Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK Recording & Live Mixing Tutorial + Suggestions
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- čas přidán 30. 04. 2020
- As I'm holed up here in Quarantine 2020, I decided to try to learn a little bit more about video editing. I needed a subject, and here's one I love, so fair warning: it's a gear nerd video.
This is an overview of how I like to set up the Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK for tracking in a home studio and for running live shows. (I miss them.) This is best for someone who is considering upgrading to a larger format audio interface, considering purchasing one of these boards, or maybe has one but doesn't think they're getting the most out of it that they could.
Relevant Links for things mentioned in the video:
The Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
ART HeadAmp6 Headphone Amp
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
8" Main Reference Monitors: Yamaha HS8
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Mid-Range Monitors: Sterling Audio MX5
www.guitarcenter.com/Sterling...
Small Monitors: M-Audio BX3
www.guitarcenter.com/M-Audio/...
Headphones I Like:Audio Technica ATH-M30x
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta... - Hudba
![First Eight Weeks in One Minute: Recovery From Dupuytren’s Contracture Surgery [semi-graphic?]](/img/n.gif)
This man shared more information in the first 3 minutes, than every other tutorial combined. LOL Soooooo much great information here. Many thanks. 🙏
This is a great video. There is a great deal of information presented, and the explanations are more clear than most of what I've read/watched elsewhere.
Thanks for posting this.
Thank you very much for making this video! This helped me understand more about how to use this mixer! Especially changing the output for the headphones! Up until now I had it assigned to output 1-2 and was wondering why my headphone output was still coming out as mono and so I adjusted the pan levels which worked but I knew that wasn't correct! So I followed what you said and changed it to output 21-22 from my DAW and from the Audio MIDI setup, hit the USB return button, and now I can hear stereo! I also made some tweaking on the highs and lows from the mixer and now everything sounds crystal clear and better! I'm using this mixer for recording drums and doing drum covers for my channel! Again, Thanks a ton for making this!
Glad I could help!
Thank you for making this! Looks like it took a long time to make and was very valuable and useful information. Much appreciated! Great songs too at the end!
Great video! Thanks so much for all the detail and the bonus of the live recording you've done - they sound great!!
Man! This is the best tutorial and in depth review! Thanks for making this video
Thanks, @feinkevi! This is an exceptional video that covers so many things in such a short time, clearly, concisely and with every tidbit applicable to so many users. I just got this board, and will be using it with GarageBand for now, at least, and will likely be referring back to this clip lots more. And reading through all the questions and your generous and informative answers has been another great source of info! Thanks for all the thought and advice. Priceless!
Hi Tim, thanks! glad to help!
This has just unlocked this desk for me thank you! So concise and simple workflow thanks
super thorough and articulate video. You are a national treasure, sir.
Fantastic video. Thanks for linking it from your Sweetwater review!
Thanks so very much for the great Vid, now I can use this for reference...I will be watching this a few times over ...at 60 , I can't seem to remember a darn thing anymore lol ...all the best to you and thanks again sir.
Great video! Would love to see more of them. I got a Soundcraft 22 MTK for my studio too. I'm hoping to start doing recording with it as well.
Excellent vid, bro. Informative and concise with no bullshit blabbing, This is the way all CZcams vids should be. And it never once occurred to me to use the groups to send to different speakers. Brilliant!
This is the way.
@@feinkevi gotta give my desk Mandalorian colours now..... anyway, thanks for this info i also never thought of it.
Wonderful..I am a Music producer,Sound Engineer and Drummer.. Just decided to but this one and this was so so helpful...Thank you
This is great! I wish all tutorials were this concise.
Finally a useful demonstration of this mixer. Thanks!
Nice video. One of the best pieces of kit I ever got. So versatile. Great to be able to leave logic running and give a band a mixed recording later. Had loads of fun with a heavy dub reggae band live using the delay live on the vocals and snare 👌
Damn, i just learned so much about my new board. THANK YOU!
Fab! Thanks for this, it's a perfect intro to the 22MTK - we just bought one last week for our home studio here in the UK 💚💥
Stellar, make some magic!
@@feinkevi Already making demos with the advice from the vid. Woop :)
How's the mixer been so far .. i just got mine ... How's the recording ... ? . Any tips ?
thank you! many people
dont know wat dey r missing from ur channel
Outstanding video and tutorial. Thank you!
Hey man, this was super great, I've been flipping back and forth between getting one of these and getting a Tascam Model 24, I just tried the Tascam and the work flow required seemed a bit annoying(and it wasn't playing well with my pc), and this went over exactly how I'd like to set it up!
This really is a great video.
I had a couple of topic to discuss. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Thanks so much for this!👍🏼
Best tutorial. Thanks.
SO DAMN HELPFUL! thank you so much
Super helpful thanks!
Great video ! :-) Thank you !
Thanks for an incredibly helpful and informative video.
Can you pretty please do one on analogue summing :)
Killer board from the sound of it, and probably one of the best tutorials period. Soundcraft should pay you money or something..
Haha are you listening Soundcraft? I would accept their endorsement happily.
Thanks for sharing!
Very good explanation and also went through all comments and your answers. Must compliment also on the music (songs in the end) that you are involved with, not run of the mill, value on the art looks premium. Question: In July'21 and with M1 iMacs now (will be in this eco-system) what other mixer would you recommend similar to 22MTK? In terms of budget I can do up to $1 k higher to the price of 22MTK if specs/quality are worth it. Really appreciate your time and effort in doing this.
