Recording without a Console?

K

k bucks

New member
Hello Everyone,

I’ve got some thoughts to share with anyone who’s interested. I record at home with an Allen and Heath mixwiz and Aurora 8. It’s a modest setup, but it sounds pretty good and I’m happy with it. However,
I’ve been toying with the idea of bypassing the console and recording straight into the a/d utilizing my higher end outboard preamps (Syteks, Universal Audio, etc). It seems like recording into my Sytek, then into the console and out through its direct outs adds some gain stages and circuitry that could be avoided. I never use the console’s eqs, its really just a way to monitor what I’m recording at the time. I tend to apply eq, compression and other effects in the box. A real console costs a fortune and for my needs (and the long run), it seems like a better investment to build up an arsenal of really nice modular preamps and shoot for really high quality/pure recording on a smaller, slower and more affordable level. But, is it possible to monitor recordings without a console? Are there devices that route signals without applying gain stages or other unnecessary things? Even patch bays have limitations in terms of signal splitting between a monitoring console and DAW. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks,

K
 
Well, yes, this would be a fairly typical digital recording set-up, using a multi-channel interface. Your DAW software should give you options too route your monitoring to whatever you want. You could, for example just route the monitor bus from the DAW to the headphone output on your interface. Or to a pair of unused output channels, to which you can connect a headphone amp or to an amplifier and speakers.

Digital signal routing can be set-up either within your DAW, or using software console supplied with your interface.

Is this what you are thinking of?

Paul
 
k bucks said:
It seems like recording into my Sytek, then into the console and out through its direct outs adds some gain stages and circuitry that could be avoided. I never use the console’s eqs, its really just a way to monitor what I’m recording at the time.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing with some outboards running into a Mackie 24.8 (bypassing the each channel's preamp of course) and then sending it to an HD24 versus wiring them directly to the HD24. It seems to work well for me, but there is definitely some extra wire travel the signals have to go through to get to the recorder.
 
I never track "through" my analog console, instead taking the output from outboard pream(s) and going direct to either my tape deck or DAW (whaterever I'm using at the moment for capture).
When using my tape deck(s), I monitor through the console, and with the tape deck(s) it's really easy to bring the signal back for that purpose...in real time.
I do use my console to mix on though, with either the DAW or tape deck providing playback.

With converters and a DAW, it depends on both items as to how it's been implemented so that you can monitor in real time frm them.
But yes, it's possible to set it up to monitor from the DAW through the console if you need to supply some more involved cue mixes. If it's just you or 1-2 people who need the cue mix...you can probably skip the console for that too and monitor right off the converter/DAW.
 
Going through all the gain-staging is part of the "analog" deal. But I recently went your route but it was more for ease than sound. Consoles just don't jive well with my workflow, which in metal is very fast and get it done now style.
 
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