High end interface or mid range console? Looking for some advice

[dark water]

Thanks for the reply! I will look into this for sure. To you have yours running into a convertor or straight into your pc?

Straight into the computer via USB.

It's definitely worth a look for sure. It won't be THE BEST mixer you can buy, but there's not a lot wrong with it and it really is a great deal at that price.
The Gearslutz thread about 'MTK status' is useful: there's an unusual design choice by Soundcraft regarding the volume back from the USB return but one of the console designers chips into that GS thread around page 7 (i think) to explain the gain idea they had in mind.
Works well on mine anyway

[theEmbark]

Thanks for the reply! I will look into this for sure. To you have yours running into a convertor or straight into your pc?

Straight into the computer via USB.

It's definitely worth a look for sure. It won't be THE BEST mixer you can buy, but there's not a lot wrong with it and it really is a great deal at that price.
The Gearslutz thread about 'MTK status' is useful: there's an unusual design choice by Soundcraft regarding the volume back from the USB return but one of the console designers chips into that GS thread around page 7 (i think) to explain the gain idea they had in mind.
Works well on mine anyway

Thanks for the info and the 'link' to the thread. Very useful! I'll continue to look into this. I've got to order something by Monday. Just sent back a RME UFX+ and can't be without a way to record!

Best regards,
Kevin

[wickfut]

so what did you end up with ?

[theEmbark]

so what did you end up with ?

I'm testing out the 22 MTK. It should be here today. For the price I've got go hear it.

That being said I'm back where I started with the qu32 there's just nothing that compares to it in the price range that I've seen. The studiolive 32 tempted me but there are a bunch of horror stories about presonus boards out there.

Did you wind up narrowing down your research?

[wickfut]

no. I keep going towards the QU32 with all those flying faders, DAW control, ease of use etc and then I remember how much of a complete joke USB 2 is as a low latency ASIO interface. Whoever designed that board who shunned ADAT or AES in favour of USB needs a good firing.

[theEmbark]

no. I keep going towards the QU32 with all those flying faders, DAW control, ease of use etc and then I remember how much of a complete joke USB 2 is as a low latency ASIO interface. Whoever designed that board who shunned ADAT or AES in favour of USB needs a good firing.

What DAW are you using? I actually just order the studiolive. I love studio one and hoping for a good experience with the hardware and software working together. My sales rep said I've got 30 days. It will cost $50 to return it but worth it on that level on console.

[wickfut]

I use Cubase pro 9. I take it the 22MTK wasn't for you?

You seen these?

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... b095w2OjLP


https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... b095vWNpS5



Like I suspected. The recent similar spec'd digital mixers look like re-badged Chinese mixers.


I think I'm just going to play safe and get a Soundcraft GB2 or an older Tascam digital but use recent external converters.

[theEmbark]

Yeah man hard to find a solid choice. I bounce between cubase and studio one. Primarily studio one with cubase for anything I've got to score etc. (Rare these days)

I haven't seen either of those.

I love soundcraft board in general the 22 mtk is great but the convertors are garbage in them as to be expected and not much in the way of daw control. Decent analog board and good price range but look for more control of the DAW from the board without having to use a control surface and being tied 100% to it.

[JCJR]

I broke down and got a behringer xr18 digital mixer for the office. So far am happy with it, reserving rights to bitch loud and long if the experiment eventually goes horribly wrong.

It replaces even remotely theoretical needs for keeping hardware compressors, EQs or reverbs in the rack, so have been in the process of tearing out a lot of spaghetti, simplifying. The XR18 so far seems good fidelity, quiet, low hum. Higher fidelity than the old analog mixer, but the old analog mixer is 25 or 30 years old and could probably sound better after a rebuild.

I have an android 4.1 motorola xoom pad several years old. It had been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for at least a year. When new the dual-processor pad was among the "hottest available". Purt nice 10.1 inch screen even by modern standards. The behringer control software runs fine on this "surplus" antique xoom and the screen is big enough / clear enough to support a view of channels 1 thru 18 plus return 4 (mapped to computer usb out 1&2) and main out. The win 10 install of usb drivers seems to default ordinary win10 stereo playback toUSB 1&2 outputs, so mapping USB 1&2 outputs into the XR18 "Return #4" bus routes a win stereo output thru main mixer outputs without interfering with the mixer's 18 analog input channels.

Even on the 10.1" Xoom screen and my weak eyes, seeing all the input channels, plus main computer stereo out (return #4) plus master channel is not too hard on the eyes and not too small for the fingers to adjust mixer controls. The RTA displays are nice.

I have an I7 win10 "convertible" lenovo laptop used for easy chair browsing and recreational programming. You can fold the keyboard all the way back flat behind the screen to turn it into a big pad. Well, not a huge pad, 13 or 14 inches or whatever. Eventually will load up mixer software on the lenovo as well, which should be very roomy mixer control considering that the 10.1" android pad works better than I ever expected.

Didn't know if I would find touch-screen mixing at all useful, but so far its purt kewl. For one thing, even in a small office "cockpit", the mixer control pad can be moved to wherever I'm working, rather than having to reach for the mixer any time a knob needs adjustment.

[Stupid American Pig]

I went the route of UAD apollo 8 plus outboard mixers. I have 2 mackie provfxv2 (an 8 and 16 channel version) to allow for all the I/O I need. I did this in stages, first with the apollo, then the 8 channel mackie, then the 16. I wont say that the mackie mixers are great, but they are relatively quiet, and the 16 channel version has compression built in which, while average, is a nice to have. I think the total spend on the hardware is right around 2700 bucks. Then there is UAD plugins. I have easily dropped another 1500 on those. I think Im finally at a point where unless something truly revolutionary comes out for UAD, Im done buying plugins, I can create all the color I need and have great compressors, eqs and reverbs at my disposal. Having 24 channels of mixer IO plus 4 more unused apollo IO is plenty for me.(there are 8 ins on the apollo of which 4 are used for the mixers), and has definitely streamlined my workflow as Im not patching gear or running cables constantly unless I want to mic something. If you have a lot of outboard gear, having the IO is very nice.

[theEmbark]

I like your setup @stupid American pig. I ultimately went with the studio live 32 version 3. I'm loving it so far. I decided to go digital and build around my daw, studio one. They are getting ready to integrate total daw control with the board and I'm super excited for that. That's pretty much what sold me. Also qmix is a great way to control in ear mixes. Most digital mixers have some form of that.

All in all looking forward to using it even more than I have been. I've got most of the waves stuff and plugin alliance. Next will probably be outboard gear. Probably a lunchbox with a bunch of neve pres!

Thanks for the help!

[Stupid American Pig]

That is pretty bad ass man, does it work well with other daws? do you have any that you can test with?

[JCJR]

I like your setup @stupid American pig. I ultimately went with the studio live 32 version 3. I'm loving it so far. I decided to go digital and build around my daw, studio one. They are getting ready to integrate total daw control with the board and I'm super excited for that.

From which aspects of DAW integration do you most expect benefit? Just being able to control input gain/routing/eq/compression from within the DAW? Or more ambitious?

Have read of people recording all the inputs of a live show, then later playing back the tracks thru the digital mixer at home in order to simulate/practice/save scenes for better live mixing on future shows.

I suppose one could similarly mix computer tracks in the digital mixer rather than in the computer but am foggy on advantages of such. Some folk still like to mix computer tracks thru analog mixer or analog summer, so maybe mixing in the digital mixer could have perceived advantages for some folk.

Or can that DAW integration put the digital mixer into a "controller mode" where the knobs and sliders adjust the computer's DAW mix rather than the mixer's internal settings?