Breakout Boxes For PC recording

Post by **Doog** » Tue Oct 19, 2010 8:44 am

Hey dudes, I'm going to be doing a paid session for a friend's band in the future and I'm needing to pick up some equipment for it; namely a breakout box so I'm able to run 6 or so drum mics into my PC, keeping them all as separate tracks.

Before I start the tedious discover-research-readreviews cycle on Google, does anyone have any recommendations?

Danke!
x

Post by **Mike** » Tue Oct 19, 2010 8:50 am

Borrow my Edirol UA-1000?

http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-1000/

4 mic pres and also 10 inputs on the back, so you can run 4 mics direct into the box and up to 6 more via mixer(s)

USB2.0. Download the drivers for your PC and see if they install OK. You're welcome to borrow it.

Post by **Doog** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:20 pm

Sweet, that be fucking aweeeeeeeeeesome mate! FANKS

I am keen to get something of my own however, so I'll guess I'll see what can be grabbed on a budget; the Edirol looks a wee bit too spendy for my wallet.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:10 am

It ain't made anymore I think anyways.

But yeah you're welcome to it, just let me know. I think finding something with 6 mic pres is going to be pricey, so you might need something with 2-4 and then a small Behringer mixer to supply the other mics.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 4:26 pm

I'm very interested in this. What sort of device makes it so you can record multiple tracks at once, then edit the levels of them on the software after? Does it have to be USB?

Al_ · Post by **Al_** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:27 pm

There's a bunch these days. USB or Firewire; or sometimes a custom serial cable depending on the box.

foofoo982 · Post by **foofoo982** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:03 pm

I've heard good things about the Behringer Xenyx line with USB. Haven't had a chance to use them though. I don't see why they wouldn't work well, and the price seems to be right.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:11 pm

Mike wrote:I think finding something with 6 mic pres is going to be pricey, so you might need something with 2-4 and then a small Behringer mixer to supply the other mics.

This is how I do it for the mo. Overheads come from Behringer Xenyx 802 running stereo line outputs to the console/interface, then kick and snare into the 2 XLRs on the console.

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:28 am

Here's a couple of options:

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R - Â£350ish:

-8 Mic Pre Amps

ZOOM R16 - Â£300ish:

It's a standalone digital recorder which can also be used as a USB interface and controller! handy!

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:09 am

paul_ wrote:
Mike wrote:I think finding something with 6 mic pres is going to be pricey, so you might need something with 2-4 and then a small Behringer mixer to supply the other mics.
This is how I do it for the mo. Overheads come from Behringer Xenyx 802 running stereo line outputs to the console/interface, then kick and snare into the 2 XLRs on the console.

Can you explain this more? (sorry, im new to recording multi track simultaneously) I'm looking to do the same.

You are running Snare and Kick into inputs 1 and 2 on the Xenyx, and the overheads on 3/4 5/6? Can you then edit the levels and mix on the computer?

Post by **Doog** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 12:49 pm

DanHeron wrote:ZOOM R16 - Â£300ish:

It's a standalone digital recorder which can also be used as a USB interface and controller! handy!

Funnily enough, I was just looking at this and it does look remarkably good, especially for my needs. It even has built-in guitar FX and amp sims so I'm able to retire/bin my old Boss BR8 that's being used pretty much purely for "silent" guitar recording.

I was actually pondering if my laptop would be beefy enough to handle 6-8 tracks of live audio without fucking up, this looks like the perfect solution to me; I can easily just stick the raw audio on my desktop using the R16's memory card and mix within Acid 7 as per usual.

Gentleman, I think we have a winner on all accounts, thanks all for your help.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 1:13 pm

Definitely, there is no way your laptop could handle it, believe me.

Post by **Doog** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:04 pm

Quite possibly, although it's not a bad laptop by any means- it just would've probably needed a memory upgrade to deal with it.

I certainly think this is the most elegant solution and with a very appealing price tag- it might be the push I need to sell off the 2x12 Marshall rig and maybe a few other things.

Post by **Doog** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:00 pm

Following the consumption of a lot of reviews and technical demos (mainly this guy's), I've just ordered a brand new R16 on Ebay for Â£270 delivered! You gotta love the "best offer" feature. And tax rebates.

I was a bit miffed I'd missed out on a used one last week for Â£235 (SHOULDA JUST DONE THE Â£230 BUY IT NOW IN THE FIRST PLACE, DOOG!), so a brand new one with warranty and free delivery has salved my burns somewhat.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 1:04 am

Lemme know how it works out for you after you record les drums, eh?

Post by **Doog** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:12 am

Will dew, I intend to do an gear demo video for the SS Youtube account once I've got to grips with it, this thing is surely a godsend to younger bands.

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:41 pm

That review you posted above is great. The internal mics sound pretty good! I really want one of these R16s haha

GreenKnee · Post by **GreenKnee** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:31 pm

Can someone help me out with these M-audio things...

Sorry to hijack the thread btw.

I'm looking at this beast:
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/3 ... rface.html

But where the fuck do the '26' inputs come from?
I'd plug it straight into my Mac with firewire, but I can only see 8 inputs on the back, 2 on front?
Picture of back view:
http://www.m-audio.com/images/global/me ... 0-back.jpg

I'm new to this stuff, our drummers Dad is a studio engineer so he records us, but I'd like it for keeping in our practice room, record new ideas/practices/ and possibly use it for capturing that raw feel!

Jack

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:57 pm

Those optical inputs on the back are where you can plug in more inputs. It can handle upto 26.

Post by **Doog** » Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:31 pm

[youtube][/youtube]
Have had a good play with the R16 and am thoroughly impressed- the fact I can pop out the SD card and stick it straight in the laptop to grab the .wav files is convenient beyond comprehension.

The built-in amp (and "amp & pedal") sims really are pretty decent, I could happily lay down a few proper album overdubs using them alone. I'll knock up a nice demo it over Xmas once I'm near a drumkit/bass/more socialable recording environment.