Mixing with the Apogee DA16x and the SPL Mix Dream
Holy #%^*$^&(*!
OK. This is definitely the best (and most expensive) studio upgrade I've made since going to an HD Accel 4 System. I just invested in an Apogee DA 16x which feeds 16 outputs into an SPL Mix Dream analog summing box, which becomes in effect, my mix buss. the idea behind this is that it reduces the math that the computer has to perform with not only playing back dozens of 24 bit tracks simultaneously, but also calculating how they all blend together into a stereo mix. Thats alot of calculations. With this setup, you can assign different pieces of your mix to different outputs and let the analog summing box blend them all together in the analog world.
I have to say, I am actually a big fan of all digital mixing, and I'm sure there will be plenty of times that I think an all digital approach will be better, but this setup definitely has a sound to it which i really like. Two thumbs up from me. Having said that, the price tag was painful to say the least, though a fraction of the HD upgrade of last year. At this point, any improvements I make to the studio will be small and expensive. Nature of the beast i guess. I'd say for probably less than a 5% improvement in overall mix sound I spent about $8,000. Ouch. the cables alone for this new setup were over $1,000 just to connect the Apogee to the Mix Dream and get inserts for the Mix Dream (I can use all my analog gear on the inserts of the Mix Dream, pretty dope). I could and did use alot of my analog gear before, but it was a bit more difficult. However, I'd still say 95% of my mixing is plugin based, but then i have more plugins than should be allowed by law. This SPL is almost strictly a mix buss, but i can definitely hear the difference.
So, between my HD Accel 4 system, Apogee outputs and clocking, SPL Mix Dream summing, along with my outboard including a Lexicon 960, a real EMT 140 Plate, and a bunch of Manley, Sontec, Focusrite, Avalon, Lang, Nuemann and other outboard, I have a pretty damn kick ass mixing studio. I'm thinking about getting a couple Apogee Ensemble interfaces for my production studios. Gotta say the Digi 002 interface i'm using now on one of my production rigs pretty much sounds like crap. Its not like i mix in those studios, but i think it might be more inspiring to create music on those rigs if they sounded a bit better. Yes I've been accused of being a gear hound on a regular basis, but hey, I invest heavily in my own career, and i think there's something to be said about that. My clients don't seem to mind.
-Ken Lewis
check out indieTunes.com
OK. This is definitely the best (and most expensive) studio upgrade I've made since going to an HD Accel 4 System. I just invested in an Apogee DA 16x which feeds 16 outputs into an SPL Mix Dream analog summing box, which becomes in effect, my mix buss. the idea behind this is that it reduces the math that the computer has to perform with not only playing back dozens of 24 bit tracks simultaneously, but also calculating how they all blend together into a stereo mix. Thats alot of calculations. With this setup, you can assign different pieces of your mix to different outputs and let the analog summing box blend them all together in the analog world.
I have to say, I am actually a big fan of all digital mixing, and I'm sure there will be plenty of times that I think an all digital approach will be better, but this setup definitely has a sound to it which i really like. Two thumbs up from me. Having said that, the price tag was painful to say the least, though a fraction of the HD upgrade of last year. At this point, any improvements I make to the studio will be small and expensive. Nature of the beast i guess. I'd say for probably less than a 5% improvement in overall mix sound I spent about $8,000. Ouch. the cables alone for this new setup were over $1,000 just to connect the Apogee to the Mix Dream and get inserts for the Mix Dream (I can use all my analog gear on the inserts of the Mix Dream, pretty dope). I could and did use alot of my analog gear before, but it was a bit more difficult. However, I'd still say 95% of my mixing is plugin based, but then i have more plugins than should be allowed by law. This SPL is almost strictly a mix buss, but i can definitely hear the difference.
So, between my HD Accel 4 system, Apogee outputs and clocking, SPL Mix Dream summing, along with my outboard including a Lexicon 960, a real EMT 140 Plate, and a bunch of Manley, Sontec, Focusrite, Avalon, Lang, Nuemann and other outboard, I have a pretty damn kick ass mixing studio. I'm thinking about getting a couple Apogee Ensemble interfaces for my production studios. Gotta say the Digi 002 interface i'm using now on one of my production rigs pretty much sounds like crap. Its not like i mix in those studios, but i think it might be more inspiring to create music on those rigs if they sounded a bit better. Yes I've been accused of being a gear hound on a regular basis, but hey, I invest heavily in my own career, and i think there's something to be said about that. My clients don't seem to mind.
-Ken Lewis
check out indieTunes.com
posted by Protools Mixing at 3:35 AM
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