So it looks like what I want is probably a standalone multitrack recorder and then port the recording to a computer for editing, rather than try to send multiple tracks in real time to the computer and capture it there.
It’s not that hard (as i believe i hinted at back in post #2)
- Import your backing track into Audacity.
- Plug your line-out from amp into channel 1 on the Behringer and pan it hard left.
- Plug your mic into channel 2 on the Behringer and pan it hard right.
- Play back the backing track from audacity and record your guitar.
- Split the recorded track into 2 separate tracks (See here).
Check this page on eliminating latency, You will need to also set your monitoring so that
you’re hearing the guitar at the mixer end (ie not as it’s coming back from Audacity).
Check the Audacity manual for full details.
I really don’t think so, unless you are doing mobile recording “in the field” for later overdubs and mixing?
If you are working in a home studio there is no need for a standalone recorder, and you would be paying for more hardware than you need.
Maybe I don’t quite get your workflow?
The good old days. Back when I finally could afford to set up an 8-track studio, this was still almost professional level and you could even charge for studio time!
Somehow even though we have wonderful tools now, the springs of songwriting inspiration don’t seem to run as freely… sigh…
If I am understanding the OP correctly, they basically want to record 4 inputs simultaneously. A standard PC can’t do that. If they are going to keep that workflow then they need to buy something. That “something” can be an audio card with multiple inputs, or it can be a standalone multitrack. Most standalone multitrack machines these days can connect to the PC so the OP can then transfer everything over to the PC for further editing if desired.
I personally can’t recommend a multi-input sound card since my experience is outdated. The things I had experience with are obsolete and were twitchy. But you seem to have experience with those, so maybe you could recommend something.
Now if the OP changes their workflow and copies the backing track from the iPad first (either through direct file copy or just recording it through their mixer), and then edits their new tracks on top of that in Audacity, then no, they don’t need to buy anything. With some computer sounds cards, you can end up with delays that throw the tracks slightly out of sync with each other. But I only have experience with a few sound cards and whatever the OP has might work just fine. They’d have to try it.
An inexpensive multitrack recorder isn’t going to cost all that much more than a decent multi-channel sound card (that might also be outdated, someone might want to check that). Also, one advantage of a separate multitrack recorder is that you just plug it in and go. You record all of your stuff on it, then transfer it to the PC, and you’re done. There’s a lot less fiddling to get things working.
But yeah, technically, either approach works. One advantage of just using what the OP already has is that it doesn’t cost anything to try and it see how well it works.
I think it wouldn’t hurt to call Sweetwater and ask to talk with one of their sales engineers in the recording space. They actually hire people who know the equipment and are usually musicians themselves. Once you get assigned a person, they also keep track of your interests and potential future needs and will peroodically reach out to discuss offers and generally shoot the shit.
Just wondering, if you lined up a bunch of PC’s each recording 2 tracks on Audacity, is the timing accurate enough that it can be treated as a single recording? Or will something be recorded as 1 minute on one PC and 1 minute 2 seconds on the other, so nothing can be mixed accurately for longer tracks? How good in the synchronicity? (I mean, starting is not an issue - since the tracks can be edited to have the same start time, like using the clacker in starting to film movie scenes; but does the internal clock of each PC stay relatively the same so one recording is not “stretched” vs another?)
The Beatles, IIRC, played all sorts of games with 4-track (analog) recording when that was state of the art, recording 4 tracks, mixing them onto 1 track while recording 3 other tracks, etc. Quite clever for the limited technology.
In my experience it’s a bit hit and miss, and depends on both the PC and the sound card.
I’ve never tried it on multiple PCs, but I have had issues with various bits of software and the tracks getting out of sync with each other on the same PC. If a single PC can’t remain consistent with itself then how can it remain consistent with other PCs as well?
Cheaper sound cards were more likely to end up with sync issues, but I found it to be hit and miss even with higher end sound cards.
My frustration with things like this is what led me to get a dedicated multitrack recorder.
Our college band did the same thing with our little borrowed 4-track. We did the bass drums and rhythm guitar first. We would mix those down to two tracks (to keep it in stereo) then add 2 more tracks, and mix it one final time to add in the final two tracks.
The sound quality suffered quite a bit, which is why we did the bass and drums first. We found the limit was two mix-downs before the bass and drums started to get too muddy.
This was a cassette-based 4-track. It was designed to record radio commercials, not professional music. I got a bit better sound quality out of a 4-track reel-to-reel that I managed to find at a yard sale later, but even that was limited.
Well, at least 3. (BTW he/him/his) I wasn’t sure if a PC could capture more than 2 inputs if the signal was coming through a USB port. I guess this answers a big part of the question. I am using mostly a stock laptop for this and do not want to have to use a desktop with a custom build just to do some home hobby recording.
The other advantage to using a standalone recorder is that I can use it on gigs. I looked at a couple of Tascom recorders, like the DR-006 or DP-008EX which is like the updated version of my 4-track except they also can only record two inputs at a time. I found a 16-track recorder from Zoom that can record 8 inputs. But that’s $450. It’s not so much about what I can afford, it’s about my sensibilities. I could spend a grand on this if I wanted to but it doesn’t make sense to me to spend more than about $300 on something that’s basically for my own amusement. I play out a lot but when we record gigs, it’s video for demos, not audio for commercially-quality releases.
