real mixer + DAW---How to set up?

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dontouch

New member
Sorry to noob you guys but here it is: I've seen many pictures of people having real mixer + DAW in their studio but never understood how or why. What would be the signal chain for that kind of setup?

My understanding is that when you make a mix via a mixer, you have to write down all the knobs/slider position so you can recall them later down the road...But how people deal with 126 tracks? Teach me, and don't tease...
 
Well if you're talking the commercial studios with the big ol' console mixing desks. Every one that I've seen has strips of paper at the bottom with a note of which track is which.

As far as mixers interfacing with a DAW, it depends on how many outputs the mixer has or if it has USB/Firewire connectivity. It's a very broad question. Easier to answer given specific mixer and/or interface models.
 
FunkDaddy said:
Well if you're talking the commercial studios with the big ol' console mixing desks. Every one that I've seen has strips of paper at the bottom with a note of which track is which.

As far as mixers interfacing with a DAW, it depends on how many outputs the mixer has or if it has USB/Firewire connectivity. It's a very broad question. Easier to answer given specific mixer and/or interface models.
Click to expand...

In general, how do you mix a song with 46 tracks in DAW on a 16-channel console like the api 1608? What about automation? It sounds like a PITA to me...Do people do it just for zero latency?
 
They deal with 126 tracks but submixing them in the computer to fit the number of outputs on the interface and inputs on the mixer, whichever is least. Many big mixers had fader automation, but most of the other parameters were manual as was outboard gear. Some gear had MIDI control, so that could be automated to some degree.

In the days before automation you might have the engineer and a couple of band members all moving faders at once. You did the mix and lived with it, or if you had a block of studio time you came back the next day and tried another pass. You had to get it right before resetting the board for the next mix. You could write it all down, but it would never really be the same.

Signal flow once audio is out of the DAW is mostly standard analog board stuff. Interface outputs to board line or tape inputs. Board output to 2-track (which could be the DAW again). Compressors on inserts. Post-fader aux sends to effects inputs, effects ouputs to aux returns or channels. Channels may be assigned to group buses which may have their own inserts with compressors or whatever. Eq, compressor, enhancer etc. may be put on the master bus insert. Some of this may be done in the DAW before it hits the mixer.
 
dontouch said:
In general, how do you mix a song with 46 tracks in DAW on a 16-channel console like the api 1608? What about automation? It sounds like a PITA to me...Do people do it just for zero latency?
Click to expand...

Latency isn't the issue but track delay from plugins might be. Level automation etc. can be done in the DAW before going out to the mixer.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Latency isn't the issue but track delay from plugins might be. Level automation etc. can be done in the DAW before going out to the mixer.
Click to expand...

If everything can all be done in DAW, why go out to a mixer at all? Or better yet, a 50k analog console? That's the part I really want to find out...I've been using firewire interface all these years and would love to experience better ways of recording...There's much to learn!
 
Some people like to go to an outboard mixer because they feel more comfortable with the physicality of knobs and faders . . . the manual touch . . . rather than messing with a mouse.

If you have really high quality outboard gear, then there are quality benefits.

However, for the most part, mixing within the DAW is a sensible, compact way of doing things that yields credible results.
 
Some people like working with knobs and faders. Some people think analog summing sounds better than digital summing.

I won't argue with them because they are using gear of a level I never have had access to, but down at my level it's only occasionally worth going outside the box for anything. For me one of those occasions is when I use a Drawmer 1960 during tracking.
 
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