do you have a USB interface with 4 inputs?

Kurt Foster, post: 451603, member: 7836 wrote: do you have a USB interface with 4 inputs?

No...I was using 4 inputs on the Mackie...???

a 2404 doesn't have any converters. it's all analog so you need a way to convert to USB.

From the 2404 VLZ3 spec:

Integrated 4x2 24-bit USB interface lets you stream subgroups or master L/R to your PC or Mac for recording; use your favorite plug-in live via auxes 5/6; and has a convenient stereo return to mains for music playback, return to channel, implementing EQ, auxes, and more.

I decode this as saying that you can send 4 audio tracks from the mixer to the PC via USB. Whether you can configure these paths to operate in the way you want may take some experimentation.

i was thinking we were talking about a Mackie 2404. i was mistaken. my bad, good catch Bos. it looks like you can send a 2 mix from the 1/2 buss to a computer.

Kurt Foster, post: 451606, member: 7836 wrote: a 2404 doesn't have any converters. it's all analog so you need a way to convert to USB.

Hi Kurt thanks for your response. It has a USB connection...is this just for stereo signals I/P and O/P...?

Boswell, post: 451607, member: 29034 wrote: From the 2404 VLZ3 spec:

I decode this as saying that you can send 4 audio tracks from the mixer to the PC via USB. Whether you can configure these paths to operate in the way you want may take some experimentation.

Thanks for the valuable info...

4x2 USB interface permits four‑track recording from a combination of the two bus pairs, the mains or aux 5/6 directly to a computer, with stereo audio playback via the mixer channels 23/24.

I took a closer look at this, and I think what you want to do (i.e. recording of 4 separate tracks) is relatively straightforward, providing you don't want to use any of the other mixer functions at the same time.

If your 4 inputs were on mixer channels 1 - 4, then you would raise the faders on tracks 1 and 2 to send these to the main mix, but set the channel pan controls so channel 1 is panned hard left and channel 2 hard right. Raise the main faders, making sure you don't have any other of the channel faders or stereo input levels raised. On channel 3, raise the Aux 5 level, and on channel 4 raise the Aux 6 level. You then need to raise the Aux 5 and 6 master levels, and all other level knobs (Auxes, Busses, etc) must be at minimum.

The remaining operation is to check that the USB send buttons (top right) are both depressed to select the stereo L/R and the Aux 5/6 as the four sends to USB.

Boswell, post: 451757, member: 29034 wrote: I took a closer look at this, and I think what you want to do (i.e. recording of 4 separate tracks) is relatively straightforward, providing you don't want to use any of the other mixer functions at the same time.

If your 4 inputs were on mixer channels 1 - 4, then you would raise the faders on tracks 1 and 2 to send these to the main mix, but set the channel pan controls so channel 1 is panned hard left and channel 2 hard right. Raise the main faders, making sure you don't have any other of the channel faders or stereo input levels raised. On channel 3, raise the Aux 5 level, and on channel 4 raise the Aux 6 level. You then need to raise the Aux 5 and 6 master levels, and all other level knobs (Auxes, Busses, etc) must be at minimum.

The remaining operation is to check that the USB send buttons (top right) are both depressed to select the stereo L/R and the Aux 5/6 as the four sends to USB.

Thank you all for the detailed solution to my problem...

As a quick aside -but possibly pertinent suggestion...
Make sure you have your four input tracks in Logic set for mono input. I'm not a Logic guy per se', but I was recently working on it at a friend's place and found that when you create new tracks, Logic defaults to stereo inputs. You have to switch your track's inputs to mono (and then select your interface's input channels for each track) in order to arm and record multiple tracks at one time.
FWIW

DonnyThompson, post: 451764, member: 46114 wrote: As a quick aside -but possibly pertinent suggestion...
Make sure you have your four input tracks in Logic set for mono input. I'm not a Logic guy per se', but I was recently working on it at a friend's place and found that when you create new tracks, Logic defaults to stereo inputs. You have to switch your track's inputs to mono (and then select your interface's input channels for each track) in order to arm and record multiple tracks at one time.
FWIW

I ran into this recently with some tracks also........Go figure.

