Post by matt@IAA on Dec 27, 2017 17:13:41 GMT -6
So I'm pretty much a newbie to all of this and self-taught over the past three or four years, and I've never worked on a real console (other than a session with Sylvia Massy where I drooled all over her Neve 8038 for a couple of weeks).
I recently picked up a Sound Workshop 1280b and am in the process of overhauling it, but I'm not really sure how to integrate it into my workflow effectively. I could use some advice, if y'all don't mind?
I picked up a Motu 1248 as my centerpiece and kind of built from there. Right now I'm using it for monitoring (it has mains and monitor outs with separate volume control), the two headphone outs on the front, and AD/DA. I added a 16A to it so I now have 24 channels of AD/DA on 1/4" jacks. I also have three 48 point 1/4" patch bays and two 16 jack XLR patchbays, and 16 channels of outboard pres.
The 1280b, on the other hand, has 12 channels into 8 busses (kind of). It was purpose built for 8 track recording, so it has unbalanced RCA outs and each channel is assignable only to one stereo bus at a time - so you can do 1, 2, or 1+2 but not 1/2 and 3/4. Tracks assigned to 7/8 are multed to the 2 track out, so in mixdown everything gets assigned 7/8 but go to the 2 track outs (also RCA but I'm going to transformer balance them and change to 1/4" TRS) which have a separate pot.
I guess my questions are..
1. Monitoring. Using the Motu web interface I can route anything anywhere, mult, etc., so I can monitor "to tape" and from the DAW using it and ignore the 1280b monitor section. To monitor the 2 track mixdown I would actually send from "tape" (DAW) to the console line ins, then record back to print a new stereo track in the DAW and simply solo (or mute the others) to send it through the "normal" 2 track output in the DAW to listen. Part of me wants to use the 1280b to monitor - I mean, I have it... - but the channel count seems restrictive for that. It can monitor the 8 busses (each bus has a bus/tape switch so you can listen to whatever you're sending to the buses or line in 1-8), cue, 2 track mixdown, and 2 track playback plus channel solos.
2. Talkback. Kinda the same thing. I rarely use the onboard pres on the 1248 and *never* use both of the HiZ instrument inputs...so I've actually just used a 58 with a TRS jack into one of those for talkback, so I'm not even burning a pre. Buuuut the 1280b has a talkback out jack for a speaker and can slate into the 2 track and 8 busses (and cue). Kinda the same thing.. I've got it and want to use it but not sure how it makes sense. I'm thinking of just taking the mic output, going into an AD in and being able to use the push-to-talk feature of the desk.
3. These daggum "busses". Other than adding more signal path, is there really anything to do with them? I mean I guess I can analog sum tracks to them if I'm AD limited (like toms?) but the more I look at it the less I know how to use them, since you can't assign them to the 2 track out and make a drum bus or something and they don't have inserts. Do I just ignore them?
4. Musician headphone mixes. I kinda bought the 1280 with the thought of using it to quickly and easily set up headphone mixes, but the bussing only really seems to support two mono mixes (a cue mix via the 8 busses and an echo mix via the 12 channels). Can't talkback into the echo either.
Am I missing something, or should I just keep using an aux mix off of the digital mixer in the Motu app?
This sounds like gripes but it's not. I'm really happy with the board's sound, particularly the sweepable EQs. It does something awesome to kick or snare. Anyway, thanks for reading this far and hope it makes sense.
I recently picked up a Sound Workshop 1280b and am in the process of overhauling it, but I'm not really sure how to integrate it into my workflow effectively. I could use some advice, if y'all don't mind?
I picked up a Motu 1248 as my centerpiece and kind of built from there. Right now I'm using it for monitoring (it has mains and monitor outs with separate volume control), the two headphone outs on the front, and AD/DA. I added a 16A to it so I now have 24 channels of AD/DA on 1/4" jacks. I also have three 48 point 1/4" patch bays and two 16 jack XLR patchbays, and 16 channels of outboard pres.
The 1280b, on the other hand, has 12 channels into 8 busses (kind of). It was purpose built for 8 track recording, so it has unbalanced RCA outs and each channel is assignable only to one stereo bus at a time - so you can do 1, 2, or 1+2 but not 1/2 and 3/4. Tracks assigned to 7/8 are multed to the 2 track out, so in mixdown everything gets assigned 7/8 but go to the 2 track outs (also RCA but I'm going to transformer balance them and change to 1/4" TRS) which have a separate pot.
I guess my questions are..
1. Monitoring. Using the Motu web interface I can route anything anywhere, mult, etc., so I can monitor "to tape" and from the DAW using it and ignore the 1280b monitor section. To monitor the 2 track mixdown I would actually send from "tape" (DAW) to the console line ins, then record back to print a new stereo track in the DAW and simply solo (or mute the others) to send it through the "normal" 2 track output in the DAW to listen. Part of me wants to use the 1280b to monitor - I mean, I have it... - but the channel count seems restrictive for that. It can monitor the 8 busses (each bus has a bus/tape switch so you can listen to whatever you're sending to the buses or line in 1-8), cue, 2 track mixdown, and 2 track playback plus channel solos.
2. Talkback. Kinda the same thing. I rarely use the onboard pres on the 1248 and *never* use both of the HiZ instrument inputs...so I've actually just used a 58 with a TRS jack into one of those for talkback, so I'm not even burning a pre. Buuuut the 1280b has a talkback out jack for a speaker and can slate into the 2 track and 8 busses (and cue). Kinda the same thing.. I've got it and want to use it but not sure how it makes sense. I'm thinking of just taking the mic output, going into an AD in and being able to use the push-to-talk feature of the desk.
3. These daggum "busses". Other than adding more signal path, is there really anything to do with them? I mean I guess I can analog sum tracks to them if I'm AD limited (like toms?) but the more I look at it the less I know how to use them, since you can't assign them to the 2 track out and make a drum bus or something and they don't have inserts. Do I just ignore them?
4. Musician headphone mixes. I kinda bought the 1280 with the thought of using it to quickly and easily set up headphone mixes, but the bussing only really seems to support two mono mixes (a cue mix via the 8 busses and an echo mix via the 12 channels). Can't talkback into the echo either.
Am I missing something, or should I just keep using an aux mix off of the digital mixer in the Motu app?
This sounds like gripes but it's not. I'm really happy with the board's sound, particularly the sweepable EQs. It does something awesome to kick or snare. Anyway, thanks for reading this far and hope it makes sense.
