Recording...Mixing...multiple instruments...help

[raj007]

*newb, idiot, assclown incoming*

All I know is guitar to interface (iPad) for recording...

So now I have this:
Guitar
Pedals
BeatStep Pro
Kilpatrick Phenol
iPad (use Apogee JAM to connect to guitar)

How the eff can I use these together and record?

Would the Patchulator 8000 do it?

Or do I need some kind of mixer?

Heeeeeeelp

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

mixer or a different interface for your iPad w/ multiple inputs

[D.o.S.]

Do you want to track all of those instruments at once, or are you ok with going one at a time?

[raj007]

Prefer to be capable tracking all at once ...but if that's too expensive I can do individual.

Any product recommendations for either kind??

Would like to be under $200

[Bartimaeus]

Yamaha AG03




There's a Miku version too!

[tremolo3]

An audio interface with >4 dedicated inputs is not going to be <$200 unless you go with and old firewire one, but within that budget you might be able to get 2x cheap Focusrites or Presonus, and that's at least 4 inputs.

[baremountain]

I'd look into a Scarlett/Focusrite audio interface. I use the 18i20 as my primary interface & it's amazing. You can probably find one used in the $250 range IIRC. It's super cool because you can route outboard FX chains (a pre-amp box is recommended before slamming yr input w Line level tho). I also use a K-Mix as a standalone mixer & secondary recording interface, but that's way more out of yr stated price range.

Honestly I would say don't go cheapo on an interface. It's one of the most important tools you'll get. An analog mixer will only send you L+R out at best, and is not idea for mixing at a later date. Get an interface that is exactly what you need right now & you'll outgrow it after a while.
I can record an entire band with my 18i20 easily, and I can even use it to do in/out-intensive solo stuff (like send stereo signals to 2 devices and receive stereo signal from 2 devices, with extra ins to spare)

[manymanyhaha]

Yo man,

Not sure what your signal path is for all that, would help. Are you just going from guitar through pedals to ipad and also have the Phenol and Beatstep separate?

You just need to know how many different "outputs"/instruments you have and then buy whatever you need to mix or record them. You could buy a mixer and record the two track mix of all your instruments but you will be making all the mix decisions on the front end. To allow yourself the freedom to just play and worry about mixing later, you need an audio interface that has enough inputs to record all your instruments separately. As said previously, you might be able to get up to four inputs for up to 200-250 bucks but more than four inputs usually costs more money. Though some of the older 8 or even 16 input interfaces, you might could get for 300 or less. I have a Presonus Firestudio Tube that has 16 inputs that I have been using for a decade that sounds just fine and I'm pretty sure those go for less than $300 used.

So I guess just figure out how many inputs you need, then go from there. Hope that helps.

[manymanyhaha]

I'd look into a Scarlett/Focusrite audio interface. I use the 18i20 as my primary interface & it's amazing. You can probably find one used in the $250 range IIRC. It's super cool because you can route outboard FX chains (a pre-amp box is recommended before slamming yr input w Line level tho). I also use a K-Mix as a standalone mixer & secondary recording interface, but that's way more out of yr stated price range.

Honestly I would say don't go cheapo on an interface. It's one of the most important tools you'll get. An analog mixer will only send you L+R out at best, and is not idea for mixing at a later date. Get an interface that is exactly what you need right now & you'll outgrow it after a while.
I can record an entire band with my 18i20 easily, and I can even use it to do in/out-intensive solo stuff (like send stereo signals to 2 devices and receive stereo signal from 2 devices, with extra ins to spare)

What he said, those Scarlett interfaces are supposed to sound pretty darn good for the money

[crochambeau]

An analog mixer will only send you L+R out at best

Not entirely accurate, unless you're just wading through new production sub $100 options.

A lot of mixers have a sub-mixing bus that will allow you to mix n channels into four, or eight, or sixteen (etc. look at common multi-track tape machine track counts to see why). Another method is a direct output on the (mixer) channel, so you can fold out the preamp/EQ settings to its own (recorder) channel, while also supporting grafting a few other tracks to a stereo stem, etc.

I highly advocate having a mixer, though it is understandable in this day & age the physical space a mixer occupies makes it undesirable for some. I probably own a dozen mixers, they are wonderful.

Multi track A/D D/A conversion is a must though, I'd start there. You can cheap into an old PCI card system if you run a tower.

[resincum]

you can find a Tascam US-1200 for like $100~$150. interface with 6 inputs. (it's what I use)