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Appendix B -If You Use An External Mixer...
Our main objective is to get the signal we want to record to the Delta 44, and to
monitor the outputs from the Delta 44. The Delta 44 has a mixer contained in its
PCI chip that allows you to mix hardware inputs and software outputs and send it
to an analog stereo output pair. The Delta 44 also allows you to record that mix
into your music software as a hardware input. Still, some of you may choose to
use a mixing console to achieve your multi-tracking goals.
A mixing console (sometimes referred to as mixing ‘board’ or ‘desk’) that is
designed for multi-track recording has the ability to fulfill these two basic
functions — getting the signal to the recording device, and receiving the outputs
of that recording device for mixing or monitoring. In this sense, a recording
console is two mixers in one. A mixer designed for recording will also have the
ability to send to one or more mixdown decks, to monitor these mixdown decks, to
control separate control room and studio listening levels, as well as other
recording-specific functions.
There are two basic layouts for the recording console, “split section” and “in-line.”
The split section design is arranged with a recording or ‘channel’ section (to send
the signal to the recording device) side-by-side with a monitoring section (to
receive the outputs of the recording device). The in-line design has the recording
and monitoring sections “in line” within each channel module, so that each channel
has two line inputs.
The recording section is distinguished by its bussing system, which takes the
recording channel signal through a summing matrix to multiple outputs- usually in
multiples of eight. It could be said that an ‘8-buss system’ is designed for 8 track
recording, and a 24-buss system for 24 track recording, etc., but this is not written
in stone.
What we are describing here is the extreme; a professional, costly piece of gear
that has been purchased for this one specialized purpose. There are features
inherent in other types of consoles, however, that will allow us to perform these
two separate functions of recording and monitoring. A sound reinforcement or a
broadcast console, and in some cases a recording console, might offer a bussing
system in the form of “sub-mix outs.” These are usually arranged in stereo pairs
with a set of level control faders for each pair. This configuration can be
effectively used for recording, as long as the record channels are taken out of the
stereo buss. The difference here is that there is no real distinction between the
recording and monitoring sections.