Nov 18, 2005 11:28 am I am not a huge fan of EMU, but many like their stuff, also heard good stuff about the Yamaha's, so ya, should be good.
recommendations for beginner setup
Posted on Nov 18, 2005 11:25 am
trek
Member Since: Nov 18, 2005
I am just getting into home recording and I would like to be able to record guitar, bass, keyboards, and possibly drums at some point in time.
For now, I'm looking at getting an EMU 1212M soundcard and a Yamaha MG12/4 mixer. Has anyone heard anything positive or negative on either of these, or can you recommend something else to replace either?
Thanks.
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Nov 18, 2005 11:28 am I am not a huge fan of EMU, but many like their stuff, also heard good stuff about the Yamaha's, so ya, should be good.
Nov 18, 2005 11:37 am I had a yama mg 16/4, I loved it. The emu looks good as well. I don't think you'd be sorry at all with those items.
On the flip side, the yamaha output section didn't like to be pushed hard. If you get the master into the high yellow, it'd clip already, so you had to keep your mixer and output section down. The mixer is very quiet though, and if you record in 24bit on the 1212m, then it shouldn't be a problem.
Also, if you take signal from the inserts, like I did, then you're only using the preamp gain to up the signal, then shooting it out to the sound interface, no need to worry about clipping in the mixer section, or the output section of the mixer.
Nov 18, 2005 11:38 am Oh yeah, welcome to HRC and the fun world of home recording enthusiasts.
Nov 18, 2005 11:40 am I have a Yamaha MG 10/2, and I love it. I think that it's the best mixer out there for the price.
I dont have the problem that pjk has with the output section.
HOwever, the preamps on mine are pretty sensitive, and it doesn't take much input gain to push them all the way into the red. This only comes into play really when micing a loud guitar cab or a drum set. It also isn't a problem with my mics that have a -10dB pad switch on them.
I really like the looks of that EMU card. If I was in the market, I might grab one of those. The A/D converters on those are touted to be some of the best out there.
My opinion is that you've selected a couple of very capable pieces of gear that will give you some very good results as far as sound quality.
Like we'd said in another thread recently, the only thing that's scary about those EMU cards are the drivers...I'd be anxious to hear how your experiences go as far as getting your card installed and running.
Nov 18, 2005 11:59 am Great, it sounds like I'll give these two a try and let everyone know how it works out.
Thanks for the help.
Nov 18, 2005 12:15 pm I've heard that too about the emu converters, be sure to get the M version of their cards. better converters.
Nov 20, 2005 11:04 pm it looks like i'm definitely going to go with the emu 1212m, but i am not so sure about the mixer.
am i correct in the thinking that it would only allow me to record to stereo?
are there mixers that are multi-track?
Nov 22, 2005 05:19 am Folks might be getting tired of hearing me about this, but, the neat thing about the 1212 (or any interface with ADAT) is the "easy" expansion with the use of something along the lines of a Behringer ADA 8000. It has 8 pre-amps and ADAT, and with the purchase of it (neighborhood of $230US) and a couple of light-pipes, you've got a 10-input card... SM Pro (I think) has a similar device out now that doesn't have pre-amps, but has 8 line inputs and outputs to ADAT...
As it comes out of the box, the 1212M is able to record 2 tracks (stereo) at up to 192kHz, 24 bit. If you've been recording on a "standard" card, such a Sound Blaster compatible of any variety, you'll be floored by the quality difference at just 44.1k. You'll be like the old RCA logo dog, and just amazed at the difference.
Mixers like a Mackie Onyx 1640 have firewire ports and will feed 16 channels of pre-fader audio to a computer, but at over $1500... You'll find USB & firewire mixers from Alesis, Behringer, Mackie, Yamaha, etc. But you'll not find an "analog" mixer that can make a 2-track card like the 1212 do any tricks such as record more than 2 tracks (unless they've got ADAT outs). You will need a mixer (or pre-amp at the least) to interface any low-level devices (such as a microphone or guitar) with the 1212; likewise with its outputs...
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