Help! Do I need to purchase a mixer or new soundcard?

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How does one go about hooking up a mixer to the soundcard? What benefits will I gain? Currently I record one track at a time but am constantly plugging/unplugging different pieces of equipment. Also, if I want to record a drum kit, or more than on einstrument/person, wouldn't I need all the mixer inputs or would a soundcard with more inputs be a better solution?
Currently I'm using SBLive w/live drive. (I know this isn't the best audio card in the world)
 
You have a couple options. You could purchase a card with 1/4" analog inputs and then get a mixer - you're gonna need mic preamps, or you could get a card that has mic preamps built in - like the Aardvark Q10, MOTU 896, etc...

If you get the mixer and card, the mixer will have inserts, and sometimes line outs, that you would hook directly into the inputs of your sound card, allowing you to record multiple tracks at once.
 
Yea, but you'll only have one stereo input - or is it two? Either way, you can send a submix of whatever channels you want (or the whole mix) to the your sound card.
 
I was thinking about getting the Behringer MX1604A. If I have this right, I can send, say, an acoustic with a vocal thru the mixer but since I only have one stereo input on my card, it gets recorded onto one track. How does one use a mixer to record multiple things onto multiple tracks? More 1/4" inputs on the soundcard?
 
How does one use a mixer to record multiple things onto multiple tracks? More 1/4" inputs on the soundcard?
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Yes. Though you can probably record two tracks at once with your current setup. I assume neither the guitar or vocals are being recorded in stereo, so that's two mono tracks. Just set up your audio app to record the left channel on one track, and the right channel on the other track. I'm not familiar with the live drive thingy, but I think this is doable.
 
As elevate suggested, you can record two tracks simultaneously with a soundblaster card. You need to set up your recording software so that the source for Track 1 is your SB left input, and the source for Track 2 is your SB right input. Then you'll need a splitter (Y cable) going into your sound card that allows you to send two individual mono sources into the stereo input jack on the SB card. Radio Shack should have something that will work for you. You then will need to cable the direct outs from your mixer (or channel inserts if you don't have direct outs) into the splitter cable.

However, you said you're recording an accoustic guitar and a vocal. If you are micing both of these, you're going to get bleed from one track to the other anyway - so putting them on individual tracks isn't going to buy you much.

Here's an idea. Record a scratch track with both the vocal and the guitar on it. Then rerecord the vocal (only) by singing along to the scratch track and recording it to a new track. Repeat with the guitar, and then delete the scratch track. A little more time consuming, but it will get you two isolated tracks.
 
dachay2tnr... that is some great advice. I do that all the time. You damn near HAVE to a lot of the time. This type of, "scratch track" method can save the day in SO many situations.

When I am recording a full band, it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to get a drummer or bass player to lay down the back bone of the song without playing along with their buddy on the guitar. So I just take the guitar player, who is usually a better musician than the other two, (nothing against bassists and drummers... but hey...) and I have the guitarist play through the whole song on track one with just a click track going through his head phones. Nothing spectacular... just somethine to give the drummer a guideline for where he is in the song. Then the drummer will record his tracks with a click in one ear and the guitar in the other, or sometimes, a click AND the guitar in both ears (if he is really thick). Then the bass player lays his down over the guitar and the drums, and then I delete the first "scratch track" of the guitar... and go back and do it right with real attention to performance et cetera. Then any 2nd, 3rd 4th guitar parts there after. And then the vocals.

All from that original throw away "scratch track".



How do the pros do it anyway? I never read that method anywhere. It is just what I "invented" because it worke for me. I am no Metallica fan or anything, but how does a metal band that sounds SOOOOO water-tight record? What order? please do not tell me that Lars ulrich just sits down and bangs out the song and then the bass comes in on top and the guitars... becasue if that is the case then... Lars. RESPECT man... fucking Respect!

Mike
 
How metal bands record

I can't say this is for all cases, but in our case it's always been to record a scratch guitar and drums. Then bass, rhythm guitars, lead guitars, and almost always vocals last.
 
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