Hi!

I am currently planning a home studio and need to know how to setup my gear in the best way. I will connect 4 keyboards(Yamaha Tyros, Korg Trinity, Roland A-90Ex, Korg IX-300), 1 guitar and 1 microphone as a start. I have a PC equipped with an RME Fireface 800 audio interface (8 * 8 ins/outs) and I have 2 active Mackie HR 824 studio monitors. I will choose a mixer that best suits this kind of environment.

I wonder how to connect all this equipment in the best way? The best way I can think of is the following:

-My instruments are connected directly to the mixer's analog inputs.
-My studio monitors are connected to the mixer's main outputs.
-8 channels on the mixer works as recording channels, each of these channel's direct output goes to the audio interface's inputs.
-I use 2 (6 for surround) outputs on the audio interface connected to 2 (or 6) additional inputs on the mixer.

I will also use an 8 port MIDI interface, but I guess this automatically works just fine in this kind of setup?!

But using direct outputs makes me switch manually if I use 8 certain recording channels? I read that with ATL 3-4 I can choose which channels to output, by pressing an ATL button on that channel so I can get any of the channel's inputs to work as recording channels. But that requires 8 outputs on the ATL bus right? Doi mixer's have that? I cannot use only 2 outputs...

If this is the best way of connecting my setup I guess I need something like the Mackie Onyx 1640 16-Channel Mixer to get the direct outputs. But what about all these buses, control rooms etc that some mixer's have instead of direct outputs?

I also have a SPDIF in and out on the sound card + spdif in the Trinity and Tyros. How can I take advantage of these?

[This message has been edited by YamahaAndy (edited 03-05-2005).]

[This message has been edited by YamahaAndy (edited 03-05-2005).]

[This message has been edited by YamahaAndy (edited 03-05-2005).]