What Board Do You Use?

[JT2]

I'm looking for a nice little board to control audio in and outs for the Axe and my monitors at home. No effects, bells or whistles. Just a good unit to set levels, switch this to that etc. What do you use in your home studio? Sold the big board so I'm finally all digital but I still need a small hands on unit. Advise is greatly appreciated. Thank guys.

 

[jdosher]

Not for the Axe, but while recording vocals, guitars, etc I send separate monitor, 2-track, and click track over to the tracking room and into a cheap little Behringer mixer. It's workable, and cheap. The other basic little mixer I have is made by Tapco (division of Mackie). It's a much better built unit; metal chassis, better pots, and better (cleaner) signal paths.

 

[Dutch]

Any recent sound interface for the computer will do that too. Though most will need the pc connected (and on) to function, some will even work stand-alone.
For me I hardly ever play without the computer on, so I'm using the interface. With a cheap behringer mixer as a glorified volume knob, which is not strictly necessary.

You may want to elaborate a little on what "this" you want to switch to which "that" exactly.

 

[tgorycki]

Not exactly sure what you're looking for in a small mixer but if you want a nice inexpensive interface between your computer, Axe-Fx II and monitors, this is one I'm using: Alesis iO2 Express Audio interface - 48 kHz - 24-bit

M-Audio recently came out with the M-Track. If you look at the iO2 Express and the M-Track side by side, they're basically the same unit, so I guess there's some sort of relationship between the 2 companies. For $79 out the door, the iO2 is hard to beat! Even handles MIDI (I use it for firmware updates to my MFC-101) and has a decent headphone amp incorporated into it. The computer interface allows me to play along with backing tracks from Windows Media Player.

If you're looking to mix more stuff (mics, drum machine, etc.), the small Behringer mixers are great and very affordable too.

 

[funny_polymath]

I use a Rane mono mixer in my rack. It's quiet. Has rudimentary EQ which I use but don't love, and an effects loop that I never use.

At this point, I rarely use an external mixer in the studio - output from Axe, Mics etc, goes straight into my preamps to my DAW, but when I do need to use one, I have a mackie 1202 VLZ, which is a handy, capable, well-thought-out little swiss army knife of a board. And it's small and portable too. I used to use a Mackie Onyx, but it took up too much real estate and was overkill, and I hated the d-connectors, and some of the routing/topographical ideas. The 1202 and its brethren are better, and cheaper too, and their preamps were not appreciable worse than the 'Perkins' preamps in the Onyx (i.e. they all kinda blow compared to a decent dedicated preamp).

 

[funny_polymath]

IMHO: the Behringers don't sound nearly as good as the Mackies. And I don't give that company my business because they steal from other companies more than anyone. Berrys don't sound good, IMHO, and their morals ain't good either.

Not exactly sure what you're looking for in a small mixer but if you want a nice inexpensive interface between your computer, Axe-Fx II and monitors, this is one I'm using: Alesis iO2 Express Audio interface - 48 kHz - 24-bit

M-Audio recently came out with the M-Track. If you look at the iO2 Express and the M-Track side by side, they're basically the same unit, so I guess there's some sort of relationship between the 2 companies. For $79 out the door, the iO2 is hard to beat! Even handles MIDI (I use it for firmware updates to my MFC-101) and has a decent headphone amp incorporated into it. The computer interface allows me to play along with backing tracks from Windows Media Player.

If you're looking to mix more stuff (mics, drum machine, etc.), the small Behringer mixers are great and very affordable too.

 

[Severed]

I too recommend a small format Behringer mixer. I have no problem giving my money to the best value product as this will cause the other brands to lower their prices to acceptable instead of outrageous. I have been using a Behringer 1204 USB for 8 years now with not a single issue. It's had drinks spilled on it, it's been thrown around and fell many times. I'm not saying it's indestructible but it's durable and has never failed me, plus the 2 bus USB lets me also record direct to my PC. 4 mic preamps with compression, 3 band EQ, pre and post FX sends with stereo returns, control room out, I think I paid $160.00. I use it every gig, and every rehearsal which is every weekend and I don't even bother transporting it in a case.

Of course they also sell smaller cheaper versions now a days as do many other companies. The truth is though in this price range, They are all pretty much the same quality wise. Behringer always has more features though.

 

[sprint]

Roland Octa Capture - It's an Audio Interface but still works as a basic mixer (10 in / 10 out) when disconnected from the computer.

 

[JT2]

Any recent sound interface for the computer will do that too. Though most will need the pc connected (and on) to function, some will even work stand-alone.
For me I hardly ever play without the computer on, so I'm using the interface. With a cheap behringer mixer as a glorified volume knob, which is not strictly necessary.

You may want to elaborate a little on what "this" you want to switch to which "that" exactly.

Right now I have the Axe direct into my powered monitors. I've just started using Logic X on my Mac Pro so I need to separate the guitar signal. The guitar vol. is always too loud because the Axe is my sound card to the monitors. The Logic program has the USB connection to the Axe. If I turn down the Axe output level the Logic tracks also go down. I'm sure there's a way to do this properly, routing, but I'm new to the digital stuff and not familiar with Logic enough to figure this out. Any help is very appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[tgorycki]

Right now I have the Axe direct into my powered monitors. I've just started using Logic X on my Mac Pro so I need to separate the guitar signal. The guitar vol. is always too loud because the Axe is my sound card to the monitors. The Logic program has the USB connection to the Axe. If I turn down the Axe output level the Logic tracks also go down. I'm sure there's a way to do this properly, routing, but I'm new to the digital stuff and not familiar with Logic enough to figure this out. Any help is very appreciated. Thanks guys.

Again, using the Alesis iO2, I'm running the 1/4 jacks from output 1 L & R into the 1/4 inputs on the iO2, and the monitors are connected to the outputs of the iO2. Then when I crank up my DAW (using Cubase), I can mix between Cubase audio and the Axe-Fx with the Monitor Mix knob on the iO2 (left is Axe-Fx, right is USB). Also, I don't use monitoring within my DAW while recording since it adds latency and I have better control just using the iO2.