Newb question about using a mixer!

[Elandroth]

I'm looking for some basic advice on why I would want a mixer and what it will allow me to do, here is my gear setup so far:

Synth Hardware: Nord Lead 2X, Juno 60, D-50, DSI MEK, ESQ-1, CZ-5000, Machinedrum, TR-707

Output hardware: 2 Roland KC-150's

Effects: Kurzweil Mangler

I also started as a guitar player so I own a couple electrics, couple acoustics, nice fender bass, and a couple amps and assorted pedals and such. I record using a Presonus FireWire interface. A couple mics too, of course.


So here's the thing, I get the vibe that a mixer can really simplify layout and connections and consolidate everything, cause right now when I am wanting to work with various things and record different instruments, it's not impossible but the moving of cables and switching things in and out is a major drain on the smoothness of that process, especially when it comes to using the Mangler with different things.


So how exactly does a mixer assist one in workflow and consolidated connectivity of many boards? I understand the basic concept of many things into this one box that can produce a mixed output - but I guess I just want some info on what my basic setup would look like? How does an effects loop work (I've never even used one on a guitar amp, I'm used to just chaining pedals into a small fender tube amp)? How many channels do I need? How much is a decent mid-range mixer? Does it change the sound of various instruments? Are mixers that are good for boards also going to work for my guitars (electrics I usually mic the amp but acoustic and my bass are almost always direct in)? I guess I just feel like everyone who has more than a couple pieces of gear eventually gets a mixer, and after how frustrated I can get switching cables in and out of things a bunch I figured it's about damn time - so help me out! Please give me some pointers on what a basic setup would look like considering the gear I have, and if you know of something that would suit me in the sub-1000 USD range, suggestions would be very very welcome!

I've searched the buyer's guide for mixer threads and most of them are "help me pick a mixer" and debating different models, when I really need to start from the ground up here and get perspective on why I would want a mixer and how it is going to integrate into my setup.

I'm not a performer and the extent of my recording is really just for personal enjoyment from composing music, I don't really expect/intend to be a working musician of any kind - so I don't need something that is road-worthy or studio-worthy, but I also like quality gear and don't buy garbage - so I don't mind spending money to get something with some nice features. I see people talking about built in effects and preamps and whatnot.

This is totally new territory for me, so thanks for any help!

[gr4nf]

Mixers can play very different roles in a rig depending on whether you are playing live or in the studio. If you are playing live, how are you set up right now? Do you have a mixing amp that you run all your keyboards into, or do you just run everything out to the venue desk? In the studio, are you just running everything into the interface?

An example of a live rig with a mixer is Tony Banks' keyboard rig on Genesis Live. Banks ran all of his many keyboards into the mixer (where he could level them and EQ them to his liking) and then the mixer out to a single Leslie speaker (which was mic'd to the venue system).

As for effects sends, one can simply plug an effects module (like your mangler (which, by the way, is a great piece of gear)) into most mixer's sends loops and then use the corresponding knob on the mixer itself to determine how wet you want each of your channels.

In a studio the mixer plays a completely different role. On the simplest side of things, you have firewire/usb mixers (like Mackie's Onyx i series or Allen & Heath's Zed series), where all of your instruments go into the mixer and through all the eq's and such, through the built in DACs, and out the firewire/usb to your computer. Such a mixer would replace any audio interface you had, would have plenty of inputs for your instruments and mics and such, and would usually include good mic preamps (especially in the case of the mackies).

Advantages to a mixer in general include:

+Large sliders and (hopefully) nice pots on every channel that will make you wonder how you ever survived with the tiny little knobs on your mixing amp or audio interface.

+Usually an individual EQ for every channel that, depending of the quality of mixer, can be quite high quality.

+Sometimes wide, backlit VU meters for each channel, invaluable in the studio.

+Single outputs from many inputs, simplifying any live rig.

+Effects loops with wetness knobs right there on your mixer, so you don't even have to reach down to your effets rack to change the depth of your reverb or delay.

[CfNorENa]

Lots of good info on mixers here:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/choosing_a_mi ... tudio.html

[Projectile]

So here's the thing, I get the vibe that a mixer can really simplify layout and connections and consolidate everything, cause right now when I am wanting to work with various things and record different instruments, it's not impossible but the moving of cables and switching things in and out is a major drain on the smoothness of that process, especially when it comes to using the Mangler with different things.

It sounds like you need a good patchbay more than a mixer. A mixer would help a bit, but a patchbay is really designed to solve the issues you are having.

With a patchbay, it sits in your rack, you plug all of your gear into the back of it and then you can simply swap connections with short patch cables on the front. The jacks can usually be setup for different configurations, so certain gear is already connected together by default with no patch cables (called normalled, half normalled, etc.), but then when you plug in a patch cable, it gets disconnected from the default routing and instead routed through the patch cable. Any studio with more than a handful of gear will usually have one, if not several patchbays to facilitate quickly patching together different pieces of gear.

[madtheory]

I prefer to use a small rackmounted line mixer, to a patch bay. That way I can listen to everything at once. Very important for the arrangement. If I want to track individual synths, I just solo them on the mixer.