Should I go straight for a usb mixer?
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Posted on Oct 02, 2006 02:15 pm
safe_matt
Member Since: Oct 01, 2006
Hi, this is my first post, and i'm so happy i found this site!! Its pretty awesome!
Anyway, I've got a mac powerbook G4 with 1.25 GB RAM and i'm looking to get a relatively basic setup going. I've got nothing but the computer at the moment and want to be able to record at least four tracks at a time for drums. I'm not bothered about recording everything live, just so long as I can get a decent drum sound, thats my basic requirment. I've been recording on my digital 8track for a while and now on garageband a little, but i want to go for it a bit more now. I was thinking that i liked the look of a few usb mixers, but dont really know anything about them. Can anyone recommend any, or are they a bad idea? I keep seeing a fair bit about the Alesis multimix series, and some people say they sound great, and are pretty simple to operate, and others say the sound is rubbish.. but they just seem like a much simpler option, and since i have a habit of getting very frustrated and disheartened with computers and equipment, i thought it might be a better idea?! but i honestly dont know. so any suggestions, help or advice would be really appreciated!
thanks guys, matt.
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 02, 2006 05:31 pm Hey there matt, welcome to HRC.
I'll aks you a question first. How many tracks will you want to be recoridng at one time? This will help get you pointed in a more proper direction.
As of late it seems as though a few people have been having issues, especially with the Alesis USB unit. There is actually a current thread on it at the moment and his troubles are just beggining.
There are many good USB units out there depending on exactly what you want to do, and how many tracks you need input for at one time.
Noize
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 02, 2006 06:32 pm I just read a thread on another board going through the same turmoils regarding a phonic helix 12 board. I think it's firewire. Some used it without a problem, actually running 4 in, and summed 4 out, with very little latency. They were happy with it.
Others on the thread were not so nice about the device, but some people like to complain =/.
I've been looking at the yamaha MW10 and MW12. The look pretty nice, though I think you can only send out the summed signal as stereo, not as individual tracks. i think this one is USB.
The Phonic Helix board would send the signals as individual tracks, which I think would be a very big asset to engineers.
maybe you could try one out, if you're in a metro area.
Oct 04, 2006 03:11 pm I had a look at the Phonic Helix series and they looked pretty nice. It seems like you guys maybe wouldn't recomend a usb mixer though? i had a sort of incling that something didnt seem right with the sort of prices they seem to be going for and how easy they seem to be. it seems too good to be true!
In response to Noize, i want to be able to record 6 tracks. I might not use them all straight away, but i want the option for when i buy more mics and stuff! The set up i'm looking to get going will be for some good demo's first of all, and then for an independant release maybe when i get to grips with it all a bit more..
What would you guys go for given a budget of around $500 (excluding mics and stuff, just to get the sound into the computer)
thanks again!
cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Oct 05, 2006 01:40 am im actually looking into a usb/firewire mixer for my friends studio so i guess ill just jump on this post to ok? He has quite a hefty budget, so wat do u think is a good mixer, he wants 8 trax recording simultaneously, without DAW restrictions or anything like that since i heard some make u use certain DAWs. A quiestion i have about them, since i know nothing about them is, wat is their output? dedicated cards have the outputs on them that are good quality and have capabilities and such, do the mixers have the same functions? id hate to get a mixer that can record well but doesnt output well. Any limitations at all?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 05, 2006 07:17 pm Ya, the USb interface as a whole are not too bad. But the USB mixer type units aren't getting raves as of yet. Firewire is prefered on some and seems to be working well. You really need to visit the prospective mixers site and check the recomended system specs and look for the fine print which will hopefully state truthfully if they are having any issues with certain hardware types and such.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 06, 2006 01:31 pm I just looked at the mackie mixer (onyx 1640, i think) and it has a firewire option card, (400$) that will port 16 channels over to your computer.
That would be the shiz-nat.
erg, that would be quite a bit more than your 500$ budget though, i'm afraid.
Crux, I'm having trouble trying to clearly understand your question. Maybe re-write your query, but put it into it's own thread. This one is safe_matt's and should be kept as such.
Course, the mackie solution i mentioned might fit your bill.
Oct 07, 2006 06:14 am the Mackie does look very nice! but sadly quite a bit out of my price range.. i'm going to go and have a look at some of these mixers today, and see if i can try out a few, so hopefully i'll be able to get a clearer idea about it all.
