The prog rock project is moving along very nice, in the final stages of vocal writing/recording now. This has me thinking about how I'm going to finish off the album, and mixing in analogue just seemed like the right move. I've not mixed in analog since my high school Tascam Porta 02 days!
Got me a Mackie 1604 desk, JBL powered monitors, a couple of Lexicon 'verbs, and a TON of patch cables (I owned about 30 TRS cables but had no idea this would not even be CLOSE to the total number of cables required to do this!). None of the hardware is new, and in fact is 1-2 generations old, to keep the cost down.
Result: Couldn't be happier thus far, though
a. Mixing in analog is an entirely different beast than mixing ITB
b. Mixing in analog is a LOT of work, as I have no automation or recall, so if I make a mistake, it's back to the beginning
c. Levels and overall noise need to be constantly monitored (gain staging is VITAL)
I am still getting to know my way round the "new" setup but feel like I'm starting to get something akin to actual music now. Please have a listen:
Signal chain: DAW > Focusrite 18i20 > line outs 1-10 > patchbay > Mackie/SSL/outboard gear > aux sends > main outs > Focusrite 18i20
I calibrated the desk so that -12dBu in Cubase output = 0dB on the desk = -12dB on the 18i20 = -12dB going back into the DAW
Got me a Mackie 1604 desk, JBL powered monitors, a couple of Lexicon 'verbs, and a TON of patch cables (I owned about 30 TRS cables but had no idea this would not even be CLOSE to the total number of cables required to do this!). None of the hardware is new, and in fact is 1-2 generations old, to keep the cost down.
Result: Couldn't be happier thus far, though
a. Mixing in analog is an entirely different beast than mixing ITB
b. Mixing in analog is a LOT of work, as I have no automation or recall, so if I make a mistake, it's back to the beginning
c. Levels and overall noise need to be constantly monitored (gain staging is VITAL)
I am still getting to know my way round the "new" setup but feel like I'm starting to get something akin to actual music now. Please have a listen:
Signal chain: DAW > Focusrite 18i20 > line outs 1-10 > patchbay > Mackie/SSL/outboard gear > aux sends > main outs > Focusrite 18i20
I calibrated the desk so that -12dBu in Cubase output = 0dB on the desk = -12dB on the 18i20 = -12dB going back into the DAW
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