Used Digital Mixers for Live Sound

[imnotded]

In the best of all possible worlds, an SAC rig running off an old laptop and a firewire interface (Echo Audio 8Pre or FocusRite Pro40, maybe) would be the ticket. But $1500 is way out of my price range, even the Yammy is something of an extravagance.

I may have scored an 01V for $300 plus shipping. It's not in perfect shape, but it will do what I want it to--take a small acoustic group and make them sound their best.

I'll know later tonight.

I'm pretty sure that parts are not factory available for the early model 01V's. Make sure you can fully test it before you hand your cash over.

There is a suspect mic pre that I can tell. But if all else is intact, I'll be happy given the price: this is literally the only way I can afford to make a difference. An SAC rig or a newer 01V is not happening.

Just wanted to make sure you were aware that parts might be hard to find if something goes wrong. I'm sure you will be happy with it if its in working order.

[el_ingeniero]

Hmmm. The 8 channel ADAT cards are pricey too. Then we need a way to get the ADAT stream into my laptop.

From the standpoint of having a minimalist SAC rig, I'd just assume use 1 or 2 firewire interfaces with decent pres like from Echo Audio or FocusRite and a pair of firewire over CAT5 extender boxes as a "digital snake" ... my laptop is more than enough to handle my needs, as long as I'm willing to put the taint of Windows on it.

Right now, I'm more interested in feeding a 48K 24 bit digital signal from the O1V to my DEQ2496, thereby skipping a conversion to/from analog.

[mattaudio]

Hey El,
I didn't notice at first, but we're both in Minneapolis.

Anyways I now use a StudioLive, so I have a couple things you could check out and possibly buy for cheap:
RME 9652/36 24 ch digital I/O
ADA 8000 8 ch preamp/ad/da

Also if you need any help with live sound stuff, let me know. Sometimes I need more cabs, so if you're up for that, send me a PM.

[BoostFab]

My vote on SAC. If you want to build a powerful and scalable digital console, SAC is the way to go. MOTU 424+2408 and ADA8000 are very reasonable. SAC is more powerful than most digital systems out there.

[gdougherty]

Hmmm. The 8 channel ADAT cards are pricey too. Then we need a way to get the ADAT stream into my laptop.

From the standpoint of having a minimalist SAC rig, I'd just assume use 1 or 2 firewire interfaces with decent pres like from Echo Audio or FocusRite and a pair of firewire over CAT5 extender boxes as a "digital snake" ... my laptop is more than enough to handle my needs, as long as I'm willing to put the taint of Windows on it.

Right now, I'm more interested in feeding a 48K 24 bit digital signal from the O1V to my DEQ2496, thereby skipping a conversion to/from analog.

The o1v makes the most sense to pickup used with the ADAT card included. The ADAT card alone runs $300-450. I got mine in great shape from a studio with card included for $750 shipped to my door about 3 years ago.

In terms of SAC Firewire is okay, I use it as my light portable rig. I've had a glitch here and there. It's far more susceptible to power issues or cable bumps. A dedicated in and out of a truck every day rig may be better off with a dedicated computer and interface from RME or MOTU that is PCI/PCIe based. Mine is RME and as long as the computer has power (run it on a UPS) you've got power to the interface. MOTU works in a similar manner I think since the external box is just the input to the interface. Don't own one, can't say for sure.

Art makes some decent pre's in the $300 range and I really like the clarity of my Profire2626. Unlike others I've had no problems with my Behringer ADA's, but they are noisier than my Profire, especially if I push the digital gain in SAC when the preamp is out of reach. The Profire is what my Firewire portable rig is based on. They work both standalone or as an interface for 24 channels. Two of them will not build you a 48 channel setup though, however you can convert them into quality preamps in front of another interface if you ever grew there.

You're right though, if your budget is closer to $500, SAC going used and minimalist is going to run $1K+. Consider that I'd highly recommend at least grabbing the Levelizer plugin as well and software cost is ~$600. If you always ran SAC as a traditional board replacement at the end of a copper snake then you could get away without the Levelizer, but it's the only dynamics plugin that allows for live real-time adjustment from a remote instance. In my case I couldn't live without it.

[el_ingeniero]

Enough. SAC is great and wonderful and the end-all-be-all mixing solution. But it's waaaay out of my price range, and anyway there's no Linux version.

The Yammy is more than good enough for what I want to do.

[Bruce Weldy]

Enough. SAC is great and wonderful and the end-all-be-all mixing solution. But it's waaaay out of my price range, and anyway there's no Linux version.

The Yammy is more than good enough for what I want to do.

Sometimes the best product is not the best solution.

Sounds to me like you are making the right decision for your situation. Just check it out real good - take along a mic and some headphones (even better - hook up to a system to make sure main outputs are good). Check every input on every channel.

Good Luck.

[basey]

I'll be getting rid of my yamaha 02R soon. It is in a road case.
If your interested in something like that.

[mattaudio]

El_, what kind of rig do you have? I didn't see a post in the Introductions forum.

[sstillwell]

The Presonus AudioBox 1818 VSL is coming out in a month or so, and with a laptop with a USB interface, may get you the best of both worlds. Street price (read as "MAP" - Minimum Advertised Price) is supposed to be $499. Basically the same feature set as the StudioLive 16.0.2, controlled by Virtual Studio Live software on the computer. 8 mic preamps, 8 line outs, S/PDIF interface, plus ADAT in/out for a total of 18 ins and outs (16+16 as a practical matter). Two-click record of the entire night using the included Capture software as well.

If you already have a laptop (must have USB 2.0 port), and you haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet, it may be worth waiting to see what initial reviews look like. Otherwise a used 01V is still probably your best bet. Caveats apply for how functional the unit is when you get it, availability of parts if it's not the newer 01V96 model, etc.

Scott

[el_ingeniero]

Pulled the trigger last month, first time out will be Friday, using borrowed speakers (Mackie c300z, bleah). But the new Presonus unit sounds intriguing, it might be worth selling the 01v and picking up that unit instead.

Edit: ummm, only 8 inputs, having 12 lets me scale up to a Sexteto Tipica (8 or 9 mics) or a small Orchestra Tipica (10 mics minimum) with room left over for vocal mics. Do these things cascade like the 01v does?

Christopher

[sstillwell]

My understanding so far (for an announced but unreleased product) is that no, they can't be cascaded. You could use multiple units as interfaces, probably, but the mixer function is actually baked into the firmware...you can add an ADAT unit to the box for an additional 8 ins and outs, for a total of 16 analog inputs and outputs, but you can't use two of the units as a larger 32-channel mixer.

Scott

[el_ingeniero]

So much for that idea. :/

[mattaudio]

Christopher,
Want to borrow a StudioLive 16.4.2?