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Hi, i'm working in a small studio and have the following setup:

1 x 16 tr fostex recorder
1 x 8 tr fostex recorder
1 x Mackie 24x8 bus analog desk
1 x Mackie 24 channel extension

with some external compressors, fx, etc

Now i really want to have a new recording system with graphical view, easier editing (simple) and export possibilities. I looked for standalone systems (Mackie HDR2496, Alesis HD24, Tascam, iZ, etc) but they are above my budget. So i want to check if its cheaper to do it with a PC with good 24 in / 24 out card and some decent software (Protools, Cubase). I really like to work with the mixing desk i have at the moment and a controller for Pro Tools or Cubase is waaaayyyyy above budget, so i want to keep the Mackie 24x8. Anyone working with such a setup? Like setting the volume mix on your faders but do the automation in Pro Tools for instance? Can you give me a advice or tell me it's undoable for a 'small' budget?

Thanx in advance! I'm really curious for you suggestions :)

Mark

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anonymous Wed, 03/16/2005 - 14:19

Hardware controllers

In addition to above; what price do i have to pay for a decent 24 tr controller? There has to be a way to have a quite easy solution to work with different bands & mixes. We record a band every weekend and mix it down in a evening or day in the following week or the week afterwards or so... So i really need a convenient way to store and recall a complete mix. The lack of responds tells me, there isn't an 'affordable' way to do this?!

Mark

anonymous Wed, 03/16/2005 - 14:56

hi murruk,

what exactly is your budget? if you're abandoning your stand alone recorders for a computer and you still want to mix on your analog desk, you're going to have to spend a decent amount to get 24 channels in and out. you'll need to know what system you want to run (these vary greatly in cost) before you know all your requirements, but generally, assuming you're happy with the mic pres on your mackie, the stuff you'll need is 24 channels of AD (analog to digital) conversion, 24 channels of DA (digital to analog) conversion (these also vary greatly in cost), and an appropriate soundcard. i don't really know heaps about this kind of thing, but hopefully someone else will be able to get more specific. i do know your best bet for a controller is the tascam US2400 with 24 faders and everything you'd expect from a good controller for about $1300 new "buy it now" on ebay.

anonymous Fri, 03/18/2005 - 05:35

No problem Jimbo Baby! In the meanwhile i read about the Alesis HD24, looking fine to me. It has analog and digital connections, so i quite ideal for 'analog to digital upgrade over x years'. Can find it for less then $1500. So i can record first and transfer files to PC for Protools sessions later. They also have an software editor avaiable, which connects through the ethernet port. Sounds ok to me... Its a first step to a digital studio.

Recently i had a mixdown session in between a different mixdown. What i did is took photo's of my complete desk, fx rack and patchpanels. It worked quite well i must say, so i think i have to stick with that method until a complete store/recall desk is in my budget.

Any users of the HD24 on this board? What are your experiences?