How many aux sends?

[Beneficial]

I'm used to mixing in the box and having virtually unlimited aux sends. I'm thinking about getting a budget console, I've been looking at the Ghost or the Venice, but I was wondering about the Midas Venice for example. I've read these specs:

4 Subgroups
2 Aux Pre-Fader (Monitor)
2 Aux Post-Fader (Effects)
2 Aux switchable Pre/Post-Fader

What if I wanted to use a couple of reverb units,, a couple delay units,, and a few more effects. Would this not be possible because the unit only has 2 effects aux sends? or can you still do it with routing,, maybe by putting effects on subgroups and bussing there etc,, or some other way?

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by Beneficial

or can you still do it with routing,, maybe by putting effects on subgroups and bussing there etc,, or some other way?

Yes.

[Sounds Great]

I have a Ghost and there are 8 effects sends. I use 9, but the 9th one (my tape echo box) is floating on the direct outs, one at a time.

And I have 4 stereo compressors across the 8 busses. The busses do have a mono button, so I can still send to mono compression by using the mono button and panning the channel 100% to that buss. Very flexable without ever have to change a single cable.

[Beneficial]

Ok, so the Ghost has twice as many busses, and more aux sends? I've heard that you CAN do more with these boards than the Venice,, but that the Venice sounds better, and has better EQ's. Any opinions.

[Albert]

I would find the 4 busses on the Venice limiting. For studio mixing work where you're doing it on the board, I think you'd really want at least 8 busses. Too bad they don't have an 8 buss version of that board. Also, I've read somewhere that the auxes on the Venice series can be modded so they are all post fader.

[Clueless]

The Venice is an absolutely brilliant board for what it does. If you want more (more busses, more auxes, more knobs for EQ, more options for HPF, not to mention a 12x4 matrix thrown in for good measure), then have a look at the Verona.

For those who are really in search of busses and auxes, Midas just launched the Siena. I haven't got one of those, but 16 bussses and 16 auxes in a frame size identical to Verona. Amazing. To do this they dropped the matrix, so if you really want a matrix you're stuck with 8/8, unless you have $$$, in which case the sky's the limite with the Heritage series (up to 40 aux sends!).

[Beneficial]

Clueless,, you seem to know the midas boards. How does the venice and verona compare sonically to the soundcraft ghost?

[Clueless]

Trick question! I've never used a Ghost, so I don't know. But as I and others have opined, the Midas boards, famous in the live sound arena, are /way/ underestimated in the studio context. For my dollar, they are a stunning value.

[Waylon]

IMHO, the Ghost is the best console in its price range if you are buying a "studio" console... there are some things you can do to it to make it sound better ( I seem to recall people runnign a VARIC and bumping the voltage to the unit up...)

All in all though, the Ghost does not sound bad. It is def a step up form the mackie 8 buss sonically for me, and I have heard people make really good soundign mixes on an 8 buss mackie ( GASP!)

I could see using a live console for mixiing purposes if nessacary ( I have done a fair amount of both FOH and broadcast work this way...) but for trackign, esp if you are going to use the console pres/eqs I want a console with a proper monitor path and soem sort of bussing... YMMV.