I'm sure this topic has been beaten to death, but try typing "mixer" into the search function here...you'll get lost for days and never find your way out.
I've got another thread here about the mic preamps I'm planning to buy with my meager savings, so this thread is kind of hypothetical/not happening immediately.
My current setup is 2 MOTU 896's going into Reaper. I've long wanted a better front end, and am currently working my way (sloooowly) into some sort of 500 series setup. However I realize that this will be a long drawn out process, buying first a chassis, then one, maybe two modules at a time over the next couple years.
In addition to hating the MOTU's preamps, I also am getting sick of being a mouse mixer. Every motion seems to take forever...there are times where maybe I should automate volume on a track and I don't because it's annoying as hell. I feel like with a fader and some damn knobs everything would take less time. I wouldn't have EQ plugs with ten freakin bands on them, or any of the other unnecessary things hanging around that I have right now because "well gee I don't know, I might use it." I feel that much like the digital photographer who takes 1500 crappy shots because he knows he'll never run out of film, ITB mixing has taught me some bad habits.
Now don't get me wrong - for editing, I'm useless without my computer.
So with all that mucky muck out of the way, the main question:
Does it make sense for me to get a board of sorts? Now I say of sorts because my options would be limited to your garden variety craigslist pieces: your Mackies, Allen & Heaths, and Soundcrafts; your old analog 80's and 90's desks, etc...
Here are what I *think* are logical reasons, and below that my concerns.
1) I know the analog vs digital is a never-ending thing, but it seems to me that most any analog preamp would be better than my MOTU pre's. Most analog preamps seem to have somewhere around 60dB of gain, versus my boxes' 40. Plus these things are utterly lifeless. My mixes never sound professional, and I'm not trying to point the finger away from myself, but maybe it starts somewhat with the front end? My mic locker actually has some decent pieces so it's not that.
2) I think my brain will enjoy only having to worry about having one or two sweepable eq parameters. It is what it is, set it and move on. I feel like I'll be more decisive.
3) Like I said before, knobs and faders are awesome. Mice suck.
4) Somewhat fixed track count. Granted, I can have a million subgroups and folders on the computer, but then in the end they're going to have to get summed down to a fixed number of faders. I like that.
Now all compression, limiting, and effects would all be ITB since I have zero outboard gear.
THE CAVEAT:
Supposing the sound from "board X" is superior to the 896's. The next step is going out from the board, to the MOTU and Reaper. Then, since I'm mixing on it too, from Reaper and the MOTU back out to the board. Because of the double conversion, am I losing whatever sound quality I gained by going through the board in the first place? Are the 896's converters good enough to do that? I mean, the manual's pictures show a mac running OS9 for chrissakes.
Then on top of it, after the mix, I would have to run it BACK through the MOTU to grab the 2 channel mix in Reaper. Maybe this all works fine? But maybe it doesn't, I dunno I've never done it. I guess at the very least it means I have to sacrifice two channels to the board's master outs right? I can live with that though.
THE BOTTOM LINE: In my head it makes sense, but maybe I'm trying to justify something that will end up being useless and detrimental. I know everyone is getting rid of their boards (I'm not talking about your Neves and whatnot). But I see 32 channel Mackie VLZs going for what seems like peanuts these days. The Allen & Heaths don't seem to be that much more. And then you get your occasional RAMSAs, Crests, and a ton of vintage looking guys that I've never even heard of. It makes me want to snap one up.
Is my thinking rational? Or am I flossing a dead horse?
Holy Hell, I feel like I just wrote a book...thanks for reading!
I've got another thread here about the mic preamps I'm planning to buy with my meager savings, so this thread is kind of hypothetical/not happening immediately.
My current setup is 2 MOTU 896's going into Reaper. I've long wanted a better front end, and am currently working my way (sloooowly) into some sort of 500 series setup. However I realize that this will be a long drawn out process, buying first a chassis, then one, maybe two modules at a time over the next couple years.
In addition to hating the MOTU's preamps, I also am getting sick of being a mouse mixer. Every motion seems to take forever...there are times where maybe I should automate volume on a track and I don't because it's annoying as hell. I feel like with a fader and some damn knobs everything would take less time. I wouldn't have EQ plugs with ten freakin bands on them, or any of the other unnecessary things hanging around that I have right now because "well gee I don't know, I might use it." I feel that much like the digital photographer who takes 1500 crappy shots because he knows he'll never run out of film, ITB mixing has taught me some bad habits.
Now don't get me wrong - for editing, I'm useless without my computer.
So with all that mucky muck out of the way, the main question:
Does it make sense for me to get a board of sorts? Now I say of sorts because my options would be limited to your garden variety craigslist pieces: your Mackies, Allen & Heaths, and Soundcrafts; your old analog 80's and 90's desks, etc...
Here are what I *think* are logical reasons, and below that my concerns.
1) I know the analog vs digital is a never-ending thing, but it seems to me that most any analog preamp would be better than my MOTU pre's. Most analog preamps seem to have somewhere around 60dB of gain, versus my boxes' 40. Plus these things are utterly lifeless. My mixes never sound professional, and I'm not trying to point the finger away from myself, but maybe it starts somewhat with the front end? My mic locker actually has some decent pieces so it's not that.
2) I think my brain will enjoy only having to worry about having one or two sweepable eq parameters. It is what it is, set it and move on. I feel like I'll be more decisive.
3) Like I said before, knobs and faders are awesome. Mice suck.
4) Somewhat fixed track count. Granted, I can have a million subgroups and folders on the computer, but then in the end they're going to have to get summed down to a fixed number of faders. I like that.
Now all compression, limiting, and effects would all be ITB since I have zero outboard gear.
THE CAVEAT:
Supposing the sound from "board X" is superior to the 896's. The next step is going out from the board, to the MOTU and Reaper. Then, since I'm mixing on it too, from Reaper and the MOTU back out to the board. Because of the double conversion, am I losing whatever sound quality I gained by going through the board in the first place? Are the 896's converters good enough to do that? I mean, the manual's pictures show a mac running OS9 for chrissakes.
Then on top of it, after the mix, I would have to run it BACK through the MOTU to grab the 2 channel mix in Reaper. Maybe this all works fine? But maybe it doesn't, I dunno I've never done it. I guess at the very least it means I have to sacrifice two channels to the board's master outs right? I can live with that though.
THE BOTTOM LINE: In my head it makes sense, but maybe I'm trying to justify something that will end up being useless and detrimental. I know everyone is getting rid of their boards (I'm not talking about your Neves and whatnot). But I see 32 channel Mackie VLZs going for what seems like peanuts these days. The Allen & Heaths don't seem to be that much more. And then you get your occasional RAMSAs, Crests, and a ton of vintage looking guys that I've never even heard of. It makes me want to snap one up.
Is my thinking rational? Or am I flossing a dead horse?
Holy Hell, I feel like I just wrote a book...thanks for reading!
Mixer to ITB to Mixer to ITB ???
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