Thanks! The most similar option at a similar price point to check out is a Tascam Model 24, very close and has a similar but slightly different feature set, I could see either that or the Soundcraft being a better fit depending on a person’s needs. Going higher in price most folks would look to a higher end digital mixer (which I personally don’t really enjoy working on) or break out to a separate audio interface and mixer. Lots and lots of options in that realm, but honesty if you want an all in one box with knobs you can see, no need to spend more money. If you need a few more channels add a signature 12mtk and run them together!
Nice job.
First off THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO! Soundcraft should pay you for this and use it on their site! It is a fantastic overview / explanation of how this unit can be used. I'm thinking about buying one for my small home studio, as I want the ability to have all my instruments mic'd up and line'd in to my DAW (Mac running Logic Pro) so I can simply record whatever I need without fussing with cables, etc. Looks like a great fit for that setup... here's my Logic question: Can you use the faders on this to control the automation in Logic (ex: "write" Logic Automation for volume)? If so - I'm sold! Would love to have a tactile control for Volume type automation stuff in Logic without needing ANOTHER separate "thing" - Thanks for any reply / info here!
Sounds like it would be a great fit for you! But sadly, no - no fader/automation control inside Logic from the soundcraft board, that would have to be all mouse clicks with this setup.
Great video! i've been looking at this desk for a while now, but the only problem i can see is that i know i want to do mixes through the desk, but record the mix with multitrack post fader, eq, etc. (for mixes in the studio) which i don't think this can do. i'm aware the tascam model 24 can do this, but the 22mtk would be so much better for live. i just want the 22mtk and the model 24 to have a baby - now that would be a perfect mixer!
❤
Thank you SO much!!!
You’re welcome glad it helped!
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TUTORIAL!!! I have been waiting for something like this . I have had the mtk22 for a couple years now and love it but have not used it really live but have tracked everything with it . I have the same ART headamp and I even have one of the same condenser mics you showed . The only difference is I use reaper. This video will come in great as a reference when I go to do some live stuff thanks again bro!
Kyle Patterson right on, glad I could help!
Just curious how your latency is with this aproach
Kyle Patterson hasn’t given me any trouble. Logic has a “low latency” mode that you want to have on while tracking (dumbs down plugins etc to prevent hiccups) just to be sure, but yeah it works great.
Not sure if reaper has something similar or even needs it. Especially in context of a live show it’s totally fine, because you’re running the show analog from the board/0 latency and just tracking everything for later on the computer.
Hey there I was wondering do you use the limiter on the way in when recording say drums
very informative
Thanks to a no BS review
Thanks for the in depth tutorial. Great to see how you have utilised the equipment and explained it so well. I'm currently researching for a mixer for a home electronic setup, currently 4 synths, guitar, mic, drum machine. I was under the impression that with a multitrack desk I would be recording back into Ableton with the analog EQ's, sends, compressors applied ? it seems this is not the case. Should I be concerned about it? I thought it would be better to capture the jam as it actually happened, if I am recording the raw inputs I would need to then mix in the box again wouldn't I.
Correct, with this board your computer is getting basically just all the mic or line signals with no EQ etc from the board applied to it. I like this a lot - allows nondestructive mixing in the computer later, and in the case of a live performance you are able to do whatever you want in the moment without losing anything or altering your options for mixing down the recording later. There’s plenty to be said for recording through a board with great preamps and EQs and getting the sound you want with knobs and faders, and many many studios do that, but this isn’t the unit to use for that kind of a setup.
thank you so much for the video helped me a lot and
is there any drivers we needed to install in the mac ?
Thank you !
Is it possible to have live audio running into your DAW via usb, add plug-ins and then return it to the channel strip, all in real time? Essentialy having it function as a usb insert? (I know this would introduce some latency, but I am mainly recording synths and sequencers so its fine)
Yes it absolutely is possible, and it’s a really great feature. Latency is kinda up to your computer and IO settings, but if your rig can handle it, it works really well. Channel strip in the DAW would just need for example input 7 and then output 7. Then on channel 7 on the board you would press down the “USB return” button and then your channel strips output plays back into the boards EQ and out to mains/monitors etc as needed.
How do I ungroup the analogue channels? Like when I put a kick on channel 1 (analogue 1) of the console then the output 1 and 2, it distorts when I assign a snare on channel 2 (analogue 2) of the same output of 1 and 2. How do I ungroup them??
Are you talking about using the groups on the board or something in your DAW? I’m not sure I follow the question.
Great overview! Thanks for this. A couple of questions:
- How did you get the hardware info at the stop of each channel in Logic? That is not shown in Soundcraft's own manual on using this mixer with Logic. Looks useful to have the 48V, low-cut, etc. right there available in Logic.
- Are the aux (monitor/headphone mixes) mono? I'd like to get a stereo headphone mix for the recording musicians.
Thank you
There are a couple of guides that soundcraft made, I think that is from their “recording guide.” See here for their full info? www.soundcraft.com/en/products/signature-22-mtk
Auxes are mono. If I super needed a stereo headphone mix I’d probably use Group 1/2 or Group 3/4 and send it to a stereo headphone amp, then you would only have one mix instead of five. Honestly, mono works great for tracking I see very little value in getting a stereo mix, personally.
@@feinkevi Thank you. Makes sense. I'd like the headphone mixes stereo since this is electronic music with LOTS of stereo effects which are so much a part of the sound and inspiration.
