Please familiarise yourself with the forum, including policy on feature requests, rules & guidelines

Advice for setup sampling in to Deluge - Mixer, Interface, Pres?

0
NaiveMelodyNaiveMelody United KingdomPosts: 1

Hi there,

I got a Deluge a few weeks ago and am loving it. I'm looking for some advice on getting synths, drum machines etc... in to the Deluge.

I’ve been thinking about getting a desk. The more I think about these things the more I’m confusing myself.

At the moment I have 1 x synth with 4 outputs, 3 x stereo synths, 1 x drum machine with 4 outputs and 1 x mono modular out. I have ins on 3 of the synths too and a very small bit of outboard.

I’m using a Deluge as a sampler to capture and twist what I’m making, then arrange it. I’m thinking about an Octatrack in the future.

I want to be able to record in to a DAW as and when - whether that's the deluge or individual instruments.

I have a UA Apollo 8 (not p) at the moment, which is great but doesn’t give enough ins and outs for all my gear (and I’m sure to get more).

I’m torn between getting additional pres to link to the Apollo, or getting a desk.

Desk wise I’m thinking of something I could use like an interface, taking all the channels in to the computer for recording as and when. The desk option seems interesting for the flexible routing I can get without loading up software, though I’m not wedded to being OTB.

When it comes to ITB or OTB, I tend to do a bit of each.

I’m looking for flexibility and efficiency. I want to be able to just sit down and play then record everything when the moment strikes.

I’ve been thinking about it a long time and can see advantages to either approach.

Any advice appreciated!

Comments

  • 0
    matsmats GermanyBeta Tester Posts: 4
    edited January 2020

    Depends on your budget of course :) Maybe you can have a look at the Soundcraft Signature MTK series of mixing desks or something with similar features? These are analog mixing desks, with a built-in USB multitrack interface and several AUX channels and subgroups.

    I own the 12 channel MTK model, which offers me a quite flexible setup in combination with the Deluge, and is also providing options for both ITB and OTB workflows.

    The way I have set it up is by hooking up the Deluge's stereo Line-In to a stereo subgroup of the desk (using a Y-cable). This way I can send whatever channel/s from the desk to the Deluge by the press of a single button (or two, if I want to remove this channel from the master mix at the same time), regardless if a DAW is involved at the time or not.

    At the same time, every individual channel can be sent out to DAW software from the desk by USB (and if necessary, back from DAW to the desk at the same insert point), including the deluge itself.

    The two caveats with this workflow and this specific Soundcraft Signature MTK mixers are:

    • The USB multitracking interface of the MTK-desks grabs the signal post-gain, but pre-EQ, ie. your are always recording the raw signal into the DAW. For me it's not a big deal, but your approach may be different.

    • getting the gain staging right with this kind of setup is a bit of a PITA in the beginning, even if you set everything to unity gain on the OTB side of things (and especially if you set up a USB "loop", ie. desk -> USB -> DAW -> USB -> desk, there is always a loss of signal level for which you have to compensate in the DAW stage).

    Apart from that, I am happy with this setup ATM. If you need more stereo channels, have a look at the 22 channel Signature MTK model.

    Post edited by mats on
  • 0
    NRuckNRuck UKBeta Tester Posts: 80

    I was using a Mackie Onyx 1220i which is a desk and interface. Was great but getting up to date drivers was an issue. I recently changed up to an RME UFX which I picked up second hand. Excellent piece of gear. Routing takes a little while to get your head around but very flexible and sounds great., plus plenty of ins and outs and room for expansion if I ever need more pre’s. I can route whatever I want to the Deluge from it, very easily. Plus it takes up much less room than a desk. Only thing you are lacking is obviously the hands on faders and knobs of a desk, with the control being done via software, like a DAW

Sign In or Register to comment.