Sweet Cucumber

There’s an interesting discussion going on in the Analog Heaven mailing list [all things analogue synthesis] about which way is best to get your audio signals (mics, instruments, synths) into your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation, like Logic, Cubase, Sonar, etc).

Basically it boils down to two-and-half choices:

- either use a multi-port AD converter (Apogee Ensemble {my choice}, MOTU, Mackie, etc…), which converts your analog signals to the digital domain, and then feeds that signal directly into your computer (and subsequently your DAW of choice), where you then can proceed further with mixing and processing those signals. This can be a cheap solution (depending on the quality of your converter, this varies between a few hundreds of euro, up to several thousands of euros), but it’s also fairly limited (not enough inputs, not enough control). Of course you can always add more audio interfaces (another name for the converters), but that can end up being a very costly adventure.

- or, very similar to the above, use a modern Control Surface - which is basically a kind-of-mixing desk with built-in signal converters (and sometimes also MIDI) - to mix and level your incoming audio signals, and then feed them to your computer and DAW. The advantage of this system (over the above) is that the Control Surface also acts as a [hardware] controller for your DAW. When you move a level slider on the CS, the [virtual] level slider in the DAW will move with it. Which is a lot easier than mixing music with a mouse. The tactility and precision of real sliders and pots can not be over-estimated…
This is currently my preferred choice [for my project studio-to-be], and more specifically I’ve set my mind on the Tascam FW-1884, which is relatively cheap, is rather flexible, and assumingly also of quite good quality.
However, the biggest problem with Control Surfaces is that you don’t have control (no pun) over the quality of the audio interface. You have to take what the manufacturer gives you. Most of the time this is kind-of-ok (coming from Tascam, Yamaha or Mackie), but it is not way up there either. Hardly surprising of course, given the fact that the FW-1884 costs about €1200 (multi-ports, sliders, pots, hardware, etc), and the Apogee Ensemble costs about €2000 (which is only an interface). Still, an even better interface - like the 8-channel LavryBlue - can run your bill up to $8000 and more…

- Choice number three for getting your signals into your DAW sits firmly in a totally different camp: using an analogue summing mixer to get all of your audio together and mix everything before it hits a (stereo) audio interface, then to the computer and DAW.
Now, this might sound a bit ridiculous at first, but when one thinks about it (and believe me, I do), it starts to make better sense the more you think about it…
First off, most signals coming into your desk/interface are analogue to start with (unless we’re talking about the newest breed of digital synths which sometimes have digital outs). So, when you sum them together with a good analog summing desk, you’re still in the analogue domain so you’re not losing any quality. When you do your mixing in the digital domain - as with the two previous options, you are actually using [A-D] converted signals, with all its inherent problems of jitter and aliasing and such. Somehow - perhaps naively - I have the feeling that analog mixing still beats digital mixing in many aspects (loss of deep end, lack of warmth, etc).
Also, analog mixing desks have a long history of craftsmanship, and they’re often easily expanded and interfaceable with other outboard gear. Some of them are not even expensive (especially if you forego on the sliders and stick with a rack-type of pots-only summing mixer).
But here lies the problem which bugs me the most: most analogue desks add colour to your signal. In some rare cases this can be advantageous: if, for instance, you shell out several grand (or a cool $100K or so) on a Neve or SSL console, you can rest assured that the colouring will be of the “good kind” - it will actually make your sound erm, sound better. Other than that - with almost any mid-end mixing desk - I do not like my sound being tainted by my hardware. If I want to colour my sound, I want to do it and completely control it [the changing of the original sound] myself. I am a firm believer in the straight what-goes-in-must-come-out theory, hence my love for the ADAM A7 nearfield monitors (for instance).
In my search for non-colouring hardware, I almost came up with zilch. Until I discovered this: the Speck Electronics LiLo Line Mixer. I assume this is any pro-audio engineer’s little secret, but I didn’t knew about Speck.

So now I’m in love with LiLo.

Pity it’s $8.750 (for 16 channels only)… Add to that the necessary audio interface (which would be the Apogee Ensemble in my case), and we’re talking way over ten grand here. So, out of my league…

Oh well, one can keep on dreaming.