Audio interfaces

[tubeswell]

So I got this 2nd-hand firewire based audio interface in the mail today: sounded like a good deal 8I6O or something like that. I want to set it up between by desk and my lappy to enable 4 x multi-track recording into the DAW. Anybody here know how to go about that?

Interface:





Desk:





Lappy:

[Enzo]

Oh man...

I know that stuff right up to the firewire. About that I know zero. I know the Behr now has USB versions, which as far as I know are the same but with added USB port. But what goes into or out from that USB I know not. Or how it taps into the signal path.

The Focusrite is just an interface to the computer? SO you are using it more or less as a direct box to get the mixer into the computer? Does the lap top have a firewire port?

I used to like EQ magazine. It was to small/home/project studios what Mix magazine was to large studios. Apparently a few years ago it merged into Electronic Musician. That seems to still be here, and while I see no forum, it does have techniques and community sections, which might help.

http://www.emusician.com/index

[Lianachan]

If firewire's a problem could you try to use the MIDI ports? I used to connect an Atari ST up to various bits of musical equipment years ago (it had MIDI ports).

[tubeswell]

TFT

The laptop has USB3.0, Firewire800, and Thunderbolt ports. The interface has a Firewire400 port. Focusrite says that the interface can run either through a Firewire400-800 cable or a Firewire400-800 cable linked to a FW-Thunderbolt cable.

I was thinking to use 3 of the desks mic-pre channel inserts as line in feeds to 3 of the interfaces TS jack inputs (one each for lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass) and then using the spare 3 mic pre channels for the drums (kick, snare/h-hat and o-head cymbals/toms), and routing these to one of the subgroups on the desk and using that subgroup line output to feed the 4th TS line in on the interface. Would that work do you reckon? (I realise I would have to get the live mix balance for the drums right)

(I will check out that link thanks Enzo)

[Enzo]

Prolly, I don't know the interface. I am from the era when 4 track reel to reel was studio gear.

Instead of, or in addition to, the channel inserts, you have a couple aux sends you might invoke. They could be used as a sort of sub group too if you wanted more than one signal under a control.

And the monitor send is another. I like the aux and monitor buses better than inserts myself, allows for more control. You may not care to, but going all the way through a channel rather than exit the insert, you might make use of the relatively versatile DFX in the mixer.

With panning, your L/R is two outs, the subs are assignable, so they become two outs, plus all that aux and mon bus stuff, you can get more outs than your interface has ins. Assuming you are using the mixer mainly as preamps.

MIDI does many things, but it is a control data protocol, no audio travels down MIDI.

[Blue Monster 65]

You're on the right path, Tubes. You can route whatever channels you want to whatever input you want, providing you either sum them at the board or physically re-patch your cables. I've done that when I used a separate interface and board. These days my board is my interface (Mackie 820i), though I'm looking at a Presonus board. What DAW are you using?

Get yourself a patch bay and pre-wire the connections and you'll be ahead of the game.

[Lianachan]

MIDI does many things, but it is a control data protocol, no audio travels down MIDI.

Yup, I falsely assumed the intent was just to control it all from the laptop.

[tubeswell]

Y What DAW are you using?

I've got a couple of DAWs - garbageband is the easiest one for me. The other one I've got is Abledon Live 8 (but I'm only just learning how to use that).

[tubeswell]

I tried recording live to 4-track today with it. On the desk for the drums, I used 4 mics into their own desk channels and routed these channels to subgroup 1 on the desk, and thence into one of the AI line-in channels like you suggested Enzo. The 2 guitar amps were each mic'd through their own dedicated desk channels, and each went out one of the Aux sends (Aux 1 and Aux 2 sends respectively) in each into one of the AI line-in channels (again like you suggested), and the Bass was DI'd into another desk channel and went out that channel's Monitor Send and into the 4th line-in channel on the AI (again like you implied). That way I didn't have to bother with channel inserts and I had fairly good control over the signal quality.

Now I just have to relax and play nicely and calmly without getting all het-up about signal levels clipping etc. 4 hours work to record 6 rough as guts tunes, several of which will need guitar track overdubbing because of my mis-takes. But at least each instrument now has its own dedicated digital track in the DAW, I can go back and re-layer the guitar at leisure(and hopefully no-one will be any the wiser when they hear the final). A task for next weekend at this point, because its back to the daily grind tomorrow.

[Blue Monster 65]

Good deal! Glad to hear you're getting into it.