Yet another thread asking questions about control surfaces/interface/mixers...

  So  have decided my next move has got to be towards improving my incoming sound (mic pre's) and my workflow.
I have spent the majority of today (5-6+ hours) looking through this forum, gearsluts and a few others and reading up on my options.
   I want to have at least 8 mic pre's (should I choose to try to track an acoustic drum kit),
and a midi i/o (should I find that I suck at it).   I want to have transport controls (stop, play, record etc.... UNDO!) as I think it's gotta help yer workflow, and some faders (preferably motorized-touch sensitive) to make setting automation more intuitive.   As usually $ is always an issue.  I will save for what ever is going to help me do what I do well, rather than buy crap I wil be excited about for 2 weeks then regret wasting my money.  I have like so many, learned this one the hard way.  If I can get this done in the $600-$1000 range fantastic, if not I'll keep putting my gig money away til I get there.
   I have looked at possibly combining the presonus faderport (1 fader & transport controls) with a good interface with more/better mic' pre's and midi capabilities.   Seems some have a hell of a time getting the faderport to work right in sonar....
   I have looked at the Yamaha n8/n12 line which seems cool in theory but thee seems to be mixed reviews as it is more geared for cubase, tanport controls may or may not work with some drivers in sonar, and while it's great to have the old analog feel of real knobs, recalling a mix to tweak a week later would be a huge pain in the @SS without some kind of snapshot type recall feature.   I like the idea of being able to close my eyes and mix with my ears only but not so much that I am willing to go through that on a regular basis.
  I have looked at the Mackie universal pro which looks promising and is expandable,  but it's not an interface so I would need an upgrade on that front too.
  I checked out the M-audio project mix, for the money (on the surface anyway) this appears to be the closest to the direction I am headed and what I want.  I am not sure about the pre's on it though I am using a cheaper piece of gear from M-audio now so... How bad could they be?  Nd while it is still available i some places it appears they have discontinued production so I can't help but wonder why?  It seems like a well though out piece of equipment?!
  The Mackie 1620i  Seems bad to the bone but there again....  No way to recall your settings for a mix after you finish that session, and it's got no transport controls.  Decisions, decisions....
 
Any and all Ideas, opinions, and advise would be greatly appreciated guys.  
 
  

I have found that getting a good miked sound is more a matter of technique than equipment. 


Although having good equipment is a necessity, knowing what to do with it matters more. 


As I listen to the music quality of the stuff I was recording a year or two back and compare that to what I'm doing now, I can see the improvement as I learned more about the gear and the techniques. Pretty much, the gear has remained constant.... so the improvement comes from learning more about the process and how to do it better. 

What happened to the dishwashers???????                    

Musicman - I removed it from the thread title because I was wondering if my being a smart @ss was turning people off and thus, the lower numbers of replies and advice.

Kristoffer - 1) how do you like the faderport w/sonar?  Does it function properly for you? and would you recommend it?

2)  The FW 1884 looks like a decent unit, it might fit the bill!?  I wonder how the mic pre's are on it...

3) on the BCR2000- what do you use it for?  can it control audio tracks too or just midi?   what are your thoughts on it?

The only "negative" with the FW in X1 is the EQ mapping is not the same in ProChannel as it is/was for the per channel EQ (Sonitus) in 8.5.

Tascam claims that the v1.8 driver is the end of the line support wise.
Whatever comes next OS wise (Win 8? or maybe Win IIX??) could be a problem.

I've downloaded Cake's SDK files and VC++, but I'm not a programmer, so writing a new control surface driver is a bit above my skill set.

Overall I love my FW, but it IS NOT future proof like my old paul and Marshall 50.


HTH

T