looking for console/routing solution for radio/podcast

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JBAudio
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looking for console/routing solution for radio/podcast

Post by JBAudio » Tue Apr 12, 2016 2:14 pm

Hi all --

Longtime lurker here, I am the lead engineer at a radio program here in the SF bay area. We produce weekly shows and podcasts - nothing live-to-air. We package the show for weekly delivery.

I am working on revamping our setup that is centered around a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. I sincerely do not love the thing, especially partnered with our RE20s and an SM7B. Those are good broadcast dynamics that we can depend on, but gain has to be cranked and I really feel like they sound flat through this interface.

Furthermore, I loathe the Saffire MixControl software panel and I really want to make some operation / user interface changes that will support my producers. I'd like to get to a place where they or I don't have to go into a software panel to create their mix-minuses and headphone mixes from scratch every time, while improving the sound.

I've settled on getting some Purple Biz preamps and a Sweet Ten, with a couple of Purple or Maag EQs to allocate to the primary host and guest mics as needed.

Here's where it gets tricky.

I really need:
- to be able to quickly load presets for running ISDN sessions, phoners, presumably some mix / listening sessions -- though this is primarily a recording room
- to be able to talk back to different sources individually (i.e. we'd like to be able to talk to the host without talking to everyone)
- to not have this solution negatively color the sound

I'd like:
- to be able to monitor off the DAW while letting those involved with the session listen off of the inputs / pre-DAW

It seems like the only cost-effective console that offers all this is the Presonus StudioLive line -- and I like what I see of the user interface over the Midas M32R and Allen and Heath Qu models, but could be persuaded of their superiority.

What I don't know is
1) To what extent will coming out of high-end preamps, line-in unity to the Presonus, then direct-out to high end conversion (Orion /Apollo etc) negatively impact / color the sound?

2) Will coming back from good A/D into the Presonus to monitor Pro Tools negatively impact / color the sound?

3) Is it even worth it to have a high-end converter for pretty-much talk-only mics, and should I just go firewire out of the Presonus (or USB if we're talking about the Midas or A+H boards)?

I'm at my wit's end running down these scenarios, so any input you all can provide on these tools -- or solutions I'm not thinking of -- would be greatly appreciated!

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joninc
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Post by joninc » Tue Apr 12, 2016 4:47 pm

before you revamp everything you should try a Cloudlifter with your dynamics and see if you like what it does. pretty cool little device!
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A.David.MacKinnon
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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:16 pm

joninc wrote:before you revamp everything you should try a Cloudlifter with your dynamics and see if you like what it does. pretty cool little device!
Beat me to it. Te cloudlifter is a game changer on SM7s

JBAudio
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Post by JBAudio » Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:51 pm

A.David.MacKinnon wrote:
joninc wrote:before you revamp everything you should try a Cloudlifter with your dynamics and see if you like what it does. pretty cool little device!
Beat me to it. Te cloudlifter is a game changer on SM7s
I am a fan of the Cloudlifter, but it won't resolve my general session operations issues. Namely that it's way too cumbersome trying to set up mixes to several different destinations (phone+ISDN+studio) via a software control panel. And I don't have separate IFB controls for the host and other voices other than in that same software control panel. It *really* doesn't work when we're trying to record in Pro Tools and subsequently making adjustments in the MixControl app. I want our operations to be much more efficient than that, and can't seem to find a way to do it that doesn't involve a console or another computer at minimum.

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Post by norton » Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:40 am

What's wrong with using a small mixer? No need to have your mics pass through it....

On the other hand, if you are switching interfaces, it would make a ton of sense to move to an interface/mixer like the studiolive...or one of its similar relatives.

JBAudio
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Post by JBAudio » Wed Apr 13, 2016 10:24 am

norton wrote:What's wrong with using a small mixer? No need to have your mics pass through it....

On the other hand, if you are switching interfaces, it would make a ton of sense to move to an interface/mixer like the studiolive...or one of its similar relatives.
Nothing really wrong with a small mixer per se, as long as it could handle all of my mix-minuses and discrete talkback channels, and to have them in loadable preset profiles for each situation. It's just that I can't seem to find something with a small footprint that does that.

I also am figuring that keeping monitor path pre-DAW for my studio and remote people will keep latency at bay.

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A.David.MacKinnon
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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:13 pm

Maybe something like this?

http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en ... /index.jsp

I've used them for club sound here and there. At one place the house tech has a bunch of templates saved for different stage, band configurations. It shaves about a half hour off of soundcheck. A similar idea might work for you and you can feed it right into your daw.

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Post by JBAudio » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:15 pm

A.David.MacKinnon wrote:Maybe something like this?

http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en ... /index.jsp

I've used them for club sound here and there. At one place the house tech has a bunch of templates saved for different stage, band configurations. It shaves about a half hour off of soundcheck. A similar idea might work for you and you can feed it right into your daw.
Definitely one that I've looked at. I might be asking for too much in a UI that it doesn't confuse a non-engineer, and I always felt the Yamahas had a learning curve to them. Never minded them especially for classical recording, though.

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A.David.MacKinnon
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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:34 pm

The one I've used is a generation or two earlier than this. I'm a 100% analog mixing guy so I was a bit worried about working on a digital board. It was pretty quick and painless though. The house tech had a sheet taped to the wall with some key bits of info (which was quite helpful) the rest was pretty straight ahead.

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Post by jimjazzdad » Thu Apr 14, 2016 5:40 am

They're not cheap, but maybe this combined with your interface - do all the mix/monitoring OTB and then convert with your Saffire...

http://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/xb-10/
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