Plugging in a laptop>

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phoenix
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Plugging in a laptop>

Post by phoenix » Sat May 27, 2006 11:14 am

My mate has a Mackie 32-8 and a laptop! I use a firewire connection with my Mackie but this one has no USB or firewire! I just took a speaker out from the laptop into a channel on the desk but something tells me this is not how it`s properly done!!Is anyone familiar enough with this desk to help?

andreh
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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by andreh » Sat May 27, 2006 1:14 pm

Quote:My mate has a Mackie 32-8 and a laptop! I use a firewire connection with my Mackie but this one has no USB or firewire! I just took a speaker out from the laptop into a channel on the desk but something tells me this is not how it`s properly done!!Is anyone familiar enough with this desk to help?Phoenix-The Mackie 32-8 is an all analog board, so you do have to use some sort of analog connection (not firewire or USB, which are both digital formats) to plug into it.You can plug the output of your laptop directly into the mixer, and the output of the mixer directly into your laptop, but you're not going to get very good sound because the analog connections built into your laptop are not professional quality; they'll add a lot of noise and skew the character of your signal.What you really need is an analog-to-digital convertor (a.k.a. an AD) and/or a digital-to-analog convertor (a.k.a., you guessed it, a DA). Some of these devices are AD's and DA's built into one unit, and they range in price from $50 for 2-channel, semi-pro, USB-based devices to several thousand $'s for multi-channel, pro-level firewire and PCI based devices.Do a search on Google for more info on these, and then go to Sweetwater.com, Musiciansfriend.com, zzounds.com, or another online pro audio retailer, and see what's available at what cost. There are so many to choose from these days it's insane.Also, if you'll tell us more about what you're trying to accomplish with your setup, we may be able to give you more specific info about a particular model or approach.PS - I think it's funny that we've finally come to the point where people are so used to digital connections that the function of analog connections actually causes some headscratching. Sign 'o the Times! No offense intended to you, Phoenix; enjoy your youth.
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phoenix
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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by phoenix » Sun May 28, 2006 2:42 pm

Well, for now I told him to run the main mix outs into one mini jack and plug into the line in on the laptop but obviously thats just one stereo track! Ultimitely he wants to be able to get 16 separate tracks onto the laptop so he can mix them individually! His budget is around €400 ($550-600)!I suggested selling the 32-8 and buying an Onyx 1640 and a nice condenser with the money! Would this be abetter option then buying a converter because he doesn`t need such a big desk! The most he`ll be tracking at once is prob 8 drum mics max. (maybe a bass at the same time)?

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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by andreh » Mon May 29, 2006 8:36 am

If he's not using all the channels on his desk (and it doesn't draw him any clients thanks to its size), then I suppose replacing it with a smaller mixer with a firewire output makes sense...this would eliminate the need for separate convertors.Andre
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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by phoenix » Mon May 29, 2006 12:36 pm

I thought so, how much do you reckon he should ask for to sell it? It`s a few years old although it has had very little use and is in brand new condition!! It has no meter bridge which costs a grand, you can buy the Mackie 32-8 brand new online without the meter bridge for €3000 ($3900)!How much wud ya get second hand?

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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by andreh » Mon May 29, 2006 3:15 pm

Looks like they're going for $900-1500 on Ebay, but he could probably get more if he can sell it to someone he knows, who knows the board's positive history.Andre
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Re: Plugging in a laptop>

Post by phoenix » Mon May 29, 2006 4:45 pm

I understand! Well, he has a Fostex DAT and a few shitty outboard effects which in my opinion my make the sound worse rather than better so we`ll prob go for the option of selling it all together (€1500-€2000) n getting a Macke Firewire n a mic!!Thanks for all your help Andreh, I really appreciate it!Colm.

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