Thread: Gear advice moving from DIing to recording drums & amps

Do you need to use the new gear for live performances or is it just studio work (recording)?

You have an implied need for 16 channels into your DAW (what DAW is it?), so you need a computer interfacing system that will do that. I would not go for a second Delta 1010, and in no circumstances would I touch the 8 channel mixer you have been offered.

Your requirement can be met by an Allen+Heath Zed-R16, which is a high-quality 16-channel mixer with FireWire digital interfacing built-in. We are lucky here in the UK that a product like the R16 offers so much for the money, and R16s also come up from time to time on Ebay, one having gone a few days ago for just over £1K. If you want to mix OTB (i.e. not using the DAW), the R16 works excellently as the (analogue) mixer. It also has control surface capabilities that will couple up to many DAWs for ITB mixing. Regulars on Recording.Org probably groan about my banging on about the R16, but it is an exceptional product for the money.

Hi Boswell, thanks for your reply. I'm using Sonar currently. I'm buying the gear exclusively for recording, although there's always a possibility that I might do some live stuff with it at a later date.

The Zed-R16 looks like an awesome piece of kit, and I'll bear it in mind as a possibility. I even feel a certain loyalty to Allen+Heath, having had many years of service from my old GS1! However, I think the Zed-R16 might be overkill for my needs. It's certainly pushing my budget to its limits. I really just need a way to get 16 tracks into the DAW, from which point I'm more than happy mixing in software. I've no doubt that I'd enjoy a proper control surface, but I'm not sure it's a luxury I can afford at the moment. Still, I'll certainly bear it in mind, and many thanks for the advice!

The good thing is that you know what you want. When you start using mic's the mic pre's you use are going to start to become really important. If the extra 1010 and behringer meet your needs I'd go this route. This way you are not wasting money on a lot re repurchase items(items you'll upgrade later). You'll need to assess you needs for future I might look into the Audient 8 channel mic pre as your first investment when your mic needs are met.

Thanks Paul. I think you're right, I'm best going with the 1010 and cheap mixer for now. I'll concentrate on getting some good mics to go with it, and then I can start to worry about whether my pres and interfaces are up to the task. That Audient unit looks lovely, though I can't imagine spending that kind of money right now... but knowing me, in a couple of months I'll be blowing all my savings on something along those lines.

The Delta 1010 is pretty low on the totem. It has very low headroom and is easy to overload with outboard preamps. I mean real easy. A Behr**** mixer is an exercise in gambling. It is low headroom and high noise and might or might not power up the next time. The Behr**** is brittle sounding and sibilant. The 1010 was decent enough when it was a brand new piece of gear....a decade ago......but the drivers are suspect and it's time is way in the past. If I knew at some point I was going to use outboard quality preamps I would make sure the interface was good enough to both handle the dBV and also quality enough to do the ADC adequately.

Originally Posted by TheJackAttack

The Delta 1010 is pretty low on the totem. It has very low headroom and is easy to overload with outboard preamps. I mean real easy. A Behr**** mixer is an exercise in gambling. It is low headroom and high noise and might or might not power up the next time. The Behr**** is brittle sounding and sibilant. The 1010 was decent enough when it was a brand new piece of gear....a decade ago......but the drivers are suspect and it's time is way in the past. If I knew at some point I was going to use outboard quality preamps I would make sure the interface was good enough to both handle the dBV and also quality enough to do the ADC adequately.

While this is all true I get the feeling that the OP knows where he wants to go but does not have the means to get there yet. I am with you, I do not like to buy gear that won't last for years but I'm not sure the OP is in that position.

Originally Posted by TigerBlood

... I've got a fairly limited budget - I'm hoping to spend up to £1000 for the moment, but I can maybe stretch to more if needs be.
...
I figure a 16 channel setup will be just about right for us, with at least 12 of the channels needing mic pres....

This is TigerBlood's stated position. I don't know of many ways in which he can get 12 respectable pre-amps interfaced to a computer for £1K. I have to agree with Jack that following the Delta 1010 route would spell annoying trouble and frustration.

Maybe second-hand gear would fit the bill. You can often get a used Yamaha 01V96 (12 pre-amps) for around the £1k figure, but it would need the ADAT expansion option and then additionally at least a 2-ADAT interface card for interfacing to a computer. The A+H Zed-R16 I mentioned earlier is an even better-quality unit, and needs only a FireWire interface in the computer.

In terms of audio interfaces (as opposed to mixers), it would be better to consider an RME FireFace800, using the 4 internal pre-amps for the "money" channels and an ADAT-output 8-channel pre-amp for the other channels. As and when the cash allows, up to 6 more external analogue-output speciality pre-amps can be added feeding the FF800's line inputs.

I would not put any further cash into expanding the existing audio interface, as attempting to do that would be money wasted. The expansion items would not easily fit with the better system that must be the eventual end goal.

Originally Posted by Paul999

While this is all true I get the feeling that the OP knows where he wants to go but does not have the means to get there yet. I am with you, I do not like to buy gear that won't last for years but I'm not sure the OP is in that position.

Not at all, I must have given the wrong impression entirely. I have the means to get there, I just don't know where I'm going.

My problem is that I have zero experience with "real" recording, which makes it difficult to pick the right equipment. I don't want to spend any more than is necessary, but my budget is very flexible, and if I have to stretch it to do a good job then I will. I don't want to go buying equipment that I'll just be throwing away, but neither do I want to splash out a fortune only to find I've bought something unsuitable, due to my lack of experience. That's why I'm here soliciting advice from people who know what they're doing.