How to run my Interface to my Mixer and back?

[Frank_Jaegr]

Had a question about how to go about setting my (Yamaha 512) powered mixer with one monitor to my Focusrite Pro 14 interface.

I want to use my mixer as the place where I EQ and mix everything including what comes out of my DAW but I would also like to send out the mixer and that whole mix into one track on my DAW as well and be able to hear it with headphones.

The back of the interface itself has 4 Line outputs and 2 Line Ins and the front has two combo XLR/TS inserts with a headphone output (1/4"). So I went from my "Main Out" on my powered mixer to one Line INPUT in the back of the interface. This means that in my DAW it would pull up as a channel strip right? If I wanted to send the audio from what is in the Saffire I'd send it out from the Line OUTPUTS on the interface to a single channel strip in the mixer? Or should I run it through to a channel which has 1/4" left (mono) and right inputs to make it stereo?

Sorry if this is confusing but I might as well ask this in advance too:

My guitar head has a Line Out, I can send that to the second left over LINE INPUT of the interface and that'd be a single channel too?

Thank you!

[RichieWitch]

What you're describing will work, but I can't imagine you'll find it very satisfying if you want to mix on your Yamaha. To do any real mixing from your DAW to the mixer, you need an audio interface with multiple outputs to allow you to feed several (or even better--all) of the channels on the mixer, which you then route back to the interface as fully mixed track.

Having just one or two inputs coming back to the mixer is not going to make much of a mix.

I'm currently upgrading to a similar setup and I'm shopping for an interface with 10 outputs. Eight to feed channels on the mixer, and two to feed main out from my computer to the mixer for monitoring.

[Astralv]

I cant think of any application of mixing with the mixer. I have Presonus Studio Live- it is a mixer and sound card at the same time. The FireWire interface inside of it sends everything to the mixer, but still- I don't see why you would want to do that. That would significantly lower quality of recording, add latency and noise. Any recording software has a set of basic EQ plugins- mix using computer DAW mixer. Plus, recording with one Input will make it MONO. If you record one vocal track and one guitar track, it may be ok, but most of recordings expected to be in stereo.

[Frank_Jaegr]

Is it better to just send what goes on in the PA as a track to my interface then? I have 4 things I'd like to record onto my interface through my DAW but this is what I'm confused about:

I have an amplifier with a "Line Out" to get a dry signal from the amp
I have a mixer with "Main Outs"
I have a keyboard I'd like to record straight into my DAW as a dry signal to mess with midi

In the front of my interface I have 2 XLR/1/4" TS INPUTS and in the back two more additional 1/4" LINE INPUTS. I can pretty much plug anything here right? It just has to be a TRS signal right?

At this point if I plug everything in I just have to pull up these inputs as tracks right via the mix console where you mess with faders (I'm using Presonus Studio 3)?

[thecontrolcentre]

I use a mixer to send my outboard synths and FX into my audio interface. I use the stereo out (phono) on the mixer into the line ins (1/4" jacks) on the interface. Works well. Sending the signal from an interface into a mixer (for eqing) and back again can lead to feedback loops if you're not careful.

[Frank_Jaegr]

Would stereo out be Main Out on my mixer? Or Monitor Out? I also have REC Out and an effects out but I'm not sure what these things do, especially the effects out.

If you sent out the mixer to the interface how would you set certain effects for channels? Wouldn't the effects out take every effect and put it all on the mixer channel?

[RichieWitch]

I took a quick look at the owner's manual for your mixer, so here's what I would do.

Start by connecting the two 1/4" Main Out L/R jacks to the two rear 1/4" jacks (Inputs 3/4) on your Pro 14 interface. These are +4 dBu balanced jacks on both the mixer and the interface. Make sure you use TRS (balanced) cables.

if you don't want to connect the keyboard and guitar into the mixer (so that you can use on-board EQ and compression) then plug the keyboard into one of the TR jacks and set that jack to "Instrument" in your Focusrite mix software. The little "Inst" LED on the front panel will come on when you do this.

For the guitar, since your amp has a line out jack, you can plug it into the other front panel jack on the Pro 14 and set it to Instrument as well.

The Yamaha 512 also includes an Effects out jack (TR/unbalanced) for connecting to additional outboard gear. If you were to connect this jack to, let's say, an reverb unit, you would then connect the output of the reverb to any unused stereo inputs on channels 5/6 thru 11/12. It doesn't have anything to do with the built-in effects of the mixer. The "Effect Return" knob controls the amount of the mixer's internal effects, so it has nothing to do with this port.

So: Pro's of setting it up this way--you get four tracks in Studio One recording each input separately. Con's - you lose the ability to apply the mixer FX or external hardware to your keyboard and guitar.

The alternative would be to hook everything to the mixer and just have the mixer connected to the rear jacks on the interface. This would force you to record only two tracks at a time, but would allow you to use all the routing and FX features of the mixer.

Depends on which is more important to you.

[thecontrolcentre]

Monitor out is for monitors. FX out is a send for outboard effects. Record in/out is for a recording device, OR your audio interface. You could also connect the main outs to your interface, but NOT if you're going to send the signal back to channels, as that is likely to cause a feedback loop. I'd suggest you read the manual for your mixer so that you can better understand the internal routing and the difference between the various in/outs (sends & returns).

[BertKoor]

Monitor out is for monitors.

Maybe this needs some more explanation...

The Main output on a mixer delivers whatever goes through the Master fader. If you select Solo (or PFL = Pre Fader Listening) on a channel then you hear only that channel on the headphone out, while Main out is unaffected. This is nice for using the mixer live, so the sound guy can listen to one single channel (eg for eq tweaks) but the public does not notice.

The Monitor output (sometimes called Control Room) mirrors whatever is sent to the headphone output. So if you Solo a channel, the Monitor outs also deliver just that channel. That is good for studio usage, or live when the engineer has its own headphone amp.

[Frank_Jaegr]

Oh ok, I kind of understand now what I wanna do then.

I wanna be able to finalize and mix on Presonus. I have a bunch of guitar amps which I can record into my DAW via Microphone, in this scenario I'd just set this as one channel on my DAW right? I'd go into the I/O and then set up "INPUT 1" to be that so everytime I start a track and hit "INPUT 1" it's gonna be that is the signal. I can also plug in my guitar and "reamp" on another channel (say INPUT 2) to just experiment with effects on my DAW. Let's say I have a stereo guitar amp pedal (a delay), how could I get it so the unit itself works as a "plug in" on my DAW to send to let's say a dry keyboard? Is that possible?

I just got a patchbay but I'm not sure how to achieve all this without specific instruction (thank you so much Richie for being in-depth). I'd use my powered mixer primarily as a monitor I guess in this scenario instead of two KRK studio monitors but I wasn't sure if the mixer is how I sent effects or how the mixer then plays into the patchbay (if at all).

[Frank_Jaegr]

Also, how do you get started on using plug ins? I have a keyboard which I'd like to use, but I'd send that out as a track into my DAW and then use it to control the plug ins? Do I -need- MIDI for this? Thank you so much!