Going over that, the next obvious question is if everyone can hang with a lone headphone mix or if you would separate mixes for the involved folks.

Ok.If it was me working this out, there are a couple of stand alone rigs that I might be thinking about in your situation. The one hitch is that I believe that they will be 24 bit versus (what I believe is) 32 bit in the MixPre 6 that you seem to be a fan of.

(Please forgive the use of the Sweetwater links. Seemed like it would be the straightest shot at ballpark price numbers.)Simpler... There's the Zoom L-12. Someone here on the board(FM Boombats) picked one up, and seems to be a fan. The obvious hitch being that is wouldn't really get you much more in the way of inputs.Link: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/L12--zoom-livetrak-l-12-12-channel-digital-mixer-recorder?mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3301332522&rkg\_id=0&product\_id=L12&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping%20-%20SKU%20-%20Live%20Sound%20%26%20Lighting&adgroup=Live%20Sound%20Mixers%20-%20Zoom%20-%20l12&placement=google&adpos=1o3&creative=280136034424&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI35Or5KC\_4QIVQ7XACh0cTAivEAQYAyABEgIClfD\_BwEA good bit more in the price tag and inputs, the Tascam Model 24. Not sure if anyone on the board has first hand knowledge when it comes to it. From the looks of it, it will do quite a few more channels at 24 bit/48kHz to an sd card. That would most likely let you get a bit more in depth on the mixing front if you wanted to record to a standalone and mix in a DAW. Pretty sure the Zoom will do so as well.Link: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Model24--tascam-model-24-mixer-interface-recorder

japmn wrote:My experience with all in one recorder/mixers (akaiDPS24, RolandVS-2480) is that as soon as I start using them I whish I was just using a DAW. IT's so much faster and seasier to do any editing, mixing, etc in a DAW vs. these all in one boxes. I do like them as a "I can travel the country in an RV and have a studio" sort of way, but would still go DAW/Interface, which is way more flexible and scale-able in the end. My 2 0.02Good points. Let's assume that I fly with Ableton, which setup would you recommend?

Justin Foley wrote:For basic digital recording of live music (not electronic/software generated sounds), here's how I'd spend my money....Excellent points. Frankly this is what I was doing with the Sound Devices MixPre-6, but I just need a few more channels. The thing I really liked about the MixPre was the fact that I could turn on the power and press record, and that's it. Get the good take and then dump it into Ableton for post.While I am making this upgrade, I just want to consider other options and see if there is something better in my price range. All of you fine people here are an excellent resource for info. Thank you all by the way for your input, it is much appreciated.As for cooking, yes. My food processor sits on the shelf and I always use my 8" Wusthof chef's knife for damn near everything.

projectMalamute wrote:Bennett Williams wrote:Would you know anything about this unit?https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/ui24rI mix live shows on one of those things all the time.They sound good. This would be for a home studio. How good are the mic preamps?

For basic digital recording of live music (not electronic/software generated sounds), here's how I'd spend my money:0. A computer - HIGHLY recommend a dedicated computer that does nothing but recording. Much more stable than something that's handling software updates.1. Software you like - If you do not feel comfortable using a program it's going to be a disincentive to actually recording. Reaper and ProTools both have the added benefit of very wide adoption.2. An interface that works really well with 0 and 1.3. Microphones. Remember that you can always build your mic collection. Look for things that tend to be versatile and hold their value. This website is a GREAT resource for that - open the EA mic collection in one window and Reverb in the other and start making note of what mics cost <$250.4. The room you're recording and mixing in. The least sexy of upgrades.5. Stop spending money for a while. Take the time to use 0-4 and really, really get to know them. Work on mic placement and selection. Test, measure, re-test, measure, re-re-test, measure.Then, at some point you can think about outboard gear, including preamps. But do yourself a favor and get very good at generalist, all-purpose stuff before trying to figure out go-to gear for specific application.Compare, for a second, to cooking. You want to get really good at knowing how to use a stove, pan, knife, cutting board and pot before spending $200 on a cherry pitter.= Justin

I am completely ignorant about such things, but is there a reason you wouldn't just buy an interface box and run it via USB 3.0 into a laptop? A Zoom UAC-8 like this:https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -interfaceIt seems to have 8 mic preamps, and will do the A to D for you, then everything else is on the computer. Is this not a good budget setup? Seems way better than mixing board/interface thingy. I don't know, educate me.

I dunno. They aren't noisy and have plenty of gain and don't seem to be thrown off by either very low or high impedance sources.I'm not much of a believer in fancy preamps and stuff. If you plug a decent microphone in to it and point it at something that sound good the results will sound good.If you are looking for something that sounds 'creamy' or something I have no idea what to tell you.These were all recorded live on a ui24R we have installed at a local club and then mixed at home:https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0b49uzwhdzrc ... 1.mp3?dl=0https://www.dropbox.com/s/kmkxnds8zq18c ... r.mp3?dl=0https://www.dropbox.com/s/yszijl3ievtg6 ... y.mp3?dl=0

Bennett Williams wrote:Would you know anything about this unit?https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/ui24rI mix live shows on one of those things all the time.They sound good. The app is not my favorite, but that won't matter as much if you aren't trying to do FOH and 6 monitor mixes in real time. You will have a ton more flexibility in terms of monitor mixes than with anything else people are mentioning here. It's a for-real 20 input, 10 aux mixing board with subgroups and channel strip EQ/dynamics and VCA's and reverbs and the whole bit. It will record right to a USB stick if you want to take it somewhere else for a tracking session.Sometimes the wifi is hinky, that's my biggest complaint.