Re: USB Mixer in place of Digital Audio Interface?
Okay - did a lot of research on this, and decided to pull the trigger on a mixer. It'll be here Wednesday. So much advice out there says you don't need a mixer, yet I looked at my setup and all the patch cords, adaptors, y-connectors, A/B audio switches etc., the fact that I've never been able (without swapping out a bunch of components/cables) to listen to or record the stereo output of either my modeler or my drums other than through headphones, then considering that things are going to get a little more complex once my Railboard arrives, a small mixer seemed to be a good way to tie everything together.
I think I have everything worked out on paper as shown in the block diagram below. The only question I have (and I can play with it both ways, but someone may have some wisdom to share) is whether to connect my powered FRFR cabinet to the Alt 3-4 output, or the main mix output of the mixer. It would seem that the ability to divert the signal away from the main mix and to the Alt 3-4 outputs seems to be logical; if I'm playing without headphones and want to use the powered cab, I mute the channels and the signal is directed to the Alt 3-4 and the powered cab. If I'm recording, then I un-mute those channels, which turns off output to Alt 3-4 and the powered cab, and directs the signal to the main mix and the USB connection to my DAW.
Other than that, I think this is going to work just super, and I haven't even touched on the ability to add effects, compression and EQ to the signals as needed. Also, since I'm going to be using the FX-Return on my Gigboard for one of the two channels from the Railboard, I can still take advantage of the FX loop on the mixer if I want to try putting my Strymon Lex into the chain.
BTW - Thanks and a tip-o-the-hat to @CaptainStrings for the advice on cabling components. Thanks to that advice, I was able to whip up all the new cables (with the correct lengths) to wire all this up!
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Mixer Block Diagram.png