I think the tactile, physical element of a mixer is highly underrated. For me, having physical gear helps me get in flow creatively. I don’t have a mixer in studio yet but hoping to someday however.
I totally agree with you, Joe! I have the StudioLive 32 (before I had a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and an Audient ID44) and I love a lot of things about it. First, the audio quality is very similar between all the devices I had so no importante differences here, and the big pros of the SL32 are: - Real time effects with no latency, while recording dry. Very useful for singers who like to have some reverb on and for soloing with reverb/delay - Adjusting levels with the faders while recording is great. Faster and more intuitive than doing it in a software panel - Having all my inputs connected with no need to reaarrange them (15 inputs for the recording room, my talkback mic, Axe FX stereo output + its DI...all is always connected) - Having separate mixes, specially for the control room and the recording room And I still have to try to make it work as DAW controller for Cubase 12, which can be great too.
I have the StudioLive 32 Series iii for the same reason, but have 32 faders that work in DAW mode, which was a key factor in why I got into this unit. I am old school and like to have the tactile feel of physical faders like I grew up on years ago ;-)
Great set-up where you can see the outdoors with just a glance: being connected to the wider world while getting lost in music is a full body experience!
I added an SSL Big Six and I can never go back. Having a mixer with an integrated interface has sped up and improved my workflow drastically. The only negative is that it makes me want to add more hardware for the inserts.
I had a 24 channel analog desk that I got new in the mid 1980s . It was fantastic but it had its problems(crosstalk they all did in those days) I used another company's software but I started watching you and Gregor and I moved to studio one now I have a 32s and this thing is just fantastic. As you say an't going back Thanks.
When you are monitoring direct off the mixer, you are monitoring off mixer only, that’s why there’s no latency. This is the same as my Steinberg interface and others. The interface has integrated effects so you can add reverb, comp, etc. to your cue mix. which is all done through the DAW, nothing ‘additional’ running. With the Control Room in Cubase, you’ve got much the same set up for the other aspects you mention, like Listen and Talk Back, etc. So, the only thing my set up is missing is the tactile control and 24 inputs, which I’ve never used but could rent if ever needed. I’m not saying don’t buy a mixer for those reasons, I’d love the hardware feel, but they aren’t enough for me to go that route for my weekender setup.
Thank you for this! I've been looking at this Mixer for too long not to haven"t pulled the trigger on it yet! Its a all in one. Control surface, Audio interface and effects processor.
And several hours after I emailed you Joe with a question about using mixers when recording I find this video. Go figure LOL In my email I was referring to analog mixers with EQ, volume, gain etc on each channel to finetune the sound when recording rather than a digital mixer that controls the DAW, but leave it to me to find this video after I emailed you. As always another informative video. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Joe, I'd love to see a video where you explain how to live stream with a band! How to route the video and audio together, etc. I'd love to start doing that with my mixer. I started using a Behringer X32 Compact this year for the exact reasons you mentioned. I wish I had done it years ago, it simplifies the workflow so much and the tactile nature makes it so fun to use. Great video, man!
Digital patching is pretty awesome recently I switched usb 40-43 to send the FX outputs as an input. I still find myself using reverbs in the DAW bit still a good little use of all those extra I/O outs
Inspiring. I've been using a DAW/Passport/8-channel interface for the last few years, maybe it's time to blow the dust off my old studio live 24 and give this setup a go if the old system doesn't add noise.
Great (GREAT) video sir! I purchased a Tascam DM24 w/Meter Bridge (Presonus was a bit oout of my price range) and use ADAT (x3) for 24x24 channels. Your content here regarding how you use the SOLO bus is a great help to me. In fact my biggest challenge is the flexibility of this environment. Its almost too flexible. I finally created several DAW and Mixer Templates (called "snapshots" on the Tascam) for different scenarios, really works great plus all the advantages you mention! Thanks for great content!
man you know your stuff, been thinking of getting a mix for the purpose of latency and life drums as well as a full band.. thanks for posting. I just subscribed to your channel..
Great tutorial question can you show me how to run your outbound gear like your eq and compressor to the StudioLive so you can record in or threw your mixer ?
Great way to solve latency with mixing console while recording,but can Joe tell us how u use click track in Daw via console when recording? Patching the click track back? Thanks you Joe👍😊
Also it would be great to see an actual tracking session - doing overdubs etc - seeing how to use the board to switch over for playback on individual tracks etc.
