AW16G- lack of xlrs

[peter89]

I have been using an aw16g with my band now for the past year. Its frustrating me because theres no way I can accurately record drums.

This is because I do not have enough xlr inputs to mic a drum kit up with, unless there is some way round this.

Have i just hit solid rock with this one or is there a way round it without buying a whole new unit?

help would be much appreciated, thank you.

[Blue Bear Sound]

You have to buy external pres.... you connect the mics to the pres, and run the pre outputs to the line-input channels on the AW16.

[explorer5]

Buy some XLR to 1/4" TRS adapters & you can use the 6 remaining inputs to record any mic that does not require phantom power while still having balanced inputs.

[Big Tim]

Buy some XLR to 1/4" TRS adapters & you can use the 6 remaining inputs to record any mic that does not require phantom power while still having balanced inputs.

This is not good advice. Connecting a Mic (which sends mic-level signal) to a line-level input will give you an unusably low signal. mics need a mic preamp in order to bring the output singal up to line level. That's the whole point of a mic preamp.

The cheapest approach is to get a small mixer with enough mic preamps in it and connect that to the AW16g.

[Rick Levine]

Buy some XLR to 1/4" TRS adapters & you can use the 6 remaining inputs to record any mic that does not require phantom power while still having balanced inputs.

This is not good advice. Connecting a Mic (which sends mic-level signal) to a line-level input will give you an unusably low signal.

While I agree completely, if you close mic with a hot condenser you can end up with a line level signal right out of the mic. OTOH, buying a used 16 channel mixer with line outs on all channels is a good way to go. I occasionally see A&H MixWiz 16:2 mixers for $400-500.

[Big Tim]

Buy some XLR to 1/4" TRS adapters & you can use the 6 remaining inputs to record any mic that does not require phantom power while still having balanced inputs.

This is not good advice. Connecting a Mic (which sends mic-level signal) to a line-level input will give you an unusably low signal.

While I agree completely, if you close mic with a hot condenser you can end up with a line level signal right out of the mic.

True, but condensers generally need Phantom Power, which rules them out unless you can find one that runs on batteries.

[hewhoiscalledj]

Other than recording each instrument seperately, at least the drums, the best choice as mentioned above is to get an external mixer with direct outs to fill out the remaining line-ins of the Yammy.

I was a die hard MTR user not that long ago and always hated the thought of complicating things with a computer... When I started using Logic and Cubase on my Mac, and realized that I had a full size monitor, keyboard and mouse to do all my editing (instead of the little buttons and endless submenus on a tiny screen).... I never looked back.

If you can consider doing that, then I really think you may be able to enjoy all the flexibility it can give you. Pick up a Mackie ONYX 1640i, record the band, and call it a day. The brilliant thing about it is that the 1640i will also be a killer live mixer for playing shows or for practice. With everyone mic'd up, just hit record and rock on.

[explorer5]

All 8 inputs on the 16g are labelled as mic/line inputs.Yes you do have to run the inputs quite high to record dynamic mics with the TRS inputs using adapters, but I have no problems recording drums using this setup!

[TKMJ Productions]

All 8 inputs on the 16g are labelled as mic/line inputs.Yes you do have to run the inputs quite high to record dynamic mics with the TRS inputs using adapters, but I have no problems recording drums using this setup!

Correct! From the spec page:
Mic/Line In 1,2 (Balanced XLR)
Mic/Line In 3-8 (Balanced TRS Phone)Mic/Line In 3-8 (HI-Z) 8 (Unbalanced Phone)

[explorer5]

All tracks (including drums)on our tunes were recorded on the 16g (cheap Samson mics-since upgraded).Check 'em out here http://www.blindspotband.com/