Cheap 7ch+ xlr Mic Interface suggestions?

S

SolDrumcovers

Member
Hey,
I'm going to be fully micing up my kit soon, i plan on using a mic per tom tom, one for the bass drum, one for the snare and two overheads. I'm after the cheapest interface that will accept all these mics and give me the ability to plug it into my pc and have individual tracks per mic. what are some of the cheaper models about that do this?
 
It seems like you have made up your mind, but have you thought about spending that same amount of money and getting only one or two mics of better quality and a better interface?

If what your name suggests is right and you're planning to do soul covers, then with just one quality mic on the kit you should be able to get a pretty good overall sound that is suitable for that kind of vibe.

this is a pretty good read on recording drums with lesser mics
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun08/articles/daptone.htm


**Edit
Oh I read it wrong, it's SOLdrumcovers not soul, haha
Still, I'd recommend quality over quantity!
 
^ A good point.

Though, I recently sold my Motu traveller for a cheaper interface with 8 multi-ins and landed on the Presonus Firrstudio Project. Seems to be holding up well. There's no functionality I really miss, switching over.
 
The main reason i want to mic my kit up is i want to start recording some of my own material however I would also be using it for drum covers as well. I've been using a zoom Q3HD for the last year, it's alright but would not cut it for recording. My budget is probably around $1000 however i can extend it if necessary but would like to keep it on the cheaper side. I'm not looking for the best you can buy but i am chasing pretty good sound. When i say micing my kit up soon i mean 4-5 months so I'm basically getting my head around what equipment i want to buy for now and then putting the cash aside for it. As for the 2 mic suggestion, it does work but i am chasing full control over each part of the kit so i can eq each drum etc to how i want. It gets really hard to do that with 2 mics which is what the zoom q3 is like.

Here's a cover I've done with the zoom q3 to show the current quality i'm achieving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgb8lC7X5aY
 
I won't push any particular brand over another, but my shopping list would start with Tascam, Focusrite, and Presonus. They all offer interfaces with 8 XLR inputs, and at least 4 or more main outputs (which get to be important if you want to master stereo groups into a 2-track setup via mixer). Tascam doesn't seem to deal with Firewire, though USB is getting good enough that latency can be a non-issue if monitored properly. With a thousand bucks, you could also look into Steinberg and M-audio.

Outside of gear, there is also a great deal of info that I would look into first. Recording involves a lot more than just the mic inputs, and if you want it to be worth doing, then you should consider what you'll need at every step from beginning to end. I've learned a lot by shopping online for different items and reading their specs, and many of the questions I had about what to use and why were answered here. Not really brand specific, but more function specific.
 
Thanks for the reply's, i'll defiantly have a look into the brands mentioned. When i was saying a $1000 budget that was including mics but i realise i am going to have to extend that much higher, that's ok i can wait though. As for recording techniques i already have some experience plus i am doing a audio design course next year for year 12, to anyone not in Australia, whatever you call your schooling when you are 17 turning 18 that's year 12 in Australia. I also have a fair bit of acoustic mat that i will line the walls of whichever room i end up using to record in. Biggest things to focus on for now are interfaces with usb and decent budget mics. I was thinking one of the kits from shure or audio technica that cost around $5-600 Au might do the trick.
 
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