How to wire digital to analog and back.........

Dmark · Post by **Dmark** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:31 am

I'm thinking of buying a analog mixing board (16 tracks) for summing digital tracks, can some one explain how to wire the connection..... I have a 002 rack and Digimax LT interface, each have 8 outs.

Thanks

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:38 am

if you're doing it because you want that "analog warmth" that's all the rage (joking), i would suggest you save your money and get an outboard compressor.. you'll have a better time.. you really only need it for over peaking. My friend bought an outboard mixer for his digi for that reason, and decided that it was a waste of time (mainly because it just adds so much unnecessary complexity for minimal return on investment in time). It'll also add line noise, which you'll have to contend with (also, with any outboard gear, unless you use an optical line). If you're a gear junkie though, disregard all this, because i really only meant it for total vst users, not gear whores or recording bands with more instruments than you have ins on your rack.

If you still want to do it, i would suggest getting the best cables you can (you can't use all XLR, obviously because your rack won't support it, so get gold plated rca's, as short as possible). And, you'll only really be able to use 8 of those channels (unless your sending out mono, in which case you can use the extra bus tracks, at times, but not often... they will be good for routing outboard gear), because your rack only has 8 outs.

You just send the track bus to the digi out, connect the out to the analog mixing board bus in, and then reroute the sum (or the individual bus out) back in to the Digi. Not too difficult. Good luck

Dmark · Post by **Dmark** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:14 am

Thanks for the info.... that's what I want to do, warm thing up, that will probably be the route I go in, do you have any suggestions for a compressor, ? thier are so many good hardware units on the market. I also want to pick up a control surface,
my budget is around two grand or so for the compressor. I was thinking on the Command 8 for the mixing surface.

Thanks

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:32 am

Off the top of my head check out, Focusrite, Toft, Distressor, Universal Audio, Neve(but you'll probably just drool and realise how expensive it really is.. you'll have to refinance a fuckin mortgage just to get your hands one.. that is, of course, unless you're already a superstar

...) if you want more, start a new thread on hardware compressors and see what others think..

As for a control surface, you may be better off with a Mackie because there is more software out there with presets for it than the command 8, and unless you have PT, you'd be better off with something else. Also, if you can find a Radikal Technologies SAC 2.2, i would suggest getting it.. I owned one before, and I kick myself daily for selling it, but i needed the money at the time, and that was the only thing i could part with. But, it's solid as hell, and motorized!!! I bought mine on ebay. Have fun.

Jackal and Hyde · Post by **Jackal and Hyde** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:40 am

Dmark wrote:Thanks for the info.... that's what I want to do, warm thing up, that will probably be the route I go in, do you have any suggestions for a compressor, ? thier are so many good hardware units on the market. I also want to pick up a control surface,
my budget is around two grand or so for the compressor. I was thinking on the Command 8 for the mixing surface.

Thanks

Shit, if your going to drop change like that, and your looking for something like a
lunchbox to get "that sound", look into config on a > http://www.solid-state-logic.com/music/xlogic_rack.html

Otherwise if its just front end and a kick ass comp yea, you can't go wrong with a pair of EL's distressors. . .

Jackal and Hyde · Post by **Jackal and Hyde** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:02 am

Also if your really looking for quality that smokes for a front end, and your willing to spend that level of dough, definitely check out > http://www.vintech-audio.com/ One or Two X81's + 2 Distressors = Front end madness

Dmark · Post by **Dmark** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:11 am

WOW! that's some nice gear....I'll check these out in detail. Really like the Vintech stuff....so many choices my freak'in brain is going to EXPLODE!!!!

Thanks

Jackal and Hyde · Post by **Jackal and Hyde** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:21 am

Dmark wrote:WOW! that's some nice gear....I'll check these out in detail. Really like the Vintech stuff....so many choices my freak'in brain is going to EXPLODE!!!!

Thanks

Just make sure you don't blow it by using crap cable. . . Get nothing but the best of the best if your going to drop your hard earned $ on pro gear > http://www.mogamicable.com/ Mogami is second to fckn none. And if you live in a big city and are hearing shit you shouldnt be hearing from your monitors (radio freq/demons j/k) once you get it all hooked up, your going to want to buy a few of these > http://www.google.com/search?client=saf ... 8&oe=UTF-8 to get rid of the problem.

