From Brian Willoughby Sent Fri, Jan 4th 2019, 06:43
Given your budget, I couldn=E2=80=99t really think of anything to = recommend. So, I started thinking outside of the box. Once upon a time, famous bands made music without a mixer - because the = electronic mixer had not yet been invented! The earliest 4-track = recorders didn=E2=80=99t even have a mixer, and once they did, they = weren=E2=80=99t actually stereo mixers with pan pots. Bands would record = one or two tracks at a time, and then destructively bounce down to free = up additional channels. This era has a distinctive = =E2=80=9Cleft-center-right=E2=80=9D hard-panning style (that new bands, = such as Stereolab, often return to for nostalgia, style, or other = reasons). You don=E2=80=99t have to work with quite such a restricted setup, = because I assume you have a computer with multitrack mixing software. It = seems like all you really need is the ability to record two channels and = play two channels. Your DAW can handle mixing everything together so = that you have way more than 2 multitrack channels internal to the = computer. I assume that you can=E2=80=99t play more than one instrument = at a time anyway. So, even if you use MIDI to play the synths, there=E2=80= =99s no real requirement that you record the synth analog output at the = same time you record your guitar or mic channels. What about getting the best stereo audio interface that $300 can buy, = and then handle all of the multitrack mixing in the box? I assume that a $300 stereo audio interface will sound much better than = a $250 analog mixer with a $50 interface. Brian On Jan 3, 2019, at 12:32 AM, Jonathan Lippard <xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx> = wrote: > Thanks for all the recommendations so far everyone. >=20 > Budget is the key word here. I looked at digital mixers: even used = they're too expensive. Analog it will have to be. >=20 > The main requirement is just to have most of my stuff hooked up for = home recording. Live performance is not a concern. All I want is = something I can use for a year or so with maybe a bit of room to grow = and then replace when finances allow. Originally I *was* just thinking = of picking up a nice soundcard...I'm fine with using my onboard sound = for a while. >=20 > Number of channels? Well, one mic, one bass/guitar, a few mono synths, = a few stereo synths, a couple free channels for one offs. I can run = multiple synths through my keyboard amp at the expense of only a global = EQ on the amp, so I'd really like to have the VS and the OB-8 on = dedicated stereo channels. I don't mind swapping synths on some channels = as I don't envisage using every piece of gear I have at once, but I'd = like to minimize it. So I've mostly been looking at 10/12 channel = mixers. >=20 > Feature wise, I really don't care about a mixer with parametric EQ = right now, would prefer to have something with built-in effects and a = USB out. My rack effects are pretty non-existent, but I'd like to change = that so I'd like to have a couple busses to play with. >=20 > It's a bit vague, but my requirements are vague. The only hard = requirement is my gear shouldn't sit around collecting dust for lack of = use. (any tips on cleaning dirty switches on a Prophet VS or OB-8? :D) >=20 > -Jonathan >=20 > On January 2, 2019 at 12:18 PM Jason Proctor <xxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx> = wrote: >> the big decision is analogue mixer vs digital mixer, which in = practice >> might boil down to analogue mixer + cheap (maybe built-in) soundcard >> vs nice more expensive soundcard (+ maybe a controller later on if >> necessary). >>=20 >> fwiw, i went digital a while back and never looked back. if you're >> recording digitally, then monitoring digital "helps" as then >> everything doesn't lack a certain something coming back out of the >> box. of course if you're recording jams which involve live >> manipulation of a mixer, then that's different and might push you >> toward an analogue mixer or a control surface early on. >>=20 >> the budget is $300 which doesn't give us too much to work with. >>=20 >> how many channels of mixer would you need? >>=20 >> On Jan 1, 2019, at 3:30 AM, Jonathan Lippard <xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx> = wrote: >>> Hey all, >>>=20 >>> I finally have a computer that isn't falling apart, and a bit of = spare cash to hook my instruments up and start recording again. But it's = been so long since I did, I haven't the foggiest idea where to start = again. My instinct is to pick up a budget analog mixer with USB audio = functionality, but I could also just buy an audio capture device and do = all the mixing in software. It won't be just synths, but I already can = handle hardware needs for mic/guitar/etc. >>>=20 >>> My budget is $300-ish to get something basic going. >>>=20 >>> Sorry for the OT, if too OT, please respond direct. >>>=20 >>> Thanks! >>>=20 >>> Jonathan