Mixer and Preamp Question

[jonslaten]

I posted earlier this week about the El cheapo behringer 1202 mixer that I've been using (only for the purpose of having more inputs for recording). I used to, (unplug, reconnect, unplug, reconnect) whenever I was recording different things with my Mbox2. So to make my life easier, I bought the mixer. So now everything is plugged into that Piece of S---.

From everyone's experience and knowledge I really need some advice from you guys about getting a better Analogue mixer, and a quality, reasonably priced dual-channel preamp for my condenser mics.

I do all my mixing on PTLE 8, and so I don't need a mixer that comes with built in effects and all that happy stuff. Just something that's internally and structurally sound that will not effect my signal in a negative way. I've looked at dual-channel pre amps, and read the reviews for many of them, and now it's tough to decide because most of them have great reviews. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Many thanks!

jon S

[BradLyons]

Jon,

There are sooooooo many options to consider not just as to which pre-amp to get, but WHY. You are better off going with a dedicated pre instead of a mixer, unless you have a high-end console. But with an Mbox, I'm guessing that is not the place. What kind of budget are you trying to be within? What mic(s) are you using and what are you recording (instruments, vocals, etc.)? What kind of music do you record?

[jonslaten]

Brad, I'll try not to write a book here and keep things interesting.

So I've been recording my music into Pro Tools for the past 2 yrs. Been playing guitar/drums/bass and writing songs for about 20 yrs. I used to record my music into a Yamaha AW16G and used a Boss DR 660 for the drums. My 94 strat and P-bass were plugged directly into that unit. I mixed using Sennheiser HD 600's. (I still use them for panning). At the time I never heard of near-field ref. monitors. I've bought things in the past driven by little to no experience and an inability to control my impulsive buying and good deals.

I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, so my music kinda has some of them in it. (Late 80's-90's Floyd), but a bit heavier with more dist gtr in the chorus'.
I use a Les Paul for most of the heavier stuff, and my strat for solos. Almost 80% of my songs have some sort of a gtr solo in it, (Thank you Mr. Gilmour). And if you couldn't guess, I put the Gilmour EMG DG20's into my 1994 strat.

Depending on my mood, or level of laziness at the time, I may run my gtrs through a Boss GT-6, and then into the MBox2, or I may mic them with my Shure 57 out of a line 6 spider 3 amp (2x10 2x60 watts). I mic my fender PBass from an Ashdown EB 15-180 1 x 15" combo amp, or run the bass directly into PT.

For my vocals, I'll either use the 57, or an Oktava MK 219. I recently made a pop filter for the 219 out of my wife's black pantyhose. I'm not a good singer, so I need to use autotune to draw in the corrections in graph mode.

And for the drum tracks, I'll use PT's sample drum loops from their database, and then overdub with my Roland TD-4 drums.

I'm a one man band so to speak, and I'm sure you can see how it gets really old by constantly having to keep plugging and unplugging cables into my tiny Mbox2, hence my use of the mixer.

As far as a budget, I can't go bananas. Maybe up to 400 dollars. Hopefully I filled you in with what I have and how I use it. All I want is simplicity, along with a decent sound too. With the beginners equipment that I have, I'm aware that I've already put limitations on the quality of my music and this equipment can only get me so far. But I'm ok with that. For now.

jon S

[BradLyons]

Thanks Jon---if this is the same Jon Slaten---I sent you an email to, well you'll know if it's you

The microphone MK219 is a good little microphone for the money---not great, but not bad--certainly capable of providing a good recording. I must say----put your money into a single channel pre so that you'll get the quality you need for the vocals, solo guitar recording, etc. I have to throw out one that is highly affordable, but excellent in tonality, clarity, and just an overall killer product. That would be the FOCUSRITE ISA ONE. After recently having a price drop from $799 to $499---it's within that range. But here's a cool thing----they make an A/D expansion that is VERY good which can be added for another $400 (or buy up-front for $799 total) that will completely bypass the A/D of your existing interface. The pre, combined with that converter, combined with your microphone will really open things up not just for vocal recording, but even as a DI for bass, acoustic guitar, and of course---miking of anything else.

[albee1952]

I have to offer a different take on this. Since you are willing to spend money on a mixer to make your recording setup easier, why not skip the mixer and buy a used 002 or 003 rack? The 8 analog inputs will allow you to patch several things in so they are always ready to go(just like the mixer, but even simpler). A nice bonus to this would be the end of needing to fuss with the MIX knob(and say hello to easy punch-in recording). You can even go into the IO setup page and name you inputs for what you have patched. Then later on when funds permit, you are open to a plethora of options for adding inputs, both cheap OR very high quality. Something to think about.....

[jonslaten]

Hey guys thanks for your input. Brad, I knew your name sounded familiar. So you're the "ShowMeMidi guy!" Cool.
Speaking of Midi, I have an M-Audio Oxygen v2 that sometimes just shuts down during a session. It seems to happen only when I insert an Instrument track into an already large session (like more than 20 tracks). It will also do this when I insert an instance of xpand2, hit record, play the keyboard and then numbers on the keyboard's LCD then quickly change, and the keyboard shuts off. Weird I know. Just large sessions though and it has nothing to do with xpand 2.

[BradLyons]

Shut down as in turns off,or loses communication?

[jonslaten]

Brad from what I remember, the numbers on the LED screen change rapidly, then abruptly stop. And what remains is a single segment light. (Like a section or portion of what makes up a number). Other times it will do the same thing, but the screen just goes dark. This all happens after I try to record with the keyboard on large track sessions/and or plug-ins. I've looked around the web, but no one has had this issue.

[barters81]

Originally Posted by jonslaten

Brad from what I remember, the numbers on the LED screen change rapidly, then abruptly stop. And what remains is a single segment light. (Like a section or portion of what makes up a number). Other times it will do the same thing, but the screen just goes dark. This all happens after I try to record with the keyboard on large track sessions/and or plug-ins. I've looked around the web, but no one has had this issue.

I have this very same problem too. I need to save everything, shutdown PT and start again in order for me to get communication back. I've got the Axiom pro 49 midi controller.

Some weeks everything is fine...others its nothing but embarressing.

[chrisdee]

Originally Posted by jonslaten

quality, reasonably priced dual-channel preamp

Quality and price are directly related.

If your coming from the Mbox2 a http://www.avid.com/US/products/003-Rack-Plus-Factory would be a good choice.
It's got 8 preamp inputs that I belive has much better quality than Mbox2.