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Alright, my fellow chipmusicians. I really really really want to get experience with hardware for recording. do you guys mind telling me about how nooby this recording proccess sounds? I really think it'll give me good control and it'll sound great for my gameboys. Keep in mind, I really don't have a lot of money to throw around, so I'll probably stick with the hardware I chose, but if you have any alternate suggestions in the same price range, I'd really appreciate it!

SO. I want my two Gameboys going into two seperate mixer channels on a Behringer Xenyx 802. On the send spots for those two channels, I'd put two Behringer FB2310Q 31-band EQs going back into the returns. Then, the RCA stereo output into a 1/8" line into my computer.

For live applications, I'd put a Kaoss pad on the master line out then into a PA.

How does this sound? I really want to be able to get a serious grip on shaping the sound of the two gameboys, so I feel that the eqs would give me more than enough control. One Gameboy would be bass and rhythm, some atmospheric panned blips and whatnot, and the other would be a melody gameboy, for sidechaining and stuff.

Now, should I skip the EQs and go straight to the mixer's 3-band eq onboard? I don't think it'll give me a lot of control to it, but you're the experts here!



As for mastering it on the computer, would using a multiband compressor in FL studio be helpful? And would it be a good idea to run the final mix through my 31 band eq?



Thanks guys!

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England

I think you'd be disappointed with sound-shaping on a 31-band EQ. EQs are primarily designed for shaping frequency curves across the 20Hz-20KHz range, to add a bump here and a dip there, and not really that useful for more "creative" use, if you get what I mean.

I'd put your two GBs into your computer without the EQs. You can easily EQ on the computer anyway with freeware tools. And the computer will give you a whole world of sound-shaping software. Not so easy to do live, though.

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The problem with running them into the computer is that i want to EQ the two gameboys seperatley, not as one full mix going into FL's Parametric EQs. I wanna bump the treble on the melody GB and bump the bass/low mid on the Rhythm one, not all in one. Know what I mean?

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England

I see. Have you bought any of the kit? The 31-band I would consider overkill and would keep it out of the signal chain, although seeing as it's chip, keeping a clean signal path isn't really a concern.

If I were in your shoes I'd look for a small four channel stereo mixer, but I'd avoid Behringer - they're cheaply made and not sturdy, as is reflected in the low prices for their kit. Look for a Tapco or a Mackie or a little Soundcraft Folio.

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Really? I've heard that Behringer makes pretty good mixers tongue I'll definetly take a look at some others in the price range though!

How sturdy do you think their EQs are? I'm probably not going to be using them live much, more for an in-house studio.

As far as having a clean signal, would the EQs add noise?

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England

Behringer have their defenders, and if you want cheap stuff, then you can't beat the price. But the stuff is typically low build quality. The founder, Uri Behringer, has a philosophy of copying existing designs, making them as cheap as possible, and flogging them off at very low prices. If you need more convincing, visit any sound engineering forum (NB not a forum like this, I mean Gearslutz or SOS) and ask about Behri stuff.

If you're on a budget, instead of buying a new Behri, go for a second hand mixer in the ranges I mentioned earlier. They're reliable and built to last, so as long as they work well, will continue to give good service. I'd go for a good second hand mixer over a cheap new one any day.

Re your last question: Any device will add noise. With chip music the noise floor tends to be high (because games consoles are noisy) so this is less of a problem. Any good EQ should be very quiet and have a low noise floor, so you needn't worry until you get into higher fidelity stuff.

Last edited by InactiveX (Aug 25, 2011 7:24 pm)

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Hmm. Alright, well I'll ask Gearslutz opinion and what not. I really just need a mixer that will...mix haha smile

Will a mixer ruin my O commands? Would the EQs ruin them? I really don't wanna accidentally wind up with mono crap.

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Matthew Joseph Payne

No seriously, Behringer is crap. If you actually go to Gearslutz and ask about Behringer, they'll probably make fun of you. Just don't do it. Buy something old and used, it will at least have character.

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Does it have a sound difference? Or is it just crap durability?

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Frostbyte wrote:

Then, the RCA stereo output into a 1/8" line into my computer.

That will add some noise, because most built in computer sound cards aren't of the best quality.

InactiveX wrote:

Re your last question: Any device will add noise. With chip music the noise floor tends to be high (because games consoles are noisy) so this is less of a problem. Any good EQ should be very quiet and have a low noise floor, so you needn't worry until you get into higher fidelity stuff.

Along with how noisy Chipmusic is, as InactiveX said, I'd recommend a USB mixer or audio interface. A USB mixer will still have analog outputs (RCA, 1/4", etc.) while also allowing you to connect to your computer through USB without the noise a standard 1/8" input would have. You don't have to do this, but you said you wanted to get serious about recording.

Frostbyte wrote:

Does it have a sound difference? Or is it just crap durability?

It shouldn't sound different unless it's damaged, but from what I've heard the durability isn't good. So, bad durability means it could get damaged easily resulting in degraded sound.

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Ah, so a USB mixer would be much better...alright, I can do that. Any recommendations for a USB mixer in the $100-$200 range?

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Tacoma WA

you'd be wasting your money if you didn't first upgrade you audio interface.  1/8 in is crap pure and simple.

but a decent sound interface with at least 4 inputs so you can record 2 stereo channels.
record directly in the box.  eq in the box.

buy a cheap little mixer for playing live

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infradead wrote:

you'd be wasting your money if you didn't first upgrade you audio interface.  1/8 in is crap pure and simple.

but a decent sound interface with at least 4 inputs so you can record 2 stereo channels.
record directly in the box.  eq in the box.

buy a cheap little mixer for playing live

That's why I said he should get a USB mixer since they double as an audio interface and traditional mixer.

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England
infradead wrote:

you'd be wasting your money if you didn't first upgrade you audio interface.  1/8 in is crap pure and simple.

Rouwe wrote:

A USB mixer will still have analog outputs (RCA, 1/4", etc.) while also allowing you to connect to your computer through USB without the noise a standard 1/8" input would have. You don't have to do this, but you said you wanted to get serious about recording.

You'd be right in saying that soundcards with only 1/8" outputs are generally "bells and whistles" cards, but there's nothing intrinsically wrong or bad sounding about 1/8". I'd happily use it for pro work (but only if I had to, 1/4" being the standard) and have done in the past.

Frostbyte wrote:

Does it have a sound difference? Or is it just crap durability?

Rouwe wrote:

It shouldn't sound different unless it's damaged, but from what I've heard the durability isn't good. So, bad durability means it could get damaged easily resulting in degraded sound.

Most likely a pot will fail, a switch will fall off or a fader get scratchy with no fix. They don't last very long.

Last edited by InactiveX (Aug 26, 2011 8:35 am)

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Do you guys have any suggestions for a USB mixer in the price range of $100-$200?

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sweden

Fuck a USB mixer. Get an a separate audio interface and a mixer. Integrated stuff is often crap. If you're on a craptop id say go with FW instead of USB. If you're on a stationary go with a pci.

Ive never had any problems with behringers small mixers, only with their bigger models. Ive gigged with mine for the last 3 years. The preamps and EQ isnt the most fun though tbh.

Most people on the gearsluts forums are idiots....

My 2 cent rant.......