mine. Any tips you may care to share would be greatly appreciated, and I was curious what kind of music you play...
 
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