Pro's and Con's of using a Live sound mixer for recording

[Dominion28]

If you get a mixer with direct outputs on the channels you can be looking at a reasonably cheap source of mic pre's and you'll have the option of printing eq on the way into your converters should you wish. On a budget it's not a bad way to go. Just be picky about your mixer choice :-)

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

A bad generalization, but, Quality. Often the budget live boards don't have the same specs (S/N crosstalk, etc) nor as good a grounding scheme as a studio board because the ambient noise in a live room overcomes the need for such better specs.

". I did read live boards EQ's and Pres are flat and bad for recording, but that was one post."

crap.

Yes, you can use this type of a board.

[gravyface]

How many channels do you need? What interface do you have now?

[John R Truman]

The main issue I find with using a live console is that I need the faders and the levels and the EQs for the room mix, and it doesn't always compliment the recorded tracks.
If you're not using the console for the live venue mix, there wouldn't be that particular issue. However if you wish to monitor and mix the recorded tracks while recording, you'd be well suited to return the multi-tracks back to open line inputs, and use those channels to mix, thereby creating a "split console" (half inputs and half monitor mixer).
As far as EQs for a live and studio consoles, their function should be the same, and the way you use them typically has more impact than the quality of the EQ itself.

[fastlanestoner]

I find that groups and auxes on live mixers work somewhat counterproductively for recording work

[Matt Syson]

Hi
The main issue is that the routing of channels and auxes may not be the way you want to work. If this is flexible enough then most other issues are relatively minor.
While there may be differences in quality, it is not necessarily so simple to catagorise them.
The AMEK Recall and 501 desks were a 'reconfiguration' of the 'BIG' with essentially the same 'guts' just reconfigured in terms of signal routing.
Matt S