Excellent and concise, thank you. Once the 48 volts button is pushed I assume unless Hi z buttons are pushed all the 18 xlr and line in 1/4 inch jacks are for powered mic's and maybe some DI boxes that require power? In other words I can't mix Mic types? All dynamic or all condenser not together?
The 48v is all on or all off, that said, you can mix and match mics that need or don’t need phantom with no trouble, it will not hurt your dynamic mics to leave it on. I leave it on all the time with a mix of dynamic, condenser, and ribbon mics and they all work great. You may read some differing opinions on this around the internet, but aside from perhaps certain very old ribbon microphones, or if using patch bays recklessly, or perhaps a damaged XLR cable, this will not cause any issues. Advice to the contrary is more or less outdated superstition.
@@feinkevi Thank you for the information, I will proceed accordingly.
What is the best way to apply FX and EQ to each aux send?
Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I have this mixer and I'm about to incorporate it into my setup. Quick question regarding using it to mix on. If all channels from the DAW are assigned to faders 1-22 (via USB selection), then the sum of all those goes back into Pro Tools through channels 23 and 24, there's probably no way to add plug-ins to the printed 2 track from the board and hear how those are being processed in real time, right?
If that's a confusing way to ask it, maybe the better question is once you send the mix from the board back into Pro Tools, how would you apply plugins to the 2 mix (in Pro Tools) and be able to hear the difference between the board mix and any post processing?
Thanks!
Interesting question. Off the cuff, I think the solution I would use for that would be to use 21/22 as your DAW return output for the stereo mix track, but on the board don’t send 21/22 to your master output, use group 1/2 or 3/4 instead. So tracks 1-20 go into the master mix, your computer takes that mix in on inputs 23/24, your DAW applies plugins and sends its output to return 21/22, then the board sends 21/22 out to group 1/2, your group 1/2 outputs go to your monitors or headphones. Slightly messy but gets what I think you’re asking for done.
@@feinkevi Thanks for the quick response. Yeah, that's what I was kinda envisioning, and I think you're right... a bit messy. I also have an Apollo, so perhaps I can figure out a way to aggregate the two and solve that issue. I appreciate it!
I have been trying to decided between USB and Thunderbolt interface. I got a Zoom TAC-8 and was looking for a way to get eight mixes into it with a mixer, but now I am sacrificing Thunderbolt in favor of having all channels to mix. What are your thoughts on USB vs Thunderbolt?
Thunderbolt is a far superior technology, it can handle significantly higher throughput of information. It also allows daisy chaining of multiple devices, so with only using one port on your computer you might have a 4k monitor, external storage, and an audio interface without running into latency problems. USB has one major advantage - price. Thunderbolt technology is always significantly higher in price (higher end equipment, higher price tag). It also hasn't had nearly the widespread adoption or backwards compatibility that USB has. For example, a USB 3.0 cable can be used on a 2.0 port and it just bottlenecks to the USB 2.0 speed. That isn't true between Thunderbolt 2 and 3. The widespread adoption means you can find good cheap USB cables anywhere, and are able to use the same cables across a wide variety of devices from many manufacturers. Not true for thunderbolt. At the end of the day, while Thunderbolt is clearly "better," you also need to be mindful of what you actually need. Even USB 2.0 is plenty fast to allow multi tracking large projects without any latency - you don't need to pay thunderbolt prices to get great high bit rate high sample rate multi track recordings. It all depends on your budget and what else you need connected within your system, but I wouldn't shy away from USB for being "inferior" - it's perfectly capable of getting the job done.
So question about the aux sends. I have a headphone kind of like the one you have and want to have mixes for individual channels. So in order for that to happen the USB RTN button must be off? Your help is must appreciate 🙏
I’m not totally clear on what you want to do, sorry. You want USB return off to have a live signal from whatever you have plugged into that channel. USB return on to have a signal coming back from your computer. If you want to mix into your headphones you can plug headphones into the headphone output on the board, then use the PFL switches to choose what you want to hear, or it can just get the main L/R mix.
great video!
How have you been using the USB RTN for channels 1 and 2 in logic? I can't use them even when I change the stereo output to 21-22, i can assign a track from logic to output 1 and 2 but nothing comes through to the board, is there a way to fix this without losing outputs 1 and 2?
1 and 2 returns always share your stereo output which is VERY obnoxious in Logic. The way I have this set up for live shows it’s not a problem though, and nothing is going to Logics stereo out. You can return channel strips to 1 and 2 just fine in that context, but when mixing in the studio I always skip the 1 and 2 returns if I need to be feeding anything back to the board.
Wow, that sounds great! Between this and the Tascam Model 24 it's a tough choice. Looking to upgrade from the Zoom R16, which can only record 8 channels at a time. We will use this to record in our home studio as well as record our live shows. I loved the EQ knobs and faders on the Tascam 424, but 4 channels just isn't going to cut it most of the time for us. It's nice to be able to change the volume/EQ in the DAW after the show. Does this board work as a DAW controller in post? Excellent video.
The MTK is not a DAW controller, changes on the board won’t update anything on your channel strips in your DAW - all mixing would be “in the box” with mouse clicks. However, it can be used to mix analog if you really want to - in post you could return all of your tracks to the board’s channels, mix with faders and EQ knobs, and then record the master output going back into the computer on tracks 23/24. A lot of people do this for “analog summing,” but it’s like a permanent bounce - have to do it all over if there’s a change you’d want to make later.
