How Many Channels of Hybrid Mixing Do You Use?

I didn't vote since there was no option of "0".  100% ITB.

edit: except for tracking, and sometimes I will use some outboard to process a track, re-amp, etc. but I don't really think of that as mixing.  It's pre-mixing. And while I have capability of 16 i/o, I rarely am using more than 2 channels for this kinda stuff.

Last record I did had outboard on:

Lead Vocal
Bass
Mono drum buss
And the Stereo Mix

The previous one

Lead Vocal
Bass
Stereo guitars
Kick
Snare
and the Stereo Mix

So at most I'm using 8 channels.

The current record I'm working on is for my music, and since I'll be mixing this one at home it'll be probably 100% ITB, but then I'm committing so much before the DAW that there won't be that much to do.

I don't do my own final mixes except for some promo singer/songwriter stuff. But I do rough mix through a Silver Bullet with an AudioScape bus compressor inserted on it. I helps me hear what things will end up sounding like a little better.

Thanks for thinking of me.   

I'm at 120.  Mostly AVID HD I/o although I do have one lonely 192 that will get swapped out at some point.  I'll probably end up at 128 on the next computer upgrade.  I'm already wired for it.  That will probably be the last I'll upgrade I/o.  Unless I add a third HDX card....      I don't worry about "high end" AD/DA except for my final monitoring stage which is a Grace M905.  That made a big difference over my previous monitor controller.

It's rare that I'm ever using all of that I/o though.  Every output is assigned to a piece of outboard in PT's I/o matrix - so I might be using outputs 1/2, 9, 37, 47/48, 82, etc.  It all depends on what pieces I need for any particular mix.  There are pieces that ALWAYS get used though.  

My mixing 2 buss chain is always a Silver Bullet mk2 A>N>4000 or N>A>4000 into ZOD IDDI's - for mixing.  The 4 major food groups : API, Neve, SSL and Tube. I used to never use SSL, but somehow the Hitmaker stuff changed that for me. Beyond that things change up as the need arises.  

For mastering, it's normally Missing Link > Manley Vari-Mu-Mu > Silver Bullet mk2 > Miad LCPQ 4040's > Fabfilter Limiter - although things get changed up as the need arises.  Sometimes the Avalon 2055 gets the nod on the EQ front, and sometimes an SSL Bus comp makes it's way in.  Either Serpent or AudioScape.

I have things set up with the hardware outboard so that recall is pretty simple, but the PTHDX template is fairly complex.  I used to be ALL about tweaking stuff (hardware) to get the sound, but the MrFocus modules kind of changed that for me - forcing me into hardware "presets" that either work or don't.  If any particular piece of gear doesn't work, I'll move to a different piece(s).  If that doesn't work - I have no qualms about using both hardware and software to achieve my goals.  For example - I love API 550A's, and I have an EQ preset that just "works" on a lot of stuff : but there are times that it's not "perfectly" EQ'd.  So at that point, I'll instantiate a plugin to complete the picture.  Barring that - I'm back to a plugin chain to make something work if the hardware doesn't.  But it usually does.    

I've had LFAC (consoles) my entire professional life, and I love them a lot.  If I was tracking groups every day I'd still have one.  But for mixing, Hybrid has by FAR eclipsed mixing on a big desk for me.  Love it so much more, and am so much more creative with this approach.  Tons of pics of Blinky lights and stuff on my instagram : drill.mojo

Good luck with your setup - and don't let anyone fool you.  More is most definitely MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Love the DR Bill post!
For me and my meager setup..When everything is wired up, I like 12. Sort of like group bussing sent to 1” 8 track with extra options.. drumsLR, LeadVox, guitar LR, leads, bass, everything else LR. I almost always bring kick and snare out on a channel as well, and I also like to capture external reverb back in the DAW so I can get 2 returns of EQ on channels, sometimes I’ll send ITB verbs out. Staying in 8-12 = lots of space open for alternates, instead of having to recall a bunch of stuff, just patch. That way a mixing board with way too many channels at your disposal is actually super handy and not just wasted space. I can have a few songs going.. Then after find the right patching, adjust the pre-outboard plugins ITB the rest of the way for instant recall/client adjusts. Thats how I do hybrid still

24 channels for me, 16 is HW and 8 is the SSL Big Six. It covers most of everything..

I max out my 24-ch console and then usually have a few additional channels running parallel or other processing, so I'm using most or all of my 32x32 PT system on most mixes.

24 - console channels - nice.

How many hardware inserts are you running with the console?

May I ask, what Ada’s are you using?

Thanks

I mix mostly ITB. I'm not using high-end converters. My RME only has 8 channels of I/O but I use a Clarett OctoPre as an ADAT I/O expander so I have 16 channel capability. I have never done a mix using all 16 channels at once. I think the most I have ever done was 6 channels. All the rest was done ITB.

I use hardware for just tracking most of the time. I like using hardware mic pres and EQ on the 2 bus. Other than that it's usually just 2 or 3 channels of hardware compressors on individual tracks. If I had a good hardware 2 buss compressor I would use it too but don't have one. If I had a problem child I might run it through a BT50 but I haven't done that yet. I'm mostly ITB.

I'm swaying between a Lynx Aurora N 16x16 or a Ferrofish A32 Pro 32x32.

The Ferrofish is about half the the price and twice the number of I/O so I can use half (16) for my inserts and some for my cue mixes etc.

I've noticed on this thread, people are using 16+ I/O but aren't obsessing about using super high end converters.

I have my HEDD 192 for tracking and my stereo hardware chain and an Avocet for monitoring duties, so I'm thinking the Ferrofish A32 Pro
will do just nicely for Cubase inserts.

Yes it only has 114dB DR compared to the Lynx's impressive 120dB DR but as I'm inserting mostly tube gear and vintage style solid state
gear then the noise floor hard deck is coming from the inserted hardware not the converters.




 

It's the...
English Channel.
Chris