I just recently pruchased a Mackie SDR24/96 to add to our Studio C room
(Mostly Live to Multitrack for film soundtrack work).

Although I intend to purchase a Digital Console in about 6 to 12 months, I
hope to start with a decent analog console to begin tracking with.

Mixing and Post will be done on the same console in some instances, and with
ProTools in other cases when Studio A is offline and available.

Our very low budget for the console is $2000 USD and about the only workable
new boards with at least 24 post EQ direct +4 db outputs and reasonable
specs. at this price are either something like a Mackie, Yamaha, Behringer
MX9000 or a Soundcraft LX7/40.

To be honest I would prefer the English board for reasons of resale value
and my general dislike for many Behringer products. Also the Soundcraft is
more or less a dual prupose recording/live sound console and may be a bit
easier to get rid when the time comes to go digital. I am however still
open to suggestions from those of you who have used this or similiar
consoles.

Anyone care to offer their first hand opinions on the new generation of the
Soundcraft line, especially the LX7 or Live 4 Mk2 with about 40 inputs and
minimum of 24 outputs.

Are the preamps quite and nice???

Are these reasonably well built for low maintenence??

Any other suggestions for a console in this price range??

RON CHARLES
ITJ FilmWorks

In article writes:

Our very low budget for the console is $2000 USD and about the only workable
new boards with at least 24 post EQ direct +4 db outputs and reasonable
specs. at this price are either something like a Mackie, Yamaha, Behringer
MX9000 or a Soundcraft LX7/40.

Since the Soundcraft LX7 is primarily a live sound board, it doesn't
have recorder returns or a monitor section, something that you really
need when working with a multitrack recorder. You could do the trick
of using the insert sends as mic preamp outputs and insert returns as
monitor returns, but even with a full patchbay, this limits you pretty
severely (or rather, makes life overly complicated) if you want to do
anything but use one microphone per track. You'll have to do some fast
pedaling if you want, for instance, to assign a group of mics on a
drum kit to two subgroup busses and patch them to a pair of tracks on
the recorder.

To be honest I would prefer the English board for reasons of resale value
and my general dislike for many Behringer products. Also the Soundcraft is
more or less a dual prupose recording/live sound console and may be a bit
easier to get rid when the time comes to go digital.

You never know about resale value. Since you're talking short term
here, you might do better looking for a used Mackie analog 8-bus. It's
really set up to do multitrack recording, and depending where you are
(Portugal?) might be easier to sell at less of a loss than a new
Behringer. I'm not sure what Yamaha has to offer in an analog
multitrack recording board nowadays, but the pickings are really
pretty slim all over. Allen & Heath also had a couple of models of
multitrack recording consoles but they didn't stay in that market very
long.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

Since I believe the LX7 is an inline console, I though of using the 24
switchable pre/post fader post eq direct outputs on tracks 1-16 and 25-32
for sending signals to the HD recorder, and then returning them during
playback/overdub/mix on the line inputs of the console. In addition I though
I could use one of the several subgroups for patch and route in cases where
more than 1 mic per channel would be needed (for example a drum submix down
to 2 tracks). I assume that would be OK, no?
Additionally I have found a Allen Heath GL2200 with 24 tracks of direct
output at the same $2000 price point (as well as a 4 segment meter per
channel which the LX7 does not offer).
What is your opinion. Allen Heath GL2200 24 channel or a larger LX7 40
input???
Do you think the preamps and eq sections on the Allen Heath will be
substancially better or warmer??
RON CHARLES
"Ron Charles" wrote in message
...
I just recently pruchased a Mackie SDR24/96 to add to our Studio C room
(Mostly Live to Multitrack for film soundtrack work).

Although I intend to purchase a Digital Console in about 6 to 12 months, I
hope to start with a decent analog console to begin tracking with.

Mixing and Post will be done on the same console in some instances, and
with
ProTools in other cases when Studio A is offline and available.

Our very low budget for the console is $2000 USD and about the only
workable
new boards with at least 24 post EQ direct +4 db outputs and reasonable
specs. at this price are either something like a Mackie, Yamaha, Behringer
MX9000 or a Soundcraft LX7/40.

To be honest I would prefer the English board for reasons of resale value
and my general dislike for many Behringer products. Also the Soundcraft is
more or less a dual prupose recording/live sound console and may be a bit
easier to get rid when the time comes to go digital. I am however still
open to suggestions from those of you who have used this or similiar
consoles.

Anyone care to offer their first hand opinions on the new generation of
the
Soundcraft line, especially the LX7 or Live 4 Mk2 with about 40 inputs and
minimum of 24 outputs.

Are the preamps quite and nice???

Are these reasonably well built for low maintenence??

Any other suggestions for a console in this price range??

RON CHARLES
ITJ FilmWorks

In article writes:

Since I believe the LX7 is an inline console, I though of using the 24
switchable pre/post fader post eq direct outputs on tracks 1-16 and 25-32
for sending signals to the HD recorder, and then returning them during
playback/overdub/mix on the line inputs of the console.

No, it's not an in-line console. It may have an input (mic or line)
and an output (direct) on every channel, but you can't separate them.
The problem with your plan is that when you're overdubbing, you will
have to choose between the line or the mic input. You need the line
input to play back the recording, so you can't use the mic input on
those channels.

If you can live with only 8 mic inputs for tracking and overdubbing,
you could use the line inputs 1-16 and 25-32 as your recorder returns,
and mic inputs 17-24 to feed the recorder. You'd need a well thought
out patch panel of course, so you could use either a direct output or
a bus output if you're recording more than one mic to a track.

What is your opinion. Allen Heath GL2200 24 channel or a larger LX7 40
input???
Do you think the preamps and eq sections on the Allen Heath will be
substancially better or warmer??

I really have no basis for an opinion on that comparison. You can't
"think" that a preamp will sound better or warmer, you have to listen,
and I've not listened to either. The A&H would probably win a
popularity contest because it doesn't suck and it's been around for a
long time. Soundcraft preamps have also never sucked and I don't see
any reason why that should change with the LX7, but it's quite new
and, with it not really being a recording console, I haven't paid much
attention to it. Your posting was the first mention of it that I've
run across.

[And then I saw George Gleason's mention of the LX7 in comparison with
the Midas Venice, but he's looking at the application as a stage
monitor console, but sound is important in any case.]


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )