Using Gear Retroactively

[astroboy]

Hello!

I just acquired a 1940s-1950s RCA tube Microphone Mixer for 50 dollars. It's in pretty mint condition, and I'm really happy with the sound it imbues into my instruments and microphones.

Anyway, I am really curious to know: Is there a way to send tracks individually out (from Logic Pro 6, and a MOTU 828mkii) through the RCA, and then back into Logic, so that the previously recorded tracks will have a new, warmer sound? If so, that would really help me make better-sounding mixes, I'd imagine.

Thanks!
Trevor

[dokushoka]

Yes. You just do excactly what you described. Say, take output 1-2 from logic and pan the signal hard left (so it only goes out from one).

Solder up or buy a TRS to RCA adapter (you'll have to re-route the shield, Google for balanced to un-balanced cabling) then record the output on another channel in logic. Most likely, you'll want to monitor on output 1-2, put panned hard right so you don't create a feedback loop.

[meblumen]

I'm sure you can send your signals out of the computer and into the rca unit. However, I know nothing about the mixer you own so I can't give you a step by step guide. What I can tell are a few things to do and watch out for.

First of all, there can be too much of a good thing. The sound your RCA mixer imparts might be cool but do you really want it on everything you do? Tube warmth or mushy garbage, how does the rca interact with each individual instrument on each mix? I actually don't have an answer to that question I suggest you experiment. Instead of sending every track individually what about just your drums (bussed together) or only a portion of your mix, hell try sending the whole thing at once and see what it does.

Secondly, if you are only sending individual tracks you are probably going to have to reallign them in your computer. What I mean is, there will probably be some latency from going out of your converters, through the rca unit and back into your computers (if you want to do it this way) and so they will be a few ms back from the tracks you didn't send out.

Last, as far as interfacing your mixer with your soundcard, try just running the outputs of the motu into the rca and the rca outs into the motu ins. Be careful to only send the tracks you want to record and not send the recorded stuff back through (creating a feedback loop). You might just want to mix out of the box and see if you can use the mixer that way too so you don't have to bounce to disk. You might need to use something else between the motu and the mixer because of a potential impedience or level mismatch but I would have to know more about the mixer to comment any further. Good luck and start messing around with it.

[meblumen]

Yes. You just do excactly what you described. Say, take output 1-2 from logic and pan the signal hard left (so it only goes out from one).

Solder up or buy a TRS to RCA adapter (you'll have to re-route the shield, Google for balanced to un-balanced cabling) then record the output on another channel in logic. Most likely, you'll want to monitor on output 1-2, put panned hard right so you don't create a feedback loop.

You posted as I was typing my response. Anyway, I might be mistaken but I think astroboy bought a mixer manufactured by RCA not a mixer with RCA ins and outs. In which case, he would only need the TRS to RCA adapter if the mixer made by RCA happened to have RCA jacks on it but since it's from the 40s or 50s I would speculate it probably had terminal strips or someother misc jack other than an rca jack but like I said I could be totally wrong.

[Phiz]

Be warned that putting a line-level signal through your new preamp is unlikely to give it the full sonic character that you would get my using the same initial microphone and going into the new preamp. This is due to many preamps having a different response depending on their gain setting. Of course you could just come out of your DAW at a mic level (don't do this unless you have 24 bit converters) or attenuate before the preamp and then turn the gain up on the preamp, but this will bump up the noise on the signal.

[joeysimms]

The best thing to do would be to find the schematic and see if the transformers have a line level tap, and then have someone set up a nice selectable input so you can choose between mic and line level.

[lanterns]

you could just reroute the tube mixer to my home address.