M-Audio FastTrack

  • Thread starter Thread starter crewjones
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crewjones said:
How can I go from the Fasttrack USB (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackUSB-main.html) to a Mackie mixer? I want to use multiple mics plugged into the mixer going into the Fasttrack preamp. I don't care about individual mic preamps right know.
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Well, since this is the drum forum, I'm going to assume you're recording drums. Really, the Fast Track is not ideally suited to this job, as it only has one 1/4" line input and one XLR mic input. That means you'll have to submix your drums and send the main L/R outputs to the Fast Track, with one channel going into the XLR and one into the 1/4" (I think it is possible to use both inputs simultaneously on the Fast Track, but I'm not entirely sure). You will then have to balance your levels for the L/R within the software, as the XLR input will tend to be hotter (louder) than the 1/4" input. Of course, you could just have all your drums panned to the center and just send a mono mix to the Fast Track.

Ideally, you should look into getting an interface that has as many inputs as you need (one for each drum mic, etc.) so you can send each to a separate track in the software for ease of mixing later. If your computer has a PCI slot, then M-Audio makes the Delta series of cards (the Delta 44/66 have 4 inputs and the Delta 1010 has 8 inputs). If you have firewire, the Presonus Firepod has 8 inputs (with preamps). If you must use USB, then get a unit that has at least 2 similar inputs. The Fast Track Pro from M-Audio would be an idea.
 
thanks for the info. I will eventually get the Presonus Firepod. I like that it has the interface and preamps in one. My old band used to use the Echo Layla. But I got the Fasttrack for free. The Mixer I am using is a Mackie DFX12. What exactly do I plug into each for this to work?
 
crewjones said:
thanks for the info. I will eventually get the Presonus Firepod. I like that it has the interface and preamps in one. My old band used to use the Echo Layla. But I got the Fasttrack for free. The Mixer I am using is a Mackie DFX12. What exactly do I plug into each for this to work?
Click to expand...

Well, it looks like you have XLR outputs, so a standard XLR mic cable will work for the XLR input. For the 1/4" input, you'll need an XLR->1/4" cable.
 
I know how to recording to a computer with just the Fasttrack. What I want to do is use 4+ mics on a mixing board (Mackie DFX12) going into the Fasttrack going into the Computer. Can this be done?
 
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