Behringer VS. Mackie..opinions please...

Digital is a different thing. Only one A/D conversion is needed, all effects are digital, lots of opportunities to do stuff without adding noise. But it's wierd, too. A digital unit tends to have an "all or nothing" distortion behavior. Not pretty.

The Tascam has 8 analog inputs; 4 are XLR balanced and all 8 are 1/4 " balanced. It also has 8 digital inputs, which means four digital pairs. You can get an additional set of preamps for another 8 inputs if you want, and the mixers can be daisy chained together.

The Tascam has lots of possibilities, but it comes with a free learning curve.
 
Ok......for me, the Tascam has enough inputs for my use....would you have considered the Tascam if it was not for the number of inputs on it??? the guy at Guitar Satan said the "mixer is just awesome" but then agian he said that about everything in their store I looked at.....

My second question...for recording sake, digital seems to be digital...but as far as mixers goes...anything I should be wary of....it seems the digital mixer hasnt quite hit mainstream yet to most people....makes me wonder why............ill do some research on the Tascam..but anyone who can tell me benefits/problems of having digital consoles would be cool..........Thanks to all,

Heat
 
The learning curve seems to be a bit higher on digital mixers, but certainly not prohibitive. Most digital mixers have a central monitoring screen which you cycle through to check various settings. Folks such as myself are more used to a analog board where you can just scan the whole board visually and see what things are doing (some boards being easier to use than others). But again that is more a matter of what you are used to. If the Tascam has enough inputs for you, go for it...
 
I wasn't still reading... but for some reason I thought id look in.

I have no regrets. This mixer rules. Im about to go spent an extra 250 for the mic expander.

BUT, treeline, only four of the ins on my mixer say balanced. the other four arent.

WAIT! one complaint. the SPIDIF jacks and the converters are *only* 20-bit, not 24. so they only sould, like, 20times as good as an analouge board (a cheap one, that is) instead of 40 times as good. But the TDIF jacks are 24. :)

oh, and ive said it before... but I had a Mackie, and I sold for a berhinger... and I ditched it for my tascam. and my tascam blows them all away. theres no comparison. its like the difference between a synth and that old, junky, out of tune upright Ive got downstairs.

xoxox
cameorn
 
Learning Curve......hmmmm...that seems to be the two most familiar words ive encountered with recording....i dont mind anymore...

I appreciate the help!!!! this thread has given me a great insight on mixers....i think this Tascam is going to be the way to go.....and like i mentioned before...my local guitar center has is it for $499! anyone seen it for cheaper???

Ok guys stick around because if i do go with the Tascam, and the learning curve thats bound to come with it...i will be up late at night begging for help......


thanks again......Heat
 
One thing that will always be true. There will always be a product that's better than this,better than that,which will replace another product better than this and better
than that,which will be replaced by another product that's better than this,better than
that....etc.etc.!
 
oh, BTW.. once you get that mixer, there is an AWESOME discussion group on Tascam's website.. and, like, half of those guys have at least one tmd1000.

xoxox
 
Congrats on your Tascam. Got to say I am happy I am happy with my Alesis... but no doubt digital is the future.
 
Alesis studio 24 owner and loving it....
I do miss my behringer mx20 it was great for small on site stuff sraight to dat...
 
Coming late to the party, I know, but on behalf of the Mackie:
can't talk price, because I'm in the UK, but when I bought a mixer, I bought a mixer - no second-rate FX or extra bands of EQ, so make sure you're comparing like with like;
definitely endorse build quality;
definitely endorse sound quality - the mic pre-amps are brill and the headphone amp is a bastard - you can seriously blow your brains out with it;
the selection of inputs/outputs/inserts is really useful, and,
the manual is a peach of clarity.

[This message has been edited by Delso (edited 06-12-2000).]
 
Hi! I'm responding to this thread because I currently own and use a Mackie 1402VLZ,a Roland VM3100Pro,and a Roland VS880EX,which has a mixer section as part of the system.First of all,without going into specific detail by detail comparison between Mackie and Behringer mixers,you can't just look at sticker price when assessing the value of an electronic device,to wit; I was in my local Guitar Center 2 weeks ago and overheard a guy talking about a Behringer product (dunno if it was a mixer) that needed Warranty repair."They called me 3 days ago with the Return Authorization;I've been waiting 6 weeks!" said he.Now he gets to send his product off to Germany on his dime!!!Even if one were to posit that Mackie is an inferior product,it cannot be ignored that they have an English language service person at the other end of your domestic phone call and they fix 'em right where they make 'em.By the way Mackie "won" the suit,the parties settled out of court(maybe this explains the shiny new silver design of the new Behringer mixers!)Re the digital mixers vs analog,my take is that all the cheaper ones(like the ones I've got)are a major pain to get to know but the return is that they do more stuff better than feature/price/performance comparable analog boards,including my cute little Mackie.As much as I like using my 1402,I have to admit a mic plugged in to the Vm3100 is clearer on tape with less noise.The rest("warmth","air", etc.)is subjective IMO.Cheers!
 
I own both the Behringer MX-802A and the Mackie CFX-12. I like both mixers. Frankly, I can't tell a whole hell of a lot of difference --- except that the Mackie is more full-featured and cost a lot more because of it.

I have also used a Yamaha (can't remember the name) analog mixer of a friend --- that may be better than both Mackie and Behringer --- but again, the differences are small and subtle. We can get all worked up over these minute differences and I think it isn't worth the headaches we give ourselves. I say --- buy what is conveniently available to you and start making music!! That's where the real differences will start to emerge: your own talent and self-expression.
 
I've owned both a Mackie 1604VLZ and a Behringer MX 802. The preamps seem comparable to me and the Behringer guy has his own line of low noise op-amps and some other cool stuff. He just get's his stuff built cheaply in China. That doesn't bother me. Hell, the Made in USA stuff uses components from overseas.

I've always liked the sound of my signal after going through any Behringer product. Don't get me wrong, I think Mackie builds good, useable products too, but their price point is just a little higher.

After all, it's the "CONTENT" of the music that matters and either brand will handle the rest. Do you think Hank Williams agonized over the "mixer" they were using?

Cheers, joe
 
Ill bet dollars to donuts that Hank's recording Engineer agonized over the board they were using....

xoxoxo
 
i currently use a behringer mx2642A and i find to be great , but like everyone says in here , i havent got both of them to compare the two.. but i spose the bottome line is that we must look at the factors involved..
- Cost (does price matter)
- Needs (what is the basic functions of the desk)
- WANTS!! (steer clear of wanting that sick huge desk at the studio u recorded at last year, they probly need a 100 or so channels, just look at how many u actually need)

Youll soon know if u picked the right mixer , even if u have researched it , in the first session..
cheers
Spider
 
I went with a friend to look at some compact mixers for him and found to my dismay that the Behringer (to my eye simaler to a Mackie 1202) didn't have inserts on any of the channels. Definately a draw back.
 
yeah maybe made in china doesn't respect human rights but Mackie didn't respect Behringers rights either - remember they lost their court case - which is worse? chinese human rights or America's imperialism!!
 
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