UPDATE: Replaced the Analog Heat with SSL SiX

Elektron Gear Analog Heat
#42

I removed the Heat yesterday just to try out the vibe, and realised something I wasn’t aware of before. I do a lot of hardwired resampling into the Blackbox, say out from the Box and through an effect and back into the Box’s line in, for recording. I use the Heat to monitor this, so it fills that purpose, too. It’s the last in the chain before the signal hits the Blackbox again.

My initial thought was that I could remove the Heat from the chain and not replace it with anything, cutting down on one more piece of gear and doing the final mixing in the daw, seeing as I felt the Heat didn’t add enough anymore to justify its place. However, it seems I was partly wrong. Its place in the chain definitely adds something. But for the purpose, a mixer would make more sense right now.

A small set of ins into the mixer would allow me to use the Blackbox’s three outs, which are re-routed within the Blackbox on the fly, through my external fx as or when appropriate, into the mixer to blend it all together but also monitor for recording and hardwired resampling.

I also use the Heat as my sound card, so should I replace it with another gadget, it would have to be more flexible as a mixer than the Heat (shoulnd’t be too hard), sound equally good for basic sculpting duties (trickier, given its price range) and allow for two-out stereo recording directly into a daw, USB style.

I’m finding lots of Behringer options when I tick these boxes, but I really know shit and nothing about mixers and stuff. If the budget’s around the price of a Heat, any idea what I could get that might do the above, with the same quality as the Heat?

Or do you have other suggestions on how to make this chain more efficient? I know some about writing music but very little about recording and mixing it, so excuse the noob factor if there’s something here that just stands out at “He’s doing what? And he’s not even doing that? Dear lord. Somebody call the police, this guy needs to learn his lesson.”

#43

Soundcraft makes a couple mixers with built in interfaces that might fit the bill. The MTK12 or MTK22. The former is $499, so it would be in your budget. I’ve never used them, but I seem to remember them getting good reviews when they were released.

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#44

Thanks. Will check them out, see where the flow takes me.

#45

The Tascam model 12 that was just announced could for that bill too.

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#46

Yep, I’ve been eyeing that. Lots of ins and outs I don’t need, but it’s tasty :slight_smile: gonna give Tascam a call, ask them why the Tascam 6 is taking so long, “I thought we had this conversation already”, and see what happens. Looking forward to them slamming the phone in my ear. Yep.

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#47

Replacing the heat with a cheap mixer doesn’t make sense to me, if it’s in a stereo mix chain.

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#48

I say keep the heat and get the six on installments, it’s real quality and will speed up the mixing process.

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#49

So instead of cutting down, I’m gearing up :slight_smile: I like it :slight_smile:

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#50

Feels like the thread title is a bit misleading, as you’re definitely replacing it with something :laughing:

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#51

Yeah, to add stuff wasn’t the idea to begin with :slight_smile: but one must be ready to change one’s mind, if that’s what’s called for.

Honestly, I didn’t realise the part Heat played in my hardwired resampling until I removed it, it’s become so autonomous for that purpose. So this thread made me realise that. It also made me realise that for what I do use it for, maybe a solid mixer would just make more sense. I just didn’t think along those lines until I started this thread and got solid feedback from the always decent Elektronauts community.

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#52

…in 8 out of 10 times i use the heat in plain analogboost…no filter on…
into the metric halo converters im the studio…or into any live mixer, wether it’s my qupac or even straight into some dj mixer of the venue…
heat is always hardwired to the cue outs of an ot…
and therefor i need another one for overall use in the studio…

heat is essential for me…

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#53

I guess I’m still in the honeymoon cycle of Heat usage (had it since September) but I can’t imagine not having it on my master track. I kinda want another one to use for more track specific treatments, but don’t have the funds atm, otherwise I’d probably be tapping up the OP for theirs.

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#54

I just sold my Analog Heat and had it since it came out. I experienced the same as you. I would use it on the master on half of my mixes. It crunched up some clean sounding beats pretty nicely. But in the end i got a bit tired of the sound and the mixes without the AH sounded good as well.
Now i only have a gssl comp on my master which does enough for me. If i want crunch i apply it with fx pedals or else while recording.

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#55

I used to be there. I was in the “Can’t see myself ever doing anything without this.” Not anymore.

But it might be a phase. Maybe we’re just friends now, but that can be okay, too :slight_smile:

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#56

Yeah, I mean, even in some kind of vanilla mode, it does a good job on the master. But if that’s its primary purpose, it just feels there’s better gear out there in that range, for that specific purpose, especially if you could do with more ins (which I can, apparently).

#57

For very small setup like I have, the Heat is a masterpiece. It is very versatile, I use it as soundcard to record my tracks, soundcard to listen music from my PC, on the masterbus for EQ and clean boost or to resample some sounds with extra punch.
You have a soundcard, a filter, an EQ, a distortion, an enveloppe and an LFO, everything in stereo, in a nice little box. The pleasure of owning and touching a machine. Software are not the same relationship. Keep your analog heat.

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#58

Yeah, you speak the truth, man.

I’ve pondered this for awhile longer now, and I’m keeping the Heat in place for now, and will borrow a mixer from someone to try out the alternative workflow of what multiple ins can offer, and see if that’s more relevant for me.

I tend to watch my source material as I record it, so I can get a decent mix out of the Blackbox already. Possibly, a good mixer can get the rest of the sculpting done, that which the Heat does now that is, but also offer the additional potential of live multitracking from the three Blackbox outs.

#59

For some reason I find the OP post funny…

Picturing someone doing the same post on GS but about going from analog to hybrid to digital and people going apeshit.

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#60

I still have my Heat, but decided to go for some more advanced options in the software filter category. I’ve been loving the Fabfilter Pro-C2 (Compressor), Pro-L2(Limiter), Pro-Q3(EQ), Pro-MB(Multiband compressor/expander) (the Mastering bundle) as well as their Saturn (Distortion/Saturation/Amp Modeling) plugin that I picked up on discount over the holidays. They some excellent demo videos that the products live up to IMHO. No association, just a super happy user. They aren’t cheap, even on sale, but they are very, very good and have fantastic data visualizations to go along with what they do.

https://www.fabfilter.com/products/

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#61

Just bought a Soundcraft Signature 12 MTK. It’s amazing for what I need! 14 in/12 out soundcard built in. I can use Ableton or Reaper or even my iPad pro for insert effects on each channel or host VSTs in either and route them directly to the mixer with super low latency. It’s a treat having access to my VSTs for processing my synths. I’ve only had it a month so I haven’t settled on a permanent setup for it but the noodlings I’ve done with it so far have been amazing! Purchased for my soon-to-be live setup.

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