Does anyone have any experience with those USB audio interfaces?

[haroldo_psf]

I found these USB audio interfaces which allow me to connect the output of my 4 channel mixer to my PC computer via USB, so I can record.

Does anyone have any experience with these? (i.e. do they lag at all, or is it pretty seemless?)

Here is an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

Also, for a complete beginner and hobbiest, do I need one mic per tom, snare, and BD, or can I get away with one or two mics strategically placed? (this is for pure entertainement, covers recording, etc)

Thanks in advance

[Bo Eder]

I'd say for $30, just pick one up and try it out. It seems pretty straightforward. Just plug your mixer outputs into this and it should work. If it doesn't, I'm sure you can return it. You can spend alot of money on an interface (I bought the Presonus Firepod once upon a time for $399). But for what you're describing, $30 sounds just about right.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Try one of these. I had one until I used a splitter and put two mics on one channel and blew it up.


http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackUltra.html

[Ethan01]

Try one of these. I had one until I used a splitter and put two mics on one channel and blew it up.


http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackUltra.html

That is quite good but more than what OP needs. It sounds like he has a mixer and just wants to put the stereo out- on tape, or computer in this case.

[Mikecore]

I found these USB audio interfaces which allow me to connect the output of my 4 channel mixer to my PC computer via USB, so I can record.

Does anyone have any experience with these? (i.e. do they lag at all, or is it pretty seemless?)

Here is an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

Also, for a complete beginner and hobbiest, do I need one mic per tom, snare, and BD, or can I get away with one or two mics strategically placed? (this is for pure entertainement, covers recording, etc)

Thanks in advance

If your mixer already has RCA stereo outs and ins on the board, then you are already halfway there. The USB interface really depends on the computer. My PC is less than a year old, is running Windows 7 with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. The soundcard is stock and has the usual three 1/8 jacks on the rear (Mic in, Line in and Line out).

With such a system I could use a four channel mixer (defined as having at least four XLR inputs for drum mics) with stereo RCA outputs that can be patched into the soundcard using a stereo mini to RCA breakout cable like this (http://www.drumza.com/product/Hosa-Cable-YRA154-Stereo-18-Male-to-Dual-RCA-Female-Y-Cable.html). For the software, you can download Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). It's freeware and quite functional for this kind of thing. So far I have not had any issues using it for basic stuff such as you describe.

The drawback with this is that you are unable to multitrack beyond two mono tracks at a time (which is also the case with the USB interface you are looking at), so drums will have to be tweaked using trial and error before funneling them onto the recording. You can overdub with Audacity, so if you have the drums the way you want them in the mixer, you can lay those down, "rewind" the track and when you hit record again it will start a new stereo track for you, and will do so for a few times each time you rewind and record. The system was good to me using a single mic on the whole kit, so a full band could be sent through the mixer at once and recorded to stereo all in one bang if you set up the mix right. Overdub monitoring happens right out of the computer's soundcard with almost zero lag.

As for miking the kit, it's really up to your ears. What I might think is an acceptable sound might not agree with you, so you can only experiment and judge for yourself. For my own technical view, I look at the number of XLR inputs on the mixer as the number of drum channels available to me. Four XLRs means four microphones. On a 4-pc. kit, it's generally recommended that you put a good bass drum mic (AKG D112 comes to mind) in the kick and Shure SM 57 on the snare. The remaining two mics can either be used as overheads and capture everything else, though with more room sound than the kick and snare, or they can go on to the two toms, but you will have to figure out how your cymbals are getting to the mix. I would use a 1/4" to XLR adapter/transformer and run a fifth mike as an overhead into one of the 1/4" channels (usually 5/6 and 7/8 on your average 4 to 8 channel mini-mixer) for that. I'd have to know what kind of mixer you have to be sure of all that, so beware that a lot of this is based on my own assumptions.

[haroldo_psf]

Thank you for the suggestions. I was able to make the Line In of my laptop work. It's a new laptop, and once I plugged the Line In, it was monitoring already, except the sound wasn't coming out of the speakers. I set Audacity to record, and it did. So I'm set there.

About the mics... I see anyone good mic is at least a hundred bucks. What is the general concensus about those CAD Pro 7 drum mic kits? For a hobbiest and beginner, would those be decent?

[Mikecore]

I actually use those right now. For something simple they work well, but beware, the two condensers require phantom power to work properly or at all. If your mini-desk does not have phantom power switches, you'll have to find some kind of in-line power source for them.

