Using a digital mixer (Midas MR18) as an audio recording interface - any personal experiences?

[Reedt2000]

So im switching gears. After many years on the cover band scene I've quit gigging (for the foreseeable future anyway), and im setting up a simple home studio to write and record original music.

Its been more than 15 years since I did this last and anything I did have is too old to be viable now, and I only had a small 2 channel setup then anyway.

I have a Midas MR18 used as a live board, that I'm wondering if it would suffice as an interface. I have to buy a PC, and I'd like an interface with 16 channels as I have a house and a drum set id like to be able to mic up and record, so if I can avoid having to spend on a new interface that would be great.

I've never used the mixer in this way. Yes there are some videos online, and yes I have the manual, both of which I plan to study and try to educate myself on what it will and won't do, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask here.

Im not too concerned about the channels going into software. My concern is about playback and over-dubbing. Im not sure how the Midas board outputs individual tracks during playback. Ideally id like to use its main outs for studio monitors and use the 6 aux outs for separate headphone mixes. There are advertisements out there claiming next to no latency, but not being specific about under what circumstances. So if im dubbing a new track while software is playing those already recorded are there latency issues?

The Midas board has some great onboard effects, especially its compression options. I like the preamps, at least for the live applications I've used it for. Its far less expensive than buying 16 channels worth of focusrite interface with preamps... which makes it feel a little too good to be true in terms of doing the same job as those interfaces.

But I don't know, what say you TalkBass?

 

[mazdah]

I have Behringer X-air 18 which is basically the same mixer but cheaper made, set up as a recording interface/mixer in my rehearsal space.
It was a little tricky to configure with the routing options, not everything works perfectly now (still need some routing tweaking but I'm learning every day)

How it's wired now:
- All inputs are "wired" to DAW separate input tracks, but pre EQ, FX and faders - my computer gets clean signals from the mixer inputs.
- Playback from the computer works on main speaker outs.
- We have IEMs and monitors working from AUX outs with individual volume mixes
- Mixer capabilities (faders, EQ, FX) works on main speakers out.
- We are recording all rehearsals and it sounds great
- I've tried using it to record with backing track and it behaves as good as my SSL and Focusrite interfaces (but phone out is not working because I have to configure it properly
- MacBook connected via build in mixer wifi configured to control the mixer and the sound on main speakers ( FOH)
- same MacBook connected via USB to send signals both ways (record + playback)

Whats not working:
- have to spend some time to make phones out work
- it seems that I can't set up the mixer to have individual EQ on AUX and Main outs (I'm quite sure its possible)

 

[bwildt]

I also have an Behringer XR-18. I have used it for recording 6 or 7 inputs to a multitrack DAW for a remote live recording session. In this case, I didn't have to worry about recording monitoring, as all musicians were playing live. Yes, you do have to figure out routing, but on the good side, there is a lot of signal processing that can be done before the channel goes to the DAW. I was impressed with the capabilities. It's been a couple of years since I last used it for recording, so I'm afraid I don't remember all of the details of using it.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Its been more than 15 years since I did this last and anything I did have is too old to be viable now, and I only had a small 2 channel setup then anyway.

Just for some alternative perspective:

I was running a fully professional recording studio in the late 1990s, and I told myself that as soon as a client comes to me with a request for some capability that I could not execute with the current hardware and software I owned, I would update/upgrade it.

24 years later, I decommissioned that studio… Which had not been updated or upgraded at all in any of that time!

 

[mcnach]

watching with interest, as I also have an XR18 that I intend to use at home. As fasr as I can tell, it should be possible, the unit is very flexible, but with the flexibility comes teh fact that I need to work out the right routings for my purposes. I just haven't had a chance to get on with it.

 

[tothemax]

While not hands on familiar with the MR18 (or Behringer Air), I looked hard at both of those units when I was upgrading my studio mixer. I opted for a TASCAM Model 16, to keep as much analog control as possible. Since the digital management console provides your access to the physical unit my guess is that there is probably a method to record from that interface, what the capabilities are I don't know. As you said you have the manuals, I've found that YouTube tutorials are very helpful, and tend to use the manual for clarification.

There is a fair amount of capability for recording built in to my Model 16 mixer, that said it is a lot of work to utilize it. I use the mixer as my DAW interface, and only really use the mixer hardware for the channel preamps as a pass-through to the DAW (Cakewalk Sonar). And the Model 16 has analog channel preamp controls. I use my mixer more in the studio than live, which is why I went for the TASCAM. As mentioned there is an SD card in the Model 16 and you can record direct and mix, but I find it much easier record through the mixer (and then mix and master in the DAW). Having to make all the adjustments via a Tablet or PC just seemed like too much work in the studio (but convenient for live work).

Good luck with it...

 

[tothemax]

One more thing, for using the mixer as an interface to a DAW. Having the correct USB driver and DAW configuration are critical. This where the YouTubes really come in handy. Getting the info from someone that has already done the T-Shooting and figured it out saves a lot of time I've had good luck with my Behringer mixers in the past and the X-Air is highly rated, so I would think that the Midas will be as well.

Cheers