I really need some advice on a mixing board

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averagejoe66

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Hey,
I'm new to the board and my name is joe. I have been researching rackmountable mixing boards for awhile and I haven't been able to find many reviews on the ones I can afford. I have been looking at these 3:

1. Behringer MX3242X
2. Soundcraft Spirit FX16
3. Allen and Heath Mix Wizard 16:2DX

I'm new to the mixing/recording world but I have an ADAT XT and I know that if I enjoy the recording side of things I will get another one so I can have 16 tracks. That's why I'm looking at boards with 16 direct outs. The Behringer seems to have a lot of features on it but it is so much cheaper than the others it makes me nervous.

I would really appreciate your opinions and suggestions.

-joe
 
There is good reason to be nervous of the Behringer, it is cheap. Check out Yamaha mixers (the MG line compares well to the Mackie VLZ Pro line) for something cheaper, but significantly better than Behringer
 
Sadly the MG16/4 does not have 16 direct outs.

Second the comment re Behri.
 
Using the inserts as direct sends, plus the alt 1/2 bus you get 10 sends from the MG 16/4. If you don't need the aux sends, then you have another 2 there, plus another two with the main outs = 14 sends.

Or you can jump to the MG 16/6 FX, where you will gain an additional 2 sends

or MG 24/14FX for more sends than you can shake a stick at.

I was just recommending the MG series in general, I am very happy with my MG 16/4 and I honestly cannot distinguish between tracks I have recorded through its pres and tracks recorded through a Mackie VLZ Pro 1402 that I rented. But unless you are rank beginner, just ignore the Behringer brand entirely, they are fine for entry level to learn how to do stuff, but in the long haul they just don't cut it
 
cs - the MG series (I have the 12/4) are great mixers for the money.

To use the inserts as direct sends, do you have to partly insert a jack or something? Keep meaning to experiment but never get round to it.
 
Yeah, just insert a standard (mono) TR cable into the insert to the first click, and there you have a direct out
 
If you add a second ADAT you won't have room to return effects on the board, you'd need to either save your pennies for 24 tracks or only record 12 tracks so you can have a couple stereo returns at mixdown... or if you needed all 16 tracks you could bounce guitar overdubs, bg vox and other similar tracks to stereo tracks and you'd end up with some extra room for mix down.

Later,
musik
 
using inserts as direct outs means skipping the EQ and faders. Unless you are great with mic placement this isn't a great idea. Wait, save and get the board you need. Avoid the Behri desks at all costs.

Alec.
 
averagejoe66 said:
Hey,
I'm new to the board and my name is joe. I have been researching rackmountable mixing boards for awhile and I haven't been able to find many reviews on the ones I can afford. I have been looking at these 3:

1. Behringer MX3242X
2. Soundcraft Spirit FX16
3. Allen and Heath Mix Wizard 16:2DX

I'm new to the mixing/recording world but I have an ADAT XT and I know that if I enjoy the recording side of things I will get another one so I can have 16 tracks. That's why I'm looking at boards with 16 direct outs. The Behringer seems to have a lot of features on it but it is so much cheaper than the others it makes me nervous.

I would really appreciate your opinions and suggestions.

-joe
Click to expand...

Get the Allen and Heath. Trust me. I have had both the Behringer AND Mackie boards. They are the same. They both have weak pre-amps, EQ that sucks and summing buss amplifiers that don't do the job. A&H have far better pre's (sound like my DMP3), nice EQ (a little goes a long way) and healthy summing bus amps (lot's of gain, clean). Spend the $$$ and get the waaaay better mixer. You will not be sorry.
 
LemonTree said:
using inserts as direct outs means skipping the EQ and faders. Unless you are great with mic placement this isn't a great idea. Wait, save and get the board you need. Avoid the Behri desks at all costs.

