[A6] quality of the individual outs?

[Chris Pickett]

J.C. Jordan wrote:
> hey
> i have an A6 and and Airbase...however, I never use all the individual outs. on
> the A6, I use the mains for stereo sounds, the aux outs for any other stereo
> sounds, and no more than 4 or 6 individual outs. as for the airbase, i also
> rarely if ever use more than 6 individual drum sounds. 16 channels works for
> me, maybe you might want to go to 24, but in the context of making music I
> don't think I've used that many individual sounds in a single song yet. 
> as for the airbase outs, i think they are the same quality as the mains.
> however, they are not panned to a fixed location like they are in the mains. i
> can only detect a slight difference in the A6's mains and individuals or
> auxilliaries, and it may be because people have told me they sound better.
> i like to keep making music out of the computer realm, however it is a
> necessary evil these days. if i remember correctly you have the same setup as
> me... MPC2K, AiRBase, and A6. Then you record to computer, right? 

thanks for the answer.  i just have the airbase and a6, no mpc2k.
actually i think i want to sell the airbase ... i just need to figure
out if it's possible to similar quality kicks and toms out of the a6.

i'm desperately trying to reduce my use of the computer.  i've been 
asking questions about reel to reel on rec.audio.pro, but those guys 
*really* seem to think it's too painful / expensive for me if i want 
good sound; they think i should get a standalone digital multitrack.

anyone (jc?) got recommendations on a 16-channel mixer that sounds 
markedly better than a mackie 1642 vlz pro?  like i said above, i wanna 
do everything with my a6 (okay, maybe some analog effects too).  it 
needs to be an inline mixer with 8 tape returns, and preferably 4 or 
more busses.  i don't mind used gear in any way (usually it's 
preferred), and i have a budget of about $2000.

chris