Hello,
I am looking into getting a control surface like the mackie control, but was wondering what you guys have been using besides the mackie control. I didn't want to spend so much, are there any less expensive control surfaces that seem to be working nicely for any of you?

Also, what soundcard would be recommended for a pc, to be able to get audio out into my tannoy reveal nearfield monitors. I am looking into getting a pc, and using sonar for mixing. I am going to trasfer wav files from my fostex 16 track and mix in sonar basically (volume, panning, and some reverb on vocals). I had been looking into getting a 24 track, but decided it would be better to go with the pc and mix on there. I could also do an internal mixdown in the fostex that would then open 14 more tracks in case I needed more tracks, then I burn the wav files again and put them into the pc.
Sorry for my rant...
thanks,
evt

Here's my PC setup (pretty much budget stuff):

MSI Neo2 Platinum nForce3 Socket 939 motherboard
Athlon 64 3000+ Venice, Boxed, processor
1 GB TwinMos Dual channel (2x512MB) memory
Sapphire Radeon 9600XT graphics (you can get by with less, but this one was on sale)
Western Digital 80 GB harddrive (system + software)
Western Digital 200 GB harddrive (data)
(both HDD's SATA 150)
NEC 3540 DVD burner
LG DVD player
EMU 1212m soundcard

If you want more possibilities and a breakout box, may wanna go for the 1820m.

I'm sorry to say that I have no experience with control interfaces.

My control surface is a keyboard, with alot of hotkeys assigned in Sonar.

To me, IMHO, I have ahard time spending the money that a control surface costs, thaT doesnt make my sound/tracks better. I know that a control surface can make things quicker and easier, but think of the signal chain improvement possible with that money!

I had to bite on a bike tire to spend the money on a new flat panel monitor for the studio a few months back, but the old VGA blew up. Of course, you have to spend it,(hard to see whats goin on W/O one)... but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "This aint makin nuttin sound better"!!!

If you have the dough for a control surface, and are happy with all the other gear you have, then its a good buy, I guess...

quote:

Originally posted by Guitwizz:
My control surface is a keyboard, with alot of hotkeys assigned in Sonar.

To me, IMHO, I have ahard time spending the money that a control surface costs, thaT doesnt make my sound/tracks better. I know that a control surface can make things quicker and easier, but think of the signal chain improvement possible with that money!

I had to bite on a bike tire to spend the money on a new flat panel monitor for the studio a few months back, but the old VGA blew up. Of course, you have to spend it,(hard to see whats goin on W/O one)... but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "This aint makin nuttin sound better"!!!

If you have the dough for a control surface, and are happy with all the other gear you have, then its a good buy, I guess...

I agree fully with what you are saying. It's just that since I want to mix with a computer and monitor for more editing ability I thought it would be much easier with a control surface, the only thing I've ever mixed with in the past have been with the faders on multitracks, adding eq, panning, and a little reverb on vocals.
As per equipment, I'm happy with what I have, but I always have GAS for something or other, and now my mind is on the idea of mixing on a computer.

Too bad there is no way to connect a regular mixer into the computer for mixing.
Besides the mackie control, I saw some others (not that many though), that were less money. How is the JP cooper?
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Mixing-Surfaces--2435
evt

Can only comment on the MC, it's faster, more enjoyable, been rock solid, and yes...I Think my mixes sound better since getting it. Why, because I'll spend more time that I would clicking a mouse writing automation, editing etc. YMMV.

The Behringer version (BCF2000) is actually not bad, is real cheap, and can emulate a Mackie Control. For the price the faders and knobs feel surprisingly decent.

quote:

Originally posted by chrisrnps:
The Behringer version (BCF2000) is actually not bad, is real cheap, and can emulate a Mackie Control. For the price the faders and knobs feel surprisingly decent.

Do you have one? Just wondering... any others use one? Is it easy to get hooked up with the programs, or is there a lot of internal menu programming to assign everything to the different channels etc.
Because if it's just being used for basic control of the volume, panning etc, I don't see why the behringer wouldn't be an ok choice since it' s not having to do with the actual sound.
Also, since the behringer only has 8 faders, is it easy to control more than an 8 track mix...how difficult is it with the assigning, or does it kind of just pick it up on it's own, because I stink at that kind of stuff.
thanks,
evt

I don't own one yet but have been borrowing a friend's for a couple weeks, and have tried it with Logic, Soundtrack, Final Cut Pro, and Motion on a Mac, as well as Cubase and Sonar on Windows. It seems to do what it says it does, and the controls feel decent for the price (not 'luxurious' necessarily, but more of a 'hey, this feels surprisingly solid for something so ridiculously cheap'). In other words it's less than half the price of most anything else out there, but is better than 'half as good'. I will probably end up getting my own soon (it's on my list) since it's pretty hard to pass up for the price. It has 'emulation modes' so it can use a Mackie Control, Logic Control, or HUI protocol. The 'left arrow' and 'right arrow' buttons on it allow you to 'bank over' by sets of 8 channels with most applications (for example you're working on channels 1-8, then hit the 'right arrow' button and you're on channels 9-16, and so forth).

I have a mackie and love it but the behringer sounds great for the money, I mean it either works or it doesnt it doesnt affect the sound any. motor mix is supposed to be great and Ive seen them on ebay a lot for around $300 it would probably be a lot better built

Hi,
Is the motor mix only compatable with pro tools?
evt

I dont think so I was going to get one and did a lot of research you couldnt go wrong with it or the behringer you can get a behringer for around 200 you could get two and only invest 400 just having 8 gets old you have to do a lot of bank switching that may be a good thing two behringers