Novice recorder

[woodlandgnome]

I'm going to be buying a PA speaker (or two.) Of course, I'll need a mixer.

My problem is this: I have a mixer/recorder, albeit a crummy one (Fostex VF80.) It's only got two mic inputs. I was thinking it'd probably be a good idea to mix all the tracks directly to the PA and plug that into the Fostex.

But at the same time, I would like to be able to edit all the instruments that were fed directly through the PA's mixer.

Is there a general way that you could send the tracks from one mixer to the multiple tracks of the mixer recorder? Or would it be smart to just buy a new mixer recorder with more inputs for a whole band, even though that would probably cost more...

I don't even know if mixers alone actually record the sound you play through them so you can alter them afterwards. I guess that's what I really want to know, maybe, what the difference between a recorder and a mixer is. I'd like to be able to play around with the music afterwards, not have to keep changing what music is put into the mixer in the first place. Do mixers generally have that capability, or is that the difference between a recorder and a mixer.

 

[gecko zzed]

IF you want to record then edit all your instruments separately, then you will need either a stand-alone recorder that will do this, or a recording interface that will feed the separate tracks into a computer. A mixer ins't the same as a recorder.

However, there are mixers on the market (Allen & Heat, Presonus and others) that can be used for live mxing, but also have a firewire interface for feeding the separate tracks out.

 

[Armistice]

I wouldn't try buying a new mixer recorder to use for live work - gecko's suggestion of buying a live mixer that gives you individual track outputs is a good way to go, assuming you can get those outputs into something to record. In reality, you may have to upgrade your recording set up as well.

 

[woodlandgnome]

Okay. Thank you very much for the help.