Audio Routing / Mixer Setups

[Uija]

Hey!

How are you doing all the audio routing? I am using hardware not that long, and currently running all my stuff into a 8xStereo 1HE Behringer Mixer, to get everthing loud. I have all my devices connected to a patch bay so I can quickly plug a Synth out of the mixer, into the Digitakt-Input to sample it, or use the 4 In (2x Digitone, 2x Digitakt), when recording into Ableton.
Nur I like to get rid of the Cable-Pulling. My Idea is to have a Mixer with at least 2 Stereo-Subchannels that I can route to the Elektron Devices, but as I wrote down, what I need for Inputs, I have to buy a really big mixer…

Digitone, Digitakt, Miniloge XD, Macs Soundcard, my Guitarampmodeller with a hell of a FX unit all have Stereo outs. Thats 5 Stereochannels right now. And I am sure, there might be another Synth coming the nexts months. Lets count 6 Stereo channels. Thats either 6 Stereo Ins (most mixers with several out-channels don’t have that many) or 12 Mono Ins.
Than I currently have the 2 small synths with Mono-Out. There is at least one 303 (clone) coming this year, so I need at least 16 Input channels right now, and would be closed for additions after that.

Am I planing this wrong? Should I ignore a new Mixer and stay with knot cables all the time?

Thanks for inspirations!

Jens

[digi_dave]

Oh, nothing in here? I was searching for some inspiration. Any other threads known and famous for audio routing and how to get it all wrapped up nicely?
Finally after years of working with 3 monitor stands on top of each other and having the cables rough and ugly I got a desk, a room and plenty of space to finally spread out. So I am super curious how I can get my audio routed more efficiently and incorporate some mixer unit too somehow… feel free to give me a pointer into a frequent thread thanks in advanced.

[Funkyswitches]

I use a Soundcraft EPM 8. This board has 2 aux sends- What you need are “aux channels/sends”. This allows you to have everything that’s routed into your mixer one knob turn away from the device on the receiving end of the respective aux channel. You don’t need stereo for sampling in the digitakt (it doesn’t sample in stereo) so your standard aux send is great.

I use my aux 1 for a nice reverb and my aux 2 for sending tracks to the input on the digitakt or my eurorack gear. It’s very clean and easy. So if your looking for a new board get one that has many aux channels. I will be getting a Soundcraft gb2r soon and will have more than enough tracks, ins and outs, foldbacks and loops for an extensive setup.

There is way more detail to the functionality of a mixing board so if you what to have a conversation let me know.

I’m setup for live performance. For recording I use overbridge so I don’t have to change this setup at all:

I have 6 synths, one vocal, and a reverb effect. I run my digitakt audio ( stereo) into my digitone, then into one of the stereo tracks. This works very well as the digitone has a external mixer.

My reverb is on aux 1 and returns to a mono track, and my sampling send is on aux 2.

My second stereo track is for recorded audio so I can sample that too.

The only mess I have is with my aux two, between sampling with my digitakt or my morphigene, I need to switch cables. But like I said, the aux send is another multitrack output. You can control how much of each track you want to send, no additional cables. That’s how to use a mixing board properly.

You could send stereo with you aux but you would need two tracks all the way- for 6 stereo devices you’d need at least 12 mono tracks and a minimum of 4 aux sends.

[Funkyswitches]

More about recording…

I do both stereo and multitrack recording depending on my mood. Stereo is when I really inspired, multitrack is when I’m working on ideas that are bigger.

I made a custom wire harness (snake) to utilize the inserts of the mono channels on my board as pre-fader direct outs. This works well but obviously comes at a cost- I can’t insert a compressor or anything when I’m recording. the snake runs to my 8ch interface.

The EPM also has a stereo monitor out and a rec out. I usually use the monitor out for my stereo recordings because the monitor signal is before the main fader and has its own vol knob, where as the record out is post main fader. I use the record out to monitor mix.

So I don’t need to reroute anything to record, which is not exceptional in itself as it is one of the main reasons to have a mixer.

I should also say, I’ve used these mixers; Sound craft EPM for many years. They are distilled down to the most functional and simple format and are on a different plane than any mixer in or a few tiers above it’s price range. The features they lack do not prevent a practiced hand from dialing in a thick and juicy mix.

[thermionic]

Anyone else flustered with hardware routing options and stuck trying to visualize through Visio?

[Stone262]

What are you avoiding doing?

[thermionic]

Moi? Recording, obviously… but moreso trying to figure out ideal paths to use FX and processors with minimal repatching.

[Funkyswitches]

Aux send-> fx-> stereo (or mono) channel input.

[sacguy71]

I’m using a 16 channel Mackie mixer for my large modulars and miked guitar amps and use smaller mixers like my Kmix 8 channel stereo mixer to record hardware synths to audio interface and if I’m lazy then I use my 1010 Bluebox mixer recorder. Would love a super duper combo 100 input stereo digital mixer audio recorder interface with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity to let me mix and record all my gear from one platform but doubt that such a solution based product even exists unless one has a small fortune.

[Stone262]

Not Visio, but I do have a whiteboard with a diagram of the patchbay on it and all the routing labelled.

I like to have synths going into the patchbay and normalled to mixer channels, and then to have the mixer sends also going to the patchbay normalled to most used fx. The output from the fx back to the patchbay normalled to a stereo channel on the mixer.

That way it’s easy to swap where the aux sends are going on the patchbay.

If your mixer has a heap of sends then even better.