I have a Tascam USB interface with 12-in 4-out that I used to use with a laptop from 2010, although I have a new desktop build for recording/processing. I can record raw audio from my guitar and microphone, and simultaneously record the output from my multi-effects unit (stereo guitar and stereo vocals). The USB interface works fine for this.
I would look at the Tascam Model 12 - a multi-channel mixer which is also a multi-channel USB interface. But Behringer have a range of multi-channel interfaces, as do Focusrite, and a number of other manufacturers at different price points. There are also a number of Thunderbolt interfaces that have significantly lower latency for live processing, if you have a suitable system.
For software, I use Ableton Live, but Reaper seems to be a good option for a start.
I can’t see ANY reason to do that!? Any decent DAW on a PC will record many tracks simultaneously.
And to correct a misconception which seems to be going around, you CAN record multiple tracks via USB if you have a suitable audio interface. Doesn’t make any difference whether it’s a laptop or desktop.
There may have been sync issues quite some time in the past, as ‘engineer_comp_geek’ mentions.
But nowadays computer-based recording is good enough for professional use.
There seems to be something of a convergence going on these days. Almost all modern mixers will act as multichannel USB audio interfaces, and with solid-state memory having gotten so cheap, many of them will also act as multichannel recorders. It’s worth having a look round to what’s available: more powerful gear is coming out all the time.
I’m not playing out with a band at the moment since covid killed off the live music scene where I live.
But if I was, the multi-use mixer would be the route I’d go.
For studio work though, may as well record straight to computer. You’re going to want a proper DAW anyway if you are going to do any halfway serious mixing and production. Audacity is handy but it’s not really up to that; don’t think it even has a console view.
But it seems to me the sync is the issue. Do you record multiple AV files, one for each track (or pair of tracks)? Or is there a multitrack file format, mimicking the old 16-track studio recorders? If you have multiple AV tracks, when they are played together, is the timing guaranteed to be in sync over the entire time?
I assume that the recordings are not MP3 since that is lossy?
I remember some artists at a small rural folk music festival back in the early 1990’s had a small digital recorder unit that recorded to standard cassettes, multi-track (but proprietary digital format?) specifically so they could make studio-quality recordings anywhere.
Any reasonable DAW takes care of all the sync issues between tracks, so that any new overdubbed track will play back exactly lined up with previous material.
They all use .wav files (lossless) for audio, as far as I know.
By the way (slightly off topic), what style of music do you play? Anything available online?
Always interested in what fellow musicians are up to!
With respect to everyone here, there seems to be a lot of outdated (by decades) and just wrong info. And folks are over complicating.
The OP wants to multitrack record into their PC, which requires:
-Hardware that will send multiple tracks to your computer
-Software that can listen to more than a stereo input
As the OP has identified, their current mixer only sends a stereo mix through USB.
What you want is a different interface. There are scads out there that will all do this basic thing you’re looking for. I’m not sure what inputs you need (how you’re currently feeding iPad audio into your mixer), but something like a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 might be what you want. They have larger models in the line (more inputs/outputs), but this has two mic/line inputs you can use for direct guitar and mic’d amp, and two other 1/4” inputs for stereo backing tracks.
Other manufacturers like MOTU, Presonus, Universal Audio, Steinberg, Behringer and others all have similar product lines at similar price points. Various features will vary, but they all will accomplish what you want.
Each of those devices operates as a mixer, but many/all of the mixing is done via software.
If you really want a physical mixer experience, the Tascam Model 12 mentioned above will do that (along with give you the option to record to SD card independently of recording to the PC).
For software, Audacity won’t multi-track record (at least not on PCs). Someone above mentioned Reaper, which is a fine and affordable choice, though it will require a bit of configuration and learning compared to Audacity. As would any other DAW.
Some manufacturers bundle a DAW with their interfaces (Steinberg ships with Cuebasis, Focusrite with Ableton Lite, PreSonus with Studio One), so you could look at which DAW seems to appeal to you the most and buy an interface that includes a license for that DAW.
tl;dr, you need a USB audio interface with at least 4 inputs, and DAW software. You can find an interface/DAW bundle from many manufacturers for anywhere between $200-$400, depending on brand/product.
It absolutely will on my computer—let’s not disparage Audacity— but if you need a DAW anyway, use a DAW. I cannot argue with anything you said.
Just for kicks, I noticed I have in a drawer a $8 “USB sound card”. I plugged it in and, indeed, it shows up with a single mono input and a stereo output. Not great specs on the ADC mind you, but that is beside the point. So for $32 I could have 4-channel recording 
That really seems a bit ass-backward to me. If you’re going to do any semi-serious mixing and production work, the DAW is your primary tool. And almost all of them will work with almost any good interface.
Fair enough! I may be working off of antiquated intel on the Audacity front. To be fair the current documentation states:
“ On Mac and Linux it is possible to record more than two tracks at the same time with Audacity Multi-channel Recording. Not so on Windows, usually. Instead on windows you will typically build up a mutli track recording by overdubing.”
Maybe there’s some configuration that can be done depending on hardware? I’ve never successfully been able to get >2 multi track recording going in Audacity.
Yes. No arguments. My point is that with the DAW being the most relevant tool in the flow, find a DAW you like and if it’s one that is offered bundled with a particular brand’s interface, buy that interface.
But it’s good to be explicitly clear that any interface will work with any DAW. I’m just thinking that if you want to spend the least amount of money, it’s worth being aware that different manufacturers are including different DAWs when you buy their products.