JB
March 7th 04, 10:34 PM
I sent and received an answer to a question posted to the "Readers
Advice Column" from the magazine Sound on Sound. I gratefully request
anyone's additional recommendations!!
Question: I am a composer (electronic) using samplers, analog and
digital synths *only*. When a client(s) requests my services, I haul
my gear to a local studio that I've had a working relationship for
many years. My last trip, the engineer commented "You could save
yourself alot of hassle by just bringing in audio files and only bring
in the gear you really feel necessary".
My Dilemna: I use a 10 yr old Mackie CR1604 at home, mainly because I
only record to an Audiowerk card in my Mac to drop tunes into my iPod
to help in the arrangement, composition process. Obviously my signal
chain is ill-suited for the quality I need. Should I invest in say a
Crest XR-24 or a Speck Ultramix along with a decent outboard converter
- or maybe a preamp/EQ/AD converter recording 1 track at a time?
Answer From SOS: Go with a multi-port interface such as a MOTU 828MKII
with the 24I/O option. Use your existing Mackie for monitoring and if
needed, mixdown.
I guess my question is... are analog mixers irrelevant? I run a large
MIDI rig with a lot of line-level inputs and the thought of using a
computer to replace an analog mixer just seems like alot of work. I do
need high quality sound - but colleagues of mine buy a *good* mixer,
like a Ghost, and it is a relevant piece of gear for a number of
years, while the original 828's they owned, they're dumping on eBay
3-4 years later. The multi-port interfaces seem to have a shelf-life
of 2-3 years before they are obsolete!
Am I missing something? Could some studio owner/ engineer chime in on
this? Greatly appreciated!!!
Advice Column" from the magazine Sound on Sound. I gratefully request
anyone's additional recommendations!!
Question: I am a composer (electronic) using samplers, analog and
digital synths *only*. When a client(s) requests my services, I haul
my gear to a local studio that I've had a working relationship for
many years. My last trip, the engineer commented "You could save
yourself alot of hassle by just bringing in audio files and only bring
in the gear you really feel necessary".
My Dilemna: I use a 10 yr old Mackie CR1604 at home, mainly because I
only record to an Audiowerk card in my Mac to drop tunes into my iPod
to help in the arrangement, composition process. Obviously my signal
chain is ill-suited for the quality I need. Should I invest in say a
Crest XR-24 or a Speck Ultramix along with a decent outboard converter
- or maybe a preamp/EQ/AD converter recording 1 track at a time?
Answer From SOS: Go with a multi-port interface such as a MOTU 828MKII
with the 24I/O option. Use your existing Mackie for monitoring and if
needed, mixdown.
I guess my question is... are analog mixers irrelevant? I run a large
MIDI rig with a lot of line-level inputs and the thought of using a
computer to replace an analog mixer just seems like alot of work. I do
need high quality sound - but colleagues of mine buy a *good* mixer,
like a Ghost, and it is a relevant piece of gear for a number of
years, while the original 828's they owned, they're dumping on eBay
3-4 years later. The multi-port interfaces seem to have a shelf-life
of 2-3 years before they are obsolete!
Am I missing something? Could some studio owner/ engineer chime in on
this? Greatly appreciated!!!