@@feinkevi nice, thanks for the info! So that mixer, like any mixer, can be used for a final 2-channel stereo mixer. From what I'm reading it looks like on the Tascam Model 12 can be used as a DAW controller. The nice thing about the Tascam 12/16/24 is they can be a standalone recording unit with no real need for a DAW, which is kind of a nice option to have.
How were you able to output to tracks 1 and 2 from tracks 1 and 2 in Logic?
Even when I change the i/o assignments to a stereo track on the Soundcraft, tracks 1 and 2 say stereo output where the option to select track 1 and 2 should be.
Any ideas?
I’m referencing @6:25
My menu looks like it does @1:19
This is a really finicky issue in Logic. You want to make sure “mirroring” checkbox is turned off in your settings, which should take care of the issue, but it still seems to always consider 1&2 to be part of your stereo output. This is fine for a live show using the USB returns, you can still pick and use 1 and 2 as independent returns, but it may also send logic’s “stereo output” to 1&2 as well. When you set up like I have for the live session in this video, each channel is sending back to its own return/nothing going out to the program’s stereo output at all so it is a non-issue for that setup. But if you have some kind of reason to be using the software stereo out and an individual return, say reamping something, you would want to skip 1 and 2 for that. Hope that helps, it’s confusing because it doesn’t make any sense, hopefully it gets changed in an update eventually.
Hello, I have a couple questions I’m hoping you can answer. The USB power input on the board will not charge my iPhone, no big deal just wondering if you had that same issue. Also my AUX 1-5 outputs only runs the left side in mono. I’m using the correct cables, I even plugged my headphones directly into each one and still only get the left side. Love this video, very helpful. Thanks!
Hi Tim! The usb port is pretty low power, really meant for something like a USB light. I have also heard of people damaging their boards by drawing too much power there so I would advise against using it, unfortunately. As far as the outputs, those are balanced mono lines out not meant to go direct to headphones. So if plugged into a stereo input or headphones you will only get a left signal. The only output that will give you both ears is the headphone out. This is why I mention in the video to use a headphone amp and in particular one with a mono mode, as this is guaranteed to get you signal loud and clear in both ears.
@@feinkevi gotcha, thank you!
Thank you for making this video. I got some questions Can I use USB MTK recording without interrupt the main output? I wanted to record my live band but there’s just a little instruments signal coming in to the mixer can I adjust level each channel without interrupt the main output that’s going to speakers?
You live mix can be run however you want in the room you are in - the recording captures pre-fader, which means you can mix live however you want without affecting the recording.
Thank you for answers. Already subscribe to your channel
Hi,
If all mic inputs are used up, how do you deal with not having a talk back mic? Thanks.
Ha, shout real loud! I do prefer to keep a talkback set up, there are enough channels that it is usually doable. There are a couple of workarounds if you’re going over, I’ve rigged up a signature 22 MTK and a 12MTK together to expand several times, or if you had the right cable I suppose you could plug a talkback into one of the 1/4” inputs in the upper stereo channels, that would probably work ok.
thank u dear . i want to record some tracks in my home do you think that this mtk 12 could be work also as an a pc interface to record separate chanels?
Yea the mtk 12 is basically the same thing with lesser channels.
In theory, could you leave out the headphone amplifier altogether and plug headphones directly into the aux outputs? Excellent vid by the way! 👍🏼
Only the headphone out is powered to drive a set of headphones, you would not get good results plugging straight into an aux out.
Greetings, I have a concern, does the console need a driver for logic to recognize it or does it work directly, that is, I connect it and it recognizes it, thanks for your response?
No driver install needed on mac, plugged into USB it will recognize it right away, may need to select it in the audio preferences/settings is all.
Nice video. Not to long and boring but very practical. I have a question. Have you ever encountered a crosstalk problems? I have one. I'm routing click signal from one of DAW tracks (I use Reaper) to Soundcraft MTK 22 to one of channels. There are separate mixes for monitors on AUX1-3 including Click and one on subgroup without it. The problem is that I hear Click on Subgroup where it's not suppose to be. It's faint but still it's hearable.
Hmm, I’ve not really had that but Ive also pretty exclusive gone with click on or click off everywhere so I probably wouldn’t have noticed. Try double checking that your click channels aren’t feeding anything into fx1 or fx2, and that fx returns aren’t feeding anything back into the auxes or over into your subgroup, that might be a way it’s getting looped around or sent somewhere you don’t want it. There might be a problem with a knob not truly going to 0 or something in which case you’d have to reach out to sound craft. I’d probably try zeroing everything and slowly reintroducing signal one thing at time to try to isolate the problem though.
I'm thinking of getting one of these for a smaller workstation. Have you tried how they work with Facetime/Discord/Skype etc? I've had issues with other multiple channel interfaces.
I have not personally used mine for live video chat or anything like that, but I would expect that it could do the job quite well, just can’t personally vouch for it from experience.
This is an awesome video, the only thing I don't really get is the monitoring bit from 2:38 on... say for drum recordings, I send all the drums to Aux1 so the drummer can hear himself, how do I get the backing track and click track to go there as well and control the different levels? Do i have to assign the backing track and click to two channels and enable return?
With the drummer listening to themselves live via their mic channels going to aux 1, you can also feed the DAW’s playback into aux 1 as well (the aux 1 send for tracks 21/22 will give them the DAW’s playback). I will sometimes route the click into 21/22 with the DAW playback, and sometimes into 19/20 so that I can control the click’s level independently of the playback mix in each aux send (maybe the drummer wants a lot but the singer wants none, for example).
