Question about my setup, looking for the right mixer!

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taskforce

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Hey everyone,

I'm new here, and I just wanted to see if anyone could help me out with a problem I've run into. The recording setup I am using currently is a Digidesign Digi-001 running Pro Tools 6.4.

I've been trying to look into getting an 8 (or 10/12) channel mixer to process some of the mic inputs before I send them to the Digi-001. Basically I have been looking for an inexpensive mixer that has some basic EQing and effects, but ALSO has 8 individual mono outputs (1 for each input).

Does anyone have any suggestions for AFFORDABLE mixers that have this feature? I just need something really basic, and nothing crazy!!

Thanks for your time!
 
some of the mixers ive looked at with effects - the effects seem
to be noisy. if were me i would not do it this way frankly.
if you want outboard effects i would look for an outboard clean/quite fx unit seperate from the mixer.
an affordable mixer is the yamaha mg range a lot of folks like.
but i tried an alto a few months back that sounded good.
no neve - but at this price point....pretty good.
or if your crazy like me - i build my own diy mixers and preamps.
because i like the control i have over op amp and transistor selection.
but if you want to learn diy electronics i would suggest attending electronics college for safety reasons. lots of schematics on the net.
eg....jlmaudio.com have schematics on high end preamps. also jensen transformers.
peace.
 
taskforce said:
Hey everyone,

I'm new here, and I just wanted to see if anyone could help me out with a problem I've run into. The recording setup I am using currently is a Digidesign Digi-001 running Pro Tools 6.4.

I've been trying to look into getting an 8 (or 10/12) channel mixer to process some of the mic inputs before I send them to the Digi-001. Basically I have been looking for an inexpensive mixer that has some basic EQing and effects, but ALSO has 8 individual mono outputs (1 for each input).

Does anyone have any suggestions for AFFORDABLE mixers that have this feature? I just need something really basic, and nothing crazy!!

Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...

Soundcraft M8
 
If you need more FX get a UAD-1 card and slam it into your computer.

Digital mixer effects tend to suck except in a few higher pricetag consoles that you can't afford.

Get a small 16 channel analog mixer like a Mackie CR1604 or something. Decent and cheap. Makes a good front end. If you need more DSP grunt the UAD-1 card is the way to go.
 
The Soundcraft M8 does have direct outs on each mono channel ... but a Yamaha MG will allow you to tap the inserts for pretty much the same thing. Depends on your budget and other requirements. Take a look at the MG range, they're the best for the money by a mile.
 
re:

Thanks for everyone's help so far.
I was looking into the Soundcraft M8's, and they seem nice, but I'm on a REAL budget right now (poor student), so it is a possibility.

Could you explain what tapping the inputs mean?
The whole point of getting the mixer really is to be able to EQ the channels a bit, so if I did said "tapping" of inputs, would it output with all of the EQing and such I had done (obviously panning does not apply here, considering they are mono channels)?
 
I'm fairly sure on my Yamaha MG10/2 the inserts come after the EQ. So if you tap them, you will still get EQ just not the pan or fade. Basically you push a jack halfway into the insert socket (to the 'first click') and then you get essentially an unbalanced direct out of that channel. It also does not break the flow of signal and so you can continue to use the fader to control a monitoring level, for example.
 
re:

Thanks for the help. These mixers seem to be exactly what I'm looking for!
Is there any way you could test yours to see if the EQ is applied to the I/O? I just need to know before I grab one of them! Also, could you explain what the difference of pluggin the jack halfway in, and all the way in? Wouldn't plugging it in all the way do the same thing? Sorry about all the questions, I just need to make sure this is what I need :)!
 
plugging all the way in acts as a send/return. for example to an outboard compressor. you basically use a stereo cable....and one side is the send (eg...to compressor, and the other side returns to the mg.
if you want to insert a compressor/limiter between the mg and the sound card ..the return would not be used..you would just come line out of compressor into sound card. something like a fostex patch bay is also
usefull because you can then just patch the yamaha, your outboard, and the sound card to it, and use patch chords to patch the various things together. this is what most studios do.
 
Awesome thanks!!

That makes the most sense, and I was actually looking into patchbays earlier, because I know eventually I'm going to need one!

So is it safe to assume that the send WILL have the EQing of the board?
 
No it's not safe to assume that. My new Soundcraft specifically comes out BEFORE the EQ. Like I said in my email, tell me which you want to buy and I will try to find out for you!

Plugging it in halfway allows you to take a signal out directly without breaking the flow, if you want to use you main buss for monitoring etc.
 
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