Would be great to know if anyone’s done this successfully.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Have the metronome set up on the model 12 correctly.
Or use this method plugged into ableton so you can see when the audio starts/stops/changes etc.
I haven’t ordered Model 12 yet. Taking time to make sure it’s right purchase. So from your suggestion I’m thinking I could send Digitone and TR8s to Mac via USB, create aggregate device, then send TR8s and Digitone as separate tracks to Model 12.
I didn’t mean it that way. I meant I was unplugging my digitakt and plugging it into unused channels and recording other parts. Now I realize I can just record to different tracks without taking it physically out and putting whatever synth into a separate mixer input.
Exhuming this thread to profess my love (…again) for the Model 12. I put out a release last week that was 99% done on this mixer, with the extra 1% bit being the process of simply recording the main L-R outs into Audacity. All recording, mixing, EQ, compression, FX, etc. was done on the Model 12.
I certainly don’t mean to post to show off my music or mixing skills (which I’m still learning), but to my aging ears the mix sounds perfectly acceptable. I can still recall those halcyon days with my Fostex 4-track back in the 90s and it’s really mind-boggling to me that a modern mixer can do what the Model 12 does so effectively.
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The Model 12 sounds terrific. I just got one to act as a monitor mixer for my modular and semi-modular stuff, but it sounds good enough that I will likely often record directly into it.
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sounds good 
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Would you mind sharing a bit more how you use it?
And sorry if stupid question but, couldn’t you simply record straight to SD card instead of going through Audacity?
I wondered that, too. Then I assumed @Flood had multi-tracked to the SD card and didn’t have spare channels/tracks left for bouncing to stereo.
My assumptions aside, I’d like to hear how you did it too. I’ve been thinking of getting a Model 12 (or a 16), so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
@Octagonist @phading For sure, happy to share thought it was super simple. For both tracks all channels were recorded live directly to the SD card (“Live” mode) on the Model 12. I then ran the main outs into Audacity as a stereo pair, switched the Mode of each channel to “MTR”, then played back several “takes” of the track while EQ’ing, compressing, and mixing until I got a take that I was happy with. Trimmed the beginning and end of the audio file in Audacity, done. I certainly wouldn’t call these tracks mastered in any sense of the word but I was happy with how they turned out.
I’ve never tried overdubbing or recording a channel while monitoring from the others, mostly because I’d have to figure out a MIDI sync solution there. I’ve always used this mixer as the way one would capture a live performance, with each instrument on its own channel. (I’ve also never used the onboard FX, so I can’t comment on those.)
What I enjoy most about this way of recording, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned this earlier in the thread, is the live-playback mixing process. The joy of acquiring a level of familiarity with a tune so that I know at, say, bar 33 I need to have one finger on the fader for Channel 3 to bring down a few dBs while the other hand is raising the fader on Channel 8 a smidge. Closing my eyes and using my ears to figure out what the track needs instead of being bombarded with pixels and options on a screen. (This isn’t a screed against DAWs, just my own personal preference.)
Months ago I attempted to load the audio for each track from the SD card into Reason and tried a DAW mixdown. The process itself - extracting the audio from the SD card for each channel - was seamless but I hated working that way and scrapped the project. So YMMV, of course 
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Brilliant. Thanks!
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Also, if I had the option again I’d have sprung for the Model 16 instead of the 12, but I enjoy the restrictions of the number of channels on the 12. For now… 
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Also, the Model 12 always records the MAIN MIX as tracks 11 & 12 on the SD card (that’s how they get “12” out of only “10” channels). And unlike the other tracks, the MAIN MIX is post-fader. So if I understand your process, there’s nothing stopping you from just pressing “record” and getting the same performance on your SD card without having to boot up a PC.
Nothing wrong with either way, of course. What matters is you get music at the end
Edit: Oh, and if having two mono wavs for 11 & 12 is a pain (or if you want to save a “take” before having another go at it), there’s a function to mix these down into a single stereo wav on-board. See “stereo mix export” on the main menu. It’ll put the mix in the “music” folder of the SD card.
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I can’t speak for @Flood, but the Model 12 allows you to bounce to a pair of (sort of) virtual tracks that can then be put on a stereo pair (or presumably copied from the SD card to one’s computer). I thought this was a very nice touch, something the Model 16 cannot do. All track bouncing on the 16 and 24 are done by patching cables between outputs and inputs. Which brings me to:
Despite appearances, are very, very different boards. I have both, and oh, how I wish the 16 did everything the 12 can. Alas, as the 16 is an analog board, and the 12 a digital one, there is less crossover than one might think.
The Model 12 is functionally superior, in my opinion, and it ought to be, since the signal spends more time in the digital domain. It offers more choices about where the signal is tapped for USB, and also, the aforementioned track swapping. It also provides MIDI sync (without a computer) and a metronome.
I also like the fact that the Bluetooth input is not lashed to a dedicated stereo pair on the 12, something I find quite wasteful on the Model 16. The Bluetooth functionality can also be switched off from the front panel. Very nice. It’s worth noting, too, that the 16’s dedicated Bluetooth channel pair offers no EQ or internal effects, though it does have a TRRS input, as well as an RCA pair.
The 12 provides hi-Z inputs on every channel. The 16 has them only on the first two.
Having said that, I am less likely to track through the Model 12 and into my main interface (MOTU 1248), as I am a bit picky about avoiding any more A>D/D>A conversions than are absolutely necessary. I’m not saying I won’t ever do it, but I’m less likely to do so.
Also, the 12 only has two AUX outputs, and plugging both shuts out the internal processor. The 16 has three. That means I can use an external stereo effect without losing the internal effects.
Honestly, though, you can’t lose with either board. If you don’t need the extra aux channel and you don’t mind going digital earlier in the chain, the 12 is, in my opinion, the superior product.
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I seem to be in a GAS phase, because my tunes suck and my workflow + room annoy me. So, when I think about a mixer, I keep upselling myself on the Model 24, just to have 4 stereo channels. Ugh.
Anyway… your track is nice and the mix sounds punchy and lively. Nice work; and good promo for the m12.
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The channel restriction might not be as restrictive as you think, depending on what you need from the extra four channels. The 16’s channels 13/14 are anything but complete. You’re effectively only getting another full stereo pair on the 16.
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Again, like the 16, the rightmost stereo pair is incomplete - no pre, no EQ, and only TRRS and RCA inputs.
(still a lovely thing and I’d have bought that one instead of the 16 had I the space for it)
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Just got a Model 12 and so far, I really like it. The screen is a bit of a low point, as the contrast cannot be altered much without introducing vertical lines, unless I have a bad screen? Some of my knobs are harder to turn than others, but I assume they may break in some.
I can see becoming very attached to this piece of gear, so I hope it’s built to last.
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just wondering, how do you all deal with only 2 Stereo Channels?
Every piece of gear i own is Stereo.
I wish there was a compact mixer with 6 Stero Channels, no FX, no LCD, no bullshit, but full USB Interface.
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Get the model 1 or xone96