Mixer – Quality, Beginner, Recommendations?

F

fin13

New member
Hey guys.

I’m looking for a quality mixer that will give me general mixing capabilities - would love some recommendations.


A bit about me:
- Going to be running a talk-show Podcast with Multiple friends using Music/Sound Effects simultaneously
- Presently use Sony Acid Pro to edit Audio


Budget
- Around $100 to $500 US.


Do you have any suggestions?



I’m not a hardcore DJ, however, I do make music and audio bits.
I have no idea where to start :eek:, so I searched google, and thought this forum was perfect. Any help I can get would be great!


Thanks.
Jenny :)
 
I don't own a outboard, hardware mixer, but I've been looking. I've been impressed with the Alesis MultiMix line. Especially the firewire models. The 8 channel model is in your price range. It seems to meet the requirements you mentioned.
 
Behringer are pretty cheap.
Not great consoles but still consoles that would get the job done.

Eck
 
Hi guys.

If anyone has any recommendations - I'm all ears...pretty new with all of this.


Thanks.
Jenny :confused:
 
The first place to start is to determine what features you need from the mixer.

For example: how many channels do you need? This is probably the most important question.

How many mics will you be using? This will tell you how many preamps you'll need on the mixer.

How many tracks of music/audio will you need to be feeding into the mixer?

It's impossible to even discuss what mixer you should buy until there are more specifics regarding your needs.
 
yeah how many channels?

if you prowl ebay and craigslist, you can get nice stuff cheap. we've scored a mackie 1640 VLZ for $250 (which we actually just sold anyway). thats a pretty nice console. mackie makes some killer stuff.

if you dont need as many channels, maybe pick up a used, smaller Onyx.. those are pretty sweet.
 
Hi guys, and thanks!


SonicAlbert said:

The first place to start is to determine what features you need from the mixer.

For example: how many channels do you need? This is probably the most important question.
Click to expand...
Jeepers, this is going to seem really beginner-ish, but what are channels?


How many mics will you be using? This will tell you how many preamps you'll need on the mixer.
Click to expand...
Max, 3 mics.

However, I am located in Toronto, and a fourth player is in LA, as she is part of the show too (we will use Skype).


How many tracks of music/audio will you need to be feeding into the mixer?
Click to expand...
I have thousands of mp3s and sfx on my computer (external drive), and I want to have the choice to play any of them on the fly (and some will be preset)...as the show is very off-the-cuff.


It's impossible to even discuss what mixer you should buy until there are more specifics regarding your needs.
Click to expand...

Does that help any?


Let me know, and I appreciate the help!


Thanks.
Jenny :)
 
Jenny,

What you may or may not need in a mixer depends on how many simultaneous sound sources you have coming from outside your computer and the Internet, and/or how many computers you are actually using for your setup.

In the most basic form, it sounds like maybe you have a single computer with Internet connection that you will be using for everything including the Skype feed, podcast recording and editing, and MP3 playback. And you'll have one microphone for your voice and a pair of headphones for your monitoring (using speakers could cause feedback from your microphone.)

If this is the case, there is little need for much of an external mixer, if at all. Everything that could be individually controlled would be controlled by the software mixer controlling your computer's soundcard and/or the volume controls on your MP3 playback software and the Skype client software.

The only external box you may want in that case would be for a decent microphone interface and preamp if you're using a studio-grade microphone instead of a cheapo computer or home headset mic. If, however, you are going with just the home mic, the you don't need *any* external hardware, as everything will be running through your computer soundcard and controlled from there.

BTW, I'm a bit interested in just what you have in mind with your podcast/skypecast idea. I just so happen to be beginning work on a project involving that very kind of product (I in fact just downloaded the Skype client yesterday in preparation for the project development, if you want to hear a coincidence.) If you'd be so inclined, I'd like to hear a bit more about what you're up to. Feel free to PM or (better) e-mail me via this board if you're willing to describe it further or point me to a website where this may be happening. :)

G.
 
It seems to me like a mixer is a good idea. The show sounds somewhat improvisational and therefore you'll want to grab knobs and turn something up easily. Also, a mixer allows an easy way to combine live signal with sounds from the computer.

So it seems like you need a mixer with a minimum of four preamps, probably six to be safe. Plus at least 4 channels of line level inputs for different sources like the computer sound card and synths or other sound fx playback devices. So let's say a 12 channel mixer with four preamps and eight line level inputs, or a 16 channel mixer with six preamps and 10 line level inputs. Remember that more is usually better because it's amazing how quickly you can outgrow a mixer!

I'd also say that since it's a live show you'd want a compact mixer that you could carry around easily, not a big hulking thing like a soundcraft Ghost.

So here are some possibilities:

Mackie VLZ PRO series: 1402, 1604, or 1642.

Soundcraft 12 channel version of their "E", or "M" series.

Yamaha MG series: MG12/4 or MG16/4.

I've owned a lot of Mackie compact mixers over the years and have been quite happy with them. I wouldn't hesitate to use a Soundcraft or Yamaha mixer either though. There are many choices, but those listed above I think would fit your criteria well.

Good luck!
 
fin13 said:
Hey guys.
I’m looking for a quality mixer that will give me general mixing capabilities - would love some recommendations.
A bit about me:
- Going to be running a talk-show Podcast with Multiple friends using Music/Sound Effects simultaneously
- Presently use Sony Acid Pro to edit Audio
Budget
- Around $100 to $500 US.
I’m not a hardcore DJ, however, I do make music and audio bits.
I have no idea where to start :eek:, so I searched google, and thought this forum was perfect. Any help I can get would be great!
Thanks.
Jenny :)
Click to expand...
Try using FlexiMusic Composer , a multi-track program for composing, editing and mixing of music using sampled instrument sounds. It is comprehensible, affordable software.
http://www.fleximusic.com/composer/overview.htm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top