#784

@shellfritsch i have a kmix that sits behind my 1202 vlz that then gets routed to my computer. the kmix, though compact, is a set and forget mixer/audio interface imo as i can’t get down with the touch faders and for the price, seems like it’s not really justified. considering swapping it out for a motu mk3 ul (half the price) as i’m only sending in a stereo pair from my mackie and a few outs back into the modular for sampling. how do you like the motu mk3 in comparison?

#785

I feel like this category of product must exist but I haven’t found it yet. Is there a self-contained 16 or 24 track recorder that is NOT also a mixer or a set of pre-amps? just takes line in and records it? Doesn’t need a computer but makes it easy to transfer recordings to computer from (via a cable or an SD card). Like a DAT recorder but to an SD card. or are there good DAT machines these days?

It’s fine if it does double duty as an interface but It shouldn’t have a mixer.

#786

the larger RME interfaces (UFX II/UFX +) have the ability to rercord to a usb drive plugged in. That plus some sort of multi-channel ADC connected to it would be that. The ER-301 can also do that (though it’s recorder is limited to 6 channels so you’d have to sum some things, I believe) That’s the only two I can think of

2 Likes
#787

They used to exist:

And there still are some products like that available:

3 Likes
#788

i’ve always liked the motu ultralite series. well built and compact. if you don’t plan to make use of the full 8 ins / 8 outs, you might consider the M4 - class compliant (no drivers needed), small, modern, etc…

one thing i had previously ignored, but am now really enjoying, is the ultralite’s built-in digital mixing feature. i have all the i/o connected to a patch bay and i can easily re-route instruments and effects directly inside the ultralite - which means much lower latency than if i were to do all my channel sends/returns thru a DAW. i’d much rather have a nice hands-on fully featured studio mixer with deep routing and direct outs… but i have no space for something like that right now :slight_smile:

edit / follow up thought: you can configure internal ultralite routing, dsp, etc and then save that as a preset to the unit. in that way the ultralite can also serve as a standalone, hands-off digital mixer. quite handy when i want a compact summing setup without booting a daw.

5 Likes
#789

I used one of these Zoom mixer/recorders to record live improvisations with an old ensemble for years. It does just what it says on the tin and it does it well. Additionally, we found it well worth it to be able to keep the SD cards we recorded onto as an archive — we’d write session notes on a small envelope that we’d store the cards in and kept all the envelopes in a box. It felt much more organized and intentional than a mess of folders on my Desktop, which is what I have now, with the added benefit that if you wanted to you could do DAW-less mixdowns with the SD card and the Zoom device itself. The one that we had would also run off batteries.

2 Likes
#790

The ER-301 can now record 12 channels simultaneously.

5 Likes
#791

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PXL_20210122_1930412543024×4032 2.68 MB

Keeping it minimal over here

2 Likes
#792

This Alesis is as close to a cyberdeck recording interface as I’ve seen. Fun.

#793

this is something that i find would be crucial for specific use cases, ty :slight_smile:
my guess is this would be configurable through their software? curious what the dsp is like in them…

also are you using it as your main mixer or do you have something more tactile that comes before it?

thanks for the info

#794

yup. even though you can tweak pretty much every setting thru the front panel encoder (!!) - they have an app called CueMix FX that gives you full access to the routing + dsp. there are EQs filters, reverb, compression, etc… i don’t use the dsp that much, but sometimes when i know i want to hipass something it’s nice to do it pre DAW and save that little bit of CPU. i mainly use it for routing sends / buss groups.

right now i’m giving it a shot as the main mixer. in the past i’ve used a small mackie or a tascam 424 as my mixer. it’s nice having the tactile interface but i’m trying to keep my workspace less cluttered. the ultralite can be controlled thru OSC, so i might try setting that up with a piece of hardware or touchOSC on an ipad… we’ll see!

edit: i should note that this is my recording setup in pursuit of simplicity and flexibility. for live performance i would definitely use a hands on mixer.

1 Like
#795

So I had to upgrade my laptop to Big Sur for work back in December. I also use it for home recording with a Motu Ultralite mk4 I picked up last fall, but realized after the OS update that the interface is not yet supported. Motu have not been responsive with any info on a timeline, instead referring everyone to their compatiblity page. My first interface was a Motu 2408 back in the 90s, but this Ultralite is my first since then. Any Motu fans know how long it typically takes for them to catch up to an OS change like this? If it’s going to be months I’ll have to figure something else out.

#796

I expect them to be quicker than elektron but might still be a little while. I have a macbook air on the way for works stuff, I’ll see if I can find a workaround for my ultralite. Disabling some of the big sur security measures has gotten some other slow updating hardware working apparently.

2 Likes
#797

for a small(ish) format analog mixer that has a healthy amount of busses and sends, beyond the vlz4 series (the ones to beat imho regarding price/features) would be the Allen&Heath MixWizard series. The 14:4:2 and 16-channel ones are 4-buss, which gives more routing flexibility than the vlz4 “press the mute/alt switch” approach. They have direct outs on channels. They sound good (better than the zed series, and the mic pres are a small step up from the mackies if that matters). But, they cost a bit more.

Like @Gahlord I also keep mixers and audio interfaces separate; I had nothing but problems with mackie onyx firewire drivers and A&H zed USB drivers. If the tascams have the drivers that they use for their standalone interfaces then they should be fine…

3 Likes
#798

Other updates have been 1-6 months or just seam to work but Big Sur is a bigger update on apples end so it may be longer.

1 Like
#799

Does the 1640i have a fan? I’m just wondering if it would be worth popping it open and getting the gunk out. I’ve had luck with Deoxit for scratchy faders but you’re also aware that once you open that can of worms that you’ll every couple of years. Surely a little service will keep that gear going!

#800

I was wondering about this - i have a macbook on the way and was hoping to use it with this interface. I thought the UL mk4 was class compliant - wouldn’t all class compliant devices still work in Big Sur? Is it just the mixing/monitoring software that hasn’t been updated yet, or is the interface entirely unusable until they update?

#801

I’ll have to try it again as I can’t remember the issues exactly. I think it might have worked to pass system audio from the laptop, but not analog inputs to the daw?

1 Like
#802

I think the cymatic lr16 is it

#803

Wondering about Tascam model 12 too!

Same size as my Soundcraft EFX8, but with integrated recording and two aux sends instead of one. Less mono ins (6 vs 8), but that should be ok…

Just wondering why they seem to not be used much around here. Never used a digital mixer, but have a feeling it would be fine.

Edit: messed up the reply, was meant to rstn from aug 20, but also in general to the topic.