Mixing with HD24XR?

[Jungle Jazz]

The HD24XR (and HD24) seem pretty popular on this forum for location recording. I'm using an HD24XR myself for tracking, but I was wondering how, if at all, you might be incorporating the HD24/XR into your mixing routine.

Personally, once recording is finished, I often transfer the files into PT, but I will use the HD24XR converters to send out each track individually for analog mixing/summing. Just wondering what other folks are doing.

[Remoteness]

Thank goodness for modern marvels.

[Jungle Jazz]

Moracspace, thanks for your response, but I think there must be some confusion. I certainly know what a mixing console is and use one myself daily. That wasn't the point of my question. Sorry if there was some confusion, but I was asking if people use the HD24 in the mixing process at all, and if so, how they do that. Because there are a variety of ways of getting audio into and out of the HD24, I was just curious what people do once they have already recorded their tracks. I'm looking here more for personal style of working, not a "how to" guide.

So, do you use the analog outs? Digital outs? Transfer files to a DAW? Bypass the HD24 entirely when mixing? ...

[Remoteness]

I's use the HD24XR (or any stand along multitrack) for quick mixes when we don't need additional processing and editing.
That's pretty old school as per the 2" analog days, but these days we ususally transfer the files to a DAW and go from there.

We never mix in the box, but prefer to output individual channels or groups to a traditional or some sort of summing mixer.

Today, I bet most folks mix this way unless it's a straight forward (easy) mix situation.

[noamraz]

Hey,

My way:
1. Recording the HD24 outputs into the DAW (Through ADAT for generation's loss matter), here i use M-Audio's Profire, works fine (w/c sync is via the ADAT lightpipe) - Which can take some time.
2. Importing the files from the HD24's caddy to the DAW's Harddrive using some kind of Vipower bay using the hd24tools software - Which is what i usually do.

One time i've mixed one recorded song in a morning after a concert, using the venue's console (Soundcraft 6000), Venue's Dyanmics&FX, Genelec 1031 as Nearfield monitors & PA as far field directly to MBox ;-) - was KEWL
i do not know how to edit in the HD24 so i've been applying mutes but it's more than cool way to do it when there's no need for editing pyrotechniques.

Best regards, Noam.

[Fishmed]

I track to the HD24, then bounce the files to my PC via the FirePort. Then I mix in my DAW, sending the tracks back through the HD24 via the MOTU 2408's lightpipes and use a summing mixer, mixing down to a Masterlink. I can always insert other goodies between the summing mixer and the Masterlink as needed.

[mortenbrekke]

I use HD24xr for mixing. First I transfer wav-files to Cubase.

Soundcard: M-audio ligthbridge:
Summing mixer: x-sum
Orban EQ and compressors. (soon I finish building an DIY gssl compressor)

THis setup works works works pretty well. I use the 22 first channel on the Alesis as d/a outputs, and the last 2 channels are the inputs.
Morten

[edyer]

Here's what I have been doing.

track to the hdxr.....

Send to digital performer via hdsp 9652.....

Edit edit edit automate automate automate etc etc etc.....

Switch hdxr to digital inputs. Send edited automated tracks back through 9652 to hdxr.....

Mix through 32 channel ghost using outboard and ITB effects comps stomp boxes etc etc etc...

Record to masterlink.....

Enjoy...drink beer etc etc etc...

[Jungle Jazz]

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like there are a lot of different ways to approach mixing with an HD24. I've tried a variety of these approaches myself--transfering to DAW, recording to DAW via ADAT, mixing through an analog desk to a masterlink, etc--but I haven't yet tried bouncing back a two mix into the HD24.

For those of you who do this, do you plan to do that when setting up the initial song file (making sure you have at least two extra empty tracks)? To the best of my knowledge, you can't change the track count once you've already started recording. If, for example, I know I'll only need 8 tracks to track, I usually set up a Song file with 8 tracks, but later I don't think you can then change that to a 24 track file--can you? (I need to check the HD24 Yahoo gorup to see if they've discussed this.) Also, if you record your final two track mix to channels 23/24, how then do you convert that to a stereo interleaved file? Thanks for the productive discussion so far.

[edyer]

To the best of my knowledge you can't change the track count.

I keep the original song on the machine sometimes just to have the raw files in case i screw up somewhere.. Then do the new song thing.

If you are using the hdxr as your converter from the computer , you can set it up to do any pair or pairs as either digital or analogue inputs. So if you sum outside the box you can still track to 23/24 with an analogue signal. (does that make sense?)

You still need to go back into the computer to interleave the two channels or use a masterlink etc..

I have done what you were describing and ended up getting the masterlink for that purpose. It makes life a lot easier.

[Jungle Jazz]

Sure, thanks. The routing all makes sense, but it seems like it's easier to mix to a Masterlink than internally to reduce the number of steps involved.

[edyer]

It is easier, especially when you are doing multiple songs. One of the things i liked about the masterlink was the fact that it creates song lists. 24 or 16 bit. I'm sure there are other recorders or methods for doing the same thing.