Other than that, I've had acceptable results with them both live and in the studio, but the small price tag usually means greater limitations over Telefunken ELA Ms and Neumann U87s (7,000 to 16,000 bucks for those babies!), so I take their abilities in context.

[cobamnator]

uh, can someone explain to me how this is going to work if you want to mix / record more than 2 channels (left / right)?...

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

Even if you can plug that into your mixer, you are only going to get 2 channels out of that thing. Doesn't matter if your mixer has 4 mic inputs or 24. This is what I have been told.

Would something like this be more suitable than going mics - Mixer - Usb audio interface / converter - Computer

http://tascam.com/product/us-1800/

[haroldo_psf]

uh, can someone explain to me how this is going to work if you want to mix / record more than 2 channels (left / right)?...

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

Even if you can plug that into your mixer, you are only going to get 2 channels out of that thing. Doesn't matter if your mixer has 4 mic inputs or 24. This is what I have been told.

Would something like this be more suitable than going mics - Mixer - Usb audio interface / converter - Computer

http://tascam.com/product/us-1800/

Again, if I can just plug in the output of my mixer to the Line In input of my computer, why wouldn't I just do that?

What is the advantage of this 8 in 4 out usb interface if when it gets to the computer, it records 2 channels anyway? Further, is there any advantage of purchasing, say for example, that Zoom mixer which records directly to the SD card, as opposed to using my laptop's Line In to record the output of any ordinary mixer?

[dairyairman]

Further, is there any advantage of purchasing, say for example, that Zoom mixer which records directly to the SD card, as opposed to using my laptop's Line In to record the output of any ordinary mixer?

one advantage i can think of is you know the zoom recorder is going to work. if you record with audacity you might find that your laptop is weak in the knees and doesn't have the computing horsepower to digitize the signal at the resolution you want. that's a little bit unlikely, but it could happen. the zoom most likely has been tested at all supported resolutions and is going to work for sure, unless it breaks or is defective.

[haroldo_psf]

one advantage i can think of is you know the zoom recorder is going to work. if you record with audacity you might find that your laptop is weak in the knees and doesn't have the computing horsepower to digitize the signal at the resolution you want. that's a little bit unlikely, but it could happen. the zoom most likely has been tested at all supported resolutions and is going to work for sure, unless it breaks or is defective.

I just purchased a top of the line dell with Quad core CPU and 8GB of ram. I assume it should work as far as horse power for high resolution recording. My question was more along the lines of, say, maybe the ZOOM records the tracks separately for each channel or something like that, which could make it a more flexible solution, etc. Anyway, thanks for the reply. If that's all, maybe I can get away with the Line In recording.

I'm trying to educate myself of all the choices out there before I spend money.

[cobamnator]

Again, if I can just plug in the output of my mixer to the Line In input of my computer, why wouldn't I just do that?

What is the advantage of this 8 in 4 out usb interface if when it gets to the computer, it records 2 channels anyway? Further, is there any advantage of purchasing, say for example, that Zoom mixer which records directly to the SD card, as opposed to using my laptop's Line In to record the output of any ordinary mixer?

Im not Arguing about that fact. As far as I know (again, please somebody out there that knows more about this subject, please say something) If you are doing this...

Mics - Mixer - USB audio converter - Computer

You are only getting two channels / stereo / left and right to record.

However, if you use the US-1800, you can record up to eight mics Simultaneously, plug the US-1800 into your computer, and have up to Eight SEPARATE tracks that you can mix ect.

That is why I was saying the US-1800 would be a Superior choice.

[haroldo_psf]

Im not Arguing about that fact. As far as I know (again, please somebody out there that knows more about this subject, please say something) If you are doing this...

Mics - Mixer - USB audio converter - Computer

You are only getting two channels / stereo / left and right to record.

However, if you use the US-1800, you can record up to eight mics Simultaneously, plug the US-1800 into your computer, and have up to Eight SEPARATE tracks that you can mix ect.

That is why I was saying the US-1800 would be a Superior choice.

ooohhhh, I get it. hmmmm...You just conviced me to spend more money. Shame on you.

Question though, on the specs, it says :

16 simultaneous inputs
4 simultaneous outputs

Does that mean it can only output (to the computer) 4 tracks?

