sorry for the long post but I was thinking. Do I even neede a 24 channel mixer. This is what I want. I want to be able to hear my 24 tracks of sounds but eliminate the digital sound and add some warmth to the tracks but not lose the automation that I programmed in the Digi 001. Help please before I waste my money.

Dude, SLOW DOWN! Take your time and think this through. The best advice I can offer you right now is that you don't always get everything you want. It is just that plain and simple. Your going to have to be very honest and realistic in deciding what you want vs what you really need vs how much you have to spend. Even if you can buy everything you want, that still doesn't mean your going to be able to get the results you want. It is very likely that you going to need to apprach this in many separate steps over a long period of time if you want to get it right and not waste your money.

Yeah, I told my cousin who is a engineer about my plans and he told me that for what I'm doing. My 8-track mackie should be fine. Since I'll be doing the majority of the mixing in pro tools. He said my money would be better spent else where.plug-ins room acoustics or other outboard gear.

Yer cuz is correct... The 8 channel Mackie should give you plenty of options for doing phone cue mixs and what ever else you need from the 001.

To warm things up and get rid of the "digital sound" I always recomend better front end gear. I think much of what people blame on digital as harsh, brittle, thin sound is really coming from the cheap mixers and pre amps in use with these low cost recorders.

Recording platforms and monitor mixers can come and go but quality mics and preamps can last you a lifetime. Consider some higher end, discreet, class A mic pres with transformers on the inputs (to help warm things up) and some decent mics.

While anything really worth considering is a bit out of your price range ($800) if you are patient and look around, you may be able to get a deal on something used.. anything that is Neve, Neve clone, API, Telefunkin, Focusrite (not the platinum range) etc will be the ticket.. There are others, too numerous to mention.

The least expensive thing I have found of this type so far has been the [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.sebatron…"]Sebatron[/]="http://www.sebatron…"]Sebatron[/] line of tube mic pres.. A vmp 2000e, sans meters, can be had new for around $1000 (shipping and customs included).

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And, as Kurt so politely said, you should not expect a $800 investment to deliver $20,000 in sound, regardless of what the ads say.