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Having trouble finding what I think should be simple and straightforward product.

I splurged on Black Friday. Among other things, I took advantage of the Mrs’ edu discount and bought Ableton. Time to get serious about my recording setup. I’d like to get a new mixer (been getting by on a Behringer 802 for a few years) and a new interface (currently an iRig Pro). Am also down with saving desk space, cable cash, and being able to record everything at once all the time. So what I want is an interface/mixer combo.

Those exist, yes. But it’s seems like few to none of them actually send all or even most of the input channel out via USB. Looks like they all sum down to 2x out, regardless of the number of inputs. Fail.

What I want, is 6 or 8 inputs and the same number of outputs via USB. And the option to hook said box up to speakers and/or headphones. And for those analog outs to work regardless of whether or not I’m running my Mac or iPad. That’s it. AUX and FX sends for NoInput fun is nice but not essential, same goes for extra build-in digital FX that seem common on so many mixers these days. Most of my inputs are going to be synths, samplers, noisemakers - 0-coast, Moog M32, Microbrute, Black Death, Microgranny - but at least on XLR input might be nice, as well as a proper impedance instrument input.

The only thing I’ve found is the Phonic Helix Board 12. A brand I’d barely heard of before and don’t think of as making quality kit. I think there used to be a Tascam that fit the bill, but it looks to be OOP and EOL leaving me SOL. The Phonic has a single poorly written review on amazon and is more than I want to pay for something with no known track record - but it might be my only option.

Anything else else out there?

Help!

kmix?

Look at digital mixers, a lot of them will include an interface these days.

I have a Yamaha 01V96i that would accomplish that.

Just interfaces, MOTU, behringer both have options. Sweetwater has a search by I/O count and you can filter it to just USB interfaces.

K-Mix

Mixer, no.

Interface, yes.

The Tascam rack/deskmount will do it (using the 16x08 currently) - it will do on or offline mode.

the most cost effective way to do what you want is with an interface honestly. if the stuff like Drod was talking about wasn't over a thousand dollars and up in most cases, i would love to have something like his Yamaha he already mentioned. But for what you can get with a budget rack interface vs. what you get with a mixer for the same money, it isn't really even comparable. There are some cheaper budget options for usb mixers that also work as an audio interface, but they usually only have a pretty limited amount of channels that are routed to the DAW part of it, and even fewer outs. usually for a few hundred dollars you can something like a Soundcraft Notepad-12FX Mixer that has 4 channels of USB connectivity. That is kind of around where they max out before jumping quick into what Drod was saying. so i guess it kind of depends how much money you have to spend too, it would be useful information for people to help you also.

The Tascam 16x08 is a full 16 24/96 in via USB.

yeah honestly i think the Tascam 16x08 like rfurtkamp suggested or the behringer uphoria 1820 would be great for doing what the poster is wanting to do. but i don't know if you are 100 percent wanting to get a mixer

(Just wrote a long post that got eaten. Damnit.)

So it looks like I’m going with the Soundcraft Sig 12 MTK - 14x12 interface, switchable high impedance preamps, able to run VST/AU plugins directly from the board. Should handle anything I’ll be doing for the foreseeable. $450 new, which is about $200 more than I’d wanted/expected to spend, but not impossible.

Remain surprised that there aren’t more mixer-based options out there. A couple of interesting 4x4 mixer interfaces around $200, but otherwise you’re looking at $450 and up. Possibly way up.

I’m open to hearing other options if there’s anything else anyone can recommend. Kmix definitely isn’t on the list - more $ than I want to spend and just hideous. I usually don’t care about gear aesthetics, but damn - it’s like some sort of OG Star Trek cosplay gone disco.

But yeah. Soundcraft is prob what it’s gonna be. Might pick up one of the cheaper models to start - they have a $150 4x4 unit - to hold me over until I’m ready to commit the cash and space to the big board.

The thing is that the mixer-option just has the USB option for equivalent of stereo FOH recording. Lots of discrete channels etc for DAW use aren't really part of that (and add to the cost), and for dedicated DAW use, the "mixer" aspect is wasted versus an automatable control surface (which is again, much more expensive per channel).