@@feinkevi thank you :D
It's possible to use a channel as a insert on logic? I'M mean... Insert a plugin I/O, in channel 1, out channel 1 and all signal in that channel will pass through tha channel 1 on the console. That way you can use the channels in the console as plugin i/o insert in logic. Do you think it's possible?
Yes, in Logic say you are taking input 8, set that Logic channel’s output to return 8, then on the soundcraft board on channel 8 have the “usb return” switch on. Then those Logic plugins will be on the signal going into channel 8 on the soundcraft and go through to the board eq/effects/master mix etc.
Hey man what does the Post button on 21/22 do? Any examples of where it can be used?
That's pre/post fader for channel 21/22's sends to aux 1 and 2. Example would be if you were playing back house music on 21/22 you could fade it in/out to both the house and the first two stage monitors using the fader. Usually you would want your house and monitor sends independent of one another, but for something like house music maybe you wouldn't.
Tracking each track individually with eq and effects applied possible on this console? I am interested to buy this mixer but not finding answer to my this question. Can u pls tell? I will use it in my studio mainly. But want to make Tracking faster to reduce post time.
No - individual tracks come through pre EQ or effects. As I said in the video I personally find this vastly preferable as it’s non-destructive, you can make all the tweaks you want in your DAW without losing the original recorded signal. If what you want is a quick live mix, then you can record the board’s stereo mix on tracks 23/24. So you can go all the way to a live stereo mix or all the way to a totally raw multitrack, but no middle ground multitrack post fx. People ask this all the time and I really think it is much better the way it is, but if that’s not for you then you’ll need a different board.
@@feinkevi thank u so much brother for prompt reply. Yes you are right I need to explore other options.
Hi, so is possible to record on a daw 20 tracks together via mic inputs or tape?
Yep absolutely
@feinkevi Hey,
can you explain the mixing in post to me please, as in, i have recorded all the different channels pre eq to let's say ableton, then i send it back into the board somehow and then how do i record these again with the eq's i do on the board or how does that work? I know it might sound dumb, but i'm really trying to understand this 😅
As i want to buy a multitrack mixer for my home studio.
Thanks.
By mixing in post, personally I mean doing all the EQ, levels, compression etc on the computer. You can return all of your tracks to the board and mix by hand later if you want, but will only be able to capture the main stereo mix from the board at that time - you’ve got to get it right because you can’t go back and change anything later. That’s what I like about mixing on the computer so much - you can always undo a mistake or modify a mix after noticing an issue.
@@feinkevi Thanks for your reply!
Right on time when i'm actually ready to buy a new mixer (;
Thank you for the video. Well done. Very helpful.
I am considering the MTK 12 for home studio. One concern I have, from reviews, is that some are saying that when using USB, the vocals come in too low. One said, he couldn't get it above -32db, and a couple others said it just isn't good for vocals.
In your video, you show this being run into your DAW and although you did not specifically mention the vocals in the mix, I assume you were able to get enough volume... Do you have any thoughts on this question? I am confused by this dilemma, because it sounds like a major flaw. Also, would it make a difference from condenser v dynamic? Thank you
I can’t speak to exactly what caused the problem for those other folks, but I have had no trouble getting enough gain for a good signal on vocals using quite a wide range of microphones, both dynamic and condenser, passive and with phantom power. No need for a separate preamp or anything. I suppose there could be some particularly quiet mics like an old passive ribbon mic or something that would require a boost, but I’d say the overwhelming majority of microphones can run straight into this board without a problem.
If those other folks are peaking at -32db there was probably something else going on, bad firmware/computer problem/settings issue? Hard to say.
Adding to that, everything you hear in the video, the voiceover, the examples, were recorded using the signature board with no outboard preamps or anything else.
@@feinkevi Thank you!!
Thanks so. much for the reply. What exactly is the procedure for linking in the 12MTK with the 22MTK and Logic?Thanks.
It’s called “create aggregate device” in the audio midi setup utility. Instructions here: support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000
@@feinkevi I had wondered about how to connect multiple audio interfaces to IMac. Thannks!
Great video. Completely off topic question: The desktop picture resembles a MTG card, doesn’t it? and where did you get it?
Mart Ket ha yeah I suppose it does, it’s just the default Mac OS Catalina desktop picture.
Thanks for creating this tutorial. I bought the MTK22 some years ago. Just like countless others, I could never get a master mix out of the Soundcraft (via USB) back into the box that was loud enough. The master channel out to USB suffers from a lot of gain reduction. Have you found workaround this?
Interesting, I’ve heard a few people mention low signal levels on their computers but I’ve never had that problem at all, comes through loud and clear. I’ll play around with some settings and see if I can recreate the problem and will let you know if I come up with something, otherwise I’d suggest reaching out to soundcraft customer support. They might be able to talk you through it over the phone.
Do you find the gain knob just too subtle ..i just got mine and o find the gain knobs doesn't work much like my yamaha mixer 10 GXU. ..
I find myself turning it all the way which shouldnt be the case ..
I recorded a guitar and found it too soft on play back .
Don't know.. I'm worried about recording the whole band .. to see how it sounds..
@@colindias4820 My gain knob is almost maxed out to the right on my guitar channel.
Just what I was looking for! Do you still use this board in 2023?
All the time, running strong!
Hey, man, how are you? What operating system do you use on your Mac? I want to buy MTK 12 and use Catalina on my Macbook. According to the manufacturer's specifications, it only works up to El Capitan. Does it work right on your Mac?
Using latest release of Catalina just fine.
