Thanks for advice Bob !

[Bulldog]

Hey all,

I posted question about the "build mix" function a while back where I lamented about mixing with faders, knobs, and outboard gear. Bob promptly infomed that I should be mixing inside of SAW. So, I put that to the test.

I mixed a session of 18 tracks plus FX through a Mackie D8B. I did all the EQ, gating, FX, and compression in SAW, and only used the Mackie for levels on individual tracks. I then recorded a mix to my Alesis MasterLink.

Next, I assigned all of my tracks to a stereo pair in SAW. I carefully transposed the fader and pan positions from the Mackie to the SAW mixer. When I played back the song, I was amazed!!! Everything was tighter, more crisp, quieter, and generally sounded amazing! I can't begin to tell you how impressed I was. What a difference!

I don't know what that difference is, as the SAW mixer and the Mackie both mix in the digital domain, but the difference would be audible to absolutely anyone with functional ears.

I will still always use my outboard gear for tracking, and will still continue to run most of my mixes through my Tube-Tech PEQ-1's, but mixing will always be done in SAW from here on!

Thanks again Bob for the advice and a phenonenal product.

Bulldog

[Bob L]

Nice to be reminded now and again that those of us who say we can hear a tremendous difference are not making it all up.

Your experience is becoming more and more commonplace... it just takes people a long time to give it a try... once they do... the difference can be so amazing that it hooks them from that point on.

Now you can spend your energy learning more about how to master this new method of doing things, rather than arguing and clinging so tightly to your old belief system.

Welcome aboard the virtual train.

Don't be surprised if one day in the near future you find yourself laughing at that last comment also. :)


I will still always use my outboard gear for tracking, and will still continue to run most of my mixes through my Tube-Tech PEQ-1's...
Bob L

[Bulldog]

Alright Bob,

Stop giving me a hard time about my gear. When you write the discrete op-amp with big output transformer plug-in, I'll ebay all my API's. When you write the PEQ-1, Pultec, Langevin, passive tube EQ plug-in, I'll sell my tube-tech's too.

Point is, gotta have mic pre's. I can take a kick drum and bass guitar through my 212's to my 560's and have kick ass rhythm section in about 10 seconds flat. If the rest of the drum kit is about halfway tuned, it goes to my 550A's, and the rest of the kit is done in another 2-3 minutes. My clients dig that.

As far as the passive EQ's, you even mention in the SAW Studio manual that an analog pass is an acceptable alternative to dither. My tube-Tech's just happen to be part of that D/A A/D - no dither signal path.

By the way, just downloaded the levelizer plug-in and loved it. You may have convinced me to eliminate my analog compressors from the mastering signal path.

Later.

Bulldog

[tomasino]

Hey, nobody's dissin' your gear.

Eventually, I think you'll be using all that great outboard gear for tracking directly into SawStudio. Then SawStudio will do the rest - entirely.

Its just a suggestion. I think its the way most of us are using it.

[Bob L]

Just razzin you about the gear. :D

Make sure to watch the Levelizer video online to get a good handle on the concept... then have at it.

Bob L

[Jesse Skeens]

Bulldog,

would you be able to post even a small snippet of the two mixes? also is the pa law in the mackie the same as Saw? This would make a difference.

I agree with you on the outboard gear, I need the color.

Jesse

[Bulldog]

also is the pa law in the mackie the same as Saw? This would make a difference.

Jesse

Hey Jesse,

What do you mean by "pa law"? Anyway, my clients are from out of town so I will be posting some MP3's for them to hear. I will post a link to these if everyone understands that they will be rough mixes and not a finished product. I suppose I could post some sections in WAV format if you prefer.

Later On.

Bulldog

[Bulldog]

Hey, nobody's dissin' your gear.

Eventually, I think you'll be using all that great outboard gear for tracking directly into SawStudio. Then SawStudio will do the rest - entirely.

Its just a suggestion. I think its the way most of us are using it.

Hey man,

I know. I just wanted to give Bob a ration.

As far as the Mackie, It is basically a big A/D D/A converter with routing options to me. The only functions of the Mackie I occasionally use during tracking is the channel compressor set as a limiter if I have an unruly drummer, or a the gate on a noisey guitar rig.

Bulldog