Cheap home studio mixer choices. Mackie DFX6?

[DAFFYDRUNK]

Hi. Newbie here. Just registered after I spent a couple days lurking. Please help a recording semi newbie. I'm wanting to do a computer based recording setup in my basement and am looking for cheapie mixers that are $200 or less.
Just need something with a couple mic pre channels, couple aux sends, inserts on those 2 mic pre channels for my compressor and of course, a headphone jack. I want to hook it up to the computer (gonna get the 24/96 card) and also use it to output to the monitor amp. Recording by myself and I don't need anything fancy but I want it to sound sorda clean. I was looking at Yamaha and the cheapie Behringers of course, but what about the Mackie DFX6? Can't seem to find any reviews. Says it's for "on-stage mixing", but I was wondering if the mic pres as well as the rest of the unit is clean enough for home recording. Any other sub $200 choices with 2 inserts that would be decent? Do I even need inserts or can I just run through the compressor on the way to the sound card? A buddy with a nice home studio says I should go with a little Mackie, but those new Cheapo Behringers don't sound too bad on a budget.. Stummped...

Thanx in advance for any advice.

 

[Gunther]

Behringer skimps on quality and the pre's are noisy. You will be much happier with a mackie.

You can bypass a mixer completly, and that wil give you the best results. Just by a pre and plug it into your sound card. Run the compressor between the pre and the card... or better, use the compressor in your software.

Any low end mixer will affect the sound in a bad way. So for small setups I say skip them.

 

[projectelroy]

Yes a Mackie DFX6 would be a great choice for what you need...it's cheap and would probably beat any behringer that you can buy with that budget. But I dont think I would skip a mixer completely...I was doing it that way before I got a mixer, and I could totally tell the differance between the two.

Did you try Carvin? They sell pretty good quality products for rather cheap prices...The SM162 might be a good choice for you...it has enough channels (8) to record a full drum set and Carvin has it for 239.00$...So that wouldnt be a bad option...heres the website for it.
http://www.carvin.com/cgibin/Isearch.exePAGE=mdetail&CFG=2&P2=SM162&P1=MX

 

[DAFFYDRUNK]

...use the compressor in your software.
Any low end mixer will affect the sound in a bad way. So for small setups I say skip them.

I was thinking about that originally as I figured it would be cheap and sound the cleanest but one prob I have is adjustiing the volume on the amp. It's one of those Samson Servo 240s and would be a major pain in the ass to adjust those dual volume knobs. Any separate volume device? The other thing I was worried about is playing my bass and singing while recording. I like to compress at least a little bit when recording or I "walk on glass" so to speak to keep the volume levels even and as a result don't perform 100%. I need all the help I can get to sound decent

Did you try Carvin? They sell pretty good quality products for rather cheap prices...The SM162 might be a good choice for you...i

That does look interesting. Gonna try to find info about ot..Might be getting up there in cost though. Dunno if I'd ever record a drummer or not, but the inputs would be nice just in case. I figured it I ever got to that point where I need inputs I'd probably be able to afford a bigger mixer. Probably gonna buy my friend's used 1604 VLZ when he gets a better one...

 

[Gunther]

I was thinking about that originally as I figured it would be cheap and sound the cleanest but one prob I have is adjustiing the volume on the amp. It's one of those Samson Servo 240s and would be a major pain in the ass to adjust those dual volume knobs. Any separate volume device? The other thing I was worried about is playing my bass and singing while recording. I like to compress at least a little bit when recording or I "walk on glass" so to speak to keep the volume levels even and as a result don't perform 100%. I need all the help I can get to sound decent

I am getting a delta 44 (4 ins / 4 outs) and I already have a decent 2 channel preamp (M-audio DMP3). I record keys and voice at the same time... it's not a bad setup.

For you... Plug mics to preamp to delta44. Plug amp into a compressor then into the delta 44... You can control the level of the bass guit with the compressor.

this makes sure that the vocals are clean and clear and dont get affected by the quality limits of a low end mixer... but gives you the control you need for the bass.

Or you can do a simmilar setup.... vocals to pre to delta44, to keep the vocals clean and clear...
then have the bass to a mackie mixer and the stereo out of the mackie to the remaining 2 inputs of the delta44. this gives you the best of both worlds.


Thats just a few ideas. I like to keep a good vocal channel, and I dont think the pre's in a mackie can live up the the level of quality I would want... but thats me.