Tell me. Is this a feasable idea?

[randomeyes]

Hi again all! I've got a question. I've been doing some research and I've pretty much decided that I want to go the computerized way into recording. Now I don't want to do anything too serious. This is for two reasons:

a) I have no real desire for success or any type of fame. I just want to be able to make my own music. And:

b) I am heading off to college in just a few months so I need something pretty compact because of the small size of the dorm rooms.

I have a pretty nice computer: Pentium III 600 mhz, 20 gig hd, Creative Sound Blaster Live audio card, 128 mb ram etc etc. I also have n-Track studio software.

My idea is this: Since I am only wanting to lay down one track at a time I am thinking about this setup. A small behringer mixer with 4 mic (xlr) inputs and 2 stereo inputs. All the basic routing options etc etc. That and four decent quality mics. What I am wanting to do is be able to mic sources with as many (up to 4 ) mics as i need. Drums for instance. I would mic them and run them through the mixer, into the soundcard and record my stereo track that way. Then I would just use the software mixer to actually mix and master my music and then burn to cdr.

So tell me friends, is this a good idea? Will the behringer (it's an mx802) be enough of a mixer for me? Thanks in advance for all the help. It's greatly appreciated.

-Randomeyes

PS - Here is a url to the mixer:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/cgi-bin/shop.dll/0004101913101221191123821?pid=631212


[This message has been edited by randomeyes (edited 04-10-2000).]

 

[Grizzly]

Well::It sound to me like you are on the right track (s). I started out with a Behringer MX2642A mixer plugged into a SB aw32 sound card. Built my fist recording 2 tracks at a time. It's a lot of work but the time and effort is worth it. The only thing that I suggest is, Add another 128meg of ram to the computer for a total of 256. Your computer will perform better while editing and recording. This is especially true if it has other things to do I/E term papers, or surfing the net. The mixer that you are looking at is a good one but the limit of 4 mic inputs? I don't know about that. If your keyboard doesn't have a line level out you might be somewhat screwed for recording it. Those built in speakers SUCK. and if it has a midi port, you won't use it (midi) through an analog mixer. That would have to go direct to the computer through the sound card. Make shure that you think about what you want to use as a sound source and how it will interface to the mixer. You might want to spring for a little better mixer and sound card.

I hope this helps.

GRIZ

 

[camn]

I had on of these particular mixers once.. and they were great for live stuff, but when recorded through Aux send one, I would get this odd clicking noise every once in a while. It was definately the mixer, but I may have had a bad one.

so warned.

xoxo

 

[Rev E]

randomeyes,

Your setup sounds good to start with. If that's all that your budget can afford and your needs are so minimal, that mixer should be fine for what you want to do.

Grizzly, that mixer has 8 total inputs: 4 mic/line inputs and two stereo pairs of line inputs.

This should be a great start for you. Much success.

 

[randomeyes]

Yeah the mixer fits my needs quite nicely seeing as how I only want to record at most one stereo track at a time. And my budget is pretty tight too, seeing as how i'm going off to college Thanks.

-Randomeyes