Spirit SX TO Delta 66 To PC.

Budget? Do you have to have a mixer? Generally unless you are actually mixing most folks recommend skipping the mixer and just going straight to an interface. For live bands though of course a mixer is preferable.

Well, first off you normally wouldn't use your onboard sound chip for recording or mixing audio. By skipping the board I meant going into a proper audio interface and then into the computer via whatever hookup. There are a few posters here who live in the UK so they might be better able to tell you what is available for 400GBP. Typically that would be a firewire or PCI interface for best results and you would monitor from that same interface. Maybe Boswell will pop in here and give some advice.

There's nothing around for that sort of money that would do 8 stereo channels directly into a computer. The M-Audio Delta 66 is a reasonable value 4-channel interface unit, but has limitations, one of them being the +14dBu full-scale input level.



How do you have your Soundcraft SX arranged? It has 4 stereo channels, so do you pair up mono channels for the other 4 stereo sources? Do you use other mono channels for microphones and the like? Which SX outputs do you connect to the Delta 66?



I've done servicing on those SX boards, but have not encountered huge problems with noisy faders. It may be best for the moment to consider spending a little on having the noisy SX faders attended to while you save up more money for a better mixer or audio interface combination. The crunch is going to be the stereo channels. How many stereo inputs do you really need?

You could reduce it to how do I get 16 mono channels into and at least 4 out of my computer for £900 or less? You can do all you need with using mono channels, panning them L and R in pairs for stereo as necessary after they are captured in the computer.



An expanded 8-channel audio interface is one choice, and of those, it's probably going to be something like the Presonus FireStudio Project with the Digimax FS ADAT expander unit. However, there are several hardware choices and options in this area, and others may want to chime in with suggestions.

If the budget is expanded I do have some suggestions. Caveat: I still have no idea what things cost on your side of the pond.



I think I'd keep it on a PCI bus if it were me since that is what you are used to and it has the lowest latency. The RME Multiface II is a great option and you could combine it with a Digimax FS or an Octamic II or a used Mackie Onyx 800R or similar for 16 inputs and very low latency. The Multiface can also be had used very often at reasonable prices and as long as you check it prior to purchase they last a very long time.



The MoTU PCI interfaces are also excellent and a 2408 + ADAT mic pre would provide much the same I/O. The MoTU gear seems to be hearty enough to me but I see a lot that have been broken by users too-more so than RME but maybe that's just because they are more prevalent in the US or were.

If you could truly expand your budget quite a bit a perfect option for you would be the Allen & Heath ZED R16. This is a fabulous board with very good preamps in built and lots of other cool features. It just may be beyond what you wish to spend.



Best of luck.

I thought we needed 8 ins?

Yes if you are willing to repatch everything and live with two or four ins you could go with a TC Eletronic Impact Twin. The Multiface would still have lower latency but is pricier. At least in the US.

I don't know who these people are and what their experience is. If you were willing to jump to a Lynx Aurora 8 then it would be worth keeping a mixer separate from an interface if the mixer were high quality. If you don't need a mixer then of course just an interface with the requisite preamps and line inputs. PCI has less latency than firewire but in a home studio environment and in fact in most semi professional studios, that isn't much of an issue. Latency can be an issue if the computer is not tweaked for audio but that is true regardless of the interface format.



The Allen & Heath Zed R16 or GS24 are so much better than anything in the Delta series or any other M-Audio interface that they really can't even be compared. Along those lines, the Presonus Studio Live mixers (16 and 24 channels) also far outstrip any M-Audio device. The Mackie Onyx i1640 also trounces any M-Audio interface though it isn't on the exact plane of the A&H.

Localhero, post: 368892 wrote: Hi TJA,

I have had many people tell me that mixers and pci cards are best kept seperate(ie best to use delta card and mixer rather than all in one) and I was seriously considering buying the allen and heath zed r16? what are your thoughts?

Cheers



Paul

It's a question of what you get and at what quality for your money. The Zed-R16 has not only 16 top-quality pre-amps, but also the matching quality A-D and D-A converters. As a live and recording desk, it's very hard to come close to the quality in any other mix of gear for that amount of money. If there is a downside, it may be that the R16 is a fixed-size unit, and it's not easily possible to use it in a system where you need more than 16 channels. Also, because it is orientated towards computer interfacing, the number of conventional Auxes is barely adequate for live stage use with effect units and monitors. However, it's unmatched at the price for small studio use.