Mixer help

[pgm_tele52]

Hi i'm using Cakewalk pro audio 9 and would like to purchase a Yamaha MG12/4 Mixer for recording a drumkit..my question is, how do i get the tracks of the software to correspond with the channels on my mixer? Say 6 mics are input, how do i hook it up such that 6 separate tracks are recorded and can be tweaked individually? Do i need multiple soundcard inputs, or does the software recognise the mixer plugin and have tracks assigned already? Thanks!

 

[Track Rat]

Sorry but you need a sound card with as many physical inputs as you need to SIMULTAINIOUSY record. So if you want to record six mics at a time you need a card with at least six inputs.

 

[Ethan Winer]

PT,

> how do i hook it up such that 6 separate tracks are recorded and can be tweaked individually? <

This has been asked so many times over the past 5+ years that I finally wrote an article for EQ magazine explaining how to do this. Look for Using a Mixer With a DAW, first in the list on my Articles page:

www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan

 

[pgm_tele52]

Thanks for the info..lets say i'm cash-strapped and can't afford a soundcard..can i tweak the 6 mics to satisfaction, use a submix channel direct out to soundcard and mix down to one stereo track on the software?

 

[LfO]

If you have one stereo (or two mono for that matter) input on your soundcard, you can mix (set levels and panning, etc.) on the mixer, and then record one stereo track on your computer from the main outs on the mixer. Adjusting levels and panning is a whole lot of what mixing is, so I wouldn't say you could "mix" the whole kit on the computer, but you could certainly mix the kit as a whole with other tracks you record individually. Its certainly not as flexible as being able to, for example, compress the kick seperately, but its probably a workable setup if you're on a budget.

 

[chessrock]

Thanks for the info..lets say i'm cash-strapped and can't afford a soundcard..

Delta 1010-LT goes for around $200 or less on ebay, used. You should be able to afford it, even if you're cash-strapped.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Thanks for the info..lets say i'm cash-strapped and can't afford a soundcard..?

You have two legal choices

1. If a live multi-channel performance is your only option, you'll have to live mix down to two channels and record the stereo mixdown.

2. If you have the option to record the parts sequentially, you can record one or two parts at a time, and build up the tracks on your computer. Then do the mixing on the computer.

G.