I was just wondering what the typical mixdown setup was on the DA7 by the majority of users here.

For example, how many of you use channels 1 - 8 as FX returns?

Do you start your drums on bank one 9 - 16 or on bank two 17 - 24 (or beyond)?

Who's using tape with the DA7's automation vrs those now using a DAW's internal automation while simply monitoring on the DA7?

Anybody doing surrond mixing? Do you do the surround in the DAW or on the desk?

I'm just curious about how most of you work on your riggs.

I'll start it off. My typical mixing set-up is as follows.

FX:
I run my digital FX spdif in auxes 1 & 2
I run the balance 3 - 6 into a small submxer(With 3 band EQ on each channel. So I've got
5 bands to work with counting the returns.)
which comes back on aux returns 3 - 6.

Bank One:
Channels 1 - 8 run 4 stereo tracks for Percussion (Divided as Hand & Drum) and Orchestra
(Divided as Strings & Brass).

Channels 9 - 16 runs Lead and Background Vocals, Solo Performances (Horn, Guitar, Etc.) and DAW FX Returns.

Channels 17 - 24 runs the Drum Kit

Channels 25 - 32 runs Bass, Guitars (sometimes divided as Acoustic & Electric if the mix is small enough. Otherwise they come back submixed from Nuendo onto a stereo pair of faders), Piano/Organ, and Synths.

Any 8 buss type of processing has to be done inside the DAW and all automation is done on the DAW.

I use the desk's dynamics and EQ (as well as my hardware FX) as much as possible to lessen the CPU load from plug-ins to avoid having to print or export tracks.

The mix goes through the desk and back to a stereo track in Nuendo. I avoid the loop feedback by placing the MSTR Track on Nuendo's Bus 13.

How do you guys mix your stuff?

My set up is very simple. DA7, MackieSDR recorder, and a very old version of cakewalk that I sync via smpte. Since I use my studio almost exclusively for songwriting I almost always start on the sequencer for drums, bass and keys then move to the recorder for vocals and acoustic instruments.

I only move the drums over to the recorder after I'm sure parts fit with the song - its easier to mix drums parts individually from the board. So I move drums over to channel 17-24 and place the acoutic instruments after. I leave 9-16 open on the board since I may require 24 tracks and still may need to use my main input channels. Chnl 1-8 are voice(2), organ, POD for guitar, Synth modules.

All my effects are cheap units with analog outputs, so 3/4 are the sends and I return them to 3/4 and 5/6 respectively. Occasionally to get a little more mileage out of my rig I'll record the effects to channels so I can use multiple effects from one unit. I use very little dynamics - occasionally my RNC via insert to a vocal channel or some compression on a piano.

For me simple = good

AUX 1/2 (dig) into PCM 81, 3/4 / 5 into patchbay, 6 into an old Behringer line splitter and into patchbay + headphone mixer.

All my DAW stuff comes up on the second layer (9-32). Analog ins are routed via patchbay to 9-16 (synths, etc), and eventually to 1-8.
(IF I'll be able to find another "7" I'll route all my FX to the second board's analog ins)

More outboard processors (EQ / filterbanks / Sapce echo / comps) are tied in by means of the ADDA card (INS mode).

As far as the physical layout is concerned, I really don't care, as I use the 4th (custom) layer to re-order the faders as I need them -usually from left to right in order of importance and frequency, i.e. vox -> bass (drums come usually last).

Funnily enough, when I'm doing live, my board's setup is totally reversed (i.e. drums on the left, then bass, and so on untile the lead vox - go figure).

"JJ" Paul

Regardless if I'm in a daw or the da7, I run it as I would FOH.

on the 7, this kind of sucks though, because this puts lead vocal at 13, which has no phantom!

1 kick
2 snare
3 hh/kick2
4 tom1
5 tom2
6 tom3
7 tom4
8 ohc/hh/kick2
9 bass
10 guitar
11 guitar 2
12 voc l
13 voc c
14 voc r
15 ohl
16 ohr

It's moved around on the 7 though, I made one of the groups be the delay vocal buss before. I just have that map in my head, and although I did do the drums on 9-16 once because I needed phantom on 1-8 I was inclinded to try and map it backwards..
It's just been so long that's the way I think, in order as I would normally mix the things. left to right.

Aux send 1/2 goes to a PCM-91 which is returned to Aux return 1/2. Simple. Good. :-)

Aux sends 3-6 go to a SwitchBlade 16 that feeds a rack of old (analog) effects. The effects outs connect back into the SwitchBlade which mixes down to a stereo return that i send into Aux return 3/4. Not simple, but very flexible.

The synth rack (rarely used - i'm not much of a synth player...) goes through a small mixer which feeds into Aux 5/6.

All of the analog connectivity is really a left-over from my pre-DA7 days, but since it ain't broke, i ain't gunna fix it. :-) And, it leaves 1-8 on the DA7 open for anything else i need to patch in. There are a few other "utility" effects that aren't used enough to keep connected to the SwitchBlade - those i usually return to channels 1 through 8.

One thing i am in the middle of converting to is to use a MOTU 308 to connect to the digital effects. The effects outs will return to the 308 which will be mixed (via the PCI-424) and sent to the Aux return 1/2. This will allow me to perform multiple digital effects sends via the DAW.

I use two DA7s (running with MAX) to get 44 analog channels and 32 digital channels (76 inputs all together) . This allows for some flexibility especially in where I return efx.


Everything hits a patchbay. This allows me to patch vintage devices thru the 7s and into the DAW. I also route 8 ch of WZ-AD96M into what would be ch 57 thru 64, that feed the DAW digitally.


Depending on which way I patch, the DA7s can be the front end of the DAW or the front end of 32 tracks of DA78s. This tape rack is portable and has 32 ch of Tascam Mic PREs. This lets me do live remotes with a minimum amount of gear and gives me pretty good results. These tracks are transfered to the DAW or mixed directly on the 7s(depending on the producer/artist).


If I mix thru the DAW I use the MIDI Remote functions of the 7 to control faders, pans, on/off and solo.


All in all, the DA7 has been a trusted friend and makes all this madness pretty effortless.

That's all? C'mon guys. I think there's a lot to be learned here by logging our work approaches (at any stage of the project: tracking or mixing).

There hasn't been much mention of where the mix ends up (back in the DAW or to and external recorder?), and absolutely nothing from the surround guys. I'd really like to hear from those of you using analog desks with your DA7s and more from those using multiple DA7 setups.

I'd especially like to hear from people with comparison stories. You know, "My 3 DA7 rigg did everything that SSl 9000J did" kind of stuff.

C'mon Y'all. Holla back!

I'm limited to 16 tracks by my Digi 001, but I usually go FOH setup for my mixes. I run 1-8 as Digital and 9-16 as analog. I love having flip on every channel! Depending on the size of my mix will determine how I run my I/O. If it's more then 16, I will mix it in ProTools and use mostly software based plugins. I can't afford a ton of hardware outboard, so software is usually where I end up. If the mix is less then 16, let's say 8 tracks. I'll run the entire thing through lightpipe and do the majority of my processing on the 7. I always end up back in ProTools since I have no other outboard recording medium.

Everything runs through DBX patchbays, and one of the coolest thing I got recently was a full rackmount of Valley People equipment. 6 Kepex II's, 2 Brain Gains, and 2 MaxEQs. I love Kepex II's for mixing Drums. This was quite a nice pick up from eBay. The majority of work I do in my studio is Mixing, since I'm limited to no true ISO room.

I do what I can with what I have! I love my DA7.