So I’m currently working out the details on my upcoming live set debut and I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on pros and cons of using the stereo outs as opposed to the individual outs.
My thinking right now is that I’m trying to save a bit of space (and cost) in the mixer department and using the stereo outs into a mixer, as opposed to using 6 channels on the board just for the mono.
The pros of this are obviously mixer cost and saving some space. I am wondering if sound quality will suffer too much to make this viable. Pros of having individual outs are the flexibility of control on the mixer, etc, etc…
Let me know if you have any real world info on how this plays out when playing though a PA. Thanks!
I used to be all about the individual outs when I first got the mnm, but over the years I’ve moved further from using the computer so I don’t need the extra flexibility in the post processing department.
Using the stereo outs, I’ve found it easier to set my pans per kit so I don’t have to refer to old Ableton sets or mixer settings. On top of that, it’s just simpler to deal with in the end. You may not have a lot of control once you’ve recorded, but as long as you had your ducks in a row before hitting record, you should be golden.
So yeah, I’d opt for just using the stereo outs unless you want to do some further processing down the line. Also, I find the stereo outs sound better than the individual outs, which I’m sure is just me.
I would use the individual outs only if I was planning on having a sound guy actively mixing things using separate channels on the house board. That way the sound guy can help ensure things come thru and nothing in particular overwhelms the crowd. (i.e. if you tweak something to the point it gets too loud, the sound guy can back off just that particular sound, or vice versa.)
If that’s not the case and you don’t have a good sound guy to keep levels in check, then mix it in the MnM at home where you can hear it well and use the stereo pair. Less to deal with and hook up, less to go wrong.
Yeah this is strictly for the live set scenario. I still record my parts on the separate outs when tracking. I was more just thinking of the live setup scenario. I’ll just have to go through all the kits and make sure levels are good and pans are where they should be.
In a way, having all that volume and pan stuff built into the kit and going out stereo will save a lot of fussing with pans and levels on my mixer during the set.
I was more concerned with headroom issues but I think if I have everything sounding ok here, it’ll translate and not be too loud.
now days I can accurately mix to stereo, 2 filters and parametric and effect ch/s
sometimes wish it was a 2 band para on each ch, then it would be really easy peasy
That is a good topic. Some people who dig into the MnM too much (I mean its real sonic capabilities and potential) tend to forget about the final step… When it comes to the stage of final mixing, there are many artists who do not want to spend a fortune on a decent sound interface (me, too ). The “cheapest” I found was the MOTU Ultralite.
On the other hand, all my recent YouTube or SoundCloud stuff is just the mixed output (very often just the headphone output, as I do not have the sufficient plug adapters and stuff to use the A+B ). No way to escape from this piece of compulsory gear - the soundcard. There are two modes of work - live and precise recording. I wish I had an interface in order to monitor separate channels - that would speed up the process of fine-tuning the parametric EQ, for instance. I use the MnM for percussion and design all my drum sounds on the MnM - frankly, I do not need a separate drum machine.
Precise recordings and mastering - good sound interface;
Precise live performance - good and comfortable external MIDI controller.
I’ve recently discovered the Machinewerks CS X51. Any comments on this controller?
My recommendation is - get both - soundcard and suitable MIDI controller. I would prefer to have all my stuff brilliantly mixed using MnM’s separate channels and my soundcard first, find out the most usable parameters for my tracks (that would lead to interesting sonic changes and transitions) and then decide how to construct a live set (if not a complete impro) using my MIDI controller. I am not saying both things are the same, but although there are two separate modes of performing, I think that the precise multichannel part is the primary one (complex, expensive and time-consuming).