Dumbass Mixer Questions

[behndy]

booooooooop. and/or moop.

i know so little about using mixers the right way that i dunno if i'm even thinking about this right.

so.

WOOT.

IGNORANCE AHOY HOY.

working on a small hardware setup to run with my computery software setup. wanted a few desktop synthy things to play with, and would love to be able to either run them straight into recording interface, or through some pedals. like. OPTIONS.

was thinking a mixer with an efx send would be what i want? i actually love the design of this off brand scrappler -

http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=615808





now, there's an AUX SEND jack on the back, with a corresponding AUX VOLUME knobber on the front.

am i right or an idiot thinking i can hook it up with the AUX SEND jack into some pedals, last pedal into, i dunno, say INPUT 3, then if i want whatever's plugged into channel 5/6 to go into pedals, i turn up the AUX on that channel, then the audio running through pedals will come into INPUT 3?

durp?

or accidentally correct?

[oscillateur]

Yeah, that will work. You ideally want a mixer with aux sends that can be set either pre or post fader per channel. Post fader : the audio is sent to the aux send after the fader, so if it's at 0 nothing goes to the effects send. Pre fader : the audio before the volume control is sent to the aux send, useful to get a full wet of the effects. If there is no option the aux sends are typically post fader.

[oscillateur]

Actually, it says aux pre on this one.
I'd say get one where you can switch that (pre/post), it makes life much easier depending on what you want to do.

And if you want to get all fancy and spend more money but get something that can route everything to everything, check the McMillen K-Mix (which costs more monies, though)...

[behndy]

innnnnteresssssssting.

yeah. the K-Mix INTRIGUES ME. but i'm trying to keep it cheap right now. if i get a few more bits of kit (just have an AudioThingies MicroMonsta planned at this point), i might move up to THE BIG BOY. man that thing is sexy.

lol. since i am DUMB AS PENISES ABOUT THIS TOPIC, i'm going to rephrase your answer to make sure i'm getting it. if it's only pre fader, that means whatever volume the audio going into the channel i have the AUX PRE knob bumped up on, that's the volume it goes into the pedal chain?

i'm really just looking for an easy way to send a synth or two into a bunch of pedals and get silly sounds.

do you know anything with a similar form factor as this that has a pre/post option? i'm in a tiny part of the smaller room we use as my wiff's office/music space, so clean wiring is USEFUL. i like the inputs/outputs in the back like that for cleanliness.

also, thanks meng. HELPFUL LIKE BUTTS. YOU. YOU THE MAN.

[oscillateur]

Most small-ish mixers have the outputs on the top...

Depending on your budget, there might be stuff by Yamaha, Soundcraft, Mackie, even Behringer (I don't really like recommending them but their small mixers are cheap as fuck and relatively decent) that have pre/post aux sends. If there's a small button next to the aux send knob for the channel, it's usually the pre/pot switch.

Small mixers sadly usually only have one fx send. You have to go to 12 tracks things to get a second one (I have a Yamaha MW12c for example that has one switchable and one post fader aux send per channel). That's one of the reasons why the K-Mix is nice. But it's a different type of machine (audio interface, MIDI controller, etc.), and it's much more expensive.

[rfurtkamp]

Is this for an outboard synth, or are you going out of the computer, to external stuff, then back in?

[behndy]

both was the goal?

an outboard synth or two into 3/4 and 5/6, audio interface into 7/8? but the computer's audio interface for laughs, much more interested in the synths.

[rfurtkamp]

Going to make sure that your interface has in/out routing options to support what you're looking for - recipe for feedback loops (not in a fun way) or just not working if the DAW or machine can't handle simultaneous in/out in that realm.

You're basically wanting to real-time reamp if it's in the box, and the physical hardware mixer is secondary IMO to an interface that supports that.

[behndy]

jia. it's really fucking with the toanz coming out of the hardware synths that intrigues me the most.

i dig that it might be a bitch with the interface i have to play audio out whilst recording it (i forget what that's called? something BI-???). if not, no bigs.