Considering getting a 24 or32 channel mixing board

[Flippity]

I know nothing about them besides the basic functions. I'm creating this thread to get opinions from current or past mixer users on which brands and types I should look for. My goal I want to achieve from using a big ol' mixer is to set up a ton of already mastered tracks in my DAW, send them to the mixer, buy some external effect racks, hook the racks up to the mixer, so i can send them to all the tracks and edit junk live while i'm recording to get a more real and controlled feel to my songs. Also, after people recommend some stuff i'll ask how I should go about setting everything up.

[InternetSlaveMaster]

Well my dad has an Allen and Heath (24 channel I think), he swears by them. Not sure of your budget though so I can't really suggest anything.

[Flippity]

Money doesn't matter. I have read about allen and heath, I was thinking about getting a Zed 24. I only heard good things about that one. Do you know anything about bus ammounts, i.e. 4 bus or 6 bus mixer

[wormcode]

I'd still say one of the Soundcraft or Mackies, tried and tested consoles for decades http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=246553

Allen & Heath are nice but I've only used their DJ line of mixers that I recall, though top quality.

[Flippity]

I keep hearing mixed view of mackies and soundcraft. I don't know, I might just bite the bullet and buy the A&H zed24. It's relatively cheap for that size mixer, so I should be fine.

[InternetSlaveMaster]

The A&H Zed24 looks outstanding. Reviews seem good and A&H is a good brand so I don't think you'll have any regrets for what you need it for.

Do you know anything about bus ammounts, i.e. 4 bus or 6 bus mixer

Either I don't understand what you're asking, or I don't know the answer to your question.

[Sharmaji]

if money is no question, then why are you looking at low-end live boards like the zed/mackie/soundcraft and not at top studio gear, ala SSL/Trident/Neve etc?

[Shum]

to be fair, given the sort of questions he's asking, he's better off getting a mackie than an SSL. if you truly have no idea what a mixer actually does then yeah...

[mks]

to be fair, given the sort of questions he's asking, he's better off getting a mackie than an SSL.

This. That whole sending mastered tracks through it to mess with them more threw me off a bit.

I still have my old Mackie 1604VLZ that I have had for 13 years now and it still does what it needs to do (although some of the pots are getting scratchy).

Fun for dubbing things out live.

[AxeD]

If money doesn't matter, get an ssl or a TL vtc or whatever.

[nowaysj]

Fun for dubbing things out live.

This is what it is about in my head. Not for mixing itb projects. Spend the money on waves ssl collection and get a mix track simulator from like Slate, or Mellowmuse, or Satson. I haven't researched, don't know which is the bomb.

But if you've got a bunch of gear in the room with you, and you are jamming live, fuck yeah bro, get that mixing going.

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Honestly this sounds more like homework than anything else.