want to get into analog

  • Thread starter Thread starter iivanov88
  • Start date Start date
yeah the inserts and EQ and all that is post Firewire out. I use the d-sub recording outs for recording to tape, and that stuff isn't in the signal chain going to tape either. it kinda sucks, there is a mod to change it, I just work with it though. I constantly tweak EQ & comp settings and such when I mix, its prolly not a real good idea to commit stuff like that to tape or disc, at least for me. I wouldn't get too hung up on it if I were you.
 
yeah i didn't think it would be that important.

anyway, are there other options other than the mackie for a hybrid setup?
 
Hi_Flyer said:
you don't need the converters on the firestudio, though you do need the outboard pres. You might be able to use them, but its probably not the best way to go.
Click to expand...

i never bothered to ask why, haha now I am reconsidering the firestudio. why is it not the best way to go? what does a fader on a mixer have over the gain knobs on a firestudio? is a mixer really that advantageous?
 
not sure if there are other stand alone units like the mackie onyx. thing is, its more of a live mixer anyway, not really meant to work as a front end for a studio recording setup. helluva powerful mixer though.

the other option is to get a seperate interface and mixer. as cjacek said, some of those older Tascam mixers can be had cheaply. if you end up doing alot of mixing in your DAW rather than through a board, you don't really need all the bells and whistles, just get something with a basic feature set.

if you are a gambling man, you can try a Yamaha i88x. Its a FW interface, they go ridiculously cheap these days. rack mount unit, pretty nice pres, headphone outs, similar to the Firestudio/Firepod... Yamaha discontinued it and they don't really seem to support it. The drivers and the mLan technology was a little spotty. I tried one, had a bit of trouble with it, traded it in on the Mackie 1220... BUT, if you get it to work with your DAW, they are a helluva bargain these days.

what about a used Firepod? I would think they go cheap these days... what is the Firestudio Project? what is the difference there?
 
there are subtle differences between firestudio project and firepod. i think here www.presonus.com/interfaces.html but the link doesn't seem to work?

anyway, the only reason I want the firestudio is because I can have it for 500 (that's only about 100 more than a used firepod and I get better converter, pres, adat)

I don't really understand this idea of using both a mixer and an interface. analog mixers don't have their own pres do they? so for digital it would be source>mixer>interface with pres>computer? and analog, source>mixer>interface in standalone>reel to reel recorder?

why is a mixer so important anyway? what are the disadvantages of just using the gain knobs on the interface?
 
you might be able to get by with something like the Firestudio, I don't know exactly what kind of I/O it has.

but think of it like this: for an eight track R2R deck, if want to record eight tracks at once, you need eight pres and eight channels going in. now if you want to listen to the eight tracks you just recorded, you need another either tracks. so unless you want to unplug all your cables and re-set all your levels just to monitor playback... how are you going to monitor with the firestudio?

yes, analog mixers certainly do have mic preamps!! if you got a Tascam mixer to record to a R2R deck, you wouldn't really need your FW interface at all until you dump your tracks into DAW later. or if you just kept everything analog and you wouldn't need the interface...
 
I was under the impression that most reel to reel recorders had at least a headphone out for monitoring.

but actually, most interfaces (firestudio included) have 1/4 inputs at the back that you can switch back and forth between. so it would be source>interface going through xlr pres and out through 1/4 outs>recorder and out>into 1/4 line ins in the interface. I don't know if that would work well, but it's an idea.

also, I don't even have as of yet a difinitive answer if the firestudio is indeed not converting in standalone mode and acts as a purely analog io.
 
iivanov88 said:
I was under the impression that most reel to reel recorders had at least a headphone out for monitoring.
Click to expand...
Not usually the case with multitracks, as they're designed to go into a mixer (it's only very recently that you can sensibly use them without). 2-tracks usually do have a headphone out, and some 4-tracks so, but 8 or more generally just have the rear outputs. Besides, with a multitrack the last track is often used for a timecode, which you do not want to have to listen to ;)

I don't know about the Firestudio either, although the Terratec Phase88 can act as a standalone converter, so it's not unprecedented.
 
no it does work in standalone, I know it's not unprecedented. what I want to know is whether it AD/DA COVERTS in standalone mode, which I do not want.

anyway, I should probably get it either way as it would be of use and it is cheap and I could (as mentioned before) get an 8 channnel analog mixer to use with it digitally and even just use the mixer by itself (given it has good pres) with the analog rig.

what are some of the tascam analog mixer units that have GOOD PRES?
 
Last edited:
BLAST the firestudio was sold.

considering the alesis multimix firewire 16. anyone use one of these with analog?
 
OK I got it figured out. I will buy a MOTU 8pre and just use it for digital and also get an analog mixer.

now here is my last question...what is a good purely analog mixer with 8 GOOD pres and 8 outs?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top