M-Audio Delta 1010 Manual page 49

system in the form of "sub-mix outs." These are usually arranged in stereo pairs
with a set of level control faders for each pair. This configuration can be
effectively used for recording, as long as the record channels are taken out of the
stereo buss. The difference here is that there is no real distinction between the
recording and monitoring sections.
Some line mixers have a number of effect or auxiliary sends for each channel.
These sends will have their own individual level control and will receive the
signal either pre fader or post fader, i.e. either independent or dependent on that
channel's fader level. It is possible to use these "aux sends" to send a signal to
the recording device. A pre fader send is certainly preferable, since this will allow
for a recording level that is separate from the monitoring level.
The bottom line here is that you can not use the 'main output' of your mixer to
send a signal to the recording device, and then take the outputs of that recording
device back into the mixer (whose signal also goes to the main out). This creates
a feedback loop, bad for your eardrums and bad for your equipment.
One modern console design gets around that by offering an "alt out," which is an
alternate stereo buss or output. When selecting 'alt out' on a channel, it mutes
that channel to the stereo buss and redirects it to the alt out buss. This could be
viewed as a 2-buss system, and can be used effectively for recording purposes.
In our Typical Setup 1 and 2 in the previous section, we used pre-amps to handle
the recording. A line mixer that simply received the line outputs from the 1010
and mixed them to stereo could handle the monitoring needs. Hopefully, the
information here will give you some insight into how to use the gear that you
own, or what to look for if you are seeking additional equipment to facilitate your
hard disk recording.
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