Audio Mixer
A lot of my friends were very disappointed in me when I finally switched over to digital gear. After all, they are all garage rock snobs. They believe in using a low fidelity, analog audio mixer, and tape recording gear whenever possible. To me, it just seems ridiculous. Having a good audio mixer, a digital audio recorder, and the latest studio gear is something that every musician wants. If you want to have a rough and raw sound, you can do that on digital gear just as easily as with analog gear. It is not like you have to make everything sound processed if you do not want to. Still, having good audio mixers and receivers lets you do just that if you want to. It is all about having the most creative options possible. Computer sound mixers give you lots of options.
Nonetheless, I was pretty used to using my analog audio mixer gear. It took a fair bit of money and time to set up a new audio recording studio. I have been using the same 8-track recorder for so many years, after all, that I have learned to adapt to all of its quirks. The same goes for the audio mixer. It is not particularly high quality, but I do know how to tweak it to get just the right sound. Are computer sound mixers as versatile?
Digital mixers are something else altogether. It is hard to get used to something so clean and precise. Nonetheless, once I did get used to it, I was definitely grateful for it. I have more control over the music than ever before. Everything would be at precisely the sound level I wanted. I could even see on the digital readout how powerful a signal was going through. Suddenly, I can not do things by touch anymore. I have to actually know the level that I want as a number. It was a big change for me, but one that I have coped with pretty well.
Of course, the audio mixer, or computer sound mixer, is only one part of getting a good pro audio setup. The real linchpin of it is getting the computer audio recording software set up and working right. The great thing about using computer recording software, and computer sound mixers is that you have such an incredible level of control. Effects that used to require a particular recording round to set up, thousands of dollars of equipment, and specialized mics can now be simulated with a great degree of accuracy in most audio recording software. All in all, it is worth the effort to catch up with the new technology.
If you are concerned at the cost of the transfer to digital mixing, then don't be alarmed. There are a lot of good shareware or freeware free downloadable music mixer on the web. Just do a search for "free downloadable music mixer" and you will find lots of good products. Another good search is " free MP3 Mixer" , or "Mix my own Music",if you are looking for a free mp3 Mixer program. A free MP3 mixer can give a very good introduction to digital mixing, and many free MP3 mixers have an upgrade path to a professional Audio Mixer Program.
