The Great Question.........

[squashbucket]

As another plug for the digital side... as far as editing and working with sound on your computer, you can get the feel of real faders and knobs for many popular software packages by getting an external (usualy USB) control desk that bascily just acts like a highly specialized keyboard (with knobs and faders) that are asignable to different settings in the program. I have never used one of these, but they look like they are nice (although they are $$).

If anyone has used one of these, please let me know what you think, I am looking into recording optoins and probably feel comfortable enough with a mouse (i am truely a computer nerd at heart) but would like any input people have regarding these controls.

Peter, check out the edirol 110fx mixer. It is a fully analog 10 chanel mixer with an 11th USB in/out chanel. I use one and I love it. It lists for about $500 american but I found it for $200 at the accademic supper store on line. http://www.academicsuperstore.com

 

[Peter]

Nice timing squashbucket! My Prosonus Firpod came UPS today and I have been playing with it all evening. (I also Finally got Best Buy to replace my laptop after them "service"ing it for 2 months [so it was a good day!]). Just by the way, So far, I really like the Firepod, although I dont know if I have enough time to put it to a real test.

::comes back later::

Strange, I cant find anything on that mixer.... do you have a URL? Thanks

 

[squashbucket]

Here you go Peter, they changed name. http://www.edirol.com/products/info/m100fx.html The older 110fx was the same exact thing but needed a firmware update to be compatable with core audio. It would be great if it was firewire rather than usb, but few prosumers need more, and it would greatly up the price. Oh, and edirol is the editing branch of roland, so the quality of the parts used are great. Everything feels the way it should. And it is a great little straight up mixer.

 

[Peter]

Hmmm... that does look like a nice little box. It is kinda what I have been trying to get away from, in the fact that it only sends one channel to your computer for recording. What I bought allows me to record 10 chanels at the same time so I have GREAT flexability when doing a post mix. However this does look like a great little box, especialy (like they say) for video production (b/c it only has 2 mic inputs).

 

[squashbucket]

Really? Which firepod do you have? Do you have a url? I tried looking it up and the ones I saw only had two mic inputs too. I actually use the edirol in the opposite direction. I've got a seccond sound card installed in my G4 so I have 7 outputs on that plus the two chanels on the motherboard, and then the usb chanel. Each out put form the computer is routed through on of the chanels on the board. All the outputs except the ones on the motherboard are 24bit, so I use theose for the most part. That way I can have some dynamic sound effects (10 simoltanious) all with independant variables. What recording software do you use? I use soundtrack form Apple to record sfx and such. Works pretty well, but I am always on the lookout for soemthing better.

 

[avkid]

Hey how about i get a Medal for this question? hm?

Hmm...doesn't work like that!!

 

[Peter]

Let's continue this topic HERE where I have been discussing my recording setup, and allow this thread to get back on topic about analog v digital.

 

[Andy_Leviss]

I do want to reiterate that while I am a big supporter of digital consoles, with all the benefits they provide, I fully admit they are not a panacea, and they have their downsides, too. Just today, I got caught during a show where the handheld mic we use for preshow announcers wouldn't come up; I had to page through three or four different screens to check every possible cause of the problem, and found that it was metering fine on the channel, routed to the right places, but nothing was getting to those buses. I finally managed to track it down to the fact that one of the faders was dirty and thus wasn't registering that I had brought it up!

At least with analog it's easy to scan down the strip and check the routing, a dirty fader sounds cruddy but usually at least puts something out, and if I need to move an input to an adjacent channel, it doesn't involve flipping to another screen, saving all the settings, and then reloading them on the new channel (not that matching settings on an analog strip is cake, either, but it's a bit quicker in many cases).

So, for every upside, there's definitely a down!

 

[VipermanGTX]

i was joking about the medal..........geez....

 

[Skitty]

I have always loved the simplicity of an analog console. However, once i got my hands on a digital console, I fell in love with all the internal atributes.

 

[avkid]

DIGICO has a line of live digital consoles the flagship of which is the D5
live. Info and specs can be found at: http://www.digiconsoles.com/digico.2/overview56.htm

 

[Peter]

Hey, Welcome Skitty! Nice to see a new member posting! Be sure to drop by the new member forum and say hello and allow us to properly welcome you!

I have never worked on a fully digital console, so i am not really qualified to say, but I tend to like Digital stuff but like i said, i have never used a digital console so...

 

[VipermanGTX]

Lets keep this going!

 

[jonhirsh]

well i am not a sound guy and would never pretend to be but i do know a fair bit about it from the technical side and i do own a protools digi 02 well on the last 3 shows i have worked on all theatrical shows they have rented it and used it for recording play back of sfx and for eqing and puting effects on live mics and it works perfectly and i can make an extra buck or two


i thiknk its the perfect interface between play back and console and i love that they can throw in a effects delay and eq with in seconds with out multiple racks taking up my space in the booth.


so i vote for digital

JH

 

[koncept]

I would love to be able to have a ditital console. The feel of an anlouge console is wonderful, but having a digital that resembles an analouge console should be easy enough to learn. I have never used a digital but I would like to mostly for the effects and delay additions. The outboard gear is wonderful and all, but is costly so we dont have much (an effects processor). I do think that for an on the fly show outboard gear and analouge will be easier to setup and tweak, but for a long show where you have the time to tweak it and set it up right digital would be easier, especialy if you have "god mics" for peopl not on stage or you have your pit in another room due to set sizes, you could have one fader for the pit (im asuming you dont have multiple analouge consoles, or that you have had problems with people playing with the pit console) for the pit with all levels set and just adjust that based on the group as a whole. (i know someone is gonna say its better to keep them separate, but sometimes you cannot do that due to the lack of resources or money)

either way
hybrid gets my vote, but i think digital is here to stay

 

[herr_highbrau]

I personally am still all for analogue, although I'm pleased digital's on the way up. As has already been said, I like the feel of the knobs and faders, but I'd like to see an analogue style desk where everything (and I mean everything) can be stored theatre stack style.

Knowing me something like that already exists though :roll: lol

 

[Eboy87]

It depends on the # of inputs. More than 20, plus EFX sends, auxs, all that and I'd go digital. The Mackie TT24 I think is a great digital console that seems (to me at least) a lot like analouge.

 

[Hughesie]

Analog

If it's not analog it's just another step towards Lighting

i like big desks

(so that the lighting desk looks small)


and anything Digital has a chance of crashing

 

[Foxinabox10]

Anything analog also has a chance of breaking, Hughesie89.