Best mixer for home studio hoping to go pro eventually

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papamaverick

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Hey all

I'm in the process of building a studio from scratch, and think I've decided on going the Digi001 route. Yes i know its unpopular among many, and there are several downsides...but there are three huge advantages that I see: (1) impresses ignorant local clientel, (2) allows me to use auto-tune and digital editing for talentless local bands that want to record, (3) cheaper price point (using factory plugins such as bomb factory, waves 'verb, etc) than analog 1/2" or 1" tape and outboard effects.

Anyways, I'm a student at Virginia Tech studying electrical engineering and music technology double-major, and will somehow force my way into the music recording biz after school, hopefully opening up a private studio...so I only want to buy solid equipment that I will be able to use 10 years down the road. More expensive short-term, cheaper long-term. I also have aspirations of moving to an all-analog (or at least analog tracking) recording setup eventually.

I'm looking for a mixer, generally thinking at least 16 individual channels for live recording of larger bands, would like six auxes for headphone moniters. I don't see EQ as highest priority, at least for now...preamps, however, are utterly important. I know that eventually i will need outboard pres for everything, but I want to put off that day as long as possible. I also want a mixer that will give me the warmest sound possible before i go to the computer.

I'm looking primarily at the Mackie 1604 VLZ Pro, the A&H Mixwizard WZ-16, and the Crest XR-20. Based on the background info I've given, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Dave
 
Take a look at the a/h mixwizard 14:4:2.

Oops, didn't see that you wanted 16 inputs, sorry.
 
I'd second that. Seems to be a step above mackie and soundcraft.
 
:) Allen-heath have a few in their WZ series, also the Behringer MX3242X has inline monitoring for up to 16 tracks.



Talentless local bands, Ignorant local clientel?? You have a tough job ahead of you!!



da MUTT
 
Pro analog mixer desks are tens of thousands of dollars.

Take the budget you have, figure out what you MUST have RIGHT NOW and buy the best you can get for that. Forget the 'going pre' thing. If you are, you'll have to get a new mixer desk anyway, if you are not, you'll need the money for something else. :)
 
very true, regebro...

but i didn't say i was looking for a pro mixing board, as I don't really have 10k to drop on one mixer...

What I am looking for is a solid console that will function well both in a digital and an analog environment, one that has 16-channels (at least) with inserts to send out to recorders...and one that sounds good. I'm sure that if I buy a quality 16-24 channel board now, I'll still be able to use it in some way 10-15 years down the road when I get that Neve that everybody wants or something.

I've seen Mackie 1604 VLZ Pro boards go regularly for as little as $600 on ebay. I think for that price, all but rich snobs would agree its a good deal. Would it be worth the extra $200 or so to go for Allen & Heath over Mackie, keeping in mind that the pres are the most important part for me (at this point). Or should I go up even further to the Crest XR-20? Or is there something else I should look at?
 
regebro said:
Pro analog mixer desks are tens of thousands of dollars.
)

How exactly is "pro" defined?

Would Soundcraft Ghost be considered pro?
 
A 1604vlz pro, a Spirit M12 or a A&H WZ16:2DX will take you a LONG way.

I have a 1604vlz pro, and I don't go around wondering if any other consol would be better, or if I need more mics, or toob pres or blah blah.. My main concern as of now is to find the best sounding room I can record in, a band that has good instruments/amps all tuned and adjusted AND are able to put out a great performance into what mics/pres/mixers I have. All this while *I* get more experinced in using what I have.

Of course you wanna buy the right thing from scratch. So my point is. These are all mixers (there are probably more brands/models that will do) that will get the job done. If you find one used in good condition: Go ahead.
 
I think the Ghost would fit in at the very bottom end of the pro range: it does appear in some pretty nice project studios, but you really won't see many in serious hourly-rate tracking houses. I have one, and I love the dadgum thing: I do agree with the take that it is the hand-down best medium-format board under $10k. Used you can get them at pretty reasonable prices. I use mine for tracking, and on the back end of 24 channels worth of D/A so that I can mix in the analog domain. It's worth its weight in gold, to me anyway. Your mileage may vary.

On the other hand, the Ghost probably isn't going to stand up to hundreds of hours of serious daily use with completely arbitrary staff (different engineers and tape ops), like you'd get in a real room. But for your initial foray into recording-for-money, it could be a very workable short-to-mid-term choice.

If you're serious about turning pro, and you're planning on doing a serious hourly business with paying clients coming through, you'll *eventually* need to get something somewhat more robust, with real heavy-duty faders and more reliable interconnect than the plastic 1/4" TRS stuff on the Ghost. Gear in tracking rooms can take a beating! So IMNSHO, you'd do well to consult the equipment brokers for used large-format consoles as well, and do some comparison shoping. The market for those is pretty damned depressed right now: there is some good hardware going for just a very few pennies on the dollar...

The Ghost is good for me, in my context. For what I paid for it, I could have got a good used large-format board- but I couldn't have fit it, and I don't know any brokers that I personally would trust right now... I'd love to have a Harrison or an Amek or any number of other drool-intensive boards, but I don't have any intention of renting out time- so I think I can keep the Ghost alive...

More Ghost-versus-large-format discussion here: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&postid=348970#post348970
 
lotsa o mixers out there...

i recently bought a seck 1882 for about $600. 18 channels w/inserts, 8 busses, inline monitoring, quiet, good headroom. very versatile board for mixing and sounds good.

i've also been tempted by the tascam 2516. 16X8X2, good i/o and metering, inline monitoring. they also seem to go for about $600 used.

there are a lot of options out there...

tony
 
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