Learning how to mix recordings

[crust_cheese]

I haven't used the Tascam, though they've long been known for offering good starter-level equipment at decent prices.
I do like those bouncy analog level meters on the Teac EIE Pro, but the reviews scared me off.
Focusrite seems to garner good reviews. The Scarlett 1818 might suit your needs nicely. Here's one for two-finny: Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB 2.0 Computer Recording Audio Interface--

I can almost get a new Tascam US 16x08 for that price in Switzerland while a new Scarlett 18i8 would be a tad more expensive (and shipping would definitely make it more expensive than a new device). The 16x08 seems like crazy value.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

So I rethought the deal a bit and decided that getting anything sufficient for a session of just one or two people would make little sense, as I'd later have to get something new (and spend more money) on something that can actually record my four-piece band.
As such, I've checked for the cheapest USB interface which offers 8 XLR inputs, and it's a Tascam US-16x08. It's got ample connectivity to experiment with all the microphones in the school rehearsal room (a bunch of SM57s, I was surprised), which would cover the vocalist; I'd probably try micing the kit and guitar amp too (or I guess we might try plugging the guitar directly into the interface and have him hear himself through the monitors in the room).
The US-16x08 is also just marginally more expensive than the EIE Pro.

Does this seem like a sound choice?

I would suggest that you won't need an interface with more inputs than you will need to mic up the drums. In my experience, you will want to track (aka record) each band member separately, not all in one take. Unless you have great isolation between the members, punch-in/re-records will be incredibly difficult. On top of that, bleed between the mics/amps will make mixing much, much more difficult.

 

[paparoof]

I typed the below before reading your update that you want to go with 8 channels now. I have no experience with the Tascam units, I do have experience with Focusrite and MOTU and they've both been great for me. The price on the Tascam worries me because it's so low, but that's based on nothing but assumptions. Do your homework and take your best shot - yeah?

I also inadvertently replied to Luke19Boarder's post above this one with my paragraph below starting with "Something else to consider...."

I was thinking that the EIE Pro would allow me the record drums sometime down the line as it's got 4 inputs. That would be difficult with only two, no?

Sorry I missed this question. Not really a matter of easier or more difficult, it's just a matter of how many options you want/need. If you have a good room and good sounding drum kit and a great drummer playing them, you can get great tracks with only two mics. Look up the "recorderman" or "glyn johns" methods on youtube.

Obviously with four you have more options. I'm using four mics for drums these days and I'm pretty happy and I'm recording in my basement so it's FAR from a "great room". But I have bass traps in the corners and the ceiling joists are stuffed with the pink fluffy insulation to reduce weird reflections. The drums are cheap crap drums, but they have okay heads on them and they've been tuned by a "real" drummer so they sound about as good as they're gonna for now.

I basically use the recorderman method with a pair of good overheads (AKG C414) and then I add a close kick mic (Beta 52) and close snare mic (57).

Something else to consider when thinking about the number of interface channels that doesn't seem so obvious until after you've had some experience: I'm generally recording alone so I'm moving from drums to bass to guitars to vocals and back again. So with only two inputs, I would have to re-connect EVERYTHING every time I move to the next instrument, then if I wanted to go back and re-do something on a previous instrument I would have to play cable-monkey and re-hook everything and try to guess about placement of mics and knob positions on outboard gear that was in the signal path and I'll never get it exactly the same and so on and so on.

I'm currently using a MOTU 8pre (8 channels) and that allows me to put four mics on the drums, one or two channels for bass and one or two for guitars and leave everything setup like that all the time. Wow was that a revelation for me. Suddenly I could keep my head in the song for thew whole process instead of flipping back and forth from "artist" to "engineer".

Yet another consideration - is what kind of sound you're going for. Far-miking a kit (for example: capturing the whole kit with only two mics) requires fewer channels but also sounds entirely different than close-miking a kit (which of course requires more mics) so depending on what genre and what sort of feel you're going for, one or the other might sound entirely wrong for what you're trying to accomplish. I would not suggest a two-mic, all-room-sound solution for a metal band - right?

 

[crust_cheese]

That's a good point you're making. I really like to cover my bases, which admittedly is a problem sometimes, but in this case it seems justified to me. Plugging stuff in and out all the time sure seems like a hassle, and if I'd want to apply effects to the drums such as when we're playing dub, it sure would be better to have different drums on different channels. The price on the Tascam is unbelievable, I wouldn't even consider it if it was priced more in line with other units with comparable number of channels. The reviews I've seen were pretty positive, except if you're running Windows 7, which I don't. The driver package seems pretty neat in any case.

 

[paparoof]

The only other thing I have to suggest is to fight the urge to produce an epic masterpiece (with everything doubled and re-amped and blended and effects and plugins on every single track) for the time-being. Start simple at first. Keep it down to a minimum of tracks and put the majority of your efforts into getting the instruments to sound right in the room before you ever hit record. Then take your time studying and experimenting with mic placement. You could write an entire book on how to record an electric guitar with one amp and one SM57. If you dive straight into wanting to do everything at once right off the bat, you're going to end up with an unholy mess that never gets completed.

Take your time and work up slowly to that kind of project. There's so much to learn.....

 

[crust_cheese]

The only other thing I have to suggest is to fight the urge to produce an epic masterpiece (with everything doubled and re-amped and blended and effects and plugins on every single track) for the time-being. Start simple at first. Keep it down to a minimum of tracks and put the majority of your efforts into getting the instruments to sound right in the room before you ever hit record. Then take your time studying and experimenting with mic placement. You could write an entire book on how to record an electric guitar with one amp and one SM57. If you dive straight into wanting to do everything at once right off the bat, you're going to end up with an unholy mess that never gets completed.

Take your time and work up slowly to that kind of project. There's so much to learn.....

No worries, that's exactly what I had planned. I'd just hate the feeling of needing to spend money on a new interface sometime down the line. This one isn't expensive and should last quite a while.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

Something else to consider when thinking about the number of interface channels that doesn't seem so obvious until after you've had some experience: I'm generally recording alone so I'm moving from drums to bass to guitars to vocals and back again. So with only two inputs, I would have to re-connect EVERYTHING every time I move to the next instrument, then if I wanted to go back and re-do something on a previous instrument I would have to play cable-monkey and re-hook everything and try to guess about placement of mics and knob positions on outboard gear that was in the signal path and I'll never get it exactly the same and so on and so on.

I'm currently using a MOTU 8pre (8 channels) and that allows me to put four mics on the drums, one or two channels for bass and one or two for guitars and leave everything setup like that all the time. Wow was that a revelation for me. Suddenly I could keep my head in the song for thew whole process instead of flipping back and forth from "artist" to "engineer".

That's a really good point. I also record mainly by myself (or with one other person at times) ... my keyboard and drums (electronic) both connect via USB, and then I have a mic on my amp and my bass (typically) DI. With a 2 input interface, I've got everything I need (except vocals, but I only have to switch out 1 mic cable to get those recorded).