Is this a good mixer to look into?

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samth3mancgp

samth3mancgp

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I've been searching around for several days now and I came upon this.

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/for/1519421010.html

It says it's a Soundcraft Series 200B but it does not look like the pictures of the one in the manual I found for it. It seems like a good deal. I've heard SoundCraft makes some top notch stuff.

I like that it has a case too. It's a decent amount of channels for use on location with analog, digital (with an interface of course) etc. I realized recently how royally screwed I am if I need to record or mix live somewhere other than my setup at home.
 
Why are you even asking? Go and grab that thing before someone beats you to it! Yeah it's worth it and for under a hundred bucks!? I wouldn't be over-analyzing it. Well, what r u waiting for?;)

Not sure about the specific model but it looks like one of those British boards. It has quality written all over it. Just make sure it actually works when you get there. ;)
 
I agree...for the price who cares? Or, for the same price or more you could buy a used Behringer board... :rolleyes:

No Behry-bashing now...that was just the fiurst "budget" brand that popped into my head...

EDIT

There were, as with most mixers, several models within the 200B line and the one for sale looks like a...maybe...16 x 2 x 1? Or maybe it is 16 x 4 x 2...the group and master faders appear to be packed tighter...Consider the size of the 2 8.5" x 11" manuals leaning on the lid of the case...its a good size mixer. channels 1 & 2 appear to be missing their knob caps...I'm sure it has issues but if they are cosmetic or minor operational issues, even at that $90 is a good deal...the flight case is worth nearly $90!! And its got documentation with it.

Get it and put up a bunch of pictures so we can all learn about it!!
 
Ya you may find some of the pods and faders a little scratchy but the would be an easy fix with contact cleaner. and if your lucky the VU meters will still work.
 
if you are not a DIY type guy dont bother... but tell your buddies who are... that's a steal... buit unless it's been re capped recently count on it needing it... if ya need help let me know and i'll put you in touch with the guiy that likely designed it... i've been talking to him about hotrodding my series 500 board..
 
Yeah, it definitely looks like a straight stereo board, 16x2, not a 4 buss.

But, if it is just for live use to a stereo recorder, it should do the trick!

The price is insanely cheap too!

Cheers! :)
 
Dang this thing has really gotten everybody's attention! I'm planning on going to get it soon. As most of you have already said, there is nothing better for the price! Even a Behringer with that many channels would cost as much as this does. The manual that I got for the 200B series has channel strips and masters that look considerably different than in the pictures of the one on craigslist.

I'd like to know If a tape deck could be hooked up to it, and how many (if any busses). I'll probably call him back later for better pix and to find the exact model/more details. I'd probably use this for simple live mixing and for the 4 track since it should be much smaller than the Peavey 24 channel I use with the 80-8.

The only turn offs are if there are no busses/auxes, and if there is no sweep on the mids, But based on the feedback here it seems like this would be worth it no matter what! :)
 
Dude, jump all over it! I recently picked up a Studiomaster 16-8-2 mixer for a steal. It works and it's beautiful. Just needs some cleaning and lube. It definitely has a different sound than most everyday boards you come across. The EQ alone is worth having it for.;)
 
So I talked to the seller again a little while ago and got a little bt more info on this mixer. It seems like it was originally in a theater at Hershey Park, then was donated to his church where he is the sound guy. The church has gotten a new mixer and this one is up for sale. He says everything works on it and that there is in fact some knob caps missing on channels 1 and 2. The board itself was the Series 1S.

The SC wiki has more info on the 1S. It seems like it was one of the first boards that they ever made?! Don't know if that's a good or bad thing :eek:

Here's a link to the manual

"Introduced in 1974, the Series 1 was a true classic, and caused something of a revolution at the time: Intended for live PA or location recording use, it was the first mass-produced console to be built in to its own flightcase, and even came with an optional 19-pair multicore cable with stagebox!

It was available in 12 or 16 input channels (some larger sizes were made), into 4 outputs (Main stereo plus ‘echo’ and foldback sends), and had 4-band fixed-frequency EQ. Four years later, the console was updated to the ‘1S’ and had an extra bus added to give a second foldback send, plus a 20ch version was available. The 1S was also the first console to use the classic Soundcraft 4-band, 2 swept mids EQ."

Dang I just keep finding stuff! here's a schematic!


Here's a great forum thread on Gearslutz about this mixer. Some very high res pictures! Series 1S Gearslutz

Alright, that's enough for this one. At this point it's just me getting all of these links saved somewhere. It seems like it would be easy to mod since there is so much space inside and the boards are so big. This could be a good mixer for me to do a bit of soldering on, re-capping etc. I'm afraid to get into my non-working tape decks and work on them because I'm not sure I can read the schematics and I'm not confident in soldering. I probably need a new station with variable temp.
 
Cool your on your way to much better sounding recordings
 
Huh!

Definitely a good find for $90.

Transformer mic pre's...might have "character".

:eek: Built-in ELCO-56 connector for I/O!!!

Looks like you *could* use the aux sends as group busses in a pinch so you could use the board as a 16 x 2+2 board with one spare aux for cue mixes. It'd be a little funky but it would work...
 
I'm thinking about using this board as a chance to learn more about electronics. I want to put direct outs, or maybe keep the insert but use 2 jacks instead of that weird stereo 1/4" send and return which seems odd. I also want to put phantom power on as many channels as I can? Some of the links I posted had people that did this to their Series 1 mixers. I think one person actually changed the auxes to be post EQ but prefader and stuff like that seems cool. It's cool to think about having a board with enough free space inside to be able to change or add features and personalize it. :)

Here's the full res picture from the seller.

100_1511.jpg


100_1912.jpg
 
So, did you buy it yet? :confused:

Also, 1/4" TRS insert jacks are not "weird" at all! My TASCAM M312B mixer uses that same design as do many, many other mixers.

Cheers! :)
 
That is the board that got Soundcraft on the map. Until that one came out few people knew who they were. It came out just about the time that I was starting to get into all this "stuff", about 1975 or so. The vast majority of them were sold in England, but this got them started in the export market. For $90 I would do it just to mess around with it.

I think one person actually changed the auxes to be post EQ but prefader
Click to expand...
I can't think of any reason at all to do this. You really don't want the eq to have any effect on aux sends since they are normally used to send to an external processor or to a monitor mix on stage. If you were using the board in a live application and adjust the eq on a channel to make it sound better on the mains you could at the same time be creating a serious feedback node on the monitors.
 
I hope i can go and get it tomorrow! It's an hour and a half drive I've been trying to find time for it :(

I'm really looking forward to hearing the transformer pres on the thing! Would it be possible to tap into the PSU for phantom power on some or all channels?

I see now why the auxes should definitely stay prefader :) It would make it a difficult board to use live.
 
Unless the P48 rail is already present on the PSU it would be a bit of an advanced task to create it (advanced for me).
 
Dang, well I guess that option is out if it would be difficult even for you. I'm nowhere near the level you are at with this stuff. Maybe a simpler approach like getting a separate power supply.

Again, as I am typing this I do a quick google search of 48v phantom PSU and
This article came up! I love the internet. :)
 
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