Need help with a Pro Tools setup .. control surface, etc ..

[Skinny Viking]

Yo!

Ok 1st of all, this isn't for me but for a friend who has a pretty good little studio and some very unreliable, not so user-friendly gear. Right now this is what he is using:

Recorder - Mackie HDR24/96
Mixer - Mackie D8B
Preamps-UA2-610, DBX2 channel pre
Software - Traktion???

I'll confess I don't know shit about mackie stuff but I've worked with this guy for several years now and I've seen his gear shit the bed more than a few times.

Anyway, he's considering getting rid of this and looking into an LE setup. One stipulation is that he LOVES using his 24 channel mixer ... he hates using a mouse and needs to use actual faders and such. His software is shite obviously so I'm just wondering if anyone could offer suggestions on how he could go about making this happen. Does anyone know if that console of his works with PT or would he have to look into the C/24? Any other consoles that work great?

I figure, even moving over to a full LE setup would be miles better than what he is working with now but I am by no means a hardware guy so I don't know what all his options may be

Any advice would be greatly appreciated ... thanks!

 

[ahjteam]

...PT9 was just released.

 

[greyskull]

buy my 002?

 

[Trevoire520]

If he has to use his 24 channel mixer he could grab Pro Tools 9 and 3 Profire 2626's.
As you say though he could get the same feel and increased functionality by getting a C24 instead of the Mackie. Or he could pick up the new Allen & Heath ZED R24 and he'd have a high quality analogue mixer.

 

[Skinny Viking]

Hahahaha

Yeah I realized how almost useless this thread was as soon as the PT9 thing blew up

@Greyskull - That gave me a full on laugh

@Trevoire - Thanks man, I made note of what you said and I'll look into a few things

Now if I only had Windows 7 ... I'm still on XP and I just spent over $1000 upgrading some stuff for my room ... nothing left in the budget for PT9 until next year

FML

 

[Skinny Viking]

If he has to use his 24 channel mixer he could grab Pro Tools 9 and 3 Profire 2626's.

now please forgive my ignorance in this cause as I've said, I'm not any kind of hardware guy ...

how exactly would this setup work? Ultimately he would want to control PT with his mix console ... could he just get an I/O card for a pc and run the board into that cause as far as I know he's just using the pres on the board itself, aside from his 2 channel UA pre

 

[DigitalMetal]

M-Audio Profire lightbridge, or 2x MOTU 2408's on a single PCI/e 424 card - hook up the desk via ADAT?
I cant remember for sure but the D8b might support HUI implementation, if it does he should be able to use it as a DAW controller he would just need to hook it up with a midi interface.

 

[Skinny Viking]

^ Thank you VERY much man! That seems about the easiest set of things for him to look into

Cheers!

 

[DigitalMetal]

No Probs !
If he is hooking up over multiple ADAT he could also look at RME HDSP Cards,
An HDSP 9652 can be picked up second hand pretty cheap, the HDR may well be hooked up to the desk right now over ADAT so the Computer would just plug in instead of the HDR.

 

[DigitalMetal]

As i though D8B DOES do HUI so he's all good just check how many ADAT ports he has and get a corresponding card.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-m...-mackie-d8b-pro-tools-controller-via-hui.html

BUT

Beware of its limitations

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-m...r-worth-buying-control-surface-pro-tools.html

So,

If he is going ProTools and wants a big desk type controller for 24 faders a Second hand Control 24 can be had cheap (get a later model at the early ones had power supply issues) or a C|24

For something smaller but total coolness that eats everything else, Euphonix Artist series MC Control and MC Mixes

 

[Skinny Viking]

^ Noted! I'm just gonna send him this thread and let him determine his best course of action

Thanks again!

 

[DigitalMetal]

No Pobs!