what kind of mixer do i need?

[xgirl13]

hello all

this is my first time to this message board. i'm new to recording and i want to get a submixer for the drums and then output it to the four track. the question is, what kind of mixing board would i need? i was told to get a recording mixer rather than a live mixer b/c live mixers tend to be noisy. how do you find the right mixer for you? any help would be most appreciative.

heather

[Hard2Hear]

A small Mackie mixer can be used both for live and recording applications. I use my 1604VLZ for live and recording. If they look to pricey for you, Behringer is the cheap rip off of Mackie. (heh heh heh)

Have fun!
H2H

[JC Lives]

Hi Heather, Welcome aboard.

The reason you would choose a recording mixer over a live one is that on a recording mixer, you have the ability to take each channel out seperately and record each on it's own track. When you use a live mixer, they typically only have a stereo out of the entire mix. This may work for you, but if you want to get the snare and kick on their own seperate track, you will need a recording mixer. I hope this helps you out.

Joe

[xgirl13]

thanks you guys for replying so quickly! i found a Behringer 8 channel 2 bus mixer on ebay. does that mean i can plug in 8 mikes and have two outputs from the mixer going into the four track? if that's the case, wouldn't a 4 bus be better? that way, you can put one on each track and play around with it. just wondering...

heather

[bvaleria]

Unless someone's got a gun to your head, forcing you to buy Behringer - STAY AWAY from it! Pay the extra for a Mackie, or look at some Spirit, or Samson boards....

Bruce
Blue Bear Sound

[AlChuck]

The Behringer you describe probably only has two mic preamps; the other six channels will be line-level inputs. You'll want a mixer with at least 4 mic preamps if you want to have 4 mic sources. As far as the outs, there should also be an Alt 3/4 bus (the 2nd of the 2 busses) which can be used as two more channels if you want.

Re the quality issue, I have the Behringer MX1604A, and it seems pretty fine to me for my purposes. The price was great -- under $200. If money was no object I probably would have bought a Mackie 1402 VLZPro, but it was more than double the price of the Behringer. There do seem to be a lot of people that sneer about the Euroracks but, hey, mine works, it sounds fine, it serves my meagre needs; I have no complaints.

-AlChuck

[MISTERQCUE]

Heather,please, please,PLEASE stay away from Behringer mixers!!! TOTAL CRAP!(kindly use the"search"function in the
upper rite-hand corner of this BBS). I don't mean to 'dis any-1 who has 1 already,but I'm a strong opponent against
Behringer mixers. Their comps are decent and their DSP's are
so-so to OK,but speaking from experience...from purchasing a
spanking brand new MX2624 to it's overall operation to dealing with their customer service,BELIEVE ME,you don't want 1 of them things.Their are many mixers in their price range that are WAY more efficient than those.
Honestly and to reiterate what my man Bruce said,check out a
Mackie! A lil more expensive,but worth the X-tra$$.
I personally own the Alesis studio 24 and Studio 32(don't ask me why I have 2 Alesis mixers,it's a long story)that I use to record to ADATS and a used Mackie 1202 I use when I
attempt to record to computer! But if budget is a prob,check
out the new line of Nady mixers.
Like I said previously,use the "SEARCH" function of this BBS for more detailed explanations of Beh.mixers from myself and others.

Oh Yeah,Welcome!
Peace
Mr.Q

[AlChuck]

Mr. QQ and Bruce, now you've got me all escared that my mixer's gonna blow up on me or something ...

[bvaleria]

Maybe you got the one unit that actually passed QA!!!

Hey if it works for you and you are happy with it, then you're one of the lucky ones - you got something that works for ya for less dough!



Bruce

[engineear]

I agree with Bruce......... " you got something that works for ya for less. DOH!!!!"

[xgirl13]

HAHA thanks you guys for all your help! unfortunately for me, money is kind of an issue. i've got my eye on a Samson MPL1640 on ebay right now that doesn't seem too expensive and it seems to have everything i need. take care all!!

Heather

[JoanisT23]

are the nady mixers really better?

[duck]

Ebay isnt always the best deal around. I have seen some things go for more money there than at mars music.
Heres just one link where you can check the classifieds and even learn about new and old stuff.
http://www.prorec.com/prorec/article...25660C000A952C

For a little bit more money you will get a whole lot more with a mackie IMO!

Duck