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I am in the proces of building a small studio for recording accustic -folk -bluegrasstype -music. And I am using mics like u67s and AKG c 12 vr.
I record to a 8 track harddisc with the mics going through universal audio tubepreams and v72 and v76.(no mixer in the chain)
At the moment I have a very good overall sound on most of the recordings. However when it comes to the proces of mixing the material I`m not getting the the true value of these great mics/pres to the final stage. I am using a small Mackie 1604
to mix the output from the harddiscrecorder.
I never use the eq on the mixer becouse I feel that these buttons do tilt the sound.

So here is the situation:
1. I need a mixer with no eq.
2. Only pan and fader and insert for pompresser.
3. At least 8 channels.

Can anybody out there give me advice on what to get to improve my sound?.
Leif Thomsen-Heather Studio

Comments

anonymous Sun, 12/07/2003 - 10:44

Thank you ever so for the the answers . Let me tell you that I am not very experienced in communicating on the web- that´s the reason for the whrong placing for my toppic.
Gil , I can se that the sure future for recording nowadays are digital gear like protools. And it does make a lot of sense to keep the mixing process in the a system like protooles.
However I do read about people disliking digital
mixers. Therefore I kind of like the idea to use as many analog units in the chain of recordig as possiple. At fist I was thinking of manleys 12 chanel console with some tubes involved.
The sound I`m going for is the classic 50´s- 60`s like Brenda Lee-Nat King Cole and so on.
So my Idea is to get stuff that represent the type gea they used back then.

tripnek Mon, 12/08/2003 - 04:55

I would also suggest a computer for mixing, but if you want to go analog you will have to spend a good amount of money to equal the quality you can get from a good DAW. I'd suggest a Trident, Amek, or even a Neve depending on how much you want to spend. Some also have automation which is a big plus.

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Davedog Mon, 12/08/2003 - 17:10

Not a 'user' of any of the above....but, how can you possibly go wrong with anything 'Manley'....besides it must get really cold in Denmark and those things will heat a small house.Check in at the EveAnna site here on R.O. for any real questions you might have concerning their exquisite products.

anonymous Mon, 12/08/2003 - 18:55

Dave Dog,

Wow what a glowing endorsement of Manley. I have to say though that I am always underwelmed by their products. I never get that round warm feeling from them they sound warm but grainy to my ear. I would rather use Neve or Pultec for EQ. A 33609 would be my choice for compression over Manley and I hated the stereo EQ on the mix bus.

That's what makes horse racing though.

:p:

anonymous Sat, 12/13/2003 - 14:11

I am recording on a Fostex d-108.

Of all the advice from you folks out there I am most exited to hear about the Dangerous linemixer.
It looks simple in design -no nonsence-buildup.
And the price is ok for a very good unit.However I will love to hear from somebody who use one.
...How is the sound on it ?
Would be nice to know before I order one.
Leif

anonymous Tue, 02/17/2004 - 06:33

Seriously, you are capturing what you need with the gear that you have, and you are looking for a better mixdown system.

My thoughts...

I would (and did...) move from a stand alone recorder to a computer based solution. Why?

Only 1 A/D conversion, nothing gets converted again until the listener plays back the CD that I spit out the other end of the machine.

Ease of editing.

Ability to upgrade seperate components without having to start from scratch.

Now, everyone has their favorite platform, software, and hardware. I can recommend various options, and I can tell you what I use. But in the long run, I suggest checking out various softwares, and buying the hardware and platform to support that choice. It all will depend upon your recording needs, and your budget.

I wanted top quality, so I bought Mytek converters. I use SAWStudio and Sequoia. I recently threw in a Mackie Control for fader-like moves, though I didn't need it.

You might look at SAWBasic or Samplitude. SAWBasic is a new and rather unknown product, while Samplitude has been around almost as long as anybody.

You might look at the RME line of audio cards and converters. My choice (for a card), rather bullet-proof and with great support. Lynx also gets rave reviews all 'round for sound.

Bill