Newbie seeks help regarding Avid c24

[Vicko1357]

Hi, this is my first post here. I'm seriously considering to purchase the C24. I'm completely new to this, so the answer might be obvious, but I cannot seem to find it in the videos/google search I've done.

The C24 is 24 channels - however, it appears that one can only record on 16 of them.

My big question is what if I have a session with 32 tracks, how can I use the C24 to record on tracks 25-32?

How can I mix using the C24 when I have more than 24 tracks?

It seems I would only be able to work with the first 16 or 24 tracks... but I don't think the C24 would be so popular if one could only use the first 16-24 tracks... what am I missing here? (Please excuse my extreme ignorance here)

[albee1952]

Welcome aboard! Here's the story(and you might want to read it thru twice as it will seem very complex for any newbie)

The C24 is a control surface(not a "mixing console"). This means it is a really fancy mouse. The 24 "channel strips" can be banked up/down so they can address as many tracks as your computer will handle.

The C24 has 16 mic preamps, but these are simply external mic preamps that you can(or may choose not to) use as your needs require,

The C24 is NOT an interface. What this means is; those 16 preamps do not magically show up in Pro Tools. They need to be routed thru an interface of some kind.

The C24 has a monitor/source section that can route your mix out to monitors and/or headphones. And it can select between a few sources like Pro Tools audio, or the computer sound which might be from the internet, the optical drive(CD's and DVD's) but again, you can choose to use this, or not(and as with the mic preamps, you still need an interface to route audio from your session to the C24's output section.

Lastly, as with any DAW and any interface, how many tracks you can record at one time is limited by your hardware, but you will be able to listen and mix anywhere from 48 thru 196 tracks(depending on software and the computer's horsepower)

[Vicko1357]

@ albee1952

Thank you very much for taking the time to lay this all out in such a clear way. This is really helpful!

[albee1952]

Glad to help. A few more things to consider:

How much is it? (a used S3 might give you enough and save a few grand)

Having worked on the C24(and I do like it), there is a bit of a design flaw; Every furniture I have seen places the C24 flat, which makes it impossible to see a lot of the labeling without standing and leaning over the surface(if I were to buy a C24, I would build a custom desk that angles the surface for a better view).

The 16 preamps are not particularly great. They are clean and quiet, but offer no "character"(like a Neve or API style preamp) and are a bit on the hot side(my friend that owns one has XLR in-line pads for all his drum channels).

Just want you to be a well-informed buyer

[GordonCAMPS]

Originally Posted by Vicko1357

Hi, this is my first post here. I'm seriously considering to purchase the C24. I'm completely new to this, so the answer might be obvious, but I cannot seem to find it in the videos/google search I've done.



The C24 is 24 channels - however, it appears that one can only record on 16 of them.



My big question is what if I have a session with 32 tracks, how can I use the C24 to record on tracks 25-32?



How can I mix using the C24 when I have more than 24 tracks?



It seems I would only be able to work with the first 16 or 24 tracks... but I don't think the C24 would be so popular if one could only use the first 16-24 tracks... what am I missing here? (Please excuse my extreme ignorance here)

I’m in the exact same position as yourself. I’ll be keeping an eye on the outcome of your post. Good luck buddy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vicko1357]

Thanks again for your help and suggestions.

I'm not excited about the s3, for $5000, it doesn't look like much, I'd rather spend the $10000 to get the c24. I did look at the s6 but even a small version would be about $35k. That's getting out of my price range...

You make great points about mounting the C24 on an angle. I will look into this for sure!

Regarding the mic pres, thanks for your feedback here as well, I was not aware of these things. I'll shop around for something else to use for the mic pres.

Again, your help was/is much appreciated, thank you

[albee1952]

I wouldn't buy either controller new. The used market is a lot more affordable with C24's going in the $4500-5500 range and S3's around $3250. Also, the C24 needs a bunch of DB25 cables to use the preamps or the monitoring so factor that into the total cost S3 with the DOCK(and an iPad) can be done for under $4k used, so maybe hit youtube and watch some videos. C24, has been in production for several years so it might not have much longer regarding support(maybe one of the mods can address this concern)

[Vicko1357]

I talked to someone at Sweetwater and he told me that Avid is discontinuing the C24... I asked him what Avid intends to replace it with (a new model perhaps) and he said it won't be replaced... Instead Avid will just have the s3 and s6 options... As I mentioned in my earlier post, I don't care for the s3, but the s6 is out of my budget (even for a smaller one)... so I'm right in that middle range somewhere.

The salesman at Sweetwater did propose an alternative product that is not made by Avid which I looked at as well. (Note: I'm not sure if Avid or moderators on this forum allow/would appreciate me mentioning products made by their competitors on this forum, so out of respect I won't write it here). Anyway, this competing product is basically a touch screen surface... I wasn't excited about a touch screen, I prefer the physical thing like the C24... but when I heard that it would be discontinued then I started to reconsider the possibility of buying another competing option. It's not what I want to do, but I am nervous about buying something that will no longer be supported (at some point)...

Being a newbie, I really may need that support.

[albee1952]

There's no problem chatting about 3rd party hardware on the DUC

Re the touchscreen, I assume it was the Slate MTi2? Some folks love it and others, not so much. I had one for a while but was not happy about some of the limitations(but the Batch Commander was awesome). Slate is SUPPOSED to release a stand-alone Batch Commander(Mac version is $99, Windows is still waiting). For 3rd party control, the new Faderport16 looks quite nice. Avid's Artist Mix is another solid option(you can run 3 for 24 faders). All of these are bankable for unlimited track access. All the non-Avid options use HUI mode, which is a bit limited(when compared to Eucon for the Artist and S3 units), but still very capable(again, youtube videos will be a great help in choosing your ideal option)

[Southsidemusic]

10K for a C|24

I have a MINT unit which is like new as all our gear i can sell including shipping and insurance and delivery to your door for under 4500 USD.

Let me know if you wanna talk.

PS. You are of course free to mention alternatives on the forum, we compare stuff with 3rd party plugins and harware all the time here so no worries there / Thank you for thinking about that though.