Please Recommend A Great Compact Mixer

[PHILANDDON]

Under $1000.

I've already posted about this and got some good replies. Just want to see if anyone has any other suggestions before I take the plunge. I want a small/compact mixer with very few channels and very nice preamps.

So far the suggestions have been Mackie 1202VLZ, Mackie Onyx (the 12 channel one), Yamaha MG 10/2. Any others to recommend? I can't stress enough that I want this thing to have nice, quiet, high-gain preamps cause it might become the frontend for my recordings. It'd be great if could get 70db of clean gain for my ribbon mic, but that might be dreaming.

Anyway....

I've been leaning towards the Soundcraft Spirit M4. (I think that's the model #). A nice little bonus is that it has a S/PDIF stereo out. (Though, I'll probably track to tape). It's close to the same price as the Onyx.

THANKS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS

[WhatdoIknow]

I maybe think a little differently than you when it comes to mixers.

Besides quality and reliability, I look first for connectivity, routing, metering, switching, bussing and all the things a mixer must be able to do to support whatever I might want/need to do....Quality preamps are certainly a desired feature, but those other things have to come first for me. As long as my mixer has the connectivity/routing/switching and will support all the possible outboard stuff, I buy mixer first, then outboard gear. You can buy a lot of mixer for less money that way.

Let's face it, just how many quality preamps do you need for recording purposes?...Why not buy an quality outboard pre that you just patch in?...Same for FX....By going outboard, you can focus your money and actually buy a higher quality pre/FX than spreading it out over several channels included with a mixer....At 1000 bucks per channel for quality pre's, it adds up real quick, and if they made a small mixer with those kinds pre's, none of us could afford them anyway.

Friend, you just ain't gonna find an affordable small mixer with top shelf pres and FX and with the above mentioned features, so you gotta divide it up and know when to go outboard with certain stuff.

For my needs(which may be different than yours), I would select the Mackie 1642 VLZ...It has all the features I need for only 600 bucks....But right now I got some doubt as to it's reliability, so I am holding off on it.

Start thinking connectivity and features....Consider USB, firewire, stereo inputs, inserts, auxes, sends/returns and those other things that you might need to interface with your other gear....Then look for additional features like routing/switching/metering and overall quality and reliability...Pay first for those things, then focus your money on the outboard stuff.

Once you buy decent outboard gear it will work with any mixer providing the mixer has the supporting connectivity/routing/bussing.

[BigRay]

im selling my wendt x4..extremely HQ preamps....I use it for critical classical recording,..it is VERY quiet, has tons of gain...you can see all the specs..

http://www.wendtinc.net/x4specs.htm

[studiomaster]

Behringer UB1204FX pro.

[WhatdoIknow]

Don't quote me....but if you want features at a great price...buy Behringer.

[Kasey]

those behringer mixers' channels crap out easy, ive heard a lot of people get them and about half have had at least one channel die. Go with one of the small Yamaha MG series mixers. I have the 16/4 version and its wonderful. the smaller versions are the exact same with a few less channels.

[cortexx]

you may want to check out soundcrafts line of mixers , some of them have lexicon effects built right into them too

[chris-from-ky]

Originally Posted by WhatdoIknow

Don't quote me....but if you want features at a great price...buy Behringer.

I couldn't disagree more!!!

To throw in my 2 cents, You should be able to get a nice board for $1000. How many channels do you absolutely need? I'm assuming 12 from your first post. Find a good used mixer. That way you get better specs for less money. DON'T BUY BEHRINGER!!!!!!

[WhatdoIknow]

Originally Posted by chris-from-ky

I couldn't disagree more!!!

To throw in my 2 cents, You should be able to get a nice board for $1000. How many channels do you absolutely need? I'm assuming 12 from your first post. Find a good used mixer. That way you get better specs for less money. DON'T BUY BEHRINGER!!!!!!

LOL!...I said don't quote ME!

If this turns into a pro/con Behringer thread, I'm gonna run!

I guess it's my fault for mentioning the B word, huh?

[Scottgman]

Who told you that the Mackie 1202VLZ has "very nice preamps?" I would question that person's hearing... lol

I have a 1202VLZ and I'd rather use an M-Audio DMP3 for recording ANY source. I really am not crazy about the VLZ pres. But the pres in the Mackie VLZ were a step-up from the Behringer MX seriers mixer I used to own (that should tell you something).

