Mixers and Bussing! PLEASE HELP A NEWBIE! :)

[Monirp]

Hey, I have a question for all you recording buffs

I'm pretty new to recording..and I was looking at mixers. Now, lets say I want to do a live recording of a band to make a demo (for example).
So I want to mic the drums with about 4 - 5 mics, mic the guitar, the bass, and the vocals.
Is it common for a mixer to have the ability to group certain inputs together (bussing..?)?
Basically, what I would want to do is this:
1) Input everything into the mixing console
2) Buss (?) all the drums into one output
3) Output each channel to a recording device on my computer (a soundcard with multiple inputs..so one input would be the drums, one would be the guitar, one the bass, and one the vocals)

Now, is this possible or am I crazy?
And also, if I can do this, is it common for mixers to come with this capability or would it cost extra?
And also, if most don't come with this feature, how else would this be done? Would each mic for the drums have to be recorded to a separate channel?? Isn't that just a hassle??

Also, if this is possible, can you please suggest good mixers (Won't need more than 12 or 16 inputs at most)..for a reasonable price for a starter..

Well, if you kept up with me, thanks
Thanks for the help

 

[jimini2001]

yes a mixer will take several inputs and group them to one output.my board is small with only thirty two inputs and six dedicated group outputs.i can either buss all 32 to one or seperate into six or send every thing to all six.i use a phonix board because it's what i could afford at the time.it has served me well though.i've heard a lot of crap talked about phonix but i haven't had any problems(yet).knock on wood.hope i helped some

 

[Tom Hicks]

If you have a board with sub-groups you are playing possum with us on technique.
Most inexpensive boards have the ability to "finagle" extra bussing like this:
1) main out left
2) main out right
3) monitor send
4) aux 1 send
5) aux 2 send

Tom

your mileage may vary so check your sends

 

[dachay2tnr]

Take a look at some of the Mackie compact mixers - maybe the 1604VLZ Pro. I think it will do all you are asking. It has a couple of busses, good pre-amps and 16 inputs. Probably run you about $1000 new.

I would suggest you consider running the drums into the soundcard seperately, rather than as a submix. This will give you much more control when you do your mixing. For example you could put reverb on the snare without effecting the other drums, or eq just the kick to clear it from the bass.

The Mackie 1604 gives you 8 direct outs - which means if you have a soundcard that will handle 8 inputs you can track 8 instruments/voices simultaneously. You can put 4-5 mics on the drums, 1 on guitar and 1 on bass, etc. You probably want to consider overdubbing the vocals in a separate take.