Hi,

I'd like to eventually get my studio to where it can accomodate drums. The problem is right now I only have a 2 Input sound card, and will need to upgrade something.

Hypothetically, I'd like to be able to mic up to 8 inputs into 8 seperate tracks. I'd also like to eventually get a outboard mixer, but it is my impression that these would only allow me to mix down all the drums in stereo and not into seperate tracks. What all options do I have to combine both of my needs there? I'm pretty sure I can figure out the nitty gritty if I'm just pointed in the right direction.

Better yet, how do all of you get your drums into your DAW's? (no BFD or EZDrummer responses please )

The best thing to have, if you want the best of both worlds of the standalone mixer and being able to record all the tracks seperately, is to buy a USB or Firewire mixer. Those can range anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to a couple thousand. The cheapest ones i think are from Alesis and Behringer. It all depends on the quality you want, the cheaper you go means the preamps/options will be of less quality. But if you wanna just get the tracks into the computer then you can buy anyone of them and they should work fine. This will allow the computer to seperate all the tracks onto thier own tracks.

P.s. if you dont care about a mixer, its much better to buy a new interface, like the Presonus Firepod, Presonus Firestudio, or my friend just bought the new tascam interface that just came out cuz he wanted more inputs. I recently bought the Tascam 1804 because i needed more inputs (but it only has 4 mic inputs, the others i mentioned are low cost and have 8 mic inputs).

p.s.s. If you dont care about money, the mackie mixers are great because they have the firewire option and theyre known for having great preamps and eqs on them (that should be well over $1200)

There are two ways you can go: a) a mixer that is also an interface, or b) an interface that is also a mixer. Either way will work.

The former is currently a hot product category, with lots of new - and surprisingly inexpensive - products appearing weekly.
The latter approach, on the other hand, takes up less space and may be less expensive.

My personal preference (and it is largely a personal decision) is to NOT have a mixer, and let my converter serve that function. That just works best for me (much to my surprise, I might add - I've had at least one mixer since 1967)

For mic-only, check out the MOTU 8pre. As the name suggests, it has 8 preamps. Ought to fill the bill nicely for drums, no mixer required. If you have about a grand to spend, there's the fancier 896HD. Never used one myself, but I know a lot of guys on this forum do. (My own unit is a MOTU 828 MkII, but that's not the one you want - only 2 mic inputs, there rest are TRS and digital)

How about using roland v-drums. you wont need any more inputs than you already have, you just need as midi in and out
Cj

This is easy - all you need is money

I use a product called Creamware Scope (but anything similar will work). I have an outboard A/D convertor called the A16. It accepts 16 simultaneous analog audio inputs (and also 16 outputs). It connects to a soundcard inside the PC. I have a bunch of mic preamps (including a Mackie mixer) and these all feed separate inputs on the A16. In Sonar, I set up my ASIO drivers and route each channel from the A16 to a separate track in Sonar. Hit record and away you go.

Also look at MOTU or RME or any of the other dozen or more products on the market. By today's standards, Creamware is a llittle behind the 8 ball (but still rocks!) but if you want more channels or higher sampling rates, look at MOTU or RME. Get a Sweetwater catalog. A great resource for making a buying decision. Good luck!

How do I get my drums in? Very simple:
8 Channels of Mic Pre (using a mixer tapped at the inserts) -> M-Audio Delta 1010 -> Sonar

You'll need a upgraded audio interface... there are many, many options!

ORIGINAL: wogg

How do I get my drums in? Very simple:
8 Channels of Mic Pre (using a mixer tapped at the inserts) -> M-Audio Delta 1010 -> Sonar

You'll need a upgraded audio interface... there are many, many options!

I couldn't do it with only 8 channels (well I could but I would find that very constricting especially if you want to play other instruments at the same time). I can easily use up 10 channels just for a typical 5 piece drum set.

Do yourself a favor and don't settle for less than 16 channels if you can afford it. The cost difference is probably minimal in the long run.

Do yourself a favor and don't settle for less than 16 channels if you can afford it. The cost difference is probably minimal in the long run.

I skip the close mics on the toms.

For band practice I use:
OH L/R (Rode NT5)
Snare Top and Bottom (SM57)
Kick Inside (AKG D112)
Kick sub (woofer mic)
Bass direct
Guitar single LD condenser on amp (Cascade)

If I'm doing just the drums I'll use that LD guitar channel as a room mic, but that's about it. I've found my toms pick up pretty well through the overheads and sound pretty natural. If I was trying to do a genre like metal or something heavier I'd look into close micing the toms and run myself out of channels, but right now it's all good.

Thanks guys, this really helped me get my head wrapped around the situation. I think I was confused about what role a mixer plays in a DAW powered studio. It seems that if anything, I would need a control surface/audio interface, such as the Tascam FW1884. i'm not sure that a mixer would help me much since I do most tracking w/in SONAR. Has anyone ever used something like the FW1884 before, and/or is there really that much of a cost benefit ratio to justify the larger price? Otherwise I think I'll probably go with the MOTU 8pre.


In case anybody else finds this article with the same questions, the article below was also a big help:

http://tweakheadz.com/choosing_a_mixer_for_your_studio.html

Do yourself a favor and don't settle for less than 16 channels if you can afford it. The cost difference is probably minimal in the long run.

Point well taken. We recorded in a studio once where only 8 tracks were devoted to drums and they sounded pretty crappy with lots of bleed (although probably due to a combination of reasons).