Delta 1010 with mixer or profire 610

[Sunny19sec]

Hi. i'm using Mobile pre USB and need to upgrade to profire 610 or delta1010 with mixer. Now how does Delta1010 works with any mixer / Console or with which Mixer does delta1010 works fine with full multiple in and out? if Delta1010 works with external Mixer with multiple in and out, i would rather go for that . if not what are the ways of using delta 1010 with Mixer. also which one is the better option; Profire610 vs Fastrack ultra. if not delta1010.

[JA]

What exactly do you want to be able to do? How many separate tracks do you want to be able to record? If you want to record multiple inputs and have multiple outputs, you're going to need a mixer with direct outputs; otherwise all of your inputs will be mixed together. You'll probably need something with at least 16 channels if you want to use all 8 outputs on the Delta (8 ch's w/ direct outs for recording and 8 ch's for the Delta's outputs).

[Sunny19sec]

i'm on small studio project which atleast needs 4-6 tracks recording simultaneously. i like using mixer cos' i think the pre-enhancement with frequency adjustment -high-mid-low which can be done pre- is great for Vocals and Acoustic guitar. A sales executive in local shop with M-audio told me that if i go with Mackie 802 VLZ3 and Delta1010, it will not support multiple input and output. Confused!!! i can also bear with 3 input recording simultaneously. please help. i'm also thinking about Profire610 or Fastrack ultra with mixer where i can feed the output of mixer to the input of profire610 or Fastrack ultra only for vocals and acoustic guitar Mic. but again its Octane preamp will be of no use as all Vocal and acoustic Guitar Mic will be using the 48v phantom power from the Mixer. and i think it's an ineffecient investment. so i was asking you. Is Delta1010 with mixer a better option if it supports multiple input recording at the same time. i learn from other threads that PCI is still Faster, stable than USB 2.0 and Firewire series. but the sales executive told me that PCI gives a noise from CPU as it is to be attatched with Motherboard. is it true? which option do you think is the best for me and best in Quality. Thank you so much.

[JA]

The Mackie 802 does not have direct outs for recording. You may be able to record 3 separate tracks using the Alt 3/4 bus and the aux send. How important is it to be able to EQ your signal before recording? The bigger mixer's with direct outputs can be pretty expensive. Virtually all DAW's are going to have advanced EQ options; and the nice thing about EQ'ing after you record is that you can make changes. If you EQ before recording, you're stuck with that. Do you need a mixer for anything besides recording?

PCI/USB/FireWire all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you're getting CPU noise with a PCI interface, somethings not right; this can often be resolved by moving the card to a different PCI slot. Same thing with USB, you may have to try different USB ports. With FireWire an expansion card that uses a Texas Instruments chipset is recommended because the built-in port on most PC's is often problematic when used for an audio device.

The Fast Track Ultra is a good option for you because you can use it without a mixer. It has 4 preamps, 2 of which you can directly connect instruments, plus you can record 2 additional line inputs, and it has S/PDIF I/O for further expandability. You also get 2 headphone jacks, and multiple analog outputs if you need them. If you think you may need more inputs/outputs down the road, the Fast Track Ultra 8R or ProFire 2626 give you even more flexibility.

[Sunny19sec]

Thank you so much JA. you've been very helpful. ok. yesterday, when exploring and figuring out my option for new upgrade of Studio, i came thro' M-audio NRV10 which has an in-built firewire and mixer. it caught my attention and now my head is spining around with these; Fastrack Ultra or NRV10. NRV10 is pretty expensive for my budget right now but if it's worth owning one pertaining to quality and other features like flexible monitoring and multiple aux returns, i'll sacrifice my budget- put on hold for other investment like - Mic, keyboards etc. can you please tell- which one would you go for if you were in my position- tight budget- if NRV10 then Mic and other things on hold. if Fastrack ultra then - all goes well. you know i have this notion like a Food Fad- or Hype that for Vocals and Acoustic guitars thro' Mic- pre EQs really gives clarity and good sound. not only pre-EQs but Headroom/Cntrl room. How according to you is Mixer's pre-EQs thing effective. I don't really need mixer for other purpose other than recording. Again NRV10 seems great upgrade in one side and hinderance on other things- Mic, Keyboard. which i need now cos next upgrade will take me another six months. Thanks so much- JA

[Sunny19sec]

ok. one more thing. Is there a Mixer which will work with Delta1010/44/66. Multiple inputs of three tracks which can be recorded simultaneously is fine.

[JA]

The NRV10 is a nice product. The EQ's can be setup pre-firewire so you can record with EQ. All 8 inputs can be recorded to separate tracks, and you can send multiple tracks back to different channels on the mixer. The preamps are good, and it has built-in effects that you can use for monitoring (they aren't recorded). It is however one of your more expensive options.

I'm not really familiar with the various mixers that are currently available, so I'm not sure what options there are to use in conjunction with something like the 1010lt or Fast Track Ultra. I know that mixers with direct outputs are usually in the same price range as the NRV10, however, using something like the Mackie 802 with the 1010lt would allow you to use the Alt 3/4 bus and the Aux send to record 3 separate tracks with EQ, plus leave you with the ability to connect another 5 inputs directly to the card; leaving you with a little money left over for mics, cables, etc.