'Live' mixdown

M

mfdjuve

New member
The only way I know how to mixdown, is by line out of my 488, into the R and L inputs of my Audio interface. Listening to the song till I'm happy, then just simply recording it into a program all at once. I avoid recording each track individually because of latency BS. Whilst the the whole 'live' mixing down is fun, it's very limiting and well a pain in the ass.

With only the 2 effects sends on the 488, I wish I could put for example different types of reverb, on different tracks. At the moment, I know only how to vary the amount. Maybe I'm missing something?

With my plan to buy a reel to reel soon, then mix down to computer. Will I encounter the same 'issues'? Probably the most helpful question would be..what's the norm for mixing down totally analog? with regards to adding effects and not having to mix live.

these questions keep me up at night :)
 
mfdjuve said:
With only the 2 effects sends on the 488, I wish I could put for example different types of reverb, on different tracks. At the moment, I know only how to vary the amount. Maybe I'm missing something?
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Unless you have three FX units you won't be able to do that anyway. If you can live with mono reverb, what you could try is adding reverb while overdubbing each track. Obviously you won't be able to change the level afterwards, though.

With my plan to buy a reel to reel soon, then mix down to computer. Will I encounter the same 'issues'? Probably the most helpful question would be..what's the norm for mixing down totally analog? with regards to adding effects and not having to mix live.
Click to expand...
For adding effects, you would either bake them onto the multitrack (as mentioned above) or have multiple effects units and a desk with lots of send/receive channels.

There are two ways to get around the hassles of 'mixing live' in an all-analogue setup - I'm not sure either is really suitable for you. The first way is to get a high-end desk with automation - you would then be able to record the fader positions and overdub them, or set them up under computer control, depending on the automation provided. These desks are extremely expensive, though.

The other way it used to be done - prior to automation - was by mixing the song in small pieces and splicing the 2-track master together. That way you can combine the best bits of several mixes, in theory at least. Though you trade one hassle for another, arguably worse one.

For me, I just mix it over and over until I'm happy with it.

AFAIK the only alternative is to do it digitally.
 
Just ride the faders while the track is playing.
If you got a desk with monitor outputs you can send your effects to the monitor outs, then back into another channel strip. Then you got a dry track and a wet track on the desk and can pan and EQ them differently. IMO it gives better control over the effects and can be used to make really strange sounds as well.
If you're a guitarist try messing with your pedals - you may be surprised.
 
The live mixdown is a pain in the patootie but on the 488 it's the only way, I've found. When I'm doing a mix, further complicating things is that some of my pieces are long, quite a few the entire 22 minutes of a C90 with alot of track sharing and therefore lots of different combinations to deal with at any given moment. Nearly always initially a nightmare, it is notable how a few attempts and then thinking about it seems to memorize it in my mind. Adding effects can be done but I've tended to have them on beforehand.
The 488 is for jugglers !
 
One thing that helps me with tracks that switch between instruments is making a note of the timecode when the panning or level changes. However, that obviously requires a timecode reader with a display, and losing a track would suck if you aren't already using one for MIDI.
 
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