Mixer vs. Computer Recording

[mungu]

Hey Guys,
I wasn't exactly sure which forum to post to for this questions, so I just closed my eyes and clicked. Last summer I did some recording with my band. I used a mixer and then ran it into the line-in on my soundcard, but the quality just didn't cut it for me, and I also wanted the versatility of being able to mix the sound on my computer, so I have been looking into computer recording/mixing.
The problem is, I have no idea where to start, and I am not entirely sure that I want to move away from my old setup. Right now I have about $600 to spend on a new recording setup, and i am thinking of either getting a new mixer, or a new soundcard so that I can mix right on my computer.
Do you guys have any ideas as to what sort of setup I could look for that is in my price range? I am looking for at least 8 channels, and I would like to have XLR connections for each channel. Also, what sort of quality differences am I looking at?

(btw, the mixer I was looking at was the Carvin C844)

Thanks for your help!


-mungu

 

[kevellus]

For 600 bucks you're a little limited in getting software, a sound card and a mixer. I'm assuming that you already have a decent computer.

If you're layering your recording and don't need to run a full band into the computer I'd suggest that you get a smaller sound card like an M-audio Audiophile, and I think there's an Echo mia, that's somewhere around the same range, (I may be wrong, I don't own either).

You might also want to look at a standalone DAW like a digital 8-track like a Tascam portastudio.

If you're looking at recording more and more audio, I'd go with the computer with a sound card and then software. It all depends what you want.

In the computer case I use a mixer to pre-amp the signals and get the levels right, so far so good.
Shawn

 

[RWhite]

You might want to look into something like this. About $500 I believe:

http://www.staudio.com/products/dsp2000/info.html

It's hard to say what to buy, because a good mixer can be very handy, and a must if you need to use a lot of mics feeds at once (which you will do if you record live drums). But a good sound card is critical to.

Your choice also depends on how you like to record. If you want to record mainly "live in the studio" doing everything in one take and recording into a stereo feed, then buy the mixer and get as many decent mics as you can afford. In this case you will be mixing mainly on the board.