HD-Recording Question, Mixing-Desk or MOTU 24 I/O?

[gagajeanx]

Hi everyone, i'm new here.

well, i got a homestudio since several years and to be honest i'm quite outdated with the latest/newest recoding technologie.

here's my current studio setup:
Mac Pro Quad Core (8-Core) (just bought), logic pro 9, motu 828mk2, yamaha O2R v2 mixer (1st generation from the 90's) and several keyboards/synthesizers.

i started working more and more using software synthesizers so that's why i'll kick off most of my hardware synths.

i'll probably keep around 10 hardware synths but will sell the rest and use VSTi's instead. For all Effect units, i already use VST's only.

on my digital O2R mixing desk i do got complete 40 channels but won't use them all in the future, since i'm going to sell some of my gear.

first i was thinking of buying a smaller, newer and more up-to-date digital mixing-desk to replace my O2R but i'm asking myself, if nowadays a mixing-desk is still really needed, when i do complete HD-recording anyway.

i'm producing electronic music only, so no recordings of guitars, brasses or any other, just synths only. also i'm a producer by myself and don't have to record a complete band for example.

here's who i've done it so far:
all hardware synths are analog contected to my O2R. O2R is digitally conected to my motu 828mk2 and motu828mk2 is connected to my Mac Pro by firewire. i mixed all hardware synths tracks on my O2R and recorded them afterwards digitally as audio/wav tracks in logic 9. afterwards i've done the final mix of each single track within logic to the final complete song.

so my O2R mixing-desk is actually only here to get/record my hardware synths into Mac/Logic by using much of space in my studio
so wouldn't it be better buying (for example) the motu 24 I/O to record the hardware synths into logic instead of using/recording on the big O2R?

well, i'm still a newbie in this newer HD-Recording stuff. do i forget something or would this really be the better solution?

beside others, i checked the RME Fireface 800 but there's not the possibility to connect all 24 jack cables at once as it's possible on the Motu24 I/O.

what do you guys mean, does a Motu 24I/O or an other similar gear, replace the whole O2R mixing-desk nowadays?

will there be a hearable difference between them? if so, which one's better?

do you guys still work with mixing-desk (those of you who produce electronic music only)?

do you still work by using a desktop mixing-desk?

i'm a bit confused, cause most of the pros in the electronic scene do still use desktop mixing-desks, i believe.

what do you think to the whole thing?

i'd be greatfull to every answer and every help.

thanks in advance and best wishes to all of you.

cheers
hans

 

[noisewreck]

I'd say if you're using a digital mixer, you might as well ditch it and go for complete ITB setup, as long as you get an audio interface with AD converters that will match the digital mixer. MOTU is good. Also, if you have the budget, keep in mind you can use more than one RME Fireface 800 to give you more I/O.

If you like the tactile feel of a mixer, then you can replicate it by using a control surface such as the ones from Mackie for example.