first time buying a mixer.......needs advice

[tv_st]

hi, i have never use a mixer before but i'm looking forward to buy one. since it's my first time working with a mixer, i would like to have some ideas from other users about mixers, such as which brand is most selective or what kind of mixer will meet my needs. what i'm looking for right now is an inexpensive mixer like one of those little tascam mixer controller for a price range from two to four hundred bucks. i'm making a small home studio for myself and i owned a psr-9000 pro. i'm currently working with midi but not sure what or how to record a midi file to an audio wave form file. can anyone tell me more about recording and what i should buy to make a recording studio. any help would be appricated.

[DAS]

This is tough because there are so many different types of mixers that are optimized for different purposes. It would help if you could tell us what you are trying to accomplish. Why do you think you need a mixer?

You may be able to get to what you need much faster by speaking to one of the Sweetwater Sales Engineers. Call them up (800-222-4700), they are very patient and can help you get exactly what you need based on what you want/need to do.

[Ted]

The Tascam piece you're asking about isn't actually a mixer, but a MIDI control surface which can be used to control virtual mixers in different software programs. If that's what you're looking for, the Tascam's a hard value to beat. However, there are some pieces, such as the slightly-more-expensive Roland Studio Pack, which can act both as an actual mixer (for amplifying, equalizing and routing audio signals from microphones, keyboards, effects processors etc) and a control surface for software. It's a little bit more expensive than the Tascam, but may suit your needs more.

I agree with DAS, though, in that your question can't be fairly answered without knowing a few more specifics. Give us a call!

-Ted