Today’s tip comes from one of our top Sweetwater Sales Engineers, Nika Aldrich.
One of the biggest pitfalls of the computer based recording system is the lack of a control room section. Since the computer is doing most of our mixing, we don’t have one volume control knob or fader to adjust the mix to the monitors without reducing the bit depth of the master outputs (turning the master fader down on your computer actually reduces the bit depth of your main outs – not a good thing). Also, without a control room section, setting up a headphone mix becomes more difficult as well.
We offer a variety of solutions to this problem, but one of my favorites is John Oram’s Octamix. The Octamix is an exquisitely clean 8-channel line mixer designed with basic control room functions in mind.
I have mine in use with my Protools system (although it would work equally well with a MOTU hardware system, Paris, Layla, or any other computer based recording system). All eight outputs of my Protools interface are routed directly to my Octamix. Each channel on the Octamix has a milled aluminum pan knob and a select switch for each of the outputs – mains and cue/headphone. There are two volume pots on the Octamix – one for each of the outputs – giving me separate control over my monitor mix and my headphone mix with an easy knob that is always available under my left hand. I typically have the main two outputs coming into the Octamix on channels 1 & 2 and subsequently routed to the main outs to my primary monitors. Outputs 3 & 4 from my computer are typically my headphone mix, and in the Octamix I route those to the cue/headphone out on the Octamix and send that signal to my headphone amp. In extreme monitoring situations I also send signal out of the cue out on my Octamix to a second pair of monitors for my dual monitor setup. Again, easy selecting in the Octamix lets me select my monitor choice very easily with a simple button push always available under my left hand.
What was crucial for me was the convenience and sound quality. After having invested the dollars in the rest of my system it didn’t make sense to sacrifice it on a poor sounding control room section – the most crucial element of my mix. The Octamix clearly has the build quality and sound quality to be used in the best studios in the world.