@@feinkevi thanks! I have a Macbook Retina 2014, i hope it works.
i cant use the lexicon reverb or sfx when recording......the result is flat. how can i record with sfx?
I highly recommend using reverb/fx in your DAW. The built in lexicon effects can only be recorded as part of the master L/R mix output, which shows up as channels 23 and 24 on your computer. Some people will do analog mixes or “summing” that way, which is fine if that’s what you’re into, but I prefer being able to tweak and edit everything later.
Hi there do you know much about the Soudcraft Signature 12 MTK? I'd love the 22 MTK that you have but it seems a little over budget. Are they pretty similar except for the channel count?
The 12 is a great smaller board, but it’s shorter on features in a few other ways than # channels. Only 2 channels with limiters (vs. 8 on the 22), 3 band EQ on each channel (vs. 4 on the 22), 3 total aux sends (vs 5 on the 22), one fx channel (vs. 2), one group stereo pair (2 group sends on the 22). Basically just the little brother, but super usable and a nice smaller format. I happily use the 12 for something like a singer songwriter set or running a wedding or whatnot.
@@feinkevi Thanks for the reply! Sounds great. Think I might buy it!
Can this be used for broadcast audio by digitally mixing in the software?
Im not very familiar with broadcast or live streaming but it’s excellent for running a live mix, as long as you can feed a signal into whatever program or hardware is sending the broadcast it should work great.
Can't you tell me how to save the rever and echo on the signature, when I fix it and disconnect it from the power, it returns to the first condition again, no, and I kept it in the mfx store.
The effects on this board will reset every time the power turns off, no way to avoid that unfortunately.
I just got this mixer.
I have a lot of mics hooked up to it.
I can hear them all fine on my headphones witch are pluged in to the board, but i can't hear any thing from my PC.
would I be able to hear playback from my computer through the mixer?
Yep! you need to check which usb return your computer is sending audio to and make sure that channel's "usb return" button is engaged, I recommend using 21/22. Computer audio comes through just like a microphone would.
I got it to work! thankyou!
Hi. Thanks for the video. Dumb question. Is it possible to use the tone controls on the way in? Example.. to eq a kick drum
Not channel by channel. Eq on the board will only affect what goes out the master mix, for EQ on a kick drum by far the easiest thing to do is use a plug-in EQ in your DAW.
@@feinkevi Thanks for your reply...I suppose I need to try and get it right at the source.
When you use plug-ins like compressor to live performing what is your latency?
The board doesn't seem to add any at all, kinda up to the computer. Running Logic in low latency mode I haven't had any issues, though admittedly I don't depend on doing this too often.
Where did you find the mac driver for the 22 mtk gr jos
No drivers needed - just plug and play!
Hi, thanks for the great video...I have the exact same setup and found this very incredibly helpful!!
One major issue I'm finding is when I try to record the master output (channels 23/24) (similar to your video at 6:50), the recorded audio is WAY quieter than what I'm hearing over my speakers?? To walk through my process, I've recorded dry audio on a few channels (stems), which I then usb return on each channel to mix with the onboard effects...i then set up an audio input channel 23/24 as you've done, but when I record and playback, the mix is really quiet...i have noticed the on board meter is very quiet as well; not sure where I'm going wrong?? Any helps/suggestions would be brilliant...
Hmm, interesting. I’ve had a few people ask about low signals so I just fired it up again to check, and one thing I’m noticing is that the 23/24 signal is post master fader, so for what you’re doing you probably want the master fader all the way up to zero (may need to turn down your monitors to make that tolerable). That’s a little odd because the faders don’t do anything to 1-22. But for me, as the fader comes up the input monitoring from channels 23/34 gets plenty loud, goes to 0 when I turn it down.
The meter on the board has always seemed a little low to me relative to what I’m hearing, it might be a little slow catching peaks or something, but if your dry tracks are also coming into the board pretty weak you could try just a gain plug-in on the channel strip in the computer to run like a gain knob and get the signal around where you want it on the board.
Hope that helps, good luck!
@@feinkevi Thanks for the response and help...had another go, ive managed to get the onboard meter to hit decent levels and sounds great over the headphones, but still getting the very low volume level of of the recorded "print" track on 23/24. The audio waves are barely processing on the logic and when listening back to the audio file, its just way quieter than what i'd heard when recording...very frustrating because it sounds so great over the headphones and during live recording, but i just cant trust the file recorded is going to sound the same level as what I'm hearing! Figured I could just add post gain, but really hoped I could just record as is....
I did watch another video (czcams.com/video/Lj4n-BZ-xAE/video.html) where he mentions there's 6db gain reduction on the soundcraft signature series @10:15 but if I'm only using headphones, I wouldn't think this should have any impact?
@@SteveVeroni interesting, might be tough to sort out not in the room with you, but I'm curious if you're hearing something different in the headphones than what is going out of the master send. Check all your AFL/PFL switches. But also, the master fader is going to have to be pretty high to get full signal through on channels 23/24 as they are post-master fader, probably higher than would be comfortable listening on headphones wherever you have them set now. If I try to track 23/24 in my home studio setup and put the master up to 0 my monitors are blasting way louder than I want to sit and listen to. If you're using the "headphone out" straight to headphones, trying turning the headphone out level way lower and bring the master up, will probably get you closer to what you like. Another option, I don't think you'll have too much trouble adding 6 or 12 db of gain in the DAW without signifcant noise issues, play around with it and see what you think.
