software/mixer ??

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Member Since: Feb 29, 2008

i am looking to buy an allen heath zed 24 to use with my acid pro 6.0 pc. i am wanting to record up to 16 tracks at a time and have them show up as 16 seperate tracks in my daw. i also want all 16 tracks to run out through my mixer to my monitors so i can mix the tracks with the mixer as if i was using a reel to reel. i am sick of using a mouse to mix, and the idea of riding faders with my daw is enticing. what do i need to accomplish this? thank you- joep

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Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Jul 12, 2008 09:18 pm

you need 16 sound card inputs into your PC...likely best achieved with something like two 8 inputs sound devices like two m-audio Delta 1010's or something of that nature.

You'd also need a 32 channel mixer to allow for 16 going out and 16 coming in to the mixer.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jul 12, 2008 10:26 pm

Yep, that mixer is not going to do what you need. The USB connection is only going to give you 2 channels of audio into or out of the PC.

As dB stated you are going to need a pair of 8 channel interfaces and a very large mixng desk with 32 mono channels. Not 24 mono and 4 stereo or the like, but a full on 32 channels of mono input.

If you are tired of mixing with the mouse you might want to look into a control surface or something of that nature to have it run your DAW just as if it were a mixer.

There are some good ones that are reasonably priced and then there are some expensive ones that include the kitchen sink.

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 13, 2008 07:47 pm

what if i used something besides usb? firewire? i think the mixer im looking at has 10 outs? will i have more that 2 outs if i use a firewire? i am looking for a good sized mixer...i guess a 32, that is also good for live ect. i was assuming i could use ANY mixer to acheive this setup as long as it had an output for every channel. am i getting warmer? -joep

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jul 13, 2008 10:20 pm

Well the problem lies in the mixing set up you want to use. It would all be fine if you were mixng to a final 2 track that is not on the PC or something, but it isn't going to do what you want running one DAW on one PC. Even if you do a set up with 2 8 channel interfaces and a 32 channel mixing desk. You still have the problem of getting it all back into the DAW to master. Or at the ver least into another DAW or maybe a 2 track machine such as DAT or another reel to reel machine.

Your best bet is as I stated above. Do a set up with 2 8 channel interfaces and a control surface which has sliders and knobs for the mixing. They will control the mixer in your DAW with the sliders and knobs so you don't have to mouse around.

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 13, 2008 11:54 pm

so even if i have a 32 mixer with 16 in/out interface...once im done mixing i still need a way to get it all back to the daw. so the 32 mixer isnt actually goiong to move the track faders in acod pro then? thats what i need a controll surface for? i get it. thanks for all the help... but...i still want to be able to run 16 seperate tracks at once back out to my 32 mixer for editing, after ive recorded 16 seperate tracks at once into my daw. thats all i really want. i dont need something that is going to make the faders move in my daw while im moving analog faders around. and i want to make sure acid 6.0 will allow mw to do that. getting the mixed tracks back into my daw isnt a problem as i have more than one pc running the same programs. i would actually prefer that. thanks alot guys.-joep

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 14, 2008 02:10 am

ok...i found a mixer. let me know what you think. its a yamaha mg32/14. in order to record multiple tracks from my mixer to my daw(acid 6.0)am i going to need to use firewire, or just usb? will the usb allow more than 2 tracks through, as was stated earlier, or was that 2 track limitation due to the allen heath 24 i was lookin at? and has anyone ever used acid 6.0 to record multiple audio tracks at once? is it possible to record multiple tracks in acid 4? i havent ever seen a way to in 4, but i figured i would ask. thanks for all the help, sorry for all the redundant questions. this is the first time ive ever looked into using this kind of setup. -joep

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 14, 2008 09:34 pm

ok nevermind...that mixer wont work either...i did however find an allen/heath and im gettin it. the gl32 has what i need and then some..i got all the interface stuff figure out.i just need to call sony and make sure the interface im using will work with the miltitrack function in the software. thanks for all the help. -joep

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jul 14, 2008 10:22 pm

Well the Yamaha is going to be the same type set up I mentioned above. It only has 24 dedicated mono input channels and then 4 stereo input channels. And honestly that is a mixer geared toward live sound not a studio type mixing desk.

