Simplest Auiod mixer - or even making one?

FatRakoon · 21 Jun 2022 at 21:40

Ok, this should be simple for anyone who knows what I am after.
I have a Mixer that is now pretty much rubbish, and so I am considering alternative options

My Music setup is basic and fairly rubbish to be honest, but it works fine. ( Sort of )
I have 3 Keyboards, 2 Drum Machines, and a few SoundModules, I also have my Falcon Audio too
The Falcon Audio is going into a Digital to Analog Stereo output device, and so teh AUDIO is all analog.

The output from all the devices are all going into a very basic home made mixer, that has 12 Stereo inputs and 2 Stereo outputs.

The reason for the two outputs is that one is going to the AMP and the other is going to a LapTop for recording the music.
Originally, these were all simply wired together. I have no need for any knobs or dials as any adjustments is done in the software ( CuBase Audio from about 1992 ) however there is some overlap of the audio and I often get lots of buzzing and so on. I have now included a resistor ( 4.7k IIRC ?? ) and this helped the buzz, but it also had the effect of making the sounds too quiet.
I mean, if I just plug in a Drum Kit ( Alesis DM-8 or Yamaha DD65 ) they play fine and sound quite loud, but as I plug more gear in, they get quieter and quieter and end up hardly hearing them.
So, can I get a mixer that has multiple inputs but does not have loads of knobs and dials that I do not need, or, would anyone be willing to make me such a machine? Details and prices are of course to be negotiated.

can anyone understand what I am on about?

Anyway, here is hoping!

Donnie Fisher · 21 Jun 2022 at 23:29

12 input rack mixer

Would something like that work ? Its has some basic mixing knobs to adjust levels, but not much more .. and its an off the shelf reasonable price compared to what someone might charge you to make.

It only seems to have 1 stereo output , but I would then run that into an audio interface at the pc, and from the audio interface go to the amp. Something like a Focusrite 2i2 would be able to do that.

Total cost circa £200 ish …

FatRakoon · 22 Jun 2022 at 14:08

Yes, that is rpetty much what I am after yes.

The inputs are a few, I could do with more, but in truth, this should be fine.
The outputs is not really going to be any issues, as I can simply either use a splitter so the AMP and the LAPTOP both get input, or a switch for whenI am actually recording.
As it is, I cannot really use the Laptop and the AMP as there is a delay - just a tiny one, but noticeable.

The price is just fine to be honest and so yeah, that might do the job just great.
I dont really use the Laptop at all other than actually doing the recording and then saving.
I simply press record in Audacity, then once I have finished playing it back on the Atari, I then stop the recording and then snip the quiet bits at the start and finish and then save as WAV
I do convert to MP3 too of course but if I want to make a CD I just use one of the other PCs that have a Writer on it.

Simple and effective.

I used to use Creative Live Drives at first and that was allowing me to output the Digital from the Falcon, and it would mix the Digital and Analog with the SoundBlaster 2live drive but I have since bought a D/A converter and thats now in my Falcon so easy peasy.

Anyway, I am waffling so many thanks. I will look deeper into this and similar devices.

FatRakoon · 22 Jun 2022 at 14:19

Ah sod it.
I have had a proper look, and I recon that this would be a great option.
Its Rackmount and so since I have a spare slot in my Rack, it would be spot on for me.

2 of my units are XG and so I dont really need both do I?

It will help to tidy the mess up since my current mixer is on top and has wires all over the place.
One other extra little bonus, is that they also have one thats nearly new and that works out at 83 quid with next day delivery and so I decided that will be the one I will get and so yeah, I hope it does the trick.

Again, many thanks Donnie.

Donnie Fisher · 22 Jun 2022 at 19:14

Even better if they have a clearance / nearly new one. I just figured that it would be the simplest option for you.

Regarding the audio interfaces, I've never noticed a delay in mine playing the piano through it into headphones and the like. I dont use it that much, but it has been a good bit of kit and very compatible with any software ... it just kind of works and does it job.

