Was about to get another software synth or 2, but over the weekend I listened to my old 'pop' stuff done with a mixing desk (Tascam digital, about 12 years old and also a Mackie 16ch - the tascam sounded nicer to me) and it struck me how the sound seems wider, warmer and clearer compared to my 'new' setup based around cubase5 with no outboard mixer.

I think I could get a fairly nice 8 or 12ch second hand mixer for a couple of hundred pounds for mix summing. May even increase budget to get a second hand small soundcraft or sismilar.

I'm not expereinced enough to know whether it will make a difference.
I spend around 3 hours per night on producing and a lot more at weekends - I'm obsessed actualy, for example still at it late on a sunday night yesterday. It is my life and I need to satisfy my desire to get a pro sound.

BTW I am fully aware it mainly takes effort, skill and practice and there are no silver bullets.

My DAW ITB sound is 90% there to my ears and gets better with each track.

POINT IS; I really want another sofsynth, and dont want to bother with a mixer unless it really does make a difference.

Any opinion - is a mixer basically essential for a pro sound?

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quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler Any opinion - is a mixer basically essential for a pro sound?

Yes and no, a high end mixer will sound great. A mixer for a few hundred notes will not have much difference than working ITB

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Maybe some DSP with a lovely tube or saturation plugin here or there will give you the desired effect without needing a mixer.

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what about running tracks through an old analog mixer to re-create a true analog feel instead of using digital emulators. you can get some basic analog mixers for a very reasonable price on ebay . this is something i've always thought that would be cool and have wondered why it is never talked about. i'm going to assume theres a problem or something because there is no way all the analog freaks out there using digital gear wouldn't drop less than 3 figures to run their basses and leads through an analog circuit.

tehlord - yea I already have some nice DSP emulations, but my mold pop stuff done using mixing desks seems better mixed. It maybe those tracks were easier to mix compared to 138bpm trance


steve - yes that's what I'm talking about - getting an old analogue or solid state desk.
My best mate just got a lovely soundcraft for £1500 that was £12k new. Cant wait to hear how that badboy sounds.

Hard to tell whether I should get a summing mixer or not.

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quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler Any opinion - is a mixer basically essential for a pro sound?

No. If it was essential then all the pros would be using hardware mixers.

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I bought a pair of SSL 5000 series eq's from a large desk to add colour to all my individual tracks, theyre not the best eq's SSL made but they sure aren't crap.

Just waiting to get them balanced and racked

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quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler tehlord - yea I already have some nice DSP emulations, but my mold pop stuff done using mixing desks seems better mixed. It maybe those tracks were easier to mix compared to 138bpm trance steve - yes that's what I'm talking about - getting an old analogue or solid state desk. My best mate just got a lovely soundcraft for £1500 that was £12k new. Cant wait to hear how that badboy sounds. Hard to tell whether I should get a summing mixer or not.

Soundcraft made some good consoles your mate should be happy, try and look for a small Amek desk, these are good. If you're after a summing box check out Black Lion Audio's new one

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"Analog" and "tubes" are not always synonymous with "good sound," guys. Listen to Bob Katz:

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Doing analog audio in the sixties and seventies was hell. Most of us would like to throw our bias oscillators in the garbage. Analog requires constant vigilance to sound good. In addition, you can't copy an analog tape. The second generation just falls apart; it's a pale replica of the first. If analog's so bad, what's the problem with digital recordings? Can't we give them the warmth of analog if we use vintage tube mikes and analog processors? There must be something to that argument, or the whole industry wouldn't be doing the retro-tube trip. But I wonder if we're all doing it for the wrong reasons. Please remember that there's good tube equipment out there, and a lot of bad....Only the best-designed tube equipment has quiet, clear sound, tight (defined bass), is transparent and dimensional, yet still warm without being artificial or muddy.

http://www.digido.com/back-to-analog.html

i dont buy the analog hype at all, what so ever. I just bought an alesis analog compressor to see if it could give me anything, it sure hell didnt. and as it is separate L/R it even manage to move the center of my track because eventhough the setting-knobs was the same on L and R it didnt really sound the same. It also has a sync L R button, but still im not sure about this stuff. im gonna sell it asap.

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Originally posted by palm i dont buy the analog hype at all, what so ever. I just bought an alesis analog compressor to see if it could give me anything, it sure hell didnt. and as it is separate L/R it even manage to move the center of my track because eventhough the setting-knobs was the same on L and R it didnt really sound the same. It also has a sync L R button, but still im not sure about this stuff. im gonna sell it asap.

3630?

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quote:

Originally posted by palm i dont buy the analog hype at all, what so ever. I just bought an alesis analog compressor to see if it could give me anything, it sure hell didnt. and as it is separate L/R it even manage to move the center of my track because eventhough the setting-knobs was the same on L and R it didnt really sound the same. It also has a sync L R button, but still im not sure about this stuff. im gonna sell it asap.

You would have to go a few steps up from an alesis compressor before you turn your back on analogue mate, i have an alesis comp myself but its been modded by BLA

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