Complete Newb question

[Bill Niersbach]

OK guys, I have always recorded myself via a gt6 digital out - spdif in on my computer and then added any backing tracks that I had on my pc. I have always seen all these different ways to interface instruments into your pc...usb devices, firewire, soundcards with a ton of inputs....what I dont understand is why we dont just get a decent mixer and interface that into your pc??? I have been looking at all these different devices and am pretty much totally lost as far as drawbacks and benefits. I am looking at picking up a yamaha/mackie/behringer standard mixer and taking the rca out jacks and going into my rca in jacks on my pc (My soundcard has 1 - 1/4 in/out, RCA in/out and spdif in/out) ...is there any drawback to doing this?? I am just assuming this is the easiest way to be able to adjust levels stuff like that since its all right there instead of having to play with menu's on my pc, it also looks a helluva lot cheaper than most of these other routes mentioned, but with that I am also assuming there has to be some kind of drawback that I dont know about???? I am not looking to do studio quality work here...I just want to be able to slap a mic on my Mesa and another mic for my kids to sing on at the same time. Thanks for any help!!

[San]

Hey Bill,

I'm no more of an expert than you at this recording stuff but I do exactly what you're suggesting and run multple inputs (guitar, mics, bass etc) into a mixer and then into a single input on my soundcard. I don't know if this the "correct" way to do things but it works!!

Good luck,

San.

[Bill Niersbach]

Thats what I figured. I am going to leave all the high dollar stuff for people who can actually play..LOL I am going to grab a cheap Yamaha mixer off of ebay just so I can screw around with it. Thanks dude!

[LSchefman]

>>what I dont understand is why we dont just get a decent mixer and interface that into your pc??? I have been looking at all these different devices and am pretty much totally lost as far as drawbacks and benefits. I am looking at picking up a yamaha/mackie/behringer standard mixer and taking the rca out jacks and going into my rca in jacks on my pc (My soundcard has 1 - 1/4 in/out, RCA in/out and spdif in/out) ...is there any drawback to doing this??<<

I actually do something like this with my larger format mixer. I send its buss outputs to the inputs of a MOTU 1296. I send the 1296's outputs to line inputs on the mixing board. Everything gets mixed analog, and then I master to DAT or CD.

I like analog mixing. I think I can control the sound better, and take advantage of more outboard gear.

[jas]

I'm not nearly at Les' level - I just record me and my crappy band but I like doing everything I can possibly do on the computer.

All my inputs - guitars, keyboards, bass, drum mikes and vocal mikes - find their way into my MOTU 828 mkii, then through firewire into the computer. For my own guitar, I send it right from the BOSS GS10 into the MOTU, usually via analog.

I do have an analog mixer for the 5 various drum mikes. Then I send that (actually "those" - it's stereo) to the MOTU.

Then you get to mix everything right on the screen which may not sound as good but, to me, is cooler and more fun. :D

As to why you wouldn't do it your way, Bill, it all depends on whether you want individual after-the-recording control over each of your various inputs or not. In my example above, when listening to the recording I get to turn down the drums, remove the bass, insert a new keyboard part. If, on the other hand, I had sent two inputs from a mixer to a 2-input card, I would merely have control over two tracks containing all of the instruments.

But if you're only ever going to record 2 things at a time (e.g., vocals, guitar) then your way is fine. You can always go back later and add lead guitar, bass, ululating, cat-twirling on additional tracks. Plus, if you have a stereo mixer, you can send LEFT to one track on the computer and RIGHT to another, thus giving you two discrete tracks.

Hope this helps. In retrospect, it looks like a lot of babble.

-John

[Bill Niersbach]

Actually I am more looking for a convenient way for me to hook whatever I want to my pc witht he least amount of effort on my part :D , right now I have to do a cable shuffle to move around gear. Most of my playing is done live over the web in a chatroom that I and a few friends hang out in. So if say I want to play through my amp, I have to hook a mic up, change all sorts of settings all over on my pc as far as levels go and what not and then change it all back again to play through my gt6 when it gets late and I want to wear headphones, where if I had a cheap little mixer, well the input to my pc would never change and if I do need to change cables its right there at my desk vice having to go crawl...LOL. I have 2 daughters who, when they spot my mic, want to sing and record it all the time..LOL, so I am sick of unhooking my gt6 in order to let them get going. It's more just me looking to spend a 100 bucks to make my cable life a ton more convenient...I just wanted to make sure my thought process was correct, that an anolog mixer can be hooked up without any wierd after effects...I mean I figure more guys would do it since it seems so simple...but I forget that most people dont actually play guitar through thier pc's on the web, but more in a band and stuff like that.


Anyhow, thanks for the insight guys!!