Behringer MX9000 or Yamaha MG24/14?

[hand in glove]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking at getting an analog mixer in the not-to-distant-future for the homerecording evnironment i've been starting to get. I've got an M-Audio Delta 1010 w/rack, so i have 8 ins/outs as the interface.

My budget isn't huge, i've been searching into analog mixers for a while, from the behringer MX9000 to the Soundcraft Spirit M12. I was set on the Behringer MX9000 at the start, but as i read into it, well... to say the least alot of people were saying "i know i'm going to get shot down for this...", which to me seemed if thats going to happen, why buy it?

I'd like to have 8 busses (wouldn't we all), but the yamaha MG24/14 looks decent. Anyones thoughts? I've heard the MG24 is more adaquete for live applications, but has anyone got anymore information on this mixer?

Also would i need an A/D converter at all? I'm still confused when/where would i need one of those.

Thanks!

[KamikazeKyle]

I've never liked the Yamaha low budget analogue desks. If you want a Yamaha the best bet would be their Digital Board the O1V but that is quite a deal more expensive. If you wouldn't mind a used desk I would recommend keeping an eye on www.soundbroker.com But you have to keep in mind the shipping costs unless you plan to go pick it up. It cost me $700 to get my soundtracs board crated and shipped to me. I've actually heard good things about the Behringer MX9000 but I'm always skeptical about purchasing Behringer gear. I would highly recommend before making a decision going to your local guitar center and seeing if they have either. And ask if you can test one of the boards out. Although keep in mind that the pres are probably not very high end and you would probably be better off getting some decent pres such as the Onyx 800R for tracking and then use your desk for mixing although It's really up to you to decide. One thing I would recommend staying away from desks that have built in effect because in my experience that only makes the desk noisy and a pain to work with.

I just got a Soundtracs MRX 32 for 1750 plus shipping but something else i contemplated was this:

http://www.soundbroker.com/CONSOLE/?listingid=27716

it's a Soundtracs MR 24(practically the same thing) The only reason I didn't spring for it was because I wanted a 32 channel board.

Also your Delta 1010 acts as a AD/DA converter already. In-fact you could buy 2 more and and connect your mixer fully to your computer(if you get a 24 channel board)

Anyway Thats my 2 cents

Good luck to you and your hunt,
Kyle

[SonicAlbert]

I personally would avoid that Behringer. There must be a Mackie or Soundcraft that would work for you. Maybe find an Allen & Heath.

Not knowing your budget, you might also want to check out this mixer, which should be available soon. I don't think it is going to be all that expensive, either.

http://www.toftaudio.com/atb.html

[hand in glove]

Thanks guys,

I checked out my local music store and they reckon best bet for a mixer between the yamaha and behringer would be the behringer, because the cheap yamaha stuff aint too good. But yeah...

That new mixer looks alright but. Any new information on that one?

Cheers

[SonicAlbert]

The Toft is not released yet I don't think, but should be out soon.

Cheap Yamaha or cheap Behringer. I personally would go for cheap Yamaha, as all the Yamaha gear I own has been very solid. I haven't used the MG line of mixers though, so I can't comment on those specifically.

If you are hesitating about the Yamaha, you may want to seriously consider "neither of the above" and look for something else. Be very, very wary of what sales people tell you in the stores.

[hand in glove]

Thanks guys,

Yeah im still very undecided on mixers in general atm. I'm just going to have to keep browsing i think, see what comes up. I keep a pretty close eye on ebay so i'll see what turns up.

I'll also keep an eye and ear on the toft stuff, looks exactly like what i want! Anywho, thanks guys!

[jonnyc]

I've owned both Behringer pres and Yammy MG pres and the Yammy's are much less brittle sounding. It was my first little board and I regret ever selling it.

[mop93]

I'd say go with the Behringer. Not that the Yamaha's aren't good but they are more suited for live applications and not recording. The MG mixers are meant to be used live and you'll run into some big problems if you try using it for recording, but on the otherhand they are great if you plan on using it for live purposes. Neither are really better than the other but for recording the Behringer is the way to go

[KamikazeKyle]

Or go for neither and save your money a bit and shoot for something in a higher quality range.

