Hey there!
word_play said:
is the sound quality THAT bad?
That depends on several factors.
1) Are you looking for pro sound, as in the sound of the boards used in any studios you've been to? A Behringer will not sound like a Neve, ferinstance. It sounds like an inexpensive piece of gear. Does that mean that all Behringer mixer recordings automatically suck? No. They can sound good. It's more difficult though to get a good sound than with higher-quality, pricier gear.
2) Quality control. The first B mixer I bought was a piece of junk. The pres threw hissy fits at around +20dB gain. The knobs were all of different tensions, the power supply pins were bent, the phantom power would not shut off once turned on, etc. It went back to the store. I gave another B mixer a shot and I've had no problems at all with it. (But I only do one or two tracks at a time; some curse the B mixers for crosstalk between channels.)
3) What you're using it with. A pro board won't make junk instruments and bad playing sound good
. And if you're totally new to recording, though, a pro level board may be overkill and tough on the budget. For me, my B mixer was a good choice. Perhaps I would be happier having spent another $300 and gotten a Mackie... but I don't know that for sure (ignorance is bliss!!
), and I had another $300 to spend on mics and cables and stuff.
4) Your budget. If you have the cash, almost anyone will recommend a Mackie over a Behringer mixer. Having not used a Mackie I can't say so myself. But B mixers are smokin' in the bang-for-buck department. Yeah, you won't get the sound of $1000 preamps and such, but what you can get from B for $100 is pretty nuts. If you get a quality B unit (as opposed to the first one I bought), it can be a good and useful purchase. And if you get into recording and want to upgrade all your stuff, your little old B mixer will be there to use for headphone mixes and stuff like that.
5) The EQs. People say they suck. They probably do. They do sound OK when used lightly. When used heavily they sound better than some cheapo EQ plugins I've heard, for what that's worth. Oh yeah, the pres come with a low cut switch (in addition to the EQ) which is pretty dang handy.
Just some info to help you make your decision. Only you know your budget, experience, the amount of passion you have for recording, etc. If you are low on the first two (and most especially if you are low on the third!
), then a B mixer is a good choice. If budget is your only area of deficiency, you might be happier in the long run holding off for a Mackie or better.
Hope this helps!