Hope it all works as you need.

FatRakoon · 22 Jun 2022 at 23:20

Yeah, ok, so the used one is only a few quid cheaper, but it still counts and I still ge ta full warranty with it, so why not?

As for the delay, yeah, its not a big issue, I am aware of it and so its simply never been a problem for me.

Like I said its only there when I am playing out through both the AMP, and the Laptop. I am using a SoundBlaster OMNI as the Audio card in the Laptop because the Laptop only seems to have MIC as the input and not LINE-LEVEL and so the OMNI is a good quality external that I already have unused and so why not? - its USB and great quality and so its not going to be wasted.

But the Laptop has its own little speaker setup ( Alesis speakers with abuilt-in Amp ) so I guess it allows me to play back the Laptop recordings and the main AMP does the main stuff.
I could have the Laptop also going to the AMP perhaps but then thats also going to tie up another input... Heck, maybe I should do it properly instead of tryign to cut corners all the time.

Donnie Fisher · 24 Jun 2022 at 09:41

Windows/MacOS itself is quite often the source of latency when you are routing sound through a PC, particularly when trying to capture it and play it back. The default sound drivers for your average sound cards have to pass through lots of layers in the OS, which causes the delay and latency ... which is fine for your average sound of playing music from file / video, but when you are playing and instrument etc, you notice it.

The solution being things like the sound interfaces, which have very tailored drivers to reduce latency and delays to a minimum.

If it works for you then great, I'd be the same and use what I have too. Good luck !

FatRakoon · 24 Jun 2022 at 14:59

Yeah, I got this mixer yesterday and at first I messed up and the audio was dire through it.
My AMP has a multi input dial... and the cheap thing obviously has some audio leaking and so, it was set to MP3 and obviously, I needed it to an AUX. I only had the main Keyboard connected to it for the moment and I pressed DEMO and was fiddling about, because like a moron, I had just ripped ALL the cables out of the other Mixer ( including the 2 Outputs and so I was adding as needed, but for the moment I only had a keyboard and out, but then as I was messing about, I had the amp turned up and the audio was rubbish and then I turned the dial and BOOOM!!!

So yeah, its all plugged in and plugged up and I think it the most perfect thing to get... it is EXACTLY what I was after.

Very happy with it indeed.

I need to put some tags on the cables so I know what is what

My setup is based on the old Atari Falcon, and it has its own Midi Port, but the M8 is a printer to Midi Device that gives me 8 Midi outs, and I have a MidiMerge unit that lets me have the Alesis DM5 plus the Edirol Keyboard both into the one Midi In and while this is so out of date, it does exactly what I need it to.
I cannot, even though I have plenty of spare PCs and even a couple of Macs now, I cannot justify changing to PC as it costs and I simply dont want to use the extra things a PC can give ( plus I like the older stuff )

I do use the laptop to record of course, and because its only used for the recording, the delay simply does not bother me...
I turn the volume up obviously, when I am messing about, but once its recording, the Laptop and the AMP are the end of the line devices and so I simply only use one or the other when I am recording.

But yeah, the machine usually has delays when its got this or that coming through, but its not a deal that I am worried about.
And yes, I do have other dedicated sound devices for such things, but the reality is, that I am using Midi, and ONLY Midi. I do on occasion add vocals ,or sound effect maybe but there is another issue I have, because CuBase uses a weird form of Audio Sample and so I have to convert to be compatible with the Atari ( using a PC LOL ).
Irritating, but, it can do D2D Recording and multiple channels etc, but it only does this to SCSI. My SCSI is not quite 100% and so I am on IDE and so it wont record Audio... It plays back just fine though from the IDE.
Small issue that simply should not be an issue but the software is from the early 90's so there is no updates for IDE and thats a shame, but hey ho.

Im waffling again, so bye-bye.