Can Mixing boards be combined?

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justplainsteve

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I have a Peavey XR800D Mixer (8 channel) in place and need to run 10 Microphones, 1 Keyboard (Amp),1 guitar(Amp), two monitors and two speakers (with possibility of 1 to 2 more instruments in the future). Can I purchase the Peavey PV8 Mixer (6 channel) and achieve my goal? If so, do the Mixers need to run independantly or can they be linked together and still maintain full "control" functions? Can the 2 monitors, 2 speakers, guitar amp and keyboard amp be tied in the two mixers?
 
There are a few mixers (a few big Allen & Heath ones, some Yamaha digital) that provide connections to properly link two mixers with full features but, as far as I know, the two Peaveys you mention don't offer this feature.

It's possible to take the main outs of one mixer and bring them into two spare inputs of another one to get you extra inputs--but feature like pre fade listen, aux sends, etc. are still on two separate mixing desks which can make operation awkward depending on your requirements.
 
Take the output main of the smaller mixer into a stereo (or 2 x mono) line inputs of the larger mixer. If you are short of inputs on the larger mixer, you can at a pinch plug the smaller mixer main outs into a stereo effects return if they are not in use. Be careful with level matching as to not overdrive the line level inputs.

As Bobbsy said, there are limitations with sends and pre-fade etc, but if you are just after inputs it will work.

Cheers
Alan.
 
If you want to do monitor mixes it can get complicated to chain mixers. You could send the main output of the PV8 into a channel of the XR800D and feed that submix into the monitors. Or you could send the main out of the PV8 into an aux input of the XR800D and send a monitor mix into a channel. The PV8 has only one monitor mix so it's going to be shared between both monitor mixes on the XR.

If you want to use the effects in the XR800D on the PV8 submix you have to put the main mix into a channel and apply effects to that or you use the PV8's effects output into a channel on the XR. It's easy to burn up inputs on your main board to get everything from the submixer into it, and some features still don't connect.

Once upon a time Peavey's bigger boards all had 1/4" connection for the buses so you could mate boards more easily without using channels. I think in some cases you could even connect the solo bus and switching logic.
 
I thought about doing this with my old Fostex 812. It's one of the few boards that has all the connections to chain the desks together (busses in and out etc.) I didn't do it though as I realised it would be inconvenient to have two desks together. And it would look silly I thought.

However, if you're not bothered by that, check if your desk has buss inputs. If it does, you can probably chain them together.
 
I too have a Peavey XR800D and trying to bring in the output from a Behringer XENYX 1202 Mixer
I will primarily be connecting Microphones to the XENYX and looking to bring in a combined mix into the PEAVEY
I have previously done with SHURE M67 mic mixer by connecting the Balanced output into the Bal Input of a single channel on the Peavey - however the XENYX only has Line L & R outputs
I am trying to avoid using multiple channels to achieve this - and this would defeat the purpose

Does anyone know alternative methods for how to bring these outputs into the XR800D
 
If mono is enough and you have a single spare channel, just pan everything on the Behringer hard left and use the left output only. (Or hard right and use the right channel...doesn't matter a bit!).

Or, if you're not using external effects, preserve ALL your channels by bringing the L/R Behringer outputs into the Peavey's effects return inputs--although labelled as effects they can take any line level input.
 
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