YMMV

[xstatic]

First off, how many preamps do you need? A lot of compact mixers advertise having a certain amount of channels, but often actually have a much smaller number of full featured channels with preamps. The Mackie 1202 is a great example of that. If I remember right it only has 6 (maybe even 4) preamps. Personally, I can not stand the VLZ line of Mackie Products. There are many many reasons why i do not like them. However, mackie has addressed pretty much all of those problems in their new Onyx lineup. I would also give the Allen Heath Mix Wiz line a good look. If you want a little lower quality, lower price, but still maintain a good feature count, I would look into the small Soundcraft and Yamaha options. I wouldn't touch a Behringer. Not only do they sound bad, but they develop problems far too easily.

[A Reel Person]

..................

[Wk2000]

Get the Allen & Heath Mix Wizard- available for under a grand, it will blow away the other mixers sugessted. The Mackie VLZ cant compare- Iv'e had em both.

[Big Kenny]

yup, a&h has nice pres too

[pointfive]

For what it's worth, I've been using a Mackie 1402VLZ for years now (since 1998), and I'm very happy with it. Personally I like the sound of the mic pres. It's rugged, sounds good (maybe not pro, but it's not the weakest link in my setup--my room is). If it broke I would look to replace it with the same model, probably.

That said, I am not a studio professional; I'm self-taught and just record my own band. Our site and MySpace have examples, if you want to hear the results we're able to get (they're demo-quality).

www.myspace.com/pointfivetheband

[Big Kenny]

I don't know what demo quality is. Boy the list of things I don't know seems massive!

[xstatic]

I don't believe in "demo quality". To me a demo just means fewer songs and probably no pressing, but sometimes going to press is still an option. In fact, I treat demo recordings like a real album. Any way I look at it, a recording should be the best quality possible.

[WhatdoIknow]

I consider what he intended by "demo quality" to mean is..."Hey this is my band, this is the kinda music we play, and this is an idea of how we sound....I don't think he intended it to show off his recording ability.

But he come to the right place if he wants to make better quality, huh?

[pointfive]

Originally Posted by WhatdoIknow

I consider what he intended by "demo quality" to mean is..."Hey this is my band, this is the kinda music we play, and this is an idea of how we sound....I don't think he intended it to show off his recording ability.

But he come to the right place if he wants to make better quality, huh?

Exactly. Nail on the head, my friend.

We record so we can send CDs to clubs for shows. We don't have the means right now to record an album I'd be comfortable selling, sending to radio for airplay, or sending to press for reviews. That said, I'm not unhappy with the results we get, I just don't consider the songs to be in their "final" recorded form.

[stetto]

I gotta add a vote against Mackie...If you got a grand to put into a compact board, you can definitely upgrade...I too own a 1202VLZ, and I have shitty pots all over the damn thing (intermittant signal though the rolloff switches on the input stage, half the channel gain pots are starting to snap, crackle and pop)...It contributes a whispery hum to the signal...I'm to where I bypass it at every opportunity...

...I may just have the one bad Mackie, but it will definitely be my last...

Eric

[A Reel Person]

8-inputs
4-busses
4x2 Buss Monitor section
8x2 Submix section

8x4x2x2

[twon]

in a word, Soundcraft.
behwronger is absolute crap
mackie is better but not great
behwronger is NOT good value, not worth it at all

[c7sus]

Used Midas.

[gemsbok]

soundcraft m-4

[earworm]

ok,;i'm going to say the same stuff as most people here:

i've used LOTS of behringer stuff and it simply Disgusts me !
buy it and u might regret,
i've used old studiomaster mixers, nice but there's alot better on the market,

when i got me my soundcraft M8 i was totally amazed with the clean quality !
it IS a clean mixer, simple,small, and absolutely worth the money,
get it second hand, i did, they're all pretty new and honestly i haven't heard one complaint about the M8 (or M4)

i used the mackie vlz and totally dont like them, sound like poo compared with the soundcraft i mentioned.

around newyear i wanted an upgrade since the M8 was too small for me,
i was thinking about getting me the allen&heath mixwizard 3,
i read and heard nothing but REAL good things about it,
its a good brand, the mixer will keep its value and u can always sell it for nice money, the reason why i didnt buy me a mixwiz is simple... found me a GS3 for the same price


but now i'd like to add a question;

i'm looking for a real small mixer too, i want the same kinda quality as the M4, but i dont want those 4 stereo inputs,
all i need is this:

2 XLR preamps
2 inserts
stereo output
1 or 2 auxes (1 for delay, 1 for distortion...hehe)

voila, i once had a tiny behringer mx602, never turned me down, it was the ONLY piece of behringer stuff that didnt have any malfunctions but i didnt like the noise it added to the signal and why on earth did they put EQ buttons on it? worthless in my ears...

so does that exist, what i ask for?

what i'm using now is a bunch of channel strips,its expensive and i prefer something compact that i dont Need to put in a rack

price is no issue, i just want to know whats available, then i'll start hunting and comparing stuff