For various reasons I am shopping for a mixer. One of the reasons is to combine a few items into a node or collection in an easily reconfigurable way with an effect or two in an aux chain which can be on or off.
I am aware that I could get an audio interface expansion for my MOTU 828es through the lightpipe but that's not what I want to do because I don't want to use all my gear at the same time and I'm also not interested in Dante or another network because I am not going to have much more gear- I can see the end of my acquiring things.
I would be copying Hainbach. In one of his videos he talks about organizing into groups and since I would normally not want to have all the stuff on at one time, I thought this sounded logical.
In short, I don't want the kind of setup Loopop shows off here:
So recommendations on an 8-10 channel, small form-factor mixer that doesn't have to have a lot of pre-Amps to be used for synthesizers and drum machines. I had a Mackie analog mixer years ago but I don't know if their new mixers are up to the standards of their old mixers.
Mixers and Hardware groupings
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Constructed Identity Constructed Identity https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=288890 - KVRian
- 1353 posts since 29 Sep, 2012 from Minnesota
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- KVRAF
- 8740 posts since 24 May, 2002 from Tutukaka, New Zealand
Behringer are best bang for buck by quite a long way. They have a shitload of different formats at that size. They must have 10 or 12 different versions/sizes for that sector. Not blow-your-socks off quality but perfectly good for most mixing duties. Eq is better than it used to be, the onboard FX are a bonus and quite usable IMO. You'll get things like inserts or direct outs or more aux etc depending on version that you won't get for same price from other brands. I just got a QX2222USB and it's probably a little bit better than I was expecting. I could get a fraction of its features from other brands.
Soundcraft - always decent quality but compared to Behringer are basic on feature set for similar price. Last one I toyed with def had better Eq than the Behringers but not sure anything else was much different. Their Signature range have some bits from their Ghost series if that sways you? The notepads are prolly too small.
Mackies - dunno, but I've read quite a few disappointed reviews from users who previously loved them. Possibly they down-qualitied things to compete on price? Always used to be good for preamps but if you don't need 'em...mind you, Behringer preamps are pretty good too.
Tascam do a nice looking range but at the higher end of price compared to the previous.
StudioMaster Club range sorely tempted me, but Behringer extra features swayed me. But if you don't need all those bells and whistles, the Clubs have a XS10 & XS12 that look good with good price.
A&H Zed series. Good but really do push the price IMO. In NZ they're several hundred more for equivalent channels.
Yamaha MG10XU - looks really good to me. As with many mixers in this range, it has USB 2 channel recording. You might not need it, but it's a nice-to-have IMO. The Yamahas can record at up to 192kHz/24bit, which is better than all the others - most of them are limited to 44.1/16 or 24bit.
Believe it or not Midas do a budget analogue mixer range - not sure they sell less than 16 channel though.
Out of all of those I was looking for a 16 channel or thereabouts, I was most tempted by Midas, StudioMaster Club or Tascam. But Behringer won out in the end - 3 aux instead of 1 or 2, direct outs, loads more control room stuff, comps on most channels, best price. Most of them have FX onboard, all of them quite usable. Tascam sell 2 true multitrack recording USB budget desks - was extremely tempting. Most are USB 2-channel recording, and even if you don't want USB recording they seem to be similar price to non-USB ones from what I can see, so you may as well buy USB-enabled. Nearly forgot - Korg do mixers nowadays. They look good but just a bit too expensive for what I wanted.
You're spoilt for choice TBH.
Soundcraft - always decent quality but compared to Behringer are basic on feature set for similar price. Last one I toyed with def had better Eq than the Behringers but not sure anything else was much different. Their Signature range have some bits from their Ghost series if that sways you? The notepads are prolly too small.
Mackies - dunno, but I've read quite a few disappointed reviews from users who previously loved them. Possibly they down-qualitied things to compete on price? Always used to be good for preamps but if you don't need 'em...mind you, Behringer preamps are pretty good too.
Tascam do a nice looking range but at the higher end of price compared to the previous.
StudioMaster Club range sorely tempted me, but Behringer extra features swayed me. But if you don't need all those bells and whistles, the Clubs have a XS10 & XS12 that look good with good price.
A&H Zed series. Good but really do push the price IMO. In NZ they're several hundred more for equivalent channels.
