Interface vs Mixer

[setyouranchor]

Hey guys

Im in the process of buying new gear, I'm looking at getting a Profire 2626 as my interface. I've had some hands on experience with it and really like it. Always have liked M-Audio interfaces!

Basically, I was wondering if there would be any point in getting a desk aswell as the 2626? I was looking at getting a 16 input desk (not any specific model) but just seeing what the benefits were of having both working together simultaneously

Some feedback and opinions would be appreciated

Thanks in advance!

 

[The StabbinCabin]

A mixer before the interface is just going to allow you to do some tailoring of the sound before it is recorded (depending on the actual mixer)... Unless it's a digital mixer with a lightpipe I/O or firewire to daisychain you're still going to be stuck with 8 inputs on the profire. I suggest getting a profire and maybe a refurbished digimax so you can have 16 inputs and just do it all ITB.

WAY later I would invest really only in a high-end mixer if I had a shit load of outboard gear that you'd be constantly patching and needed the board at your fingers and like 24+ I/Os and wanted that high-end mixer saturation.

 

[John_C]

Hey guys

Im in the process of buying new gear, I'm looking at getting a Profire 2626 as my interface. I've had some hands on experience with it and really like it. Always have liked M-Audio interfaces!

Basically, I was wondering if there would be any point in getting a desk aswell as the 2626? I was looking at getting a 16 input desk (not any specific model) but just seeing what the benefits were of having both working together simultaneously

Some feedback and opinions would be appreciated

Thanks in advance!

get a 2626, then get a DAW controller. Unless you have huge amounts of money to spend then an analogue desk is unlikely to help you.

 

[Trevoire520]

An analogue mixer is only get you more inputs if it has digital outputs on ADAT, or if you've got some A/D converters to put the desk through.

The only real advantages you'd get by using a mixer instead of rackmount preamps are:
Zero latency headphone mixes
The ability to eq and compress things before they're recorded (this is only really useful if you have high end outboard and REALLY know what you're doing with it)
If you do alot of live work and want to mix a show while simultaneously recording it you could use the direct out's from the desk into a couple of A/D converters (e.g. Behringer ADA8000's) to record through the Profire.

But other than that, there's no real advantage unless you have access to a super nice high end desk. Better off spending the money on a couple of Octopre's or something similar.

 

[setyouranchor]

Thanks a lot guys Answered my question perfectly!

Should have thought about it a bit more in depth haha the answers seem quite obvious now!