Homey ,if you need to plug every cable connection in on yer mixer (to gain confidence )go for it!
nothing better than doing, when it comes to learning.

p.S( you didn't get "conflicting" advice about your mixer. everyone told you to plug the output of one device into the input of the other using a cable. (you can do that different ways depending on the setup you want and how your going to use the gear)
the explanation i gave you was based on what you looking for.
you need to gain enough confidence to not be scared of it haha it wont bite.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Output_impedance

these are the 3 categories of information pertaining to your situation of plugin one device output into the input of another device using a cable.

your audio interface is already a mixer for recording sound into computer.
your mixer is for live sound going into a pa
it is def unusual to plug them together so the sound might be strange.
(but still done on occasion)

you can plug any output from your mixer into the same type of input on your interface, you just can't mismatch signal types. so go ahead and see what one you think sounds best ( or find out none them sound good)because plugging a mixer into another mixer don't always sound good.
I started when i was kid learning drums, then keyboard then guitars and singing. then....
I served in usarmy doing tactical satellite communications ( mixers with patchbays of hundreds cables) with top secret clearance(have to get signal from battlefield.
It was 1996 that i started doing live venue sound with groups and mixers for 6 years. you learn a lot when you deal with live sound . big desks and mixers, little mixers all types equipment.
by 2000 i was working in the studio everyday and doing live sound at night. (then you start to learn the differences between live gear and studio gear) as the years went by and continued working in these 2 areas you end up seeing every possible configuration of hooking up gear.

After i spent those years focused on live, and studio engineering i went into production and recording so i could build my knowledge and skill in all those areas.

the thing that taught me most was DOING, yes i had to do lot of study, but you have to get "hands on" to gain confidence.
start with volumes turned down and slowly turn them up when hooking up the gear, try to learn what it is your doing with the gear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Output_impedance

 

Last edited: Nov 8, 2017

Nothing wrong with "hands on" education about a mixer's functionality.

There is actually one more way to get a stereo output from that mixer. Plug a 1/4" cable only half-way into the insert jack. Then two 1/4" cables will connect to your audio interface.

 

Any kind of external mixer is important when mixing / recording to a Daw

The only problem is most of the small mixers do not have direct outs which means you are stuck with recording like the 1930's ( with advantage of stereo).
This mixer will be the path that all audio gets processed before heading into the interface
Another issue you have to understand relating to that is that since there is no direct outs all processing will be recorded as it is which means now inside the Daw you have to be very careful with the following

1. Clipping levels
2. EQ Phasing issues
3. pressed the phase button mixer and forgot!!
4. Chorus addons with phasing issues
5. XLR DI box used? to stop grounding hum on audio tracks.

These are important when mixing in the Daw as the external mixer is now a full part of the mix.

I use an Allen and Heath GL2400 ( 32 track analog mixer) which has direct outs with a choice of PRE EQ or Post EQ for the direct outs ( very important) with an Edirol F101
I did have to isolate the ground of the FA101 ground cable as noise was coming from the Desktop into the Mixer through the Edirol on the Firewire Cable.

 

@Dan Fuerth, are you summing through the mixer (recording the summed mix back into the DAW)?
That looks like a nice board with a lot of connectivity options.
Yeah, the OP's board reminds me of my Mackie DFX-12 with the 16 bit 44.1KHz USB outputs and limited connection options. I tried the USB once thinking it may be good for recording, but quickly decided against it as even my old M-Audio Fast Track Pro sounded superior to it. I would never have summed through that board. Primarily due to the quality of sound of the preamps only being so-so. I still used it for monitoring, though.
After I upgraded to my Mackie 24-8, that changed my opinion on summing through a board. I know the Mackie isn't top of the line equipment, but it still does a certain something to the sound that I can't get using any kind of plug in. Increased focus with panning was noticeable. Things just sit better in the mix with more definition.

 

That's an alright console you have there, mate!

You can actually connect it to your audio interface in several ways, but the best one is XLR outputs on the mixer going into TRS inputs either into the front 3/4 Line ins or back Line ins. I would prefer the inputs on the back for tidiness and so I could use all 4 mic inputs. So just buy two female XLR to TRS jack cables and off you go. Simple.

I use an outboard Soundtracs mixer for processing VSTis through it and all my outboard hardware is connected to it to keep everything in the analogue domain and use as less AD/DA conversion as possible. I also have XLR stereo outs from the mixer connected to my audio interface's TRS jack line inputs on the back. The mixer is the centrepiece of my setup, really. it gives to everything I record a certain, nice colour. I even use its preamps at times as I like things to sound dirty. It's a really nice option to have, I think and this realistic analogue emulation is still not possible ITB and it costs no CPU at all.

Enjoy! Cheers!

 

I would also connect some line outputs from your audio interface to line inputs on the mixer, so you can process those VSTis with it and give them some real analogue colour. So you need some TRS jack to TRS jack cables, too.