the pro mixing process

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ad0lescnts

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ok,
Once i'm finished tracking and working on my stuff on my dps16, i run the main outputs into my CD deck and get the levels i want running into that. How is mixing in a pro studio???
Say you recorded 24 tracks onto an alesis hd24 with a soundcraft ghost... once the tracks are into the alesis, then what?? do you run digitally into a computer, or do you get the levels you want using the ghost?
Once i get the money i want to upgrade to this type of situation (ghost, hd24..) but it seems less efficient than my dps16. It seems like the editing is much harder on the hd24 compared to my dps16 (with waveform and everything).
so tell me, how is it done?

Thanks,
T
 
Most important thing is to route everything in such a way that you can get done what you need to get done in a way that feels comfortable to you and doesn't limit you or your options.

Some people prefer mixing "in the box," and see benefit in that. Others will swear up and down that digital summing sucks . . . or they just prefer the feel of mixing on a board using real faders, etc. So they would take all their tracks back out of the hard-disk recorder and back in to the mixer and mix it all down there.

Again, it depends on how you prefer to work and what gets you where you want/need to go.
 
Are you serious?:eek:
The answer is a book not a post.
Just make the mix sound great on the mixer and print it to the computer.

That's the short answer.
 
hmm alright...

to start a new thought:
does the ghost have a switch on it or something so that you can use it for tracking, then switch it so that sound comes back into it from the recorder? so you dont have to use the first 12 tracks as recording, next twelve as playback etc?

T
 
The Ghost has the "Mix B" mix you can monitor. This allows you to use the preamps to track to the HD24, then monitor those tracks via Mix B.

RTFM. :)

Ed
 
ad0lescnts said:
does the ghost have a switch on it or something so that you can use it for tracking, then switch it so that sound comes back into it from the recorder?
Click to expand...

Yea. It's the one labeled "Power On."
 
if you plan on getting a computer, don't bother with an hd24 - a computer can give you tons of tracks and storage. If you mix with the ghost, you will go through an extra d/a conversion (assuming your final product is digital).

true, some people hate mixing in the box, but there are good worksurfaces these days that make it much more analog in feel. Of course, then you will need some outboard pre's.

in any case, if you are getting or already have the computer, you can still use the mixer provided you have an interface with enough outs.

If you are going hd24 and ghost, then the computer is really only good for processing and editing. still, though, i can't see a need for the hd24...
 
You're going to get as many opinions about mixing in the box versus mixing with a real outboard setup as there are people on this BBS. What it really comes down to is how YOU feel most comfortable working, and what, to your ears, sounds the best. Personally, I agree with Blue Bear, that mixing in the box doesn't give me the satisfactory results I get using my Mackie 32.8 board with my Mackie MDR recorder and what little outboard gear I have. The only thing with this setup that would be better in the box would be recall of mixer settings.

That being said, there are things inside the computer that are easier than doing the same task on your standalone HD recorder, like editing and comping.

In my case, those are non-issues at the moment. All my recording is remote, and I just mix at home. I typically record 22-24 tracks simultaneously, so a PC was out of the question due to reliability issues. My MDR is rock solid in this scenario (and everyone I hear says the same about the Alesis HD24).

Good luck (and you can send that Ghost my way if you want!!).

Darryl.....
 
lotuscent said:
if you plan on getting a computer, don't bother with an hd24 - a computer can give you tons of tracks and storage. If you mix with the ghost, you will go through an extra d/a conversion (assuming your final product is digital).

true, some people hate mixing in the box, but there are good worksurfaces these days that make it much more analog in feel. Of course, then you will need some outboard pre's.

in any case, if you are getting or already have the computer, you can still use the mixer provided you have an interface with enough outs.

If you are going hd24 and ghost, then the computer is really only good for processing and editing. still, though, i can't see a need for the hd24...
Click to expand...

I used to use a PC for my tracks, but always mixed on a real board. The HD24 is way better to track with than a PC. I can set up new songs and load olds ones much quicker and I have never had the HD24 crash on me like it has with the PC. I still use the PC to do my editing, their fireport comes in really handy for that job. The only way a PC recording system could touch the HD24 is it would have to have a dedicated Harddrive to record the tracks in the way the HD24 does. That would be cool.

You would still have to factor in the "Microsoft" varible of not being stable.
 
alright,
I have a PC with XP and 2.4 ghz chip and 512mb ram. is this good enough? or is that not enough ram? What interfaces have 24 channels (or does it transfer digitally?) I feel much more comfortable mixing on a board than in the computer. Could i still use my board for mixing if i tracked onto my computer?

I would usually be tracking about 12 tracks simultaneously, and i'm not really into things crashing on me etc. I'm currently doing a project with a guy who has an apple G4 and pro tools. 1/10th of the times we try to record it will stop midway and give a popup window with some kind of problem.

But how can you edit individual tracks well with an hd24?

Thanks guys,
T

and what's RTFM mean?
 
ad0lescnts said:
alright,
I have a PC with XP and 2.4 ghz chip and 512mb ram. is this good enough? or is that not enough ram? What interfaces have 24 channels (or does it transfer digitally?) I feel much more comfortable mixing on a board than in the computer. Could i still use my board for mixing if i tracked onto my computer?

I would usually be tracking about 12 tracks simultaneously, and i'm not really into things crashing on me etc. I'm currently doing a project with a guy who has an apple G4 and pro tools. 1/10th of the times we try to record it will stop midway and give a popup window with some kind of problem.

But how can you edit individual tracks well with an hd24?

Thanks guys,
T

and what's RTFM mean?
Click to expand...

Good Questions.

First a great interface for recording up to 24 tracks would be the MOTU 2408. You will have 8 balanced I/O out of the box, but you will need to get two 8 channel ADAT interface devices. What kind of board do you have? Your PC is more powerful than the one I was using when I used the the PC for recording mutiple tracks. You will still have to deal with Microsoft's wonderful operating system. Nothing sucks more than having a paying client in the studio and Windows craps out.

Second, the first process for editing tracks from the HD24 you must transfer the tracks to the PC using the ethernet or the fire-port. once the tracks are on the PC you must use an audio file editor like Sound Forge. You would edit each track individually. Once the tracks are edited, transfer them back to the HD24.
 
i figured asking a simple question would be easier than trying to look it up in a manual i dont have.

thanks fishmed

T
 
I hope that the reliability issues you guys are talking about is the exception, not the norm.:eek: I've only owned two PC's, but they have both been solid as hell. Knock on ...
what do ya knock on with silicon?
Wayne
 
Fishmed said:
I used to use a PC for my tracks, but always mixed on a real board. The HD24 is way better to track with than a PC. I can set up new songs and load olds ones much quicker and I have never had the HD24 crash on me like it has with the PC. I still use the PC to do my editing, their fireport comes in really handy for that job. The only way a PC recording system could touch the HD24 is it would have to have a dedicated Harddrive to record the tracks in the way the HD24 does. That would be cool.

You would still have to factor in the "Microsoft" varible of not being stable.
Click to expand...

I don't know what software you use... I use DP w/ a G4 and MOTU 2408/1224 and it is damn stable. Setting up songs and loading old ones is pretty instantaneous if they are filed together.
Plus, editing without flying anywhere... and yeah, get an extra drive just for recording.

mixing on a real board is cool for sure... but plugins are sure cool too (mostly reverb - eq and dynamics are getting better).

check out
http://mattyaki.com/tunes.cfm
to hear what my rig sounds like
 
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