How to record from mixer to computer

[Hugostar]

Hello everyone, I am happy to be here.
Please how can I record a good quality sound from my Allen&health gl2400?

[Guest]

I have a similar thread to this myself. An easy answer would be to run usb from mixer to pc

[The Elf]

You will need an audio interface. The AI will need sufficient inputs to accommodate the number of separate signals you would like to record. After that you can connect the mixer in a number of ways, so we will need a bit more information on what you're hoping to achieve.

But then you have to ask yourself, if you need the audio interface anyway, to which you can connect instruments and microphones directly, do you need to go via the mixer?

[ef37a]

That is quite a sophisticated mixer and as Elf say, any recommendations depend upon the precise use you intend for the recordings. A stereo mix or do you want to record each channel to a separate track?

Did you get the mixer from new? That could be important because it has a multitude of internal jumper routing options and if another party has been frigging around in there you will go loopy chasing signals!

If you don't already have it, download the manual from A&H and spend an evening on some intense reading.

Dave.

[Janneman]

Recording via direct-out to a interface with enough inputs.

[ef37a]

Recording via direct-out to a interface with enough inputs.

I suppose the logical answer is the ICE-16?

Dave.

[Mike Stranks]

Recording via direct-out to a interface with enough inputs.

That's making an assumption that we know exactly what the O/P wants to do... he may just want a simple stereo mix; he may want to record off the back of a live performance etc.

So O/P... and welcome by the way! What exactly is it you want to do?

[Hugostar]

Hello friends, I am so happy with this forum, as so many are giving their solution to he'll me out.
I think I need to make it clear here of what I really want.
I connected my audio cable from my Allen&Health GL2400 "monitor output" to my PC "audio input"...
After capturing the audio with my "Adobe Audition"...the play back does not carry the keyboard, drums etc...all I can hear is the only the mics "voice".
So my problem here is how will get all the sound into my "PC"? That having a complete stereo sound.
Meanwhile, my audio line is only from 1 monitor line, could it be the problem?

[Hugostar]

Recording via direct-out to a interface with enough inputs.

That's making an assumption that we know exactly what the O/P wants to do... he may just want a simple stereo mix; he may want to record off the back of a live performance etc.

So O/P... and welcome by the way! What exactly is it you want to do?

Yes my brother, I guess you are right.
What I need is a simple stereo mix...just to record all that comes into the mixer to my PC.
Note: Amy using ADOBE AUDITION as my capturing software.
Thanks alot for your response.

[ef37a]

"What I need is a simple stereo mix...just to record all that comes into the mixer to my PC."

Right! Super cheap but actually passing decent, Behringer UCA 202, after that the sky's the limit depending on the level of quality you want.

Do be aware that at approximately the £100 point for a 2 in 2 out interface they are of incredible good audio quality and you would have to spend ten time that to get a paper spec that was significantly better and even then, depending on the source material and monitoring quality, you would likely never hear a difference.

Dave.

[The Elf]

+1

And I would suggest using the 2-track ('2TRK OUT') outputs from your mixer to connect to the audio interface, rather than the monitor outputs. That should simplify things for you, but read the manual to make sure you are sending the right signals to the output.

[Hugostar]

Someone is suggesting that I should buy an external sound card.
Is it necessary to buy an external sound card before I could record from my mixer to my PC, considering my HP ENVY came with a good strong inbuilt sound card?

Honestly am getting confused right now...
Why can't I hear the drums, the keyboard, guitar, etc after recording...all I always hear is the voice ( very clear)

[Sam Spoons]

The GL2400 is a nice mixer but is fairly sophisticated so there are a few ways you could be losing some channels on the recording. It's a while since I used a GL desk (I had a GL2200 for a couple of years) so I'll try to scan the manual later.

Where are you recording from? As Elf says the 'two track' outputs will be best as they always follow the main outs. Can you hear the other instruments on headphones when recording? If you can then recording should also capture them. Is it a balance problem? Are the other instruments there but very quiet? Are they electronic or live instruments captured with microphones? Is this a recording of a live gig or a 'studio' session?

The sound card in your HP Envy will be ok for casual listening and may good enough for your recordings but it will be markedly inferior to even a cheap audio interface like the one Dave suggested. But it should be recording whatever is coming out of your mixer so the problem is with something your are doing on the mixer.

[ef37a]

Someone is suggesting that I should buy an external sound card.
Is it necessary to buy an external sound card before I could record from my mixer to my PC, considering my HP ENVY came with a good strong inbuilt sound card?

Honestly am getting confused right now...
Why can't I hear the drums, the keyboard, guitar, etc after recording...all I always hear is the voice ( very clear)

Yes, you could use the HP laptop's internal card but, although PC cards can be very good for replay (digital to analogue conversion) and this HP g6 i3 upon which I am typing is one such, they can be a right PITA to use for recording, mainly due to the fact that they only accept very low levels and tend to have too much gain and introduce noise.

You could just buy a cable, one end 3.5mm Stereo jack and split out to two 1/4" mono jacks (aka TS, same as on a guitar cable) . Then you need to frigg about with Windows sound settings to crank down the gain. Even so you will probably find the mixer will overload the min jack input. You will do no harm but it will sound bad. The cable will only cost a few quid so worth a try.

Got to go for a mo' I am sure someone will give you a link to that cable.

Dave.

[Sam Spoons]

I assume hugostar already has the cable as he is recording to his laptop from the 'monitor' outputs.....

