Recording from a Mixer

WaveLab
#1

Hello All,

this is my first post on this site. I am entirely new to home recording and have bashed my head in for countless hours trying to figure this one thing out - multi track recording. I currently have a Yamaha MG124C Mixer connected to a mic’d amplifier and a vocal mic. I record the output through the Left output of the mixer and route this into my laptop’s microphone jack. Is multi track mixing even possible with this configuration? I feel that USB or firewire are the only way to go when it comes to multi track recording. Please let me know. Thank you for your time

:mrgreen:

#2

Multi-track mixing yes.
Multi-track recording, no not really.

You need a multi-input audio interface for that!

#3

To record multiple inputs simultaneously, you’ll indeed need an audio interface with multiple inputs.
What you are doing now is summing all the signals of your instruments together to form 1 signal and record that. That’s fine, but there is no way to split them up into separate tracks again in Cubase, for separate processing.

However, you can of course still do a multitrack recording if you do 1 instrument at the time.
Record your amp first, and then on a second pass record the mic to a different audio track in Cubase.

#4

thanks fellas

so, from my understanding, I would need one of these guys - http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=11973691 - to do simultaneous multi track recording?

#5

The type of interface you will need depends on the type of recordings you will be doing.

If you are tracking a live band you will need many more inputs than if you are mainly working alone.

If your input needs are limited, something along the lines of this …

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1369409956&sr=1-3

… would probably get the job done nicely.

Or, for a Steinberg product I think the new UR22 looks pretty nice …

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/audio_interfaces/ur_series/ur22.html

I wouldn’t go lower in price/quality than the examples I’ve given (there are a few others in that price range as well that are nice units). You want to make sure you are getting something with decent mic preamps.

#6

You can record your amp and vocal mic on two different tracks at the same time by panning them L/R and recording the line in of your soundcard instead of the mic in.

#7

Hey, there you go! Always “thinking” :slight_smile: .

Now, does this laptop have a line in? Hmmm …

#8

I´m quite sure it does…

#9

Alrighty, i’ll definitley give this panning method a shot. Would I just pan each mic to a side, and then in cubase record the left to one track and the right to another? I reviewed my laptop’s specifications and saw that the mic in was a mono input. I will still give this a shot.

On another note, I have been considering the usefulness of my mixer altogether… I sense that a mic->interface->laptop set-up would be simpler and just as good as a mic->mixer->interface->laptop configuration. What use is a mixer, if cubase has most of the functionalities that my physical mixer provides?

#10

Yes you would treat a stereo input as two mono inputs. you obviously would need a stereo input for this to work!

#11

Which is why I said use the line in (apart from impedance and signal level issues)

#12

On another note, I have been considering the usefulness of my mixer altogether… I sense that a mic->interface->laptop set-up would be simpler and just as good as a mic->mixer->interface->laptop configuration. What use is a mixer, if cubase has most of the functionalities that my physical mixer provides?

#13

This is true, but you will have to give up your mixer EQ for example. You can of course still use EQ in Cubase, but I personally quite like shaping my sound on the hardware mixer, so I just have to do the small adjustments in Cubase.

Also make sure the audio interface you pick can supply phantom voltage on the mic inputs in case you ever want to record a condenser mic, as well as a high-Z/instrument input for direct guitar recording. If you’ve got those, you don’t really need a mixer anymore for your recording.

#14

In my opinion, the more inputs you get on an interface the more you could do without your mixer.

The mixer could still be useful if, for example, your interface only had two inputs and you wanted to record a multi-miced drumkit. You could get a sub-mix to a stereo out from your mixer and record that into a stereo pair on your interface and onto a stereo track in Cubase.

Really, there is nothing stopping you from running everything through your mixer before your interface. It’s all personal preference. You’ll have to figure out what works for you.

I started out with a mixer/simple interface setup and now have a multiple input interface and have ditched the mixer from the DAW.

#15

Just today I got a really good deal on a Mackie Onyx 1620i mixer, which is a 16 channel mixer and firewire audio interface in 1. I get a 8 mono and 4 stereo channel analog mixer, and all these channels are also available in Cubase :slight_smile:.

Pretty neat, would’ve been way too expensive for me normally, but I got lucky :wink:. Got one for €280 new, where they normally sell for at least €900 here.

I think this gives you the best of both worlds, although there are some drawbacks of course. This model I got has only 1 stereo firewire output, so if you want to use outboard effects on already recorded material, you’ll need to do some patching. Especially since apparently the insert points on the mixer are post AD, so you can’t print your hardware effects while recording.

#16

Nice score, Strophoid!

Here’s a flashback for you …

http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=24378#p157360

:slight_smile:

#17

Hah, wicked, good memory :laughing:
This shop does daily auctions with mostly B-Stock items, which means they’re products customers returned within the 60-day contemplating period. I get full warranty and all the accesories so it’s really as new.

The size factor is still an issue though, I’ll have to be creative and do some modding to my desk to make space for it. Gonna try it first, worst case scenario is I sell it again and make over €200,- profit :stuck_out_tongue: