What does everyone mix through?

  • Thread starter Thread starter frist44
  • Start date Start date

What do you mix through?

  • I mix inside the computer

    Votes: 280 76.7%

  • I mix through an analog console

    Votes: 72 19.7%

  • I mixdown in the DAW to an analog 2-track

    Votes: 13 3.6%
  • Total voters
    365
Depends on the project.

For me it all depends on the project. I am a hands on kind of guy. I prefer the feel and the sound of the analog console. I record onto ADATs or a Mac g4 running DP and a motu 2408 mk3 and I mix through an Amek Tac Matchless console. It is a great sounding warm console with awesome eq. It can really help warm up the digital tracks.


--Pick Man
 
Re: Depends on the project.

JPickman said:
.... I mix through an Amek Tac Matchless console. It is a great sounding warm console with awesome eq. It can really help warm up the digital tracks.
Click to expand...
Yes - very nice board! But if your tracks are "cold", why aren't you tracking them the way you want them to sound in the first place??? :p :eek:

(ie - digital tracks don't need any special "tonal" treatment just because they're "digital")
 
I just prefer the sound.....I think thicker would have been a better word than warm........I track using it as a front end and I get a very large warm sound going to tape(well digital) versus, using some of the preamps on many other consoles or some of the outboard preamps designed as front ends (the ones for the home recording DAW enthusiast) I have used and other people have used. I prefer getting a good sound going to tape, but don't get me wrong, when I mix "in the box" it sounds good.....but when I mix down through the matchless, I get a better sounding mix for a lot of reasons, probably because I prefer outboard gear vs. most plug-ins, although I do like the Waves bundles (only plug-ins I have found that I really really like), but most of all because I am a hands on and not a screen & mouse person and feel more comfortable turning a pot than moving the mouse. Could be a combination of the aboe things and more.

I also mix down to an otari 5050 and like to push it a little to get some soft limiting. ( I use this if I am mixing in the box too....forgot to mention this earlier)


--Pick Man
 
I just prefer the sound.....I think thicker would have been a better word than warm........I track using it as a front end and I get a very large warm sound going to tape(well digital) versus, using some of the preamps on many other consoles or some of the outboard preamps designed as front ends (the ones for the home recording DAW enthusiast) I have used and other people have used. I prefer getting a good sound going to tape, but don't get me wrong, when I mix "in the box" it sounds good.....but when I mix down through the matchless, I get a better sounding mix for a lot of reasons, probably because I prefer outboard gear vs. most plug-ins, although I do like the Waves bundles (only plug-ins I have found that I really really like), but most of all because I am a hands on and not a screen & mouse person and feel more comfortable turning a pot than moving the mouse. Could be a combination of the above things and more.

I also mix down to an otari 5050 and like to push it a little to get some soft limiting. ( I use this if I am mixing in the box too....forgot to mention this earlier)


--Pick Man
 
Sorry... had to jump on that "warm analog, cold digital" nonsense... don't want the novices here reading it and propagating the myth! ;)
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
I tried on 2 separate occasions - once a mix within Cubase, and once trying to do some clean-up on some 2-track mixes using Sound Forge.
Click to expand...
Im still dinking around with PC recording just to make sure my tool box is relativley functional...


Blue Bear Sound said:
But ya know - even if I had samples, that wouldn't do you much good... I think everyone really has to go through the process and decide for themselves what their own preference is. The comparison process itself is very enlightening with respect to "ear-training"!
Click to expand...

I think your in the position where people who only have a PC can't make the comparison. Like I mentioned, I keep trying to use the PC for tracking. Im using the Audiophile 24/96 card and I track with it at 24/96....It just isn't cutting it. I don't feel that the PC mouse interface for mixing is as efficient. I agree that a majority of the CEP plugs, SF plugs and the stock Wavlab plugs don't sound as good as the LXP1 and LXP2 not including how painful it is to pop open a window find the right plug and edit, hoping you don't peg the cpu and crash.
IMO, there is a difference between driving a car on your playstation and driving the real thing. To me, real driving is easier..even at higher speeds?

