Topic: Mixing question

[rocknroll54]

Hey everyone. My friend Chris (DMBprez) and I have been looking around for some way to mix our tapes. Chris runs SMK-H8K's and I run the C4's. From there we both run XLR>Art Phantom II>MIT 176's>JB3. We came across this today and wondered what you guys thought about it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALESIS-MULTIMIX-8-USB-8-CHANNEL-MIXER-SPDIF_W0QQitemZ130081209207QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Would this be worth the buy to get this mix situation figured out? If not, what else do you recomend?

Thanks guys 
- Joe

[anodyne33]

Why not make two separate tapes and matrix them in post?

[run_run_run]

a UA-5 could do it and would be a great upgrade.

[dgodwin]

Joe, I wouldn't go the mixer route, only because you're not likely to find an AC outlet available at many shows, unless you have other ideas in mind for the mixing board.   I would first recommend trying to mix the two sources together after recording.  The 2 source may drift out of sync, and there's a couple different ways to handle it.  Mixing them in post wouldn't cost anything, and would give you an idea of what the 2 sources would sound like together. 

run has a good suggestion with the UA5.  You can use one set of mics to go directly into the mic preamps of the UA5, and the other souce to go into the line inputs (you'd need to use your phantom box/transformers with this set)  Perhaps you and Chris go in on a UA5 (buy Tim's t+mod.. it's a steal)  sell one of the Art Phantom/Mit 176 sets to off set the costs.   You could share the UA5 for shows where only one makes it, and when you both go together, either do a mix, or do a comparison of the new equiptment. 

[DMBprez]

Is the t+mod on Yard Sale?

[rocknroll54]

Dan, I mixed the two Bisco sources using Audacity for the first set. I wasn't quite sure how to really do it but I managed. I'm working on the second set now, I'm having a problem now though because Chris pasued his tape during the encore break, and I kept mine going, whats the best way to fix this? Would it be to just delete my encore break, or would that get too messy. What program do you recomend I use for this?

The UA5 idea you had might be one something Chris and I think about. With Chris going off to college next year, it might take some thinking. We'll figure something out eventualy.

[dgodwin]

yes the UA5 is here  FWIW, I paid $650 I think for the one I had just over 2 years ago.   For mixing, here's what I did, but there might be better ways to do it (I'm not the expert)

Take both sources, leave on as one big wav file, and track out the other one like normal.  I'd use the paused encore as the one to split into individual tracks.

1.  Open the single wav file source in audition, and insert into their multitrack view as the first track
2.  Open up track 1 of the other source and insert as the second track of the multitrack.  Allign it as best you can.  Zoom in so you can see something like an individual drum beat, or clap, or something else short.  Once alligned, don't move either wav
3.  Open up track 2 and insert into the second track of the multitrack again.  Allign it as best you can. 
4.  Rinse, lather, repeat until all the tracks are alligned. 

When I did this, some of the longer indivdual tracks started drift towards the end.  It wasn't noticable until the lead singer started bantering on about James Blunt... Hopefully, since you both used JB3s, the drift won't be as bad.  Hope this helps.

Dan

PS:  Chris.. where are you going to college?

[SmokinJoe]

I have a UA-5 available as well.  Tim's would be expected to sound cleaner, mine costs less...  http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,84898.0.html
There is an interested party, but he hasn't committed.

Also, there are these things called a "gray box".  It's a coax > optical converter, so you could hook up (2) JB3s and (one via UA-5 optical, one via converter) so you both walk away with a recording.  I have a "gray box" I don't use much... and would let it go cheap with the UA-5.

Apologies for the shameless plug...

[Evil Taper]

Laptop with a VST mixer and a USB powered 4 channel input of some sort.