I see I can use this mixer as an huge audio interface, with lot of inputs, right...? If I want to record a full drums kit (10 mics) + 2 stereo keyboards + 2 electric guitars + bass + percussion set (3 mics) + vocal lead and vocal (4 mics), I can, right...? And I will have all these inputs (separated in 24 tracks) on Pro Tools (or Logic), is that right...?
There are 24 inputs - but there are only 16 XLR inputs/mic preamps. Two of the 24 are the board’s stereo mix, so only 22 total lines from a source into pro tools, and several of them would need to come in via 1/4” (or one stereo pair of RCA), so just noting that for planning how you are wiring in all those channels.
I want to buy the MTK 22 ans a new MacBook Pro that will come with Sonoma I guess. is it compatible ? will it work with the MTK 22 ?
Yep mine has worked great with all versions of Mac OS including latest release, both intel and M chips.
i am going back and worth between the Tascam 24 and Soundcraft Signature 22. How do you EQ the monitor or the house mix to get rid of the offending frequencies? Do you use a separate EQ unit for this?
For live shows I use a separate 32 band graphic EQ before running the stereo out mix to the mains. A DBX 215s if you're curious for the specific model. If I can isolate the problem instrument or microphone the Soundcraft 4 band channel EQ does a great job, but for any issues dealing more with the whole room or a hard to isolate problem, the outboard EQ can be super helpful. Right now I do not use a separate EQ for the monitor mixes, which just haven't really given enough trouble to justify extra gear and extra setup time.
The Tascam 24 is definitely the closest competitor and looks like it could be just as good of a choice depending on what you need. The Tascam has a built in graphic EQ which is definitely nice to have but being only 7 band might not give you enough control. It also has individual compressors on each channel which is super nice. To me the Soundcraft wins with the extra monitoring channels and group outputs, plus the built in limiters and hi-z switches and Lexicon are all great for me. Just kinda depends on what your priorities are and what your use case is, but I don't think you'd go wrong with either one.
Hi, it's Mac catalina compatible? What os are u using? Do u track with mixer eq or it record dry on daw? Can u add an outboard eq via aux? Thanks
Hi! Yes, I’m using it with the latest Catalina release with no problems. Signal hits the DAW right after the gain knob, so I do my EQ on the computer. You can route signal back to the board, use its eq, and back to the computer, but I prefer “non destructive” editing where I can always go back and make changes. As for outboard EQ, I use one on the main output before it hits house speakers, but if you wanted to send to an outboard EQ and back into the board you’d want to send your channels out to say group 1/2, group 1/2s output to the EQ, and back into a stereo pair channel like 17/18. Would work fine but you lose 2 channels.
@@feinkevi thanks a lot so it's possible to record with eq of the desk for tracking on saw and for mix add an external outboard via group. Super
👍👍👍
So I have the exact same set up including the headphone amp that you are running, however I am unable to get individual mixes for each headphone channel. Also, on this headphone amp the monitors I have are going into the main outs of the headphone amp in the through the board (mtk 22) is this correct setup of the headphone amp?
To get the individual mixes you will want to buy a set of six balanced trs patch cables. Then plug the board’s Aux 1 output to input 1 on the headphone mixer, aux 2 to in 2 etc. On the Art headamp each channel has a knob to balance the main mix vs. it’s own input. I just run all of them 100% to their own input, then you can adjust each headphone’s mix from the board using the various aux knobs. I don’t send a main mix at all, though if you wanted to send your master mix through the headphone amp’s main inputs and use the pass through outputs to go to studio monitors that should work just fine. I’m not sure exactly if I understood your question but I hope that helps. Oh also make sure you set the headphone channels to run in mono to be sure you’re getting everything in both ears.
Thank you! Problem solved. Your videos are great thanks again.
@@feinkevi I suppose this would be the way to get individual headphone mixes from other mixers too (such as Yamaha MG20XU and Yamaha MGP 32X) for individual players in a band?
@@faautobahna9416 yep same idea should work on any mixer with multiple aux sends
So I have everything setup with logic and with the board just as you have it, but when I try to send the signal back via the USB return the Output does not show up as individual outputs like yours does. They show up 1-2 Stereo output, 3-4, 5-6, etc. I have the output set to 21/22 and I’m receiving that to the board just fine. Any suggestions? Also I have an aux send out to a small headphone amp with a balanced 1/4” but I only get sound in my left ear. I’m stuck lol
In the logic preferences under “I/O assignments” makes sure you have “mirroring” turned off, there is a checkbox there that if turned on sends your stereo output to 1/2 in addition to whatever channels you have selected for the main output. You’ll see the right settings at about 0:35 in the video. As for the headphone amp, it sounds like it’s only getting one channel of audio, depending on what headphone amp it is you might need a stereo cable run from the headphone output on the board, or if it just takes separate L/R you might need a y-cable that splits a stereo signal, or if the headphone amp can run mono that would work.
@@feinkevi I was able to get the routing fixed in ProTools, but it’s still being weird on logic. And I somewhat fixed the headphone amp thing, I have it stereo out to a Y cable to the headphone amp but I have to leave the right cable like halfway plugged in to get sound to both headphones. Kinda weird but it works I guess.
Is there a way to bring effects, filters or anything below the gain knob back into the computer
Only via the master stereo mix/inputs 23/24, which are post-everything (EQ/fx etc)
@@feinkevi thank you so much for this video and your effort to answer all the questions! So it is not possible to record the effects other than on the master mix, right? So if I want to record (not a live show) multi channel plus FXs , I only route the FXs to the master (FX1 paned to the left, FX2 paned to the right) and record them on channel 23/24 ?
