digital mixer vs. audio interface question

tunefool · 25th April 2006

Hi all,

I posted a previous thread about making my studio all digital, but I think everyone missed my last reply with its question about digital mixers vs. audio interfaces.

I want to make sure I understand this correctly: a digital mixer relieves a computer of the burden of audio because the D/A conversion occurs in the mixer and not the computer. The signals essentially reside in the digital mixer (at least up to the point of recording), relieving the computer of having to deal with them. Is this right? This would be different than using an audio interface (the MOTU 2408mk3 card, for example) which would direct the signals into a computer, only after which I could monitor the sound..?? Or does the 2408 function basically the same as a digital mixer?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

mixerguy · 28th April 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tunefool

......(snip)... a digital mixer relieves a computer of the burden of audio because the D/A conversion occurs in the mixer and not the computer. .....

Not really.

You need an interface to get audio in and out of a computer anyway.

Mixers are so yesterday.

theblotted · 5th May 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by mixerguy

Mixers are so yesterday.

nathanvacha · 5th May 2006

Yeah, no man, that's not the deal. A digital mixer will give you more features that you're not getting with a regular interface, but it won't make it any easier on your computer.

packrat · 14th May 2006

what you want these days is a firewire interface. All the conversion takes place in the box and is transfered back and forth to the computer through the firewiare cable interface. The digital mixers do the same thing, sometimes the firewire part is an option (tascam calls it mlan).

If you are running DAW software most of the moxer functions are useless as the eq and effects now take place in software. All the are good for is the moving faders.

checkout the presonus firepod whihc comes with a version of cubase.

25th April 2006	#1
tunefool Gear interested Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4 Thread Starter	digital mixer vs. audio interface question Hi all, I posted a previous thread about making my studio all digital, but I think everyone missed my last reply with its question about digital mixers vs. audio interfaces. I want to make sure I understand this correctly: a digital mixer relieves a computer of the burden of audio because the D/A conversion occurs in the mixer and not the computer. The signals essentially reside in the digital mixer (at least up to the point of recording), relieving the computer of having to deal with them. Is this right? This would be different than using an audio interface (the MOTU 2408mk3 card, for example) which would direct the signals into a computer, only after which I could monitor the sound..?? Or does the 2408 function basically the same as a digital mixer? Thanks for any help you can provide.

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5th May 2006	#4
nathanvacha Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,231	Yeah, no man, that's not the deal. A digital mixer will give you more features that you're not getting with a regular interface, but it won't make it any easier on your computer.

14th May 2006	#5
packrat Gear interested Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 11	what you want these days is a firewire interface. All the conversion takes place in the box and is transfered back and forth to the computer through the firewiare cable interface. The digital mixers do the same thing, sometimes the firewire part is an option (tascam calls it mlan). If you are running DAW software most of the moxer functions are useless as the eq and effects now take place in software. All the are good for is the moving faders. checkout the presonus firepod whihc comes with a version of cubase.