Yamaha MG10XU - looks really good to me. As with many mixers in this range, it has USB 2 channel recording. You might not need it, but it's a nice-to-have IMO. The Yamahas can record at up to 192kHz/24bit, which is better than all the others - most of them are limited to 44.1/16 or 24bit.
Believe it or not Midas do a budget analogue mixer range - not sure they sell less than 16 channel though.
Out of all of those I was looking for a 16 channel or thereabouts, I was most tempted by Midas, StudioMaster Club or Tascam. But Behringer won out in the end - 3 aux instead of 1 or 2, direct outs, loads more control room stuff, comps on most channels, best price. Most of them have FX onboard, all of them quite usable. Tascam sell 2 true multitrack recording USB budget desks - was extremely tempting. Most are USB 2-channel recording, and even if you don't want USB recording they seem to be similar price to non-USB ones from what I can see, so you may as well buy USB-enabled. Nearly forgot - Korg do mixers nowadays. They look good but just a bit too expensive for what I wanted.
You're spoilt for choice TBH.
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Constructed Identity Constructed Identity https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=288890
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1353 posts since 29 Sep, 2012 from Minnesota
Last night I was looking and saw this:
More than I wanted to pay but with it I get a compressor and can do mixer summing which worked well in that video. I have to consider it because I want everything I have to have as many uses as possible.
More than I wanted to pay but with it I get a compressor and can do mixer summing which worked well in that video. I have to consider it because I want everything I have to have as many uses as possible.
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- KVRAF
- 8740 posts since 24 May, 2002 from Tutukaka, New Zealand
You'd be surprised how many of them have compressors nowadays. Behringer Xenyx mostly do and Tascam Model12 does, pretty sure Yamaha small mixers do. All one-knob comps same as SSL. The Xenyx comps have auto make-up, dunno about the Tascam, but likely same. The SSL ones might be juicier, but at that kinda price, mixer comps are probably all similar vanilla comps. I doubt that SSL has any more control room routing etc than the Behringers. Did you know many of the Behringers can all have balanced in/outs? Surprising how much mixers have come on in recent years. And I rechecked the Tascam Model12 - USB 12in/10out USB recording, so it all communicates with DAW etc for true multitrack recording. Don't get me wrong...SSL is attractive. It doesn't have as many channels for similar price though, and things like comps are far more standard nowadays on budget mixers. As far as Eq goes - A&H and Soundcraft make decent mixer Eq and I wouldn't assume SSL is "better" Eq than those.
OK, I checked prices. Holy mother of god - for that price (NZ$2900) you could get a decent all-in digital mixer, a full blown 24 channel proper mixer or several budget mixers that are all bigger than that SSL. It's your money, but I still reckon it's worth checking out the features of some of those other ones and save $2k. For $1k that gets the higher budget range. Tascam Model 16 should come in for that, or a 16ch Yamaha or Korg. I'm just not sure the SSL is worth 3x for half the channels?
OK, I checked prices. Holy mother of god - for that price (NZ$2900) you could get a decent all-in digital mixer, a full blown 24 channel proper mixer or several budget mixers that are all bigger than that SSL. It's your money, but I still reckon it's worth checking out the features of some of those other ones and save $2k. For $1k that gets the higher budget range. Tascam Model 16 should come in for that, or a 16ch Yamaha or Korg. I'm just not sure the SSL is worth 3x for half the channels?
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- KVRist
- 249 posts since 21 Jul, 2016
Would you consider a summing mixer? You could get it in a rack then. As far as I understand most don't have transformers on every channel, just on the output.
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Constructed Identity Constructed Identity https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=288890
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1353 posts since 29 Sep, 2012 from Minnesota
Looked and what I saw was ridiculously expensive.counterparty wrote: Wed Aug 30, 2023 1:38 pm Would you consider a summing mixer? You could get it in a rack then. As far as I understand most don't have transformers on every channel, just on the output.
Kritikon,
You're right, a lot of budget mixers have comps so I would really have to think the SSL was special to pay more. The price you say might be for the SUPER 6, the regular Six is currently on sale at my local online retailer ...for only $1299.99.
Front-runner is still the Mackie VLZ series(802VLZ4 $220.) since they have an aux send/stereo return; mute buttons; balanced IN/OUT; and a level with an obvious unity gain. It will be set and forget so faders aren't important.