@@danielbackhaus4444interesting idea, I’ve not tried that but seems like that would work fine if you don’t need a master mix, maybe monitoring on headphones via an aux mix. I more often hear of folks routing the fx outputs back into an input channel - you could get some patch cables and run aux 4 and aux 5 outs into the stereo channel for 19/20 for example, or run the fx sends out to group 1-2 and use those outputs back into 19/20, that way not losing your master and still being able to track the FX returns. Ofc that only works if you don’t need those two channels for instruments or whatever.
Hey man I can’t get my Soundcraft mtk to give me an output out of logic, it picks up my inputs but I can’t hear anything
Skip to 0:38, make sure logics output is set to 21-22, then on the board make sure “usb return” is pressed on that channel
Have you had any issues with Latency? I am looking at this board but I have read about people having issues with Latency.
I think that’s largely going to have to do with your computer’s capabilities, but I’ll say that with “low latency” mode on in Logic I’ve had no problems, but without that turned on, if I’m running a lot of tracks and plug-ins I can run into tracking latency as a bit of an issue. But again, low latency mode has completely prevented that, at least for me on my machines. (2018 Mac mini I7/32gb ram or M1 MacBook Air.)
Do you know if there’s any mixer like this but with more inputs?
There are, but for a lot more money. You could look at Presonus, Midas, Soundcraft’s higher end digital mixers. One interesting more budget friendly option is adding a second mixer. I also have the Signature 12 MTK, and you can combine both mixers as an “Aggregate device” in Mac OS and use all of the inputs and outputs from both devices simultaneously.
@Black Cat Records yep, here are the instructions from apple on combining two interfaces support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000
Two improvements that would bring this board from very good to “EXCELLENT”...
1.) 96k recording...
2.) A second headphone output...
do you ever have problems of recordings dropping audio ? had this issue on an older mac, getting a new mac soon but hoping its not the interface's fault
That is probably more likely on the computer’s end, or maybe a bad USB cable. Hopefully the new setup sorts it out!
@@feinkevi yeah excited for the new m1
mac!
Can I use it as a daw surface controller in Logic as well ?
No, there is no fader/knob control within the DAW from the board. That’s all mouse if this is your setup.
Could you mix virtual instrumentations as well?
You could return up to 22 different software instruments to mix them analog, but you would only be able to record the stereo mix while doing so.
Hey awesome vid Planning to get one for our church. I had a question... In our church we stream via zoom so what I am planning to do is I take the master usb output of the mixer and feed it into zoom and whenever someone speaks in zoom it comes into the mixer through the same usb track 22. Now will this cause looping issues where the audio coming from zoom gets rerouted back into the computer? A recent Yamaha mixer I came across had this issue. Basically will the audio coming from the PC in track 22 get send back to the PC as it is a part of the master output. Hopefully you understood but if u need more clarity I can explain. Thanks 😊
There are probably a couple of ways you could make it work. If you make zoom’s input the 23/24 input, that is the “master” mix from the board. The computer’s output would then go to 21/22 on the board. You’re right that you would make a loop if you fed 21/22 back into master out 23/24. One fix/workaround could be to use the group 1/2 outs to feed the mains in the church, so you could send the zoom audio to group 1/2 and not to the master out, you would hear it in the church but it wouldn’t feed back into the computer. Everything you wanted amplified in the church and sent to zoom would just have to be sending to both the master out and group 1/2. That might sound confusing if you haven’t played around with one of these, hope that makes sense.
@@feinkevi Yes I understand what your getting at but I'm not sure how comfortable my fellow technicians will be at the sight of the group channel running the mains 😅. How about not sending the zoom output to the master ie turning off st on track 22. Instead sending it to group 3-4 (since we are planning to use 1-2 for drums). That way we can send the zoom output to a seperate speaker dedicated to this purpose... It's kinda janky but is it possible?
@@abelgeorge4953 yeah that should work fine I would think. Might have to play around with where to put the extra speaker/volume etc to make sure other mics aren’t picking it up but seems like that would work.admittedly I have done very little with live-streaming/zoom so it would be trial and error for me as well.
K thanks man appreciate it
@@feinkevi hey one more quick question...is there any way to monitor the group channels? Our current mixer has a button that switches between the master and group out for headphone monitoring... If not what would be the best way to hear the group signal as I'm planning to send my drum mics to the group first and then to the master since I can reduce the volume of the whole drum kit with the group fader. Thanks
I could have sworn I read that you can use the limiter on the mtk when recording if not do you ever use it??
It comes in handy during live shows, so I always use it in that context. But for recording you would have to be recording the stereo mix (last two input tracks in your DAW) to have the limiter affect the recording, and would then be getting the limiter along with everything else (eq, high pass filter etc).
It’s an odd design choice, I’d personally prefer the USB bussing happen after the limiter and the way the knobs and buttons are laid out on the board it looks like that would be the case. But the graphic in the video is straight from soundcraft, it definitely routes out to USB before hitting the limiter for whatever reason.
That said, for what it’s worth, the signal always seems to have plenty of headroom in Logic, I haven’t run into a case where the recorded signal is clipping or really suffers from not having a limiter already applied, very easy to add one in channel strip and mix to taste.
Where did you find the driver for your mac ? Grtz jos
It’s plug and play with the Mac, no driver install should be needed.
@@feinkevi thanks for your quick respons 👍🙏