Good Morning Mr. Joe , I totally agree with having a mixer . Can you share later about having a PRESONUS surface controller instead . In my case , I don’t have the space for a large mixer neither do Lot of recording , but I prefer to have a piece of equipment to manage better the DAW and less mouse and keyboard. I currently have A Tascam Model 12 which it is a nice mixer for having that analog feel … but don’t control all studio one features. Thank you
I have a 12 channel multi track mixer for streaming and recording. I've been looking into changing away from a mixer to something smaller, but I keep missing having the faders for changing volumes on things on the fly instead of messing with software faders in OBS or Voicemeeter. And also, it is very nice to listen to things with zero latency for every input. I could do the same with several smaller interfaces and add more if I needed more inputs, and listen via my setup in Voicemeeter, but that would give more of a delay, and for voice, that is super annoying for vocals. I have the Soundcraft Signature 12 MTK _(technically, it's very much like the StudioLive AR12c you showed, if I understood it correctly taht you can record all channels invidivdually, but have no more digital processing on the mixer),_ and they do have a 16 channel version of this. But I don't really need more inputs than I have now, but I'd love to have it be more digital than it is, like the PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 USB. It looks like the perfect mixer for what I do as I can do some EQ and compression and limiting on it, and for each channel without adding hardware for every channel like I have to now. I only have a compressor for my main microphone now via the dbx 286s, which I love, but I'd have to buy one for each input if I want compression for other inputs. I haven't been able to afford this mixer yet, but it would be amazing. It's a bit old, so I am wondering if it will ever be replaced by a newer version.
How do you feel about the quality compared to high-end preamps and converters? Do you run external preamps into your mixer? And do you ever clock your mixer to an external clock?
I have one of those AR16 mixers he held up at the end of the video… honestly been day dreaming about selling it and getting the “bigger brother” digital version mostly for the motorized faders and perhaps using it also as a DAW controller but then at the end he said he doesn’t even use it that way. Maybe I’ve got G.A.S. For no good reason in that regard? I do appreciate using my mixer as my main interface etc… currently and I suppose it’s doing fine but I’ve also thought about getting like a daw controller thing and wondered… am I just wasting both space and money if I have faders here that won’t do anything for me (except for live sound obviously)
I went from an AI mixer to using 2 Quantum 26x32 interfaces and a Faderport 8. No latency issue and I get to choose which plugins I use when tracking. I do miss being able to manage monitor mixes through the board though, managing cue mixes using studio one is not as efficient. Pros and cons to both setups, really.
@@Tombonator3000 oh ok .. I though I could still mix a song with a controller. Basically , I am looking to manage most of all features in a DAW’s without having a larger piece of equipment in my desk . Thank you for your time .
I use a Studio Live AR 16. I have an issue. When I’m setting up to record I go into the input section of Studio One. I set a level IE peak at -10 to -12 db. Record at that level but when playing back it reaches maybe -14 to - 16. I end up “Normalizing” the audio track and then using the grab bar on the audio track back it off 3-4 db for headroom. During mixing I usually tweak this further after compressing and other plugins. It’s not the end of the world but it is quite annoying that you set a level and then the end recording doesn’t match. 😃
My home studio is the size of a bedroom. Do you still think I would benefit from a mixer? I'm having trouble seeing how I could use much more than 2-3 ports at any time (not going to get anything like a drum set in my studio!)
