Why would you need such a big console?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DAS19
  • Start date Start date
Well, ya gotta think, dare I say it? Outside the box...

I use digital tape machines out to a 24-mono channel Yamaha board, that thing is beastly and that isnt a ton of channels. Always serves me well... cant wait to upgrade to an HD24, but yea - have I ever used 24 channels? Nah - I think the most Ive used was 17 or 18 (granted, I wasnt using 12 mics on my damn drumset... sheesh :))
 
I exceeded my channels on the SSL console, at 60 something channels recording a band the other day. You should have seen how many mic's I pulled out. The closet was nearly empty, I think the only one left was a MXl990. I pulled all nuemanns out (103,193,u-87,u67,u47, KMR? shotgun mic) and a at4060, 4050, and like 2 dozen more mic's.
 
Wow... more detailed list of what was being mic'd / what instruments and music were getting put together, please!
 
I have a rather modest home "project" studio. I have a 32 channel board (desk) with an additional 16 channel rackmount submix (the submix is used for vaious sound modules - with a stero send to my main mixer). I'm a dinosaur and still use extenal sounds and mix out of the box - so I need more channels than someone who does everything inside a computer.

At a minimum I use at least 24 channels - but normally use more (depending on the number of doubled parts or stereo keyboard parts). An example being:

8 channels - for drums
2-4 channels for other percussion
4-6 channels for vocals (including background vocals)
4-8 channeles for guitars (depending on doubled parts, etc)
8-20 channels for keyboards (depending on the number of stereo signals, etc)
I use a lot of MIDI for everything from main piano parts to various pads which may come and go during different parts of a song.

If I had the room, I would love to have a 48 or 56 channel mixer - which would allow me to have everything plugged in all the time and never have to depend on submixes, etc.

In no way are my productions/mixes excessive - and I need plenty of mixer channels.
 
My goofball stuff has 100+ tracks on each tune. I do it all one at a time with an M-audio Firewire solo. I cant get 100 tracks to play back at once, so I will bounce down to 40 for the final versions. I dont need no steenkin console, I automate with the mouse. Hold me. :(
 
i dont even have a mixer.

no one understand me!

but i haev a berry controller for pro tools ;)

yes, bigger console= bigger ego :) :D :D :D thats why i want one!!!
 
t_ebrontosaurus said:
thanks for this post... deep down i was wondering the same thing. Even though I drool over a lot of the boards i see online.

some people look at women online at night...
I look at consoles.

i bet this is true for a lot of you guys too..

aloha,
Noah
Click to expand...
What are these "women" you speak of? :confused: :p
 
well the new ATB trident Console by Toft is givin me a hard on nightly i must say.

got a quote for $3600 shipped for a 16 track :)

when i have that 3600 and my mom's not lookin, ill get it :D
 
The last album I did was a progressive metal record and mixed on an SSL 4000G+ 56 channel desk. It wouldn't be practical to have something like that in a home studio, the cost to maintain the board even would bankrupt your ass. However, it is super cool to have a full Dynamics and EQ section on every channel, plus an assload of good outboard. The routing options are supurb as well, since I like to use a lot of auxes and mults.

Here's my track list-

1. Kick 1 in
2. Kick 1 out
3. Kick 2 in
4. Kick 2 out
5. HH
6. Rack HH
7. Snare top 1
8. Snare top 2
9. Snare bottom
10. Pic Snare Top
11. Pic snare bottom
12. Tom 1
13. Tom 1
14. Tom 2
15. Tom 3
16. Tom 4
17. Tom 5
18. Tom 6
19. Cymbals L
20. Cymbals R
21. OH L
22. OH R
23. Room
24. Bass D/I
25. Keys 1 L
26. Keys 1 R
27. Keys 2 L
28. Keys 2 R
29. Gtr 1 close
30. Gtr 1 far
31. Gtr 2 close
32. Gtr 2 far
33. Gtr Dbl 1
34. Grt Dbl 2
35. Grt Dbl 3
36. Gtr Solo 1
37. Gtr Solo 2
38. Vox verse
39. Vox chorus
40. Vox Dbl verse
41. Vox Dbl chorus
42. Background Vox
43. Drum Subgroup L
44. Drum Subgroup R
45. Gtr Subgroup L
46. Gtr Subgroup R
47. 480L FX Return 1 L
48. 480L FX Return 1 R
49. 480L FX Return 2 L
50. 480L FX Return 2 R
51. UltraHarm Return L
52. UltraHarm Return R
53. 2290 Return L
54. 2290 Return R
 
TuoKaerf said:
The last album I did was a progressive metal record and mixed on an SSL 4000G+ 56 channel desk. It wouldn't be practical to have something like that in a home studio, the cost to maintain the board even would bankrupt your ass. However, it is super cool to have a full Dynamics and EQ section on every channel, plus an assload of good outboard. The routing options are supurb as well, since I like to use a lot of auxes and mults.

