Need help understanding the relationship between soundcard and mixers.

[Alchemist3k]

hi,

I thought only a day ago I had this all figured out until I thought about it today! but here goes.

Basically, I am upgrading to a Cubase setup from the Roland VS setup i have right now and so I have looked into MANY soundcards over the last week or so. I am not sure whether I need an external mixer or not!

Basically, I mainly record audio tracks one at a time but there may be the odd occasion where I will run two mics to record my stereo guitar amp but I may soon need to record perhaps as many as four mics at a time if I record live drums (and I want each mic to go to a separate track).

Basically, I didnt think I needed a mixer. I was looking at the Echo Mona soundcard which has 4 mixed analogue/XLR inputs with Phantom power. Great I thought. Thats all I need then! WRONG.

I was looking at the websites of various companies and thinking how do my monitors connect up to my PC??? My amp (a Samson Servo 170 ) has phono inputs. On every soundcard I have seen to date I cant see any monitor outs etc?? How are you meant to connect up your monitors???

Surely they dont expect you to route every track of you mix from the soundcard outputs to an external mixer which has the monitors attatched?? I perferably dont want to have to but an external mixer just yet.

Am I totally confused? Please help.

 

[Gidge]

If you will be mixing in software, then you just go from the main stereo out to the amp....if doesnt necessarily have to be called "monitor" outs to go to monitors....

 

[Alchemist3k]

yes I would be mixing entirely in software. I dont know if the Mona has a main stereo out....

 

[T.J.Hooker]

Most higher end soundcards have left and right outputs. they go to the monitors. If you want to record one or two tracks at a time, a small mixer is all you'll need. Right now, I'm only recording one or two two tracks at a time. I use my peavey XRD680 powered mixer and just use the monitor out as my second buss. The monitor out is a lower level output, but I just adjust the level to match if it has to. If you want to record 4 tracks at a time, you'll need a 4 buss(send) mixer. This means that 4 of the channels on the mixer have outputs. Like running straight through it. I think they can be any 4 channels you want. You just specify with a button which ones you want to buss out. Each buss will plug into one of the four inputs on your Mona. Then you adjust your levels to your desire. I hope I explained this simply enough. Speak up anybody if I'm wrong.

GoodLuck,
T.J.Hooker

 

[T.J.Hooker]

yes I would be mixing entirely in software. I dont know if the Mona has a main stereo out....

Hey Dude,
I came across this site with some stuff about the Mona.http://www.cdrecordingsoftware.com/echo_mona.html

I saw where it said in the specifications, and features, and shit:

"Includes mixer application for audio outputs, monitor assignments, volume, and metering".

Is that some software with a mixer, that assigns two of the 6 outputs to L/R monitor outs ? Did you get anything like that with your mona? Maybe that's what your looking for. Sounds pretty cool.

Hope that helps,
T.

 

[T.J.Hooker]

Most higher end soundcards have left and right outputs. they go to the monitors. If you want to record one or two tracks at a time, a small mixer is all you'll need. Right now, I'm only recording one or two two tracks at a time. I use my peavey XRD680 powered mixer and just use the monitor out as my second buss. The monitor out is a lower level output, but I just adjust the level to match if it has to.

Well, I kinda wanted to clarify on a couple things now that I look at this again. I did'nt want any confusion with all the monitor talk in my post, and the studio monitors that Alchemist was talking about. I mentioned the monitor out on my Peavey XRD680. I was talking about the monitor for a musician to hear what's goin on in a live show. I should have said:

"FOR INPUT MIXING", If you want to record one or two tracks at a time, a small mixer is all you'll need. Right now, I'm only recording one or two tracks at a time. I use my peavey XRD680 powered mixer and just use the monitor out as my second buss. The monitor out is a lower level output, but I just adjust the level to match if it has to.

But it looks like with the Mona, All the inputs are preamped. So if you can internally mix the input. And internally mix the output with the application I mentioned in the post with the URL.
The Mona might be all you need.
Anybody confused yet?

Stick with me now!
T.J.Hooker

 

[shootingstarpro]

Hi Alchemist,
Check out my post "Help Engineers" for a web site suggestion from Freudian Slip. This may hold some answers for you too. I am confused myself about wiring, monitor, soundcard and mixer configuration. So if T.J. Hooker is out there reading this, could you also check out the questions I have on my post. I have a Peavey Studio Mixer and I am not sure about wiring to monitors and soundcard. Thanks and good luck to you. I suppose we'll figure this out sooner or later!

 

[pratt]

just a stab...

I don't think that you'll need a mixer unless you want to either 1.) record more than 4 tracks at once or, 2.) mix your stuff on an analog. It doesn't seem like either of those 2 are really applicable here. I did a little reading on the Mona and it looks like you can assign any number of channels to each output for monitoring. The 6 analog outputs can be configured as 3 separate stereo pairs - so it looks like you could assign all channels (read: whatever you want to monitor) to outputs 1/2 as a stereo pair and take that output into your amp...


Here's a pretty good review that I found of the Echo Mona. Check out the section titled 'small consolations' for monitoring information:
http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/oct00/articles/echo.htm