Have Mixer or Mixerless?

[mixsit]

ITB for quite a while now but still would not want to be without the routing, monitoring, problem solving and options of the mixer.
wayne

 

[Treeline]

Mackie Onyx mixer for tracking and monitoring, with n-track, moving to Adobe Audition 1.5. I use the mixer for FOH on live gigs, track on location with an AKAI DPS16 and it's pretty reliable. Haven't messed with the firewire yet, but I'm told there will be a day with an extra couple of hours in it Real Soon Now... Mixing has always been in the box for me (carpel tunnel syndrome style), but I'd like to try out a Tascam USB control board some day.

 

[Atterion]

Analog mixer for tracking, routing external FX units, and Monitoring. In the box for mixing (via hardware controllers usually, unless graphic automation is easier).

 

[NoSalaryCap]

Never used a mixer, never would.

 

[treymonfauntre]

i use my old soundcraft mixer for anytime i need more than 3 mics. i have an echo gina with 8 outputs so maybe if i get real bored and curious i'll grab a tape deck and mix down onto that from my mixer.

 

[Jay_west]

I perfer knobs but im mixerless.... right now untill I decide on getting a USB Mixer, with more research and all that good stuff.

 

[grweldon]

12 years ago when I stopped recording and sold my equipment, I was completely analog, as digital gear was cost prohibitive. These days, I record with my (ancient) DA-88 and DA-38 in combination with a Mackie 1642. I have messed around with software multitracking, and I can see where it could provide lots of options only previously offered in very costly gear. I'm messing with the Quartz Audio Master and Cool Edit Pro software now. I'll try others as I find the demos before settling on one to use. Digital is cool. I like mixing ITB!

 

[warstory]

i use my roland 24 channel basically because it allows alot more inputs than my two channel preamp. Anything that i can manage with 2 channels such as vocals or guitar if im recording direct ill go straight into the preamp but if im not going to stoop to a 2 mic drum recording through my preamp when i have 24 channels at my disposal. It also allows me to mess with the mix of the track im recording before its even recorded.

 

[ZenFly]

DM3200 here. I've been using it for a couple of months now and love it. It is the best option for my little one man studio. The ability to have templates, memory, automation, pres, eq, dynamics, fx and remote layer all in one box is perfect for my situation.

I get 24 tracks in/out via TDIF > 2408Mk3 > Sonar 5P and it sounds great!

And it fits perfectly with my motif of All digital, not a tube in sight.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Things are getting out of hand...

I now use 2 Tascam digital mixers, a Mackie Control, a trackball and a keyboard....

 

[Tim Brown]

When I switch over to recording on the PC - which is goingto be in the not too distant future - I will be mixerless. i'm going to get a dual G5 Mac with Logic Pro 7.0 or whatever the latest version will be.
keeping the signal within the digital domain is important to me because my Number one enemy is noise. I'm going to go with:

MOTU 24 IO (24 channel I/O via Firewire)
Mac Dual G5

And I'll probably invest at least $2,000 or so in a pair or two of New Monitors.

And then I'll be looking at Mic Pre's.
But my whole deal is I want to be able to do 24 channels to 24-tracks live, and have it as quite as possible once it goes to disk. For me, that means keeping my entire path in digital.

When I first bought my digital recording setup in either 1999 or 2000, I didn't trust the computer. I came from the analog world, and for me the format wasn't stable enough to trust - I liked the idea of tape. But now, there are so many people recording via the PC it isn't funny, so it's become a proven format.
I personally feel that the Dual G5/Logic Pro set up is the most stable combination out there for the cash.


Tim

 

[xfinsterx]

I dont think that mixing on as desk makes much diff from ITB until you start getting on to the more top end desks.

If you have crumby converters, and a pro-sumer mix board its of no benefit to mix outboard IMO...and this is speaking strcitly from a fidelity standpoint.
Sending your audio through crumby conversion twice dosent help matters.

I mean sure if you like to move faders, fine whip out your eurodesk and move faders, but you get my point i hope.

OTOH i dont mind mixing ITB at all. With the plugs from Mcdsp, URS, and UA there are plenty of good things to go to in that realm that sound great.

So here it is.

Got a great desk, and some killer converters?
Mix outboard! It just sounds better.

Got some crappy mix board, and a ghetto soundcard?

Id stay ITB.

Merry Christmas!

-Finster

 

[amra]

I use the mixer for the pres - I come in through the input then use a direct out on each channel to each input of my interface. This gives me seperate 16 pres. I do the actual mixing in the box.

 

[Sampler]

I started out with a cheap mixer and thought it was great...until I realized how much better my recordings sounded when I just used my audio interface. I'm currently mixerless, but I'll go back one day when I get a much better (and bigger ) mixer.

 

[gvdv]

Well, for several reason I use a mixer.

1. I get several pre-amps through my mixer and I don't get that through my soundcard.
2. I can control my monitors, I can use one of the channels as a talk back, I can add effects if I like, I can mix several signals together.
3. It is a great deal easier to use your mixer (sometimes) than it is using your software mixer.
4. Having a software mixer does not preclude me from owning an analog mixer.
5. I can Track with my mixer without latency issues, no matter what the soundcard or my computer is doing.
6. I can add reverb (tracking mix) on to vocals if I desire to make playback to the performer.
7. I can use my 14 channel (1402 VLZ) in a live performance, which I cannot do with my desktop computer and I don't need to carry all kind of fancy equipment (like a computer screen, computer, a keyboard, mouse).
8. An analog mixer helps me understand the recording aspect much easier than a software mixer. I can see, inputs, AUX, sends, outs, etc which may or may not be true for the software mixer.
9. It makes me feel better.
10. I want to continue the legacy of the analog mixer.

Do software mixers not allow one to use one of the channels as talkback? Can one not mix several channels together through software mixers?

GVDV

 

[Superdot]

I´m completly mixerless now, and Im not going back...

PC
Audiophile192 4outs/2 ins
M-patch passive volume controller and monitor switcher (more transparent than any mixer I ever used)
Headphone amp
DAV electronics BG1 dual preamp
Behringer BCF2000 control surface
USB midi keyboard

I´d like to have more different flava preamps, a good patchbay to use em all, an apogee rosetta 200 instead of m-audio converters, a mackie control instead of my behringer BCF2000, a piano-feel USB midi keyboard instead of mine, and a goldpoint stepped attenuator instead the M-patch (pot based), but I love the simplicity of this working method for a project studio, I wouldn´t change it.

 

[usdn rep]

12 channel mixer............Lookin for a usb mixer later on........I like the analog feel and for my set up a usb mixer is better.........Software mixers are

 

[fenderlady]

I use an Allen & Heath MixWizard 16:2.

 

[Minion]

I use an 8ch Mixer to Mix my Drums to a Stereo Signal and output to my Delta 44 Via Inputs 1 and 2 in stereo, I then use Inputs 3 and 4 for Guitar and Bass and Mix and Master in the PC.....

So I guess i am mixing Drums in analogue but everything else in Digital.....


Cheers

 

[Emusic]

I have a Mackie 1202 but aint using it. Since I got my Mackie onyx 400F I have multiple inputs and dont need the 1202 anymore.
I wont say I never will go to a hardware mixer again, but then it probably will be a full scale digital mixer.
Until then I will stay mixerless, maybe with a Mackiecontrol or two one day after I have robbed a bank.