Questions/Problems. * Opening a project i got message that 970 files are missing. With Search i found some missing files, it became 270, and these can't be found anywhere (i've searched all folders /sub..sub_subs/ in my big folder dedicated only for StudioOne, all back up /mirror/ folders on 2 external drives). It is an old and very extensive 'precious to me' project, and ridiculous thing is, for example there is a guitar solo, i splat it at some points to get rid of some noise when i was not playing, now the solo is there only in pieces; all channels are ripped off here and there. Plus other issues. * Yes, as a rule i have a 25 minutes save; "use cached plug-in data on save"; "ask to copy external files when saving document" all on/checked. * I didn't change nor names, nor locations of working folders and files (though i have this project saved under different names as versions). * What i did is: i replayed some important stuff on left-overs and added two old stereo mix tracks of this project/song with different EQ settings (and with mistakes, quite unbalanced, but it is better something than nothing, there is no way i'd re-do everything due to circumstances and unrepeatable settings and instruments). I aligned everything nicely (time, buses, volume,..), corrected, blended everything nicely, and put vocals at the right level (up and with different settings, that's why mainly came back to this project), clicked "save". Logically, the DAW asked me "do i want to add these two stereo tracks/files", obviously, i clicked "yes" and...1475 files for each added stereo track started copying. In panic i pressed "cancel", but it was too late. Where these files are from, why?! Why these stereo tracks came with so many files? Where they went to? I checked the media folder to look for duplicates: no duplicates, but there are about 6000 files there (and some of them are not from this project). * But this is not all: i had plenty enough of memory space (workable 450-500GB free), now i am in the end of red zone with 78GB left. Agh.. * But this is not all again: i started clearing up the space on pc and the more i delete or move ...the lesser space i get on computer...now it is 50GB. * To free space and continue working (without interruptions and CPU overload) i thought that i would mirror the path, create the same folders in external drive, link the project to media files there, But i am afraid to make things worse in this and other projects (especially considering that freeing the space now works for me the opposite way). Anyway, something is wrong and it needs to be fixed properly. * What is wrong? How can i fix all that mess?
@@HomeStudioCorner * Its ok, honestly, i didnt even expect you to answer (according to my experience). * PreSonus: i gave up on them. They either dont respond, either sent to forums or make everything more complex and for nothing…at least in my experience. * Two stereo-tracks with 1500 files that went with them and loosing the disc space by freeing it: i think it is a computer ‘fing’ that i just cant comprehend. I searched for duplicates of anything (none), i made a better order, i deleted stuff i really dont need anymore, i defragmented the disc, updated manually everything, … 45gb left, cpu is freaking out; i have many projects almost done, i dont think that even if can record everything (mix, master), there will be enough of space on computer for that…and i expect to get a new interface soon (for what?). Just some thoughts. If you will encounter a similar problem with a solution, i would appreciate your sharing of those solutions with me…no pressure. Thank you
What if you already have an interface, something like the Audient EVO 16. Would it still make sense to get a physical mixer? And if so, what should I look for?
Can anyone recommend a similar set up, or specifically a mixer that has great output options so I can use the best of both worlds - a mixer with my audio interface?
Does this type of mixer add say, flavor or tone adjustment to whatever you happen to be recording. Like for example, how people say you get great sound out of the old SSL consoles? Does this make sense?
Joe...I have a nice audio mixer, that I'd love to use, but I don't have individual direct outputs per channel to send to my audio interface. However, I do have insert jacks. I was told by an old engineer that they use to make custom cables, to utilize the insert jacks as direct outs. From what I understand, one end has a TS jack that goes into audio interface, other has a TRS jack. They take a small wire and solder a jump from T to R. (My peavy FX24 board has T as the out, and R as the in) written on board. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Have your ever done it? I think I have an idea on how to do, but not sure. Thanks.
Yeah insert jacks are a way to "sneak" the audio away for multi-track recording, BUT the signal is unbalanced, so I don't love that approach. Unbalanced signals are susceptible to noise/interference.
I'm sorry, did you say something? The lawnmower was like an elephant in a pink tutu to someone with ADHD......had to rewind (yeah I'm that old) several times to get through it. LOL
Hey Joe, I also use a mixer as my audio interface, however all analog audio recorded into the mixer outputs to one track in Logic. Is there a way I can map each mixer channel to record on separate inputs into my DAW? (Such as 12 channels of audio recorded on 12 separate tracks?)
Absolutely. I use a Behringer X32 and record 32 separate tracks into my DAW. Inside your DAW you need to change the routing to each input of your mixer. I learned how to do it from watching youtube videos. Good luck!
Absolutely, but you will need a mixer with multitrack capabilities. In that case your DAW should pick up all 12 tracks as different inputs in the I/O settings.
I don't get it. I'm using a Focusrite 2 i 2l and Garageband. I've never had any latency problems. I think the Studio One systems you use are the problem. Build a latency problem into the system and you get to charge more money for more equipment to solve the problem built into the system. .
You don't need a mixer you need a income from music don't buy pointless equipment you could do with a daw and a midi controller waist of money and space
