Can you post some info on the size & shape of your control room? I'm wondering if you have some standing waves going on. That kind of problem is typical in project studios with no special acoustic design considerations. What specifically is wrong with the mixes? I did some bass and midrange traps in my room several months ago and the difference was astounding. If you can post the measurements of your room, I have a program that will identify the nodal frequencies that will cause problems, be happy to to do it, might save that $2k for a better use.

the mixes are lacking in volume even after project mastering and im convinced the converters are whats holding me back as well as the mix down computer process, but i do need basic acoustic treatment. Ok here is the deal i live at home and i mix in a 10 by 12 room square with a window center on the left wall a door on the right far corner and a walk in closet on the far upper right corner i have my mix table centered in the room on the front wall aka by the closet wall i know i have bass issues i hear it by the window, but im not able to line the walls in carpet or glue foam down so i make do with close near feilds and low volume levels and double checking in headphones. I have learned my room and how to compensate my mxes acordingly it translates well but lacks the punch and cleraity when i mix in pro studios wich i do offten, so im convicned its the converters. Ive thought about trying this buying acoustic foam and glueing it to peg board sheets and laying the peg board sheets behind my studio desk perhaps this will help i dont know how to use bass traps without physically mounnting them to the wall, but if someone knows id be interested in hearing about it though i feel this part of a thread would better be placed in the acoustics section.

Check out the acoustics forum and follow links to Ethan Winer's website via any of his posts. There's tons of info there (where I found it) on materials and designs for bass traps and mid traps/diffusers. The ceiling height is important to factor in also, I have traps overhead from my mix position. Wood shutters are a quick, affordable solution to diffusers. As for the level problems, what application are you mixing in? What soundcard are you using, and can you adjust the input & output levels for it? I mix in Sonar and discovered early on that the track, bus and main meters default to -42db, not a ton of signal down there. I always check when I import a new project and set them all to -12. I'm getting tons of signal when I burn a disk. Hope any of this helps.

if you feel that your converters are bad, foam on the walls won't help. I purchased a Mackie HDR in 1999 with analog cards. the machine has been rock solid, and the converters are great! I use an analog console and mix to Masterlink. It's a great combo

I use a similar setup to Chance, Mackie SDR via analog board, Sonar to mix. Punchy for days.

I use Cubase VST 5.0 and Alesis AI3 converters into a Frontier Designs Dakota card ... In case you don't know, this is about as cheap as you can get but the AI3's clock off the Dakota, so it's not too bad. I suppose the analog circutry leaves a bit to be desired but in the end with good pres and mics it sounds as good as almost anything else I have worked with in the past ... !

I come out of the spdif output on the Dakota and run a coaxial cable to a stand alone Fostex CR200 CD recorder.. and my mixes are as loud as anything out there. I really don't think the issue is the converters but instead what you are doing with the 2-bus in PT.. Strap a limiter in there and set it to hold eveything down to about -1dB and then push all the levels until it is loud ... Comercial CDs these days usually peak out at -.5dB and have a dynamic range of about zero!

thank you kurt. That actually helps, and what helps more is the new headphones i just bought. I can now hear how far i can push a 2-bus limiter/compressor and surprisingly i can push it into the red if its hardware and still not clip the actual audio signal very useful.

protools can put out great mixes.... i use all day every day...

for upgrading the 001 nothing beats hooking up an rme converter to the lightpipe connector!!! better sounding than ANY 24-track out there! (maybe fairlight sounds better :) )

i always record my mixes with a digital loop from out 1-2 back onto another track in protools (must be muted) of course that's maybe a bit of a problem with 32 tracks?

BUT!

mixing is an artform not easily learned...

optimize your monitors and room and try for a few years.... then you should get great mixes :P

iznogood thanks for the gear tip, but please dont asume im a newbie to mixing im only 23, but i have 8 years under my belt and ive worked in some very nice studios :)