Id like to hear sample of distorted guitar recorded into the
Audiophile, RME, HD24 and Lucid to hilight the differences in converter translations. My gut feeling is Im going to have to get the RME card in 2004, The Audiophile has been a disappointment to me at least. Back to the 1/2" ;)


SoMm
 
Son of Mixerman said:
Id like to hear sample of distorted guitar recorded into the
Audiophile, RME, HD24 and Lucid to hilight the differences in converter translations. My gut feeling is Im going to have to get the RME card in 2004, The Audiophile has been a disappointment to me at least.
Click to expand...
If I get a free moment, I'll try to get some comparisons happening... I'd be curious to hear it too...

Incidently - I don't use the Audiophile for anything except monitoring edits from Cubase (or playing back computer sound through the console).... everything in/out the PC is via the RME's lightpipe I/O....
 
Son of Mixerman said:
Id like to hear sample of distorted guitar recorded into the
Audiophile, RME, HD24 and Lucid to hilight the differences in converter translations.
Click to expand...

This is merely speculation, but you might even hear more of a difference with a good external clock. I'm not completely sold on the whole converter thing. I think a major reason we like certain converters is because of the clocking.

It just seems that from the few times I've a/b'ed, I would find myself really struggling to pick out differences in a/d converters. But once that "Master / Slave" option is switched, I just hear a little extra richness, and it isn't something I necessarily have to strain to hear.
 
chessrock said:
This is merely speculation, but you might even hear more of a difference with a good external clock. I'm not completely sold on the whole converter thing. I think a major reason we like certain converters is because of the clocking.
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It IS speculation, sorta - but you're on the right track...

I say this because I've heard the difference in converters - and it isn't subtle at all (at least to me it wasn't....!)

There is also an audible difference in using a good clock.... (of which I've also had first-hand experience)....

You put the two together and you have a VERY tangible difference.
 
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chessrock said:
This is merely speculation, but you might even hear more of a difference with a good external clock. I'm not completely sold on the whole converter thing. I think a major reason we like certain converters is because of the clocking.
Click to expand...

Clocking is important, but how every device react differently to who is driving. The Audiophile should be able to be clocked via s/spdif connection so that the clocking issue is nulled for the most part. Bruce will needs a AES (BNC) converter to get the s/spdif format. Im confident in saying that a $400 per channel ADC is better sounding than a $75 per channel ADC and the clocking null will prove that. If that doesn't prove to be true, then we have opened up the biggest scandal in Pro-Audio ;)

The Homerecording version of the 3D-Audio ADC CD :)

SoMm
 
Son of Mixerman said:
The Homerecording version of the 3D-Audio ADC CD :)

SoMm
Click to expand...

lmao...and if your in the market for a new soundcard...www.lynxstudio.com should be the first on your list! want stand alone quality in a sound card there you have it..
 
My digital mixer has been on the blink for a while while we debate what were going to do about it. So I started to thinking,,, my monitors are active, I can still use spdif with the motu instead of the console, etc. So I bypassed the mixer all together so we could at least listen or track a little. Then I went into the console in Sonar and started trying to mix a little. Well the quality wasn't bad, fades and pans werent that bad, but pulling this plug and that plug just didnt do it for me. I guess if I started like that it wouldnt bother me, but man, I cant wait to hook up the new console. I guess I just to touch stuff during mixing.

All Tastes Vary !


Malcolm
 
i track to the alesis HD24. put my tracks in vegas to edit etc. route out through motu 2408mkIII via lightpipe to hd24 then out through my AMEK console. stereo back into a second DAW via gadget labes 824 for final 2trk editing and with sound forge then burn to cdr master.
 
I track audio through a mixer (DM-24) > Motu 2408 > Sonar XL 2.2>Play some softsynths into Sonar via midi> Run the Music from Sonar back to the DM-24 via spdif> run all audio from Sonar to seperate channels on the DM-24 via 2408 Tdif & Lighhtpipe > Mix > send stereo out of the DM-24 back into the same computer using stereo lightpipe channels> Record it all in Wavelab 4.
 
>>HD24>Ghost>various devices>Ghost Sub Busses>Sony Mastering CD Recorder.


One day I'll add the computer stuff and do my editing there.

Still theres no substitute for quality feel and energy in a take.

One that requires no editing.
 
err...this talk of a mackie summing being better than something like Protools or nuendo really bugs me.

One of these days I will do an A/B comparision.
 
HD24 => MCI JH416 => Otari DAT DTR-8S => Tascam CD-RW 5000

I use the Otari as my A/D; its converters are much better.
I take the CDR mix and rip it into SoundForge for further editing.

I would like to get a Masterlink someday to clean up my process.
 
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