[Mike Stranks]

I hope you don't mind me making this really simple...

Use:



to connect to:



and then connect the phono plugs to the Input sockets of this Behringer UCA202:



and then connect the Behringer to a USB socket on your laptop.

Whatever is being routed to the main outputs of the mixer will then be recorded on the laptop into the software of your choice. That will give you the potential to record at up to CD quality if you record WAV files and not MP3s.

[Watchmaker]

+1. Between Dave and Mike's advice, you've got a very clear and effective path to your objective. And remember, you're learning new stuff so be patient with yourself.

[Hugostar]

Honestly I am very very happy finding this forum. ..all your advise and contributions re very good and clear...am going to work on it tomorrow and come back to share my positive result.
Thanks once again...Mike your picture clue is wonderful and we'll explain...thanks too.

[Sam Spoons]

A budget interface is a good idea, much better than the built in one but if you are not getting the mix out of the desk it won't help. Please have another look at my last post and answer the questions I asked. There is a reason why you are not recording what you expect but it it is probably something to do with how you are configuring the mixer.

[Mike Stranks]

A budget interface is a good idea, much better than the built in one but if you are not getting the mix out of the desk it won't help. Please have another look at my last post and answer the questions I asked. There is a reason why you are not recording what you expect but it it is probably something to do with how you are configuring the mixer.

Almost certainly because of using the Monitor Outs. I've been caught out before when trying to record the stereo mix with these. It's very easy to have a PFL button engaged which will then solo that channel to the monitor, but if you're listening to the main LR mix you're completely unaware.

2-Trk out is much simpler/safer for a straight 2-channel recording. On this mixer it's a direct feed from the main L/R so easier to diagnose any funnies.

[forumuser918214]

Hi, sorry if this is redundant, I have not read all the answers.

I assume your mixer has an auxiliary bus (alt 3-4). You need a simple and cheap USB audio interface as well.

Plug the mixer alt 3-4 output into a pair of inputs in the interface. Plug the interface output into a pair of inputs on the mixer. You can now record from the mixer alt 3-4 into your computer. You can also playback your computer sounds on your mixer controlling it with the mixer. You can even record to your computer while you are listening to its playback and your input simultaneously.
(Latency may be noticeable).

I may be oldschool, but I cannot imagine not having a mixer! The above setup has been great-sounding, reliable, flexible, (and cheap) for me for years

[The Elf]

I may be oldschool, but I cannot imagine not having a mixer!

It's simply a choice.

For most beginners, although they seem to believe that a hardware mixer is a requirement (and I've even heard newcomers being advised in music shops that it is an absolute pre-requisite!), a mixer often carries complications and compromises that they simply don't need at the start of their learning process.

Unfortunately many soon discover that mixers often don't allow for separate recordings of their inputs, and it is here that the fudging and bodging begins.

Many of us here have ditched the mixer. It's liberating and space-saving. As long as your audio interface provides sufficient I/O then it also means that any audio source can be recorded in isolation at the drop of a hat. Of course a 'mixer' is still a requirement, but this is presented in software. I have 64 line inputs all arriving into my DAW and no hardware mixer needed or wanted.

Many hardware mixers now are capable of presenting all their inputs as discrete feeds to the computer, but then you do have ask yourself what value the 'mixer' per se is really adding...

[The Elf]

Plug the mixer alt 3-4 output into a pair of inputs in the interface.

I would advise against this until the 2-track output has been proved to be working. It seems that the OP is not so familiar with his mixer than we want to start getting into sub-grouping...

[ef37a]

I may be oldschool, but I cannot imagine not having a mixer!

It's simply a choice.

For most beginners, although they seem to believe that a hardware mixer is a requirement (and I've even heard newcomers being advised in music shops that it is an absolute pre-requisite!), a mixer often carries complications and compromises that they simply don't need at the start of their learning process.

Unfortunately many soon discover that mixers often don't allow for separate recordings of their inputs, and it is here that the fudging and bodging begins.

Many of us here have ditched the mixer. It's liberating and space-saving. As long as your audio interface provides sufficient I/O then it also means that any audio source can be recorded in isolation at the drop of a hat. Of course a 'mixer' is still a requirement, but this is presented in software. I have 64 line inputs all arriving into my DAW and no hardware mixer needed or wanted.

Many hardware mixers now are capable of presenting all their inputs as discrete feeds to the computer, but then you do have ask yourself what value the 'mixer' per se is really adding...

Circumstances do alter cases though Elf. I agree, the newb that askes "how do I record guitar (lekky or/and acoustic) and my voice?" just needs a modest 2 in 2 out AI but often it is not quite that simple. Peeps often want to record more than one source but not necessarily as multitrack and it is convenient to have a synth,drum mech', hi fi all connected to a mixer. Yes, an 8 input AI would do but,..
A) It would cost much more than a modern 24 bit mixer,
B) You would have to pay for mic pres you don't need.
Mixers these days have very good pre amps, as do AIs but also tend to have higher headroom and better gain control.
Mixers have pan so newb can put voice and guitar "where" they like*. Can't do that with any AIs I know of?
True zero latency, stand alone monitoring!

I could go on but I think you get my point? Horses for courses. Of course when you have progressed to a 64 input system I guess you can forget these matters?

*I have lost count of the number of questions that go "why do I only get my voice/guitar in one ear please?"

Dave.

[The Elf]

I agree - it's simply a choice. It's the idea that a hardware 'mixer' is an absolute requirement that I will continue to rail against.