AS for the multiple PC's running the same program, you will then need to sync all that gear together timing wise so that you don't get timing offset which will kill the mix in the end. Also, you will need not just 2 8 channel interfaces but with that set up you will now need 4 8 channel interfaces. For a decent interface and I'm not talking to end, just decent you will be spending about 2 grand just in interfaces.

As for Acid recording 16 tracks at once. I highly doubt it can do that. It is not a true DAW in that sense. It is honestly more of a loop based creation tool, which happens to be able to record audio. For what you want to do you are looking at a much more expensive program like Sonar, Cubase, Logic or the like. And for 2 licenses for 2 PC"s you are looking at another grand in money spent.

Now, a mixxing desk that will do what you want to do. That is another realm altogether. For a mixer that is going to do what you want you are looking to spend around 5 grand for that.

Thats about 8 grand to avoid mixng with a mouse.

There are probably cheaper interfaces so you could feasibly cut out a grand.

A mixer that will do what you want is going to need some extensive routing capabilities and and you common everyday budget type mixers can not do that.

The cheapest one I know of that can route multiple signals like that on a budget would be maybe a Behringer MX9000. But that is still going to be a bit pricey.

Veni, MIDI, Vici
Member
Since: Jul 02, 2008

Jul 14, 2008 10:29 pm

OT: Noize, it's like preaching in the desert. ;-)

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 15, 2008 12:21 am

i corrected myself in a previous post about the yamaha. iam going to use an allen and heath i looked at earlier that will work . it has 16 mono ins and outs. i need 16 ins/outs in an interface to make it work. ive found the interface and mixer, and its going to be around 4000.00 for what i need. i already have the rest. i dont know if you have used acid before, but it is probaby the best daw ive ever used. ive been using 4 and 6 for years now and its hardly just a looping tool. thanks for all the help. as far as"preaching to the desert"..maybe you should start paying more attention to my posts. i completely understood and acknowledged every peice of info given to me on this topic. my only reason for reposting was to clarify questions that noone decided to answer. usb, firewire ect, or to acknowledge that i understood what was being said.

Veni, MIDI, Vici
Member
Since: Jul 02, 2008

Jul 15, 2008 01:00 am

I wasn't trying to suggest that you misinterpreted the info, you obviously know very well what you're looking for. Reading the posts (yes, I did :-)) I suspected some miscommunication. If that was not the case, than I owe you an apology.

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 15, 2008 04:08 am

im sorry dude..its hard to destinguish the mood of a comment over the net. im getting stressed because im looking for specific answers and getting general input of what "they" would do instead of how to do what im asking. i think the problem is that at first i had no clue how any of this was done..then i started to figure out different ways of doing it with different setups, but never clearly stated that i had figured it out and wanted to go a certain way with it. i like the idea of using "old school" mixing setups to do daw recording/mixing. im not necessarily looking for the cheapest way to do it.im planning on slowly getting the gear i need and making good use of the gear as i get it. maybe only recording 6or8 tracks at a time until i can get another interface ect...i think i got it all hashed out...i got alot of great info from everyone on here. sorry again for getting an attitude. -joep

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Jul 15, 2008 12:28 pm

Acid has grown far beyond "just a looping tool", but it is no better or worse than any of the other DAW's out there...and Acid's bigger brother, Vegas, is another crazy cool tool, Sonar, Cubase, ProTools and many others all do the same things, it's really just a matter of what you are used to and what gets the job done for the way you work...for me, Sonar works...and really, the much cheaper MultitrackStudio would work 99% of the time.

You'd really be better off getting a control surface than a mixer, in my opinion, you wouldn't be coming and going from the digital domain, that introduces problems quite often, a control surface would allow you to mix IN your DAW, with knobs and faders just like a mixer.

Veni, MIDI, Vici
Member
Since: Jul 02, 2008

Jul 15, 2008 02:37 pm

Don't worry Joep, it can happen and we are all human. The reason I was interested in seeing where this thread was going, is because of your "riding faders" remark. I too like the "smell" of knobs and faders. Since I prefer working on one track at the time, our situation is quite different, but in the end I was hoping to learn something and I think I did. :-)

Member
Since: Feb 29, 2008

Jul 15, 2008 10:36 pm

me too. the only reason im on here is to learn, i just have the urge to do something unconventional. i am going to be using a combination of daws and tape to get the mixes and tones i want. i have a master plan that goes beyond just using a controll surface. thanks for all the help and sorry for the attitude. -joep

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