Help me build my studio

The epm series is so great. 2 identical sends with dedicated stereo returns. I get tired of mixers having all these random functions spread out across the channels. 1-4 have phantom power, 5 is combo 5-6 with no gain. Aux one is pre fader, aux two is post.

EPM is a breath of fresh air. Just identical strips all the way down.

If I had the budget I'd love to get an older Allen and Heath Mixwizard 16, I think I mentioned it already in this thread but those things really hit most of the things I want in a mixer without much I don't want, and are pretty solid for what they are.

I bet an old Soundcraft Spirit would be even better but I've never gotten to try one.

I actually really like 80s Tascam mixers, too.

Yeah that mixwizard looks really nice. Probably an inspiration for the epm. Like $500 used. Got my epm for $200

I think you guys have talked me out of the 22 MTK. Now I gotta figure out what else I want. The newer version of that A&H Mixwizard looks great but it's kind of a bummer that it only has 2 stereo inputs, both without EQ, and no submixes (I want them for sampling into the Octatrack).

Finding an interface will probably be easier... if I'm being honest 2 or 4 analog ins is probably plenty for me, and then I just want ADAT I/O so I can play with that Expert Sleepers stuff.

Yeah, the Mixwizard is definitely a traditional mixer, more geared toward miced liveinstruments.  I mostly like the form factor and the fact that it has 4 aux sensd.  If the EPM had more aux sends it would be the perfect mixer in my price range.

Actually I had an early 2000s 16 channel Phonic once that I got for $50 used and I kind of regret getting rid of it.  It was only slightly larger than an EPM 12 but had 16 mono inputs with three bands of EQ plus low shelving on each, 6(!!!) aux sends (only four available at once on any given channel though, every channel had a switch to toggle between 3-4 and 5-6 on that channel), four stereo group outs, balanced and unbalanced main out and a separate mono out for a subwoofer or center channel, inserts AND direct outs on all channels, 12v power for a lamp,track solo (something I really miss on the EPM) and IIRC there were some stereo inputs too, but I haven't used it in a while.  Sound was nothing special but totally usable.  Oh, and for mics it had individually switchable per channel phantom power.

I gave it to a friend because I was moving ITB at the time and it needed a new master fader (the right side on the output was permanently at about 3db above maximum volume so even if you turned the fader all the way up it was still off balance - I just used one of the group outs.

I don't think I'd actually buy one again unless it was similarly cheap and local because TBH it felt kind of cheap and I'd be reluctant to buy one without trying it out thoroughly, but the feature set for the size was amazing and it did the job - the guy I got it from actually got it from a future bandmate of mine who built his first commercial project studio around it and mixed albums on it for a couple years before he could afford a more professional desk. 

EDIT also the first two channels could be switched to mid/side operation, which isn't necessarily that useful for electronic stuff but still interesting.

This looks like the current counterpart, slightly different form factor and has built in effects now but pretty similar (and same price as the one I had went for when it was new):

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/398890-REG/Phonic_SONICSTATION_Sonic_Station_16.html

I don't really know much about Phonic but that mixer was really well laid out, if a bit on the bland side.

You know actually I forgot another thing I like about the 22 MTK. Not so much recording a bunch of stuff at once, as playing a bunch of channels of computer audio, running them through individual parametric EQs and summing in analog.

Even with, like, the Monomachine, I notice a huge difference summing the individual outs externally.

Yeah, I know there's a lot of chatter online about analog summing being no different from digital, but even with a pretty modest mixer it has always sounded way better to me, long before I ever heard about it being controversial.  Not enough outputs to do it, though.

Yrah,Yeah, I also love multitasking and more traditional mixing, it's kind of a toss up between the two for me. lately I've been playing out live with a couple of different duos and for the sake of simplicity my rug is one or two synths and a guitar into the three inputs on a Space Echo and then straight into a little, solid state combo amp from the early 80s, and the thing that's been inspiring me the most lately is writing on just x0xb0x and Tanzmaus, making stuff for me and the other guy to improvise over later and trying to keep it interesting but also manageable enough that I can play guitar and manually change patterns and tweak both machines comfortably live. I think for me at least if I focus on multitasking too long I start to get in a rut, but the same thing happens if I try doing everything straight to stereo for too long, too, so I've ended up gravitating toward a setup that allows for both and I go back and forth every year or two.

And when I'm multitasking I hardly sequence live or edit at all, I try to do every overdub more or less live in one continuous take.

Autocorrect butchered some of that, hopefully it makes sense..

I know it's autocorrect, but I feel like I am going to start calling mine a rug too. 

Multitasking = Multitracking.

I wasn't about to fix all of that on the bus, and now it's part of the historic record, nothing can be done.

Yeah. I need some direct outs in my rug ASAP.

  On 11/2/2018 at 3:31 PM, manmower said:

 

 

  On 11/2/2018 at 2:17 PM, RSP said:

I wasn't about to fix all of that on the bus, and now it's part of the historic record, nothing can be done.

 

Technically, you could upgrade your account for unlimited editing privileges.

 

I can edit it already.  But will I bother?

No.

Jumping in the thread to ask a noob question : can someone explain to me the differences between a mixer and an audio interface?

I have a Behringer Xenyx mixer which allows me to record the main out to my computer via USB. Is this essentially the point of an audio interface? The price of these things is I guess justified in audio fidelity but it's hard for me to figure those things out lol.

Any audio interface should do at least what yours is doing, but yours is also a mixer, so it's mixing hardware then shooting the audio not only to the physical outputs (monitors, headphones, sends, etc.) but also to the computer. More complex audio interfaces will do this but also allow you to feed more than 2 channels of audio to the computer for processing/recording. Some simpler audio interfaces offer little more than mic/line in and a volume control and computer connection. The more costly ones will generally provide mixer functionality, more channels in/out, higher audio quality options, lower latency software/drivers/hardware, and so forth. 

A mixer, just as a mixer, just mixes and/or effects, analog audio sources, sends the sound out to a couple circleshaped things in boxes called speakers (aka 'monitors')  

  On 11/1/2018 at 5:44 AM, RSP said:

Yeah, I know there's a lot of chatter online about analog summing being no different from digital, but even with a pretty modest mixer it has always sounded way better to me, long before I ever heard about it being controversial.  Not enough outputs to do it, though.

I've been considering getting a Zoom LiveTrak as it seems the best of both worlds. I've not heard anything but praise for it since it was released.

  On 11/24/2018 at 2:52 AM, auxien said:

Any audio interface should do at least what yours is doing, but yours is also a mixer, so it's mixing hardware then shooting the audio not only to the physical outputs (monitors, headphones, sends, etc.) but also to the computer. More complex audio interfaces will do this but also allow you to feed more than 2 channels of audio to the computer for processing/recording. Some simpler audio interfaces offer little more than mic/line in and a volume control and computer connection. The more costly ones will generally provide mixer functionality, more channels in/out, higher audio quality options, lower latency software/drivers/hardware, and so forth. 

 

A mixer, just as a mixer, just mixes and/or effects, analog audio sources, sends the sound out to a couple circleshaped things in boxes called speakers (aka 'monitors')  

 

  On 11/1/2018 at 5:44 AM, RSP said:

Yeah, I know there's a lot of chatter online about analog summing being no different from digital, but even with a pretty modest mixer it has always sounded way better to me, long before I ever heard about it being controversial.  Not enough outputs to do it, though.

I've been considering getting a Zoom LiveTrak as it seems the best of both worlds. I've not heard anything but praise for it since it was released.

That thing looks pretty cool.