Audio interface upgrade - suggestions?

[henrebotha]

Hey bronies,

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I've started planning my future studio gear. Until now it's mostly been parent-bought stuff, general laptop, etc. Now I'm planning a desktop PC rig.

What I want out of my new PC system, in terms of the interface, is twofold:
- I want to be able to record up to 8 sources simultaneously.
- I want future upgrade flexibility; my purchases should enable, rather than preclude, easy upgrade options.

To this end, I want to build a mixer-based system. Going with a mixer means I can upgrade my system by buying/building hardware compressors, pres, etc. It also means I can independently upgrade my converters and the mixer itself (that is, if it's not a combo mixer/interface like the Mackie 1640i).

I'd like 8 channels, and I'd like to have 8 pres from the start (even if they're not exceptional - again, I have the flexibility to upgrade). If possible, I'd like to be able to craft monitor mixes on the desk itself, independently of the levels I'm sending to the PC. Post-fader direct outs would be awesome (the Soundcraft M8 can do this). I don't think I'll need more than one or two auxes. I also don't care for onboard effects (except EQ and dynamics stuff, obviously). I DO want to be able to process recorded tracks through hardware analogue units, so I'll need more than just stereo out from the PC.

My plan here is to build a home studio environment for 'producer-y' purposes - sound to picture, stock music, personal electronic-based projects with some acoustic instruments... That kind of vibe.

Obviously this needs to be as cheap as possible. I don't mean Behringer-cheap, though.

So what hardware options do I have? Currently I'm thinking an M-Audio Delta 1010 with a Soundcraft M8 is a great bet, albeit expensive. But what about the Presonus Firestudio Project - I would only use it for converters and probably ignore its pres altogether, so how would that compare to the Delta? Are there other 8x8 PCI/Firewire options at similar prices (or less)? There's also the Mackie 1640i, which is more $$$ but has some DI inputs which are useful (I'm a guitarist) as well as just, y'know, more channels - though it is an integrated unit and therefore harder to upgrade (but I'll probably never need to upgrade again ).

Should I be looking at any particular ADAT stuff?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Is there other hardware I should be checking out? I'm especially interested in other mixers with 8 mono channels, a couple usable pres (more is better), at least one stereo channel, and direct outs.

[Radiant]

Depending on your price range, the RME sound cards are amazing but also come with a hefty pricetag. the RME HDSPe AIO has ADAT support and you can hook up an external ADAT unit like the Behringer ADA800 into it, this way you can load up each individual track into your DAW mixer channels, and that should give you more room to work with, a lot of these ADAT converters don't have the featuers a mixer has, but it's a great option for recording. And gives you more in-the-box control on your computer.

They also have an all-in-one solution, the RME Octamic II. I think that's at a lower price than the Onyx 1640i mixer as well, but it's a rack mount and might not suit your needs either.

As for an all in one, the MOTU Ultralite gets pretty nice results, it has 8 ins and outs and it's about a third of the Onyx 1640i mixer's price tag.

[henrebotha]

Wow, the RME really is out of my price range

The Ultralite looks pretty cool but again, I really want access to inserts so I can track through hardware processors (EQs, compressors, whatever). And having a physical control surface would be excellent - I'm a bit tired of doing everything with a mouse. I don't really necessarily want to do analogue mixes, but for things like tracking drums, it's so much better to have a mixer under my fingers than have to scroll through a little menu to get to every setting.

Plus I'd rather have a more modular setup than an all-in-one solution.

[Radiant]

I can't offer you information from experience then, unfortunately

But I do have a website that gives a lot of information, and also contains forum topics where people discuss the best mixers for a certain price range : http://www.tweakheadz.com/choosing_a_mi ... tudio.html