Also, any specific reason or advantage I should get the US1800 over the cheaper US800, other than the number of tracks? Could someone with some knowledge look at these specs and clarify? (US1800 = $300, US800 = $200)

US-1800 SPECIFICATIONS
16 simultaneous inputs
4 simultaneous outputs
14 analog inputs
(8x) XLR Mic inputs with phantom power
(2x) 1/4" TRS LINE/GUITAR inputs on the front panel
(4x) 1/4" TRS LINE inputs on the rear panel
Stereo S/PDIF Digital Input/Output
Zero-latency Hardware Monitoring
Independent Monitor and Headphone Outputs
Stereo monitor output (DAW return (stereo) and input (mono))
16-channel MIDI Input and Output
USB 2.0 connection to Mac/Windows
Up to 96kHz/24-bit Audio Resolution
Cubase LE 5 48-track workstation software included
ASIO and Core Audio support
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X compatible

US-800 SPECIFICATIONS
Features:

8-in/6-out USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI interface
Six XLR mic/line "combi" inputs with phantom power
Up to 96kHz/24-bit audio resolution
Lightweight design for mobile or desktop use
S/PDIF coaxial digital input and output
Stereo RCA analog output for monitoring
Standalone only mode for use as microphone preamp
2-segment LED metering for each analog input
1/4" and 1/8" stereo headphone outputs
16-channel MIDI input and output
Includes Cubase LE4 48-track recording software

[dairyairman]

that brings up a question for me. is audacity able to record from more than one input at time? i've only used it to record one stereo track at a time. if i need more tracks i usually just overdub them one at a time, or i'll use a mixer to mix all the mic inputs down to one stereo track and record that through my computer's line in port. i know protools and similar things can simultaneously record a bunch of inputs, but can plain old audacity handle that?

[cobamnator]

Couple things to consider, the US-1800 has eight XLR inputs, the US-800 only has Six XLR mic/line "combi" inputs which are not going to be the same quality as the US-1800.

Also, yes, via USB, you should be able to record and mix ALL the mic inputs from the US-1800 or US-800.

The reason why the US-1800 has so many outs, is because they are Analog outs / line outs / mixer outs ect. But dont let that confuse you, via a single USB connection from this US-1800, you should be able to record / mix up to eight mics Simultaneously .

That is enough mic inputs unless your micing Terry Bozzio's kit.

Also, don't worry about recording software, it comes with Cubase LE5 which is GREAT. I have LE4 and love it. LE5 is alot better.

Take a look at the reviews...mostly 5 star. These have VERY good low noise mic pre amps.

And no, I am not Affiliated with tascam...

[haroldo_psf]

Couple things to consider, the US-1800 has eight XLR inputs, the US-800 only has Six XLR mic/line "combi" inputs which are not going to be the same quality as the US-1800.

Also, yes, via USB, you should be able to record and mix ALL the mic inputs from the US-1800 or US-800.

The reason why the US-1800 has so many outs, is because they are Analog outs / line outs / mixer outs ect. But dont let that confuse you, via a single USB connection from this US-1800, you should be able to record / mix up to eight mics Simultaneously .

That is enough mic inputs unless your micing Terry Bozzio's kit.

Also, don't worry about recording software, it comes with Cubase LE5 which is GREAT. I have LE4 and love it. LE5 is alot better.

Take a look at the reviews...mostly 5 star. These have VERY good low noise mic pre amps.

And no, I am not Affiliated with tascam...


SOLD!

I'm buying this thing next week.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions, I appreciate it.

[Mikecore]

SOLD!

I'm buying this thing next week.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions, I appreciate it.

A lot going on while I was away. I have a Tascam US-1641 that came with Cubase LE5. Works fine, and is definitely a better use for USB than simple two-tracking. What I was suggesting with Audacity and line inputs was a way to do simple stereo on the cheap, especially since you already have a mixer. Anyway, best of luck....and read your manuals. I did not find Cubase to be as self-evident as I had hoped, and had to spend some time studying the user's guide before I could even operate the click track.

[haroldo_psf]

A lot going on while I was away. I have a Tascam US-1641 that came with Cubase LE5. Works fine, and is definitely a better use for USB than simple two-tracking. What I was suggesting with Audacity and line inputs was a way to do simple stereo on the cheap, especially since you already have a mixer. Anyway, best of luck....and read your manuals. I did not find Cubase to be as self-evident as I had hoped, and had to spend some time studying the user's guide before I could even operate the click track.

I got you, Mike. What you thought I wanted to do was correct, and your sugestion right on the money.

I after reading more on recording, mixing, etc, I've decided to go all the way and capture individual mic tracks instead of stereo only. I changed my mind somewhere along this thread.


Thanks for the inputs and suggestions.

[cobamnator]

SOLD!

I'm buying this thing next week.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions, I appreciate it.

Glad I could help you out bro. I know you will like it (just take a look at the reviews!). Peace out