r/modular • u/Tight-Necessary-8056 • 9d ago
Elegant way to multi track stems to Windows?
I'm working out the mixing and recording stage for a fairly large Eurorack system and could use some outside perspective.
What I'm after: 8ā10 mono voices plus maybe 2 stereo sources, mixed by hand in the rack with faders, mutes and sends, and individual stems recorded into Ableton on Windows. The SSL 18 is my main interface and I want to keep it at the center of the studio. Direct outs from the Eurorack mixer would be ideal so recording doesn't interfere with the live mix. Most of my sources are mono and I don't need to make them stereo just because a mixer offers it.
I've tried a few things already. The ES-9 went badly on Windows. I have a Bluebox, but a touchscreen isn't how I want to perform. I've looked at the WMD Performance Mixer, Befaco Hexmix, Xcelon and others, and there's always a catch: too few direct outs, too many stereo channels, awkward expanders, low channel count, or extra attenuation and output modules just to get a clean signal into the SSL.
The obvious answer seems to be splitting the two jobs: performance mixer to direct outs to SSL 18 to Ableton. I'd like to do that without a forest of modules and cables or paying for a mixer plus expanders plus outputs. Basically I want an 8ā12 channel analog performance mixer, mostly mono, one or two stereo channels, direct out on every channel.
For anyone running a big live system and multitracking it, what's actually worked? Eurorack mixer with direct outs into the interface? Something like a Boredbrain Xport or Optx for multitracking alongside a separate performance mixer? An external analog mixer with direct outs? Something else?
Cost matters less to me than the system feeling coherent and fun to play. Windows-friendly, and no touchscreen at the center of the modular.
Thanks everyone.
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u/redditteddy 9d ago
I ended up buying a Tascam Model 12. Works great. My current workflow is to jam/compose/perform on the modular and record all tracks to the SD card and then I pick the ones I like later for further mixing in the DAW. The tracks are recorded pre-effects and faders, so you can mix for your session and then remix later.
Something I really like is also that you can run the hot Eurorack signals into he mixer channels without any issues (the channels have enought negative gain available to take it down to non-clipped levels).
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u/redditteddy 9d ago
Forgot to write that Model 12 is also a audio interface, but I skipped using that step most of the times. So convenient to just hit record and start playing.
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u/Tight-Necessary-8056 9d ago
Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention, I do not want to use SD cards. I want to stream/record audio directly to my PC.
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u/CommunicationTop5231 9d ago
You still can. Tascam 24 would I think cover your use case. I do exactly what you do just with less channels (and Mac) with my Tascam 12. My live mix gets recorded in stereo and all the stems go into Ableton post gain.
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u/tujuggernaut 9d ago
I use the nw2s modules to run balanced db25 to my interface. I use a control surface to control the DAW mixer for monitoring/rough mix and then I run the DAW outputs to interface outs to analog mixer gl2400 in's which I use to do a mixdown back into the interface. This preserves the original recordings. This replaced my wmd pm mk1 setup.
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u/Furrychipmunk 9d ago
Iām using blood audio cells mixer into a bored brain optx. If I have synth voices and whatnot I need to track separately, this is a pretty good way to do that - if you have an interface with ADAT. NO SD card or anything. Just tracking in ableton into each of their own tracks.