Here's my track list-

1. Kick 1 in
2. Kick 1 out
3. Kick 2 in
4. Kick 2 out
5. HH
6. Rack HH
7. Snare top 1
8. Snare top 2
9. Snare bottom
10. Pic Snare Top
11. Pic snare bottom
12. Tom 1
13. Tom 1
14. Tom 2
15. Tom 3
16. Tom 4
17. Tom 5
18. Tom 6
19. Cymbals L
20. Cymbals R
21. OH L
22. OH R
23. Room
24. Bass D/I
25. Keys 1 L
26. Keys 1 R
27. Keys 2 L
28. Keys 2 R
29. Gtr 1 close
30. Gtr 1 far
31. Gtr 2 close
32. Gtr 2 far
33. Gtr Dbl 1
34. Grt Dbl 2
35. Grt Dbl 3
36. Gtr Solo 1
37. Gtr Solo 2
38. Vox verse
39. Vox chorus
40. Vox Dbl verse
41. Vox Dbl chorus
42. Background Vox
43. Drum Subgroup L
44. Drum Subgroup R
45. Gtr Subgroup L
46. Gtr Subgroup R
47. 480L FX Return 1 L
48. 480L FX Return 1 R
49. 480L FX Return 2 L
50. 480L FX Return 2 R
51. UltraHarm Return L
52. UltraHarm Return R
53. 2290 Return L
54. 2290 Return R
Click to expand...

No cowbell.... :confused: :confused:
 
Sorry everybody I forgot about this thread!!!

I just didnt think these huge boards are a neccessity but I didnt want to say anything in the first post for I might get jumped on. Anyway I realize the pros just like having the knobs at there fingers also not having to take any cables out at all is im sure a plus. Im sure though they could mix with a mouse and do just a good of job. These big companies can pay for these things soo why not right. Im sure they get a much better sound then a little 16 channel mixer, am I right?

Thanks,
Dave
 
DAS19 said:
Sorry everybody I forgot about this thread!!!

I just didnt think these huge boards are a neccessity but I didnt want to say anything in the first post for I might get jumped on. Anyway I realize the pros just like having the knobs at there fingers also not having to take any cables out at all is im sure a plus. Im sure though they could mix with a mouse and do just a good of job. These big companies can pay for these things soo why not right. Im sure they get a much better sound then a little 16 channel mixer, am I right?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

like everyone has been saying...there is a necessity. There may not be one for what you are doing, but some people like recording large bands and prefer to mix in the analog world because of a) the hands on feeling AND b) they prefer the sound of the analog console over a digital workstation. Also, many of these consoles record to tape instead of computer, so a central mixer of some sort is needed.
Just because the digital world has become popular, doesn't mean the old world of analog has disappeared. If the cost was more affordable, I'd definitely prefer getting a Neve versus mixing all my stuff in Pro Tools.
Again, look at the track count TuoKaerf listed. It would have been really annoying (if not almost impossible) to record all of that using just a 16 channel Mackie. He needed about 23 channels just to power his drum microphones!
 
DAS19 said:
Sorry everybody I forgot about this thread!!!

I just didnt think these huge boards are a neccessity but I didnt want to say anything in the first post for I might get jumped on. Anyway I realize the pros just like having the knobs at there fingers also not having to take any cables out at all is im sure a plus. Im sure though they could mix with a mouse and do just a good of job. These big companies can pay for these things soo why not right. Im sure they get a much better sound then a little 16 channel mixer, am I right?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

Its not just sound quality with a big board, its work flow, and features like great EQ per channel, great compressors per channel, and sometimes great gates per channel. So sound quality, features, and work flow is why the big boards are around...Now people like Charles Dye, he just mixes inside the box, doesn't use a big board, but as he has said he mostly mixes and doesn't do most of the tracking, so some of his tracks for his mixes may or may not have passed trough a big board at one part of the game, I am sure some of his mixes are sole preamps-->interface--->hard drive and he takes it from there. I need to buy Mix It Like A Record (MILAR) DVD and see if he talks about any of that.
 
The important thing to remember is that good records are made in huge studios as well as some dude's basement entirely in the box.

I could have done the same record with just the Pro Tools HD rig and a bunch of outboard preamps with a small summing mixer, and maybe a small 16 channel contol surface to keep my hands on something. I just would have had to be more inventive about it, and more concious of the procressing decisions.

I just prefer to live in an analog world as much as possible. There is a certain asthetic sound to an SSL (or any other large analog desk) which the digital world just dosen't quite have yet. I know what that board sounds like, and how to apply that to the individual recording I am doing.
 
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