I reread my previous post and i think i buried my "lede" as they say...so here is my edited question..
What are my options to increase the audio inputs for my home studio?
I currently have a firewire interface that has been very stable and very fast with Live and lots of other programs including Reason and Sonar.. I am trying to host a group now and need to upgrade for add'l audio inputs.. one band member brought a borrowed mixer/audio interface and we are still trying to figure out using the mixer with live (its an onyx16i)...we connected 3 synths, a guitar and a bass and had some strange issues getting the mixer to talk to ableton and back...especially in how we heard the effects buses (or better said, didnt hear them)...i'm betting we can figure that out...i really like the specs on the mackie onyx and i really want firewire, before we commit to buying anything though, i want to get as much info as possible...
one thing that is going through my mind is that sending everything into a mixer is unnecessary and just getting a "bigger" audio interface may be the easiest thing..my engineer friend is insistent that going through the mixer is essential, but it sure looks like it can all be done directly in Live's mixer (or any DAW), and that just getting a new Aud Interface with more inputs is a good option (and cheaper)..is having hardware mixing capabilities more important when you are recording a band?
I've been shopping around online and looking at reviews, what do you use with Live if you need 12 audio inputs? I really only need 2 or 4 preamps because we are primarily sending line inputs, and we use Line 6 pods on our guitars/bass... I'm focused on home recording right now, but if things work out, its possible for us to play live...it looks like my options are a brand new interface, or a mixer with more inputs...for those using lots of audio inputs, what are you using?
thnx