Well, I have made a lot of recordings with " live" boards. The Midas is one of the better manufacturers. SSL and EMI really don't make any portable consoles. Nothing you should even be thinking about. If you like making live recordings, continue using your Midas! Now go in purchase one of those convenient 24 track hard disk recorders, like the Alesis, Mackie, Tascams and patches through the Midas's inserts. Voila! Live multitrack recording with PA and monitor mix from one console! Conversely, you could purchase a nice microphone splitter system (transformer isolated my favorite) and run all of those split microphones into multiple 8 input microphone preamplifiers and then into the 24 track hard disk recorder. Again voila!

Using the output of the inserts may require a cute little Radio Shaft adapter that is a 1/4 inch stereo plug to RCA jack. This cute little adapter plug shorts the tip to the ring so that the signal passes through the rest of the audio console and you are still able to withdraw an output to your recorder. If however you are using a dedicated device on some insert point? You would then need a Y cord to split the output of your device back to the input/insert on the console and the secondary output to your recorder i.e. compressor/limiter.

Remember, don't gloat too much!

Remy Ann David

Not sure if you mean that you're using it in the studio or for live recordings. But, nonetheless, I use a Soundcraft 328XD live and run the lightpipe directly to an Alesis 328XD. Works great! Also, I use the same board as my controller for Logic in the studio. Perfect if I need more I/O, too!

You can use any board for recording...providing you have the outputs..as eloquently described above, using the insert jacks. The only things that distinguises "live boards" from recording consoles ..the ease of finding an output per channel strip and ruggedness + portability.

No worries at all using a board that was marketed toward live reinforcement, for recording and mixing.

Dedicated recording consoles usually do have quieter mic pres..but these days, they are all pretty quiet!

I think the venices have individual recording outputs. What makes it a "live"-board is the lack of input switching, I think..?

The differences between a "live" board and a "recording" board get more blurred every year. It depends on the manufacturer and their idea of "what's what". Most analog boards designed for recording will have an "inline monitor" scheme that will allow the engineer to route 2 different sources through each channel strip. The input preamp can have a mic or DI going through that, and the monitor sends can have the tape/HD track going through that at the SAME time. This permits you to connect, with a 24-channel board, up to 24 mic/line ins AND 24 tracks at the same time, with the ability to simultaneously set up the monitor mix TOTALLY seperate from the tracking levels/sources.
The "live" board won't accomodate that. Each input channel may be assigned/mixed through however many sends the board has available, but WHAT goes to those sends is whatever is selected for the input. Capiche?
I doubt that there is better "live" board currently on the market than a Midas, due to their kickass pre's. They are better than many so-called "recording" boards. Enjoy!