The Echo / Event product line and uses???

[mncheetah]

Can someone please explain the purpose of the echo Gina/Darla/Layla products? Ok so there's a breakout box with 2 analog ins and 8 analog outs. I dont understand the purpose of this. Why would there be 2 ins and 8 outs? Is this supposed to interface with an analog mixer and replace the ADAT, or to be used with an ADAT? If the latter, what would be the point of Going (analog source)->(digital ADAT) ->(analog out on ADAT)-> (analog in, on breakout box) ->(PC)?

If anyone has this setup, or can provide some pertainant information, please share.

Also the 2 analog ins on the breakout box, what if your recording drums, which use about 8 microphones???huh..huh...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[drstawl]

Short answer to your what-if w/drums question: SOL.
Get a mixer.

This post probably belongs in the Event Forum, but the short of it is that if you want 8 analog ins get a Layla. The 8 outs only become somewhat useful if you want to run prerecorded tracks through some outboard processors through a mixer and then back in to either the 2 analog ins on GINA or the two S/PDIF ins or BOTH! All the other uses for the extra 6 analog outs on GINA are pretty much excuses for a reason, not a reason. But the breakout box is small, so it's no big deal to have some extra outputs you'll never use.
The price of these cards is toward the lower end of its competition.

 

[mixmkr]

I like using the separate outs on my Gina to help customize a headphone mix for someone, while creating a control room mix for myself at the same time. Granted...only 8 outputs, but that lets me group items by similarity..such as a voc on output 1, bg voc on output2, drums on output 3 and 4 (for stereo)..etc. etc. I can also quickly add reverb and effects to items also for preview, then process in a similar way on the computer if I liked it. Hardware and a mixer is MUCH quicker than software (I didn't say better now!! ;-D....just quicker). I also like to mix thru my mixer into a DAT so I can use my Moog 12 stage phasor, my *pretend* 480SL Lexicon reverb, and my pre 2.0 version POD...blah, blah, wolf, wolf ..
Sometimes different symaltaneous stereo mixers are needed too...for what ever reasons...