Mackie board and a sequencer

[monkey boy]

I am about to jump into the computer recording pond and I am
curious about the Mackie 1202s and 1604s as a pre amp. I've
heard they warm up a signal greatly but is there any noticable
hiss when tracking? Also what sequencing software can I
get for under $150 that is simple to use, can handle up to 24
tracks and looks cool? That last bit isn't necessarily a requirement.
It would just be nice if it did look good. Finally Behringer vs
Mackie. Should I consider them? Thanks, Monkey

 

[AlChuck]

Actually Mackies are not known for warming up your mic signal, they are known for pristine, quiet, clear signal paths.

Most folks here will tell you that the Behringers are a cheap knock-off of the Mackies. I have one, though, and it's been fine for my needs.

 

[elbenj]

First of all the price difference between the 1202 (375$) and the1604(900) close to 600$

The mic pres are the same in both mixers. The 1202 has 4 the
1604 has 16. The 1202 doesnt have direct outs the 1604 has 8.

If you go the 1202 route, you can get an audio card and that
software you were asking about ( the multitracking software
comes bundles with audio card) for the price of the 1604 alone.

The audio cards I am speaking of are the Aardvark LX6 or Direct
Pro 2496 they come with a full version of Cakewalk.

There are other other audio cards in that price range like the
Delta series and the Echo series that are bundled with multiracking software.

There is also the Mackie 1642VLZ mixer thats in between the 1202vlz and the 1604vlz about 150$ cheaper it has 10 mic pre,s
but it has XLR main outs along with 1/4 trs..whereas the 1604
doesnt have the XLR main outs. The 1642 is a better buy in my opinion. I would also be willing to bet that the last 4 or more mic pre,s on the 1604 are absolute Do Do

 

[monkey boy]

Absolutely excellent info on the Mackies Elbenj and thanks
Alchuck for your advice as well. I guess I'll track down a
1642 VLZ as price wise thats in my range and sounds like what I need. As far as recording software I have a friend who has Cakewalk and says he dislikes it as setting up to record is a
hassle. Are all packages going to require you to set all parameters
before you hit record? Or is there one you can just hit
record and get a studio quality signal? Thanks, Monkey

 

[AlChuck]

monkeyboy,

You know, there's another model in between the 1202 and 1604/1642... the 1404, I think? Roughly $500 street price, if I recall.

As to the Cakewalk question, why would setting it up to record be any more of a hassle than any other software recording application? You have to have everything plugged in and turned on, of course, but that goes for any recording method. Once you establish your setup it's very easy, you just launch Cakewalk, arm a track, and hit record.

Maybe your friend can spell out what he means a little more clearly.

-AlChuck

 

[elbenj]

Alchuck,

The 1402 doesnt have direct outs..the 1642vlz is where they began including the direct outs and of course you still have the insert jacks too, but if the direct outs are not important, the 1202 would even suffice.

Monkey,
I dont understand what your friend was saying about arming a track in Cakewalk but it is pretty much standard that you have to make preliminary settings in all recording software before you can began to record..like selecting your inputs and outputs...but dont let that deter you...and I will make this statement about cakewalk..bang for the buck it is the best software out there as far as being able to do it all...considering now that is actually bundled with some audio cards..namely Aardvark ...that gets you in the door with Sonar..but try as many as you want but keep in mind that you really need to spend some time with all of them if you are gonna make a fair comparison..

 

[tdowning]

OK. Here's my thoughts

My recording package of choice is a Mackie CFX 12, (8 mono channels with pre's, 2 stereo channels, and 32-bit effects) coupled to a Digi001, and PTLE

When I used Cubase, I noticed, for every track, You are forced to tell the program where you wand audio files saved, and then tell it where you want the session file saved. creating new tracks, they were automatically staggered between inpits 1 and 2 on my Gina, to use the SPIDIF, I had to go into setups, inputs, and activate that input, for every session. I decided I don't like that setup. It took me a great deal of searching to discover that I had to control click on the part of the channel strip that listed where the signal was coming from. that pissed me off

Cakewalk, when you create a channel, you double-click it, and a window pops up that lets you choose the settings you want, including input channel, output channel, and type, (MIDI or Audio)

Protools will assign channels to inputs automatically, If I go File, Create new tracks, and tell it I want 8 audio tracks, they get assigned to analog inputs 1-8, adding another 8 they will be assigned to the ADAT and SPIDIF inputs. You simply click on the channel strip where it says "Analog 1," then a menu pops up listing "No output," and two cascading menus, one lists your aux busses, the other your outputs, Analog, ADAT, and SPIDIF. When you use a bus you need to create a track, of type "Aux Track" and then set the input as the bus. It took me all of sixty seconds to figure that one out, without consulting the help files.

I say that for $800 USD retail, Digi001 is well worth it to any project studio. the PCI Card can be installed in a PC of a Mac, and the box includes software for both platforms If you want ease of use, I say go Protools. Go to www.digidesign.com and download Protools Free. It wil limit you to two tracks of recording, and 8 tracks playback, (Mixed to a stereo output)

Go for it, and above all, play with the stuff in the stores if you can, and decide what works for you

For the record, I used Cubase 3.6, Cakewalk PA 9, and PTLE 5.1

I almost forgot the best part of PT!...
you establish the filename and location for your "Project" as soon as you click New, and when you choose a location and filename, a folder will be created called "Project Name" Open that up and you find Project Name.pt5 and folders for audio files, and automation datam named "Audio Files" and "Fade Files" respectively.

What do you guys think, am I on the right track, or am I off my rocker?

I havn't used the latest version, of CW or cubase, so feel free to correct me.

 

[AlChuck]

Cakewalk, when you create a channel, you double-click it, and a window pops up that lets you choose the settings you want, including input channel, output channel, and type, (MIDI or Audio) Protools will assign channels to inputs automatically...

All you have to do is open a file, set up however many channels you want assigned to whatever type (MIDI or Audio) etc. that you want, and save the file as a template. You can have as many templates as you like. There is a whole collection of exiting templates as well that you can customize as mush as you want.

To make a new recording project, just open a new file and choose the template you want from the list. All the channels will be set up the way you want.

Takes a little effort the first time you set it up, but it's better than doing it every time