4-track + Mixing Board

[forcesofhabit]

I've been curious what is the purpose of a mixing board after a 4-track? I've heard people using the mixing board to edit the sound and everything of whats been recorded but this confuses me. If people record all the instruments separately what purpose does a mixing board serve in studios?

[bert]

I had a mackie 1202 with my first four track, and i used it to submix the drum mic's and any multiple mic'ing I had going the same tracks. it helped and stuff.

[I'm Painting Again]

A mixing board after a 4trk can be very useful..a general reason to do this is to allow you to sculpt/refine the sound as you mix it down to another format..like another tape machine or your computer or cd-burner..it gives you the flexability to make various versions or mixes of the raw tracks you have layed down..for eg. if you recorded a vocal with reverb directly to the 4trk and feel its too much..damn..can't do anything about it because thats the way i recorded it in the first place..so greater flexibility..as to record everything "dry" into the four track and putting the effects or dynamic processors between the 4trk and the mixer or on the mixer's inserts or aux sends, etc. This is what came to my mind but Im sure that other people might use a mixer and a four track some other ways too..hell i use my 2trks just as a front end for digital recording..to get a tape sound with the editability of digital..i would add that certain mixer's electronics, mostly the high end expensive things like API and Trident, etc. can impart a desired or at least stylized sound on tracks mixed through them..listen to the beatles pre and post abbey road..it will give you an idea of how mixes sound through tube consoles (preabbey) and solid state consoles (postabbey)..peace

[dino]

You can also use the EQ on the board to scoop out room in a mix so that each element has it's own place. That way you won't have things fighting with each other for attention... Simply put, it allows you to separate elements by frequency as well as by track...Dean

[housepig]

If you have a board with multiple aux sends, you can use more effects on your tracks then your 4-track allows (most of the 4-tracks I've had featured only 1 or 2 effect send/returns)

[flatcat]

I used a Mackie MS1202 with my old cassette 4track for all the reasons previously mentioned, plus the preamps were better than the ones built into the four track, plus it helped me learn about gain staging and other basic lessons about using mixing boards. Also, on my Mackie, you could use insert effects - like an external compressor or EQ - relatively easily.

I learned a lot from using that little mixer.

[kayagum]

I think a 4 track + board is the perfect learning setup. Think of it as the Super 8 camera they issue for film students (and, yes, sometimes some pretty cool stuff can be shot on it too).