Davedog, post: 451767, member: 4495 wrote: I ran into this recently with some tracks also........Go figure.

Davedog, post: 451767, member: 4495 wrote: I ran into this recently with some tracks also........Go figure.

Thank you all for the information...maybe I could explain what I want to do and any advice on how to complete the plan would be great...?

I am the guitarist in the band and we want to record some good quality tracks for a demo. We have guitar, bass, two keyboard tracks, vocals and drums. We are unable to book professional studio time and have to try and find a way of doing it ourselves.
We have the Mackie 2404 and the use of two other smaller mixers, assorted cabs, amps and powered monitors. The DAW is Logic 10 running on an Apple Mac Mini computer. We also have x5 mics one being a condenser.

My idea of the recording workflow is to first record the guitar, bass and two keyboard tracks, then the drums (4 mics on individual tracks on Logic) then finally the lead vocal. But monitoring at each stage is a bit of problem. Could we use another Aux on the Mackie for monitoring the guitar, bass and keyboards for the first recording stage as we will be D/I these instruments, no backline amps.

Then stage two is recording the drums. The drummer and vocalist will have to monitor the recorded tracks, the drums, as well as a live vocal guide track without recording this vocal on his drum mics, we have no separate drum or vocal space, so I thought the vocalist could maybe go outside to do this...we all live in the Canary Islands, so the weather is not a problem and it is only a guide track...?

Then final stage is the lead vocal track, which should be easier if we can use the other Aux's on the Mackie for monitoring.

Finally, I am aware of the problem of latency, any advice on how to minimise this would be welcome. I am learning a lot about the recording process and it is very encouraging to get advice from experts in this area...

Maybe my idea of the workflow is not correct and would welcome any more advice on the methods of how things should be done in this situation to get the best result...

Thanks again everyone...

I think you should download and print the owners manual. All of this is laid out in easy to understand language by Mackie and details the tracking and the monitoring of overdubs into phones without latency. You may very well be able to use the workflow you are thinking of. You will just have to be cautious of the steps and make sure of your pan positions and assignments of your channels. I think that in logic Pro you can set up a mixer to deal with the already captured tracks and how they are mixed to your phones system and this may very well ad some latency but probably not a lot.

I don't see the other aux's playing much of a role in this as you don't have an interface to properly patch to them and buss from them. It sounds like the USB is four lanes only in and two out. But I could be mistaken.

I wouldn't track drums AFTER bass and guitars. The drummer sets the tempo, groove/pocket and dynamcs. It's gonna be tough for him to do that if he is restricted to what the other instruments are playing.
Can it be done? Yeah...but you're better off recording drums and bass together. Better yet....
Because you have only four ins at once, look to premixing your drum mics on the mixer, and sending a stereo sub to two tracks on your DAW (Logic), then use track 3 for bass and track 4 for guitar,and record together at the same time. You'll get a much better feel if you record as a band, instead of overdubbing everything a track at a time. As long as the musicians know the songs, and are prepared, I think you'll be happier with the results. Then,do any solos or vocal work after that.

Davedog, post: 451767, member: 4495 wrote: I ran into this recently with some tracks also........Go figure.

Yeah, because I'm not a Logic user, I had to make a call to a friend whom I knew was a regular user, and he explained it to me in short order. He was very helpful.
I'm a Samplitude guy, so setting multiple tracks up in that platform is second nature to me now, but I'd only worked with Logic once or twice in the past fewer years, at client's home studios.
Once my friend told me what to do, I kinda felt like an idiot, because it was so obvious what I should have known what to do... But each DAW platform has its own layout, locations for commands, and nomenclatures, and if you're not familiar with a certain DAW, there will always be a learning curve to some extent, and, I think you have to continue working with it, because it's not hard to forget certain things.
I was a Sonar PE user for years, I got to know it inside and out, but because I've been working exclusively with Samplitude for over two years now, I've forgotten a lot about Sonar. Recently, I opened Sonar to export some tracks, and it wasn't like it used to be for me... It took me a little while to recall how I did certain things in it, commands that at one time I could have done without giving a second thought.
;)