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:27 am

It sounds like you're just starting out (no offense). It gets really daunting comtemplating all the different scenarios for gear whoring... especially if you have dough burning a hole in your pocket. Do yourself a favor, and start off small... don't spend a shitload of money on something you know nothing about. You'll wind up blowing you wad, and selling your gear for less than you paid, because you need the money for 2x more other gear.. that's the very nature of gear whoring. I would suggest going with a UAD offering (DSP card), until you learn the finer points. Besides, if you think maxed out compressors are going to get you signed, you're dead wrong. People have been signed on low quality demo tapes.. It's the quality of the music, not the quality of the sound.

Ask any record producer what they'd rather sign:

a demo tape of some underground shit that rocks there ass off, but doesn't sound as good as

a demo tape of some semi decent underground shit that's tepid, but the sound quality is immense...

they'll choose the dope ass shit, because they know it's going to a mastering house anyways...

which is my point... don't try to do everything yourself, unless you're a superstar and can afford a $100,000+ studio in your basement. Just focus on getting the best sound with the shit that you have... buy a decent DSP card like UAD or a decent compressor like a Focusrite, or buy a Distressor if you're feeling froggy.. but, concentrate on your sound, because you can get more for less if you know what you're doing. Shit man, there's plenty of producers out there that get dope sounds without hardware, just Reason, or VSTs that are making dough, and get awesome sound (admittedly from the mastering house, but who cares.. it's better if you have somebody else master it anyways)

Now, this is just my .02

Pilgrim · Post by **Pilgrim** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 6:16 am

Dmark wrote:I'm thinking of buying a analog mixing board (16 tracks) for summing digital tracks, can some one explain how to wire the connection..... I have a 002 rack and Digimax LT interface, each have 8 outs.

Thanks

Well, I picked up on your use of the word "summing" tho in digital is not really a warm thing.
but. . . an analog final mix will actually sound, oh, lets say, "nicer" than a digital mix-down.
You may be on a good track there.
You have 8 analog outs to an analog mixer 8 ins mixdown to two back to record final/master. (Tape would be nice).

With all the digital gear I have around here, my old EuroRack 16 is used for just that, "summing" in analog to final pair.
Always sounds better.
Not really "warm" as in using a tube circuit (tubes are "slow" therefore "warm") but really much nicer sounding mix than digital.

You might spend some money on really good quality D/A converters to feed your mixer, like Apogee or RME. Also if you have word clock in to your Digi 002 or I/O box, an Apogee "Big Ben" clock generator would blow your socks off alone.

Warm is hard to describe but "summing" is nice in analog.

Go. . .
Pilgrim

Dmark · Post by **Dmark** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:45 pm

Thanks for your input.... If your interested you can listen to some of my recent recordings I've done, go to www.danielmark.com. I've been serious about recording for 3 years or so and I feel I've just scratched the surface.

Let me know what you think.....

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:33 pm

Thanks for your input.... If your interested you can listen to some of my recent recordings I've done, go to www.danielmark.com. I've been serious about recording for 3 years or so and I feel I've just scratched the surface.

I don't get it... I'm assuming you built this site yourself, and the website builder (or you got a commercial version to install).. Pretty nice site... do you own this company, Bandzoogle?

Dmark · Post by **Dmark** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:27 pm

Thanks, It's a build your own site......its kind of limited as far as flash but its pretty cool other wise.

j0shu@ · Post by **j0shu@** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:59 pm

as far as i understand it you dont just use an analog mixer for summing (although i guess you could), you use a summing box.

check out this article on summing:
http://mixguides.com/consoles/product_f ... ming-1204/

Pilgrim · Post by **Pilgrim** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:19 am

Analog mixing "is" summing.

Some summing boxes do not alter the levels. It is a non-adjustable analog mixer. Levels are set before sending to the box.
More recent ones may be digital controlled analog mixers. In any event, the actual signal path and "mixing" are analog.

Note in your article that Mixing is the setting of levels while summing is the combining of the tracks/channels in an analog environment and busses are often used in sub-mixes.

Mixing to me is mixing. Mixdown may say combining but we all use mixing to mean mixdown don't we?

Until it is "summed" through analog, "it's all virtual anyway!"
Pilgrim John

How to wire digital to analog and back.........

How to wire digital to analog and back.........

Re: How to wire digital to analog and back.........