Help needed with computer and interfacing mixer

Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:12 pm

Hey

Im new to the recording scene, and am hoping to get a setup soon. Ill focus mostly on electric and acoustic, with a little vocals thrown in. Im thinking about getting a SM57 and a Behringer 6-channel mixer. Ill use either Cubase or Audacity or some comparable program. My questions are:

1. If I buy the mixer, do i need to also buy a USB interface to connect it to my computer?

2. Do I even need a mixer or can I just use the recording program?

Thanks for helping out.

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 12:17 am

whats up brother

i record at a small studio in alabama, and i recently built my own home digital multitrack rig...well, i'm still building it...?

Quote:

1. If I buy the mixer, do i need to also buy a USB interface to connect it to my computer?

2. Do I even need a mixer or can I just use the recording program?

1. there are a few different ways to tackle the analog/digital conversion issue. there are a few mixers that have direct firewire or USB ports. i think alesis makes some, and i know mackie has some very expensive ones. i'm sure more have been made recently. look on musicians friend for mixers. and i think they typically are shipped with some type of compatible mutitracking software. i personally use SONAR 6 (an educational copy from my teacher buddy), which

or, you could get an analog/digital interface, such as my favorite and my recommendation, an m-audio delta 1010. it's got a bunch of 1/4" inputs that are converted into a digital signal and connect to the computer via PCI just like a printer or sound card, as well as outputs to similar effect.

2. i'd get a mixer. most any one of them will have some type of EQ, and even some cheap effects help beat the sound of a deader, dryer signal (typically).

i use a mackie 1604 vlz-pro, and run direct out from the first 8 channels into the 1010 and computer, and use the last 8 tracks for 'tape' returns. sometimes i bus the tracks down in the software to a single stereo monitor channel, which runs out to 2 tracks on the 1604.

sorry if that's confusing, i'm brand new to this forum.

what kind of music do you make?

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