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by mop93

I'd say go with the Behringer. Not that the Yamaha's aren't good but they are more suited for live applications and not recording. The MG mixers are meant to be used live and you'll run into some big problems if you try using it for recording, but on the otherhand they are great if you plan on using it for live purposes. Neither are really better than the other but for recording the Behringer is the way to go

Insanity...

[hand in glove]

Hey guys

Well it seems there are many against the behringer in this forum, so i'm back to square one again! hahaha

Well what about some mixers with direct outs? (preferbably atleast 8, as i have a delta 1010 - 8in/8out)
I've checked out the spirit M12 (soundcraft), it looked good for what i could get for it.

Apart from that, kinda lost on ideas.
Same price range would be handy for any suggestions you might have (approx $800-1000).

Cheers guys!

[mop93]

Originally Posted by hand in glove

Hey guys

Well it seems there are many against the behringer in this forum, so i'm back to square one again! hahaha

Well what about some mixers with direct outs? (preferbably atleast 8, as i have a delta 1010 - 8in/8out)
I've checked out the spirit M12 (soundcraft), it looked good for what i could get for it.

Apart from that, kinda lost on ideas.
Same price range would be handy for any suggestions you might have (approx $800-1000).

Cheers guys!

Although I haven't used the M12 I can say that Soundcraft makes some of the best boards around. It is a bit cheaper than the other two and it has some really nice features.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by hand in glove

Hey guys

Well it seems there are many against the behringer in this forum, so i'm back to square one again! hahaha

Well what about some mixers with direct outs? (preferbably atleast 8, as i have a delta 1010 - 8in/8out)
I've checked out the spirit M12 (soundcraft), it looked good for what i could get for it.

Apart from that, kinda lost on ideas.
Same price range would be handy for any suggestions you might have (approx $800-1000).

Cheers guys!

For that price you could get a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro with has 4 output busses as well as 8 direct outs and 16 preamps that are quieter and crisper than the ones in either the Berhi or the Yamaha.

G.

[hand in glove]

Yeah the mackie i have been looking into aswell, it does look seem pretty good from what i gather. Also i'd imagine i'd see the price drop, or see some pop up on ebay due to the recent onyx series mixers.

Also it is rack mountable, which is now what im after.
Though does this fit your average 19" rack?
If it does,

I'm sold!

Thanks guys...

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by hand in glove

Yeah the mackie i have been looking into aswell, it does look seem pretty good from what i gather. Also i'd imagine i'd see the price drop, or see some pop up on ebay due to the recent onyx series mixers.

Also it is rack mountable, which is now what im after.
Though does this fit your average 19" rack?
If it does,

I'm sold!

Thanks guys...

Yeah, it mounts in a standard rack. For just a few extra bucks you can get the "roto pod" option which allows you to rotate the back panel so that it faces up (it's on the face) insead of on the back. very handy if you rack mount it and want direct access to the I/O panel.

You can probably find a whole bunch of them on eBay, it's one of the most popular workhorse mixers around, so there's a lot of them out there in general. In fact just last hear one of the band I work for bought one in pristine condition off of eBay for (i think) $800.

As to whether the Onyx series will cause a price drop on the VLZ, that I'm not so sure of. The Onyx has been around for close to a year now as a kind of "big brother" line to the VLZ line, not a replacement for it...at least not yet. Unless/until the VLZ line is discontinued, I don't personally see a price movement. IMHO only.

But I'll say that even at it's regular price it's a finer mixer IMHO than the Yamaha or the Berhinger that the same price. Those way have a larger quantity of channel strips, but the individual strips are just not as good.

There *is* a reason why those happen to be two of the lowest cost mixers on the market, and it's not because of goodwill on the part of the manufacturers

G.

[hand in glove]

Hey There,

Thanks alot guys, yeah i'm going to follow the market very closely i think with the mackie now. I've checked the specs, it looks fantastic i think.

I've been watching the market on ebay closely, its very popular as you say. Anyway thanks guys! Could've made the biggest mistake of my life...

[rockabilly1955]

i think yamaha makes pretty good quality stuff. I own their small MG8/2FX mixer and it has done very well for me. Good sound quality and the effects arent that bad either. I wouldnt go with behringer

[SonicAlbert]

You should be able to get a 1604 VLZ PRO new for between $800-1,000, no reason to risk eBay for that.