USB Audio Interface

Delta 1010lt is a great inexpensive interface. The AsIO
drivers work great and you can stack several. I use three of
them. Having an external mixer will avoid any latency problems
you may encounter monitoring what you recorded and what you
are playing live along with what you recorded. Good luck.

peace
dawg
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:0bda365d-f86f-4a70-b145-7b11d18a96a1@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm going to be upgrading my home studio to take more than 2
> mic
> inputs at a time (up til now I've been using a Tascam US122
> with great
> success)--we'll be tracking drums and bass together, and I'd
> like to
> do 3-4 mics on the drums plus the bass, so the 2 input thing
> isn't
> going to work anymore.
>
> I'm in need of a new USB interface, with 4 to 8 inputs. I'd
> want all
> the inputs to have XLR ins with preamps. Is there something
> like this
> on the market that's not terribly expensive (say under
> $300)? I saw
> the Behringer ADA8000, but then I'd have to get the ADAT
> into the
> computer which seems unnecessarily complicated.
>
> Otherwise, my next thought was to get a mixer with direct
> outs (like
> the Behringer MX2642A or something like that) and a Delta
> 1010LT and
> just take the mics into the computer that way.
>
> Any advice? Thanks.

[email protected] wrote:

>I'm in need of a new USB interface, with 4 to 8 inputs.

You may look at the Edirol M-16DX. It has 4 mic inputs with
phantom power and can directly feed all inputs to USB.
It can be configured to feed the main mix to USB rather than
individual channels.

Norbert

[email protected] wrote:

> I'm in need of a new USB interface, with 4 to 8 inputs. I'd want all
> the inputs to have XLR ins with preamps.

> next thought was to get a mixer with direct outs (like
> the Behringer MX2642A or something like that) and a Delta 1010LT and
> just take the mics into the computer that way.

I'm not sure how good the preamps on an inexpensive Behringer mixer are,
but they're probably no worse than those in the US-122 (which I thought
was a pretty decent interface for what it is). Maybe you don't realize
the value, because the US-122 has direct input monitoring (really no
latency) but that's something that you don't find in many other audio
interfaces. However, using a mixer along with a sound card will give you
direct monitoring and all of the controls you'll need to make your
system run like a real mixer and recorder. I highlly recommend that
approach for someone who isn't looking for the cheapest, the smallest,
or the newest approach.

If all you were doing was tracking, the Mackie Onyx mixers with the
Firewire option card are quite nice, but they totally depend on a DAW
for any mixing or signal processing. Because of how the inputs and
outputs are hard-wired between the mixer and the Firewire card, you
can't even use the channel EQ or insert jacks when you track unless you
take the long way 'round Robin Hood's barn.

The Delta 1010LT isn't a USB interface, however. You'll need a real
computer and you'll have to open up the case to install the card. This
is generally no problem unless you're tied to a laptop, in which case
it's a show stopper (or greatly limits your choice of hardware).


--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
([email protected])

On Jun 15, 4:22 pm, Mike Rivers <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > I'm in need of a new USB interface, with 4 to 8 inputs. I'd want all
> > the inputs to have XLR ins with preamps.
> > next thought was to get a mixer with direct outs (like
> > the Behringer MX2642A or something like that) and a Delta 1010LT and
> > just take the mics into the computer that way.
>
> I'm not sure how good the preamps on an inexpensive Behringer mixer are,
> but they're probably no worse than those in the US-122 (which I thought
> was a pretty decent interface for what it is). Maybe you don't realize
> the value, because the US-122 has direct input monitoring (really no
> latency) but that's something that you don't find in many other audio
> interfaces. However, using a mixer along with a sound card will give you
> direct monitoring and all of the controls you'll need to make your
> system run like a real mixer and recorder. I highlly recommend that
> approach for someone who isn't looking for the cheapest, the smallest,
> or the newest approach.
>
> If all you were doing was tracking, the Mackie Onyx mixers with the
> Firewire option card are quite nice, but they totally depend on a DAW
> for any mixing or signal processing. Because of how the inputs and
> outputs are hard-wired between the mixer and the Firewire card, you
> can't even use the channel EQ or insert jacks when you track unless you
> take the long way 'round Robin Hood's barn.
>
> The Delta 1010LT isn't a USB interface, however. You'll need a real
> computer and you'll have to open up the case to install the card. This
> is generally no problem unless you're tied to a laptop, in which case
> it's a show stopper (or greatly limits your choice of hardware).
>
> --
> If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
> me here:
> double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
> ([email protected])

Thanks Mike. I was actually concerned about the possibility of
monitoring latency--I don't take the US122's direct monitor option for
granted at all. I've recorded stuff along with electronic drums that
needed to be really tightly synced and it's never failed me.

I just read the manual for the Delta 1010 to make sure I don't ask a
question that would be covered there. I especially looked through the
section on the 1010's control panel that allows for signal routing
back out through its outputs for monitoring purposes to avoid latency.

I don't really understand how it will be possible to avoid latency
with the Delta as opposed to another audio interface, and while I take
your word for it (as you've answered other questions of mine about
recording over the years on this forum and have always been very
helpful [thanks, by the way]), I'd prefer to understand it for myself
if I could.

I would imagine the signal would be something like this, for example.
Please correct me on any of this if I've got it wrong:

I'm using a mixer with direct outs presumably, as opposed to having to
use channel inserts or something pre-fader to send to the 1010.

Inputs 1-4 are drum mics
Inputs 5-6 are two mics on a bass cabinet
Direct outs of inputs 1-6 on the mixer into inputs 1-6 on the 1010
This audio is routed into 6 tracks within my recording software.
Those 6 tracks are sent back through the Monitor Mix Output (as it's
called) of the 1010 via outputs 1 and 2
These outputs 1 and 2 go back into my mixer...where? (for the purposes
of monitoring, especially when I need to send out two monitor phone
mixes to both the drummer and bassist, plus a monitor mix for my
monitors in the control room)

That's where I get lost I suppose. And similarly...

Inputs 1-2 are a couple of mics on a guitar cabinet
Run these into inputs 1-2 on the 1010
Now, the guitarist needs to monitor in conjunction with tracks 1-6
(drums and bass) in the recording software, which can be summed into
the Monitor Mix output of the 1010 via outputs 1 and 2 of the 1010
My questions here would be: should the guitar be sent out of outputs 3
and 4 of the 1010 and back into the board in a separate place from
outputs 1 and 2 so that the drums and bass can be balanced with the
guitarist's monitoring of his own guitar? How would this be routed
through the mixer (again, in terms of both a phone mix for the
guitarist and a monitor mix for me)? And, how can there be zero
latency with the signal passing through the mixer, into the computer,
back out along with audio coming out of the software, into the mixer
again, etc? I'll probably be using something like a Behringer MX2642A
or the like if that helps.

I would assume that all of this is where subgroups, auxes, etc. come
in. For what it's worth, I've read a couple of books on engineering
and mixing techniques and have done my best to sort out all of my
questions for myself, but this kind of stuff is still totally new to
me and I've not found any explicit examples anywhere that make it
clear to me.

So if you have a few minutes to answer my barrage of questions, I'd
much appreciate it. Thank you.