Headphone matrix mixer with more than 6 inputs?

[lukeduplex]

I'm looking for something that may or may not exist. I run Pro Tools LE 7.3.1 with an 003 and am trying to figure out how to run multiple headphone mixes with no latency. In Pro Tools I have the Low Latency Monitoring selected, which limits me to using only outs 1/2 for headphones. Unfortunately this also limits me to monitoring (in the control room) the same mix as the talent. PLEASE let me know if I've got this wrong and you know of ways to make this work inside PT!


My planned solution is to use a patchbay to mult my preamp outputs before they reach the 003. Send one of the feeds to PT, the other to some sort of headphone mixer/amp combo.

I have read about the old mackie HMX-56, but it's only got 1 stereo and 4 mono inputs. If i have a full band tracking live, that wouldn't be enough in most cases.

For Exmple:

Kick, Stereo OH, Bass, Guit1, Stereo Keys, Vox


I suppose i could find an 8+ channel mixer that has plenty of auxes and a stand-alone headphone amp, but I was hoping to find this functionality all in one box.

Anyway, let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks!

[tactics]

I have read about the old mackie HMX-56, but it's only got 1 stereo and 4 mono inputs. If i have a full band tracking live, that wouldn't be enough in most cases.

For Exmple:

Kick, Stereo OH, Bass, Guit1, Stereo Keys, Vox


I suppose i could find an 8+ channel mixer that has plenty of auxes and a stand-alone headphone amp, but I was hoping to find this functionality all in one box.

Anyway, let me know if you have any ideas.

Thanks!

Hi Luke, i've been looking into a Mackie HMX 56 lately also, i'm sure it's capable

of 8 inputs though, if you count the main input as another stereo in. The main input

level has to be controlled from the control room end though.

The HMX56 is identical to the QMix HM6. Both are discontinued though.Damn !!

[joel hamilton]

you could just get ANY 16 input mixer and then use that to sum down to your headphone mix.

but you would have to mult from the mic pre to the mixer, but it is totally doable.
I have done it at LE based studios I have found myself in.

[ott0bot]

I think sending mult to a cheap mixer and summing to a headphone amp is probably the best solution.

I use an digi 003 le set up and I have a 8 channel rolls headphone amp that has an insert on each channel, but you can only send one mult to each channel of the headphone amp. Works great for tracking vocals or single overdub, but no good for a full band.

[kingmetal]

here's a weird solution -- you could get an old MOTU 828.

EDIT: SHIT! It looks like maybe the 828 is only has one stereo bus out so it would only sum everything into one headphone mix. You'd need a MK2 to make the setup I'm describing (which is probably not cost effective @ $300ish). I've only ever used the MKII. Please add 'MKII' to the end of every instance of 828 from here on.

Not as an interface, but as a mixer.

828s are a 8 bus (two stereo pair) 20 input mixer (8 analog TRS, 8 ADAT light-pipe, 2 S/PDIF and 2 XLR). Through Cuemix you can take your pre-amp mults and route them to stereo pairs of outputs on the MOTU -- there's a nice headphone out and then 4 pairs of TRS, plus ADAT and S/PDIF.

It'll do all this in a stand-alone mode -- if it were a MK2 or a MK3 you could even do all of this without using a computer but the interface would suck. Here's an awesome bonus I just thought up -- Cuemix can be controlled by Mackie HUI so you could get a set of MIDI faders that speaks HUI and give the artists control over their mix. Do the Korg nanos speak HUI?

I think 828s go for pretty cheap on the 'bay now. This is why I buy MOTU stuff -- they're ridiculously flexible.

Shit with the MK3s you get 16 busses out (8 stereo pairs) AND DSP effects (EQ, reverb, compression, etc). You can set up whole artist mixes that way and be a real magic man. I'd love to have that going on in my studio!

[NewAndImprov]

I have read about the old mackie HMX-56, but it's only got 1 stereo and 4 mono inputs. If i have a full band tracking live, that wouldn't be enough in most cases.

For Exmple:

Kick, Stereo OH, Bass, Guit1, Stereo Keys, Vox

I've got the QMix HM-6, which was the precursor to the Mackie, and I love it! I haven't found a situation that I couldn't cover with some creative submixing and routing, and I've done some pretty large bands. It actually has a second stereo input in the form of an FX return, so you really have 2 stereo and 4 mono inputs. Plenty of power, too.