Alec.
Click to expand...

fair enough, but I for one (and many others here) never use board eq while recording, I record everything flat on principle, and use mic placement to compensate. I also never use the faders while recording, but just adjust gain pots and use compression to tame peaks. I understand the "wait and save" concept, but for many of us, that doesn't work well. If you don't have the gear, even if the quality is lower, you can't learn what to do. If I had followed that advice myself, I likely would still only be recording one channel at a time and know nothing about how to use multiple mics in a room and record multiple sources at once. The low end gear is so cheap that you can afford to buy the odd piece just to learn what you will need in the future. A 16+ channel mixer with multiple busses and useable pres/inserts etc will always have a use in a studio, even if just for monitoring purposes
 
Ditch the Behringer. Right off the list.

Now the choices may be limited by budget (sure true for me) but the choices will be more workable.

I will second the chorus you've heard that the mixer is where you have to go for the best quality you can pay for. Low cost = hidden expenses; you'll be relying on outboard preamps.

I like my Mackie but I am quite aware of its limitations and if I had it to do over again, I would have held off until I could get a Soundcraft. I might have saved hundreds on outboard preamps.
 
Thanks

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to respond to my post. It seems that there is a unanimous opinion on the Behringer so I will take that advice and scratch it form the list. I had a feeling that in this case cheaper would mean more headache down the line.

I've been recording my band's practice sessions using my Mackie 1202 and dumping it to my mini disc recorder (one track). I'm ready to do some multi track recording but I think for me the more straight forward and simple the lay out, the better off I'll be. I like the lay out of the Soundcraft and the 16 direct outs would make things a little easier for me than the Mackie or Yamaha. I know that one of you likes the Soundcraft brand, anybody else have any experience with it?

Thanks guys,
-joe
 
Soundcraft has (IMNSHO) far better EQ's... If you're getting one with built-in effects, start with your effects input trim all the way up. Otherwise, it's a noisy puppy.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
I have no issue with Soundcraft, in fact I wish I had one over the Yamaha, but that was a $$ decision. I just saw you list Behringer, and thought it would be wise to inform you that Behringer is crap, and if you rbudget is tight, look at Yamaha as your low end rather than Behringer, because it will rival Mackie at less cost, but Soundcraft is a good step up from Mackie, and if you have the wallet contents...
 
reliability issues etc aside, and my view on behringer is don't invest a lot of money in getting a big board cos there's more to break....

i sat in a shop with a soundcraft spirit and a behringer UB mixer (can't remember the exact models) and put a 2kW amp right up through a pair of mackie passives. then i whacked the mains and the channel one gain and fader right up on each. there was WAY more hiss on the soundcraft.

make of it what you will, it's not scientific, but i'd now be wary of buying something full of hiss like that.
 
Hey Joe, I have a FX16 Soundcraft and all I have is good news about the mixer. Last year I was caught up in the same decision you're in, boiled down to the FX16 or A&H, both with similar board offerings. I wanted the 16 direct outs, and ability to top load it in a rack, which I have done. The reason I chose the FX16 was for the 4 buss mix, which is versatile. The FX16 is a very good sounding mixer, great mic pres and eq's, it has the built in Lexicon effects, and like most effects you get hung up on one good one and use it alot, especially for live mixes. I use the FX16 as double duty and I have been very pleased with the over all quality and sound levels, lots of headroom. I searched around and found mine for under $800 at northernsound.com, good company. I've had a few mixers in 35+ years of playing music and this is JMHO, but the FX16 rocks. Good luck Ralph
 
just to clarify i was in no way suggesting behringer mixers to be as good as soundcraft. that was one experience i had with one console in a non-musical setting.
 
soundcraft

... i only own the little soundcraft folio notepad mixer, but i must say it is one of the quietest mixers i've ever owned, and i've owned a couple mackies. the pres on it are really clear, and to my ear sound nicer than my 1202 vlz pro (i've never owned a behringer, when i demo'ed their ub line they were quiet, but sounded very thin and cheap).
if this little guy is any indication of soundcraft quality, i would seriously check them out.
peace - jv
 
yeah i think that was kinda what i was trying to say. the behringers are surprisingly quiet and in my case more so than an expensive large soundcraft. i didn't properly compare the sounds though and have no doubt the soundcraft would be well superior!
 
Well I own the FX16 and it's a great board. The pres are quite a bit warmer than mackie pres, and about the same as Allen and Heaths as far as quality goes. I'd certainly suggest it. You can find them on ebay for as little as 300 occasionally.
 
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