Connect keyboard to Audio Interface

[mhack]

An interesting article on connect a keyboard to an audio interface on computer.
producersociety.com
Mike

[BogdanH]

I assume you mean THIS article?
Although it is informative article for basic understandings, I would never use the setup (instruments connection) as shown on his first picture. I've checked article twice to make sure if he mentioned somewhere why it shouldn't be done that way, but he didn't. That is, I would check elsewhere before making buying decision.

Let me elaborate...
If you plan to record instruments, or instrument+microphone(s), you should never mix those before sending to DAW. Signal of each instrument must be sent (recorded) on DAW separately. Mixing is a final step after recording is done -that's the purpose of DAW. If already mixed instruments are recorded (i.e. keyboard & guitar), then it's impossible to adjust/balance levels in DAW later.
And second, keyboard is a stereo (two audio channels) instrument and should be recorded that way. That is, keyboard & guitar need three channels (and if there's a singer, additional channel is needed).

Conclusion...
Connection shown in that article is good enough solution for recording live performance, or if we are extremely budget limited. But for home/studio recordings (say, a band wish to present itself to someone), it's totally unacceptable.
Am I nitpicking about this? Not really. Look at the picture again... for what it's accomplished on that picture, mixer actually isn't needed at all.

Just my opinion,
Bogdan

[andres_fprado]

I concur with Bogdan. The setup shown in the article is only minimally applicable to record a live performance, where the mixer is driving the PA and you want to, additionally, have a recording. But several better solutions come to mind:

• 
  Use a mixer with a built-in USB interface to connect to the DAW. Most mixers with USB act as a 2x2 Audio Interface, i.e., they provide 2 channels to the computer and 2 channels from the computer, and can only send the mixed signal. This is equivalent to the set-up shown in the article, but with less equipment and set-up (and therefore, less prone to failure).
  Con: same limitations as the setup shown in the article, really only applicable for recording of a live performance.
  
• 
  Use an n x 2 Audio Interface, where n is the number of inputs. Connect each instrument/mic to an input in the Audio Interface, use the DAW to record the channels and to create a live mix and send it back to the Audio Interface. Connect the output from the Audio Interface to the PA. In this case, the DAW will not only record each (raw) channel, but also acts as a live mixer.
  Con: doing live adjustments without an adequate physical console can be less intuitive. More costly (a multi-track Audio Interface starts at around USD 150 for a 4x4 configuration)
  
• 
  If you want to retain the traditional mixer ni the equation, you can use a Digital Mixer/Multi-Track Recorder. There are a couple of models in the market, like the Livetrak series by Zoom. These types of equipment work like a mixer with multiple inputs, can record all the separate raw channels to an SD card (which is good to have a backup, or in cases where a computer can not be used), and act as a multi-channel Audio Interface, sending all channels independently to the DAW. In such a setup, the live mixing can be done on the mixer/recorder, and the DAW can be used  for post-processing and mixing of the recorded tracks.
  Con: must set-up two different pieces of equipment/software (mixer, DAW). A steeper learning curve. More costly (these Mixer/Recorders tend to be on the more expensive side of the spectrum, starting at around USD 350 for an 8-channel configuration)
  

I hope this helps! Regards!

[ton37]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge to clarify this technical stuff. It helps us (me !) to understand our keyboards and additional gear 

[mhack]

Thanks, Bagnold,  for the definitive reply! The article I looked at was "How To Connect A Digital Piano To A Audio Interface" I just came upon it because, I think, I had just purchased a Focusrite 2i2 for my computer. The author must get notified because his articles came up strong on my IPad while I was looking at the news feed. I was sure that he was not including all the facts. Too easy. When I finish recording a song on my SX900, I put it on USB and load it into DAW and clean it up to my satisfaction. 
Thanks again!
Mike

[mhack]

Also, thanks to Prada for your help and advice!
Mike

[mixermixer]

Wouldn't it be easier to use the built in WAV recorder if all you record is the keyboard itself?

[BogdanH]

Wouldn't it be easier to use the built in WAV recorder if all you record is the keyboard itself?

Yes, you are correct. If you only wish to record keyboard sound, then it should be recorded on keyboard itself -it's just easier to do it.

Bogdan