How many folks are using DP Mixerless?

[buzzsmith]

EDIT: Here's the primary reason for this post...

http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =9&t=39201

I'll post (EDIT: Posted-see above) the reason for this question later in the OT forum (it's pretty amazing and has to do with an unhappy cat), but just out of curiosity, how many are working completely outboard mixerless?

I only use an external mixer while tracking for returns, headphones and FX sends. No recording through it. I know I can configure DP and CueMix probably to handle some, possibly all, of these chores...just need to read up on it.

With my current system (see sig), I believe I have 40 ins and 40 outs, so that shouldn't be an issue, and I'm relying less and less on hardware MIDI modules that are currently routed through the desk.

Being "old school", I do prefer actually grabbing some real faders, but on the other hand I'd gain about 40 square feet in usable studio space without a hardware mixer.

Thanks...

Buzzy

[Dan Walsh]

I am. I'm also "old school" and when I went over to DP 5 I fought hard not to automatically buy the Euphonix console to go with it as I was totally used to grabbin' a fader also. At the time the Euphonix stuff wasn't workin' so good with DP so I opted to wait. In the meantime, I have grown accustomed to workin' "within the box" and really have no reason to get a console. Unless someone gave me one fro free.....

[cloudsplitter]

I am NOT mixerless.. I use a Mackie control universal with a Mackie control extender and would do it no other way....especially when it comes to automation....and of course the Mackie shortcuts save a ton of mouse work...just my 3 cents..wait, my 1 cent, Obama took the other 2 for his date with Nancy Pelosi

[kassonica]

When tracking, I use a mixer and some nice pre amps, When mixing all in the box, but I am looking for a summing mixer.

[richardein]

I recently went mixerless because I realized that for the past four years I had not moved a fader or used an effect on my Yamaha 02R. Recently bought a TC Electronic Level Pilot to control monitor levels, which is ok: I wish it had a detent you could set for your standard mixing level and a way to mute the speakers quickly.

Don't miss the tactile experience of faders too much, to be honest. Mixing, for me, is pretty straightforward for most things I write, namely, get a balance. One of these days I'll go back to writing electronic music which requires creative mixing and I'll want all those faders. But right now, I'm liking all the room and deskspace!

[Kubi]

Been mixerless for a few years now and never looked back.

[daveyboy]

I only use my Mackie D8B for routing headphones, and occasionally breaking out the mix to more than 2 outputs. But, for day to day work I don't really need the mixer. It's just cheaper to keep it at this point instead of ripping my studio apart and rewiring things.

[Frodo]

I recently went mixerless because I realized that for the past four years I had not moved a fader or used an effect on my Yamaha 02R.

My experience is nearly identical. I have two Yamaha 01Vs with ADAT cards which I haven't so much as turned on in about 5 years. I've been meaning to make some use of the faders via MIDI, but the necessity has simply never arisen. I've been wanting one of the Euphonix or Mackie surfaces, but haven't gotten around to that either. In the interim I've simply lived without them-- and on some level have been happy not having to deal with driver compatibilities.

I've gotten pretty quick with mousing in automation out of necessity. It occurred to me that even if I had a control surface for the sake of automation that I'd probably have to use the mouse to fine-tune things anyway, so I've been mixerless and surfaceless for about 5 years now.

[MartinBaird]

I've been mixerless with DP for about 10 years I think. Since whenever the 1296 was released.
Martin

[Phil O]

I have a mixer that is used just for zero latency monitoring. Everything else, ITB. It's the future. Get used to it!!

Phil

[amplidood]

I do plenty of both. And let me tell you, there is a difference between being 100% ITB and running 72 channels into a DM2000. A *huge* difference.

[James Steele]

Well, mixerless here for a few years and haven't looked back. Like others with similar stories, one day I realized that all I was using my Mackie 32-8 board (with meter bridge) for was monitoring the main outs of my audio interface. It was hard to make that leap. Had to keep the mixer in another room for a few days before finally selling it. I got $950 in craigslist and was happy to unload it.

[Armageddon]

Back during the hardware days, I was using a Mackie VLZ-PRO 16-track mixer for composing with all my hardware synths/modules/drum machines. Since I was also unhappy with the mic inputs on my 828 mk1, I wound up using the VLZ-PRO as a preamp/talkback during vocal recording on my album (resulting in me flying from Louisville, where I was staying at the time, to Cleveland, where my vocalist lived, with a keyboard flight case crammed full with a mixer, my 828, mic stands and lotsa wires). SInce going completely virtual in 2007, I upgraded to a TC Konnekt 24D with a virtual console comparable to CueMix, I love the Konnekt's pres, it has two headphone jacks, so I don't even have to carry a splitter, all my keyboards are now virtual, so the only thing plugged into my Mac are a pair of USB controllers and I even snagged Toontrack's EZ Drummer, so I no longer need a hardware drum machine for timekeeping. Like James, I recently wound up carting my Mackie down to my local Guitar Center and selling it for about $118 (not bad, considering it was about $350 new and I've owned and abused the hell out of it it for about 7 years) and most of my hardware gear has been carted around for so long and used on so many projects, it's finally fallen apart to the point where I gave away what I could and trashed what I couldn't fix.

I think, if you get a decent interface, a mixer isn't necessary. Some people prefer to mix with a mixer, some people need analog summing and sometimes, if your interface isn't up to snuff, you require a mixer to augment your pres and your monitoring. But you can certainly do well without one. Like I said, my rig is now completely virtual, which allows me to perform all my composing-style mixing inside of DP, and the addition of vocals, which is pretty much the only thing I do "outside the box", is easily handled by my interface without any other gear. I can even record guitars and bass, if necessary. Try snagging an UltraLite, which is MOTU's cheapest interface (and has just as many features as my Konnekt does!) and utilizing CueMix. Unless you're dealing on a daily basis with a lot of outside sources, you should be fine.

p.s. - the big leap for me was accepting that my dinky MacBook could replace my PROteus MPS+/PROteus/2 orchestral module, my Korg X5-D, my Kawai K4 and my Boss DR-660/770 drum machines. Not only has it done all that, it makes my former hardware rig look like a huge joke. I now have about 60 GBs of samples and just about every software synth on the market and the idea of being able to record instruments with absolutely no patching, no setting up inputs and zero A/D noise is mind-boggling.

[kassonica]

I do plenty of both. And let me tell you, there is a difference between being 100% ITB and running 72 channels into a DM2000. A *huge* difference.

I agree with that and without getting into the whole ITB summing sux thing, I'm looking for a small 8-16 channel mixer with transformers in and out to run stems through.

Already I'm using out board pre's, EQ and Compression (damn love that DBX 160VU) for critical sounds in the mix and recording them back in and even by doing that, my mixes have improved a lot (gone up a level or 2) the only downside is mixing takes a lot longer.

[martian]

to me a fader pack isnt really a mixer - so I'm in the 100% camp and have been since 2006..

I do like a control surface for movie mixing - I can shape 3 or 4 thinsgs at once ... dialog music Fx anyone?

ITB is great for flexibility - and this is DP strong point - can afford 3 or 4 fully fledged machines for less than one PT RIG..

But outboard can certainly impart a flavour

I dont mind taking longer over a mix - as long as they are paying...

and they usually pay more if they see a console...