Mixer choice: Behringer Q1202 and Q1204 differences

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martinez_90

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Hi everyone,

I'm not sure it's a proper section for this kind of question but honestly I couldn't fit my topic in any branches of the forum :)
So I'm going to buy a small mixer for a rehersal room (read: GARAGE) for my band and I chose Behringer Xenyx models because they're in a quite low price ($100 - $200 depending on the model) and have enough functions for our needs. I'm looking now at two models: Behringer Xenyx Q1202 and Q1204. Unfortunately I'm not a specialist in live performance equipment so I have some difficulties in getting differences between these two models. We're going to buy it in a days so could you try to check the differences (especially the most important ones) and give me an advice which model would you choose?

Our requirements for the mixer functionality:
- 5-6 channels: 2 x mics, 1-2 audio interface LINE INs, optionally: regular and reamped guitar signal going to the guitar amp
- no FX processor necessary, Q1204 as I noticed has also wireless ready system but it's not very important for us
- two independent outputs (but i'm not sure if any of these models has this feature) which can work simultaneously (e.g. I choose which channels I send to the active speakers set and which ones to the guitar amp as a reamped signals)

The differences I noticed:
- producer says both are 12 channels mixers but I noticed that cheaper Q1202 has two extra LINE INs??
- I think SEND/RETURN channels are resolved different in each model
- faders instead of knobs for channels' volume in Q1204

Price diffs: Q1202 - about $100, Q1204 - $200

Links to manuals:
Q1202: http://www.behringer.com/assets/Q1202USB_Q1002USB_Q802USB_Q502USB_M_EN.pdf
Q1204: http://www.behringer.com/assets/QX1204USB_Q1204USB_QSG_WW.pdf

Thank you in advance for your help!
 
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How many mics is your band going to need?
6 channels won't even cover the drumset of some bands.

Behringer is also notorious for being cheap, in all sense of the word.
 
He said 2 mics. Neither Behr mixer has an instrument input, so you will nt be able to plug an electric guitar or bass directly into it without a DI box - not sure what you mean by
'regular and reamped' guitar signal' Reamping is taking a pre-recorded track and running it through an amp (then recording that). It's not clear what you are trying to run thrugh to a guitar amp from the mixer, but I'd rethink that part of it.
Personally, I don't think the mic preamps in the Xenyx's are very good, but I do have one as a spare mixer in case my main mixer goes blooey at the wrong time.
 
As I wrote - 2 mics (vocals only). This mixer will be used only for rehearsals, not recording. We have no acoustic drumset but an electronic one only so there are no additional mics. Bass and guitar have of curse separate cabinets and amps.

I know that Behringer is a kind of low-end brand but we have also quite low budget (about $1000 for mixer and also two active speakers which cover 75% of the budget) :(

@mjbphotos - I'm trying to do sth like this with guitars: because of lack of second guitarist for now I wanna send mono signal of clean guitar coming from an audio interface to one of the mixer's channels, a signal from a normal guitar to another (as I understood I need DI-Box or sth like that here?) and then send them together to a guitar amp(or amps if we have two pieces of them during concerts). I know it sounds crazy and I don't know whether it's gonna work but I'm trying to work something out to play backing rhythm guitar during solos only. As we're in this topic - what additional gear I need to work with reamped signal (DI-Boxes, reamp boxes etc.)?
 
Hi Martinez and welcome.

Now I am not going to enter another pointless Behringer bashing debate because those mixers are perfectly good enough electronically for your purpose, which I gather is as PA feed mixer for a band?

BUT! Don't get THOSE mixers because, even if they were gold plated SSLs they would not have the functions you require. Four mic inputs is ok for a folk duo. Two voices, two guitars (or tambourine!). The "12 inputs" is marketing bollox (and most of the budget firms do it!). Yes, you CAN put a keyboard thru a line input, even a pedal assisted guitar (need the right pedal tho'but) but IMHO for a band, 4 piece(?) you are looking 8 mic inputs minimum.

You also want 2 by 2 CONTROLLED outputs? I don't think either mixer can do that.

Sorry Marty but I think you need to at least double the budget. Idea, look at hiring a decent mixer for a weekend? That will tell you more about what you do and don't need far better than any forum can.

Dave.
 
Me again M!

My answer was somewhat compromised by your second response, serves me right for being a slow old duffer!

Ok, as I understand it, you want to play rhythm guitar tracks out of a PC>AI in to a guitar amp live? Brave! Electronically piece of cake. You need, as you say, a re-amp box which is essentially just an attenuator to take line level down to guitar input level, about 10-30mV and preferably incorporate a 1:1 transformer so that you can isolate the line from earth.
That signal does not need to go anywhere near a mixer!

WTGR Martinez, you are like a great many people that come here. You have good, workable ideas but not the practical electronics knowledge to implement them. Gaining such knowledge is not really that hard and could save you a great deal of money and time in the future.

Back to the mixers...I COULD tell you to go for Allen & Heath or Soundcraft or any of several "better" makers, but if that is all the money you have for mixers then the Behringers are as good as any at the price. (but if you can find a S/H A&H ZED10, grab it!)

Dave.
 
Ok, you are going to try a recorded rhythm guitar track for your guitar solo times? Still not really clear what you're doing. If this is it, then you have the whole timing issue to work with (record to a click track then have the drummer follow that, for example). Also then, you have the issue of the behr mixer's USB output, which tend to have a high-pitched whine in the signal, characteristic of their cheap AD 16 bit converters.
 
mjbphotos said:
Ok, you are going to try a recorded rhythm guitar track for your guitar solo times? Still not really clear what you're doing. If this is it, then you have the whole timing issue to work with (record to a click track then have the drummer follow that, for example). Also then, you have the issue of the behr mixer's USB output, which tend to have a high-pitched whine in the signal, characteristic of their cheap AD 16 bit converters.
Click to expand...

OP said " mono signal of clean guitar coming from an audio interface to one of the mixer's channels" So he won't be using the mixer as a D to A converter.

I must try to get my hands on one of those USB mixers since I have the UCA202 and that does not "whine"! I would have thought Berries used the same chips in the mixers?

All that be as it may be, as you say, there is a LOT more to playing to a backing track (LIVE!) than just the repro' thereof!

Dave.
 
Well yeah, since he's only got the guitar coming from the computer what about the click track?

As to the USB 'whine' - the USB output on the Behr's (I think) has no separate volume control, so is controlled by the MAIN volume slider. IF you keep it down, then the whine is not noticable. At least that's the way it is with my Mackie.
 
Thank you for all your replies!

As I said, we aren't really demanding for the mixer quality, we're gonna just use it during our garage rehearsals. I think at live gigs we wouldn't use it at all! So what I need is to just plug two mics and electronic backtrack as a basis. Talking about click track - maybe it will sound quite impudently but we've never played with a click track so far and my musicians (guitar and bass) keep up with the timing very well (we recorded ourselves and checked it with the metronome in DAW).

Hmmm that ALT 3-4 outputs bothers me a little... you say it isn't working as a separate output activated by a MUTE buttons (manual says it creates some kinda subgroup)??

Getting back to reamping technology - I don't know exactly how, but I wanna achieve something like that: for now, we have one brilliant amp (ENGL Powerball II) and Laboga 4x12 cabinet to which a regular "live" guitar is plugged. As I said, I want to provide it extra guitar tracks for some sections requiring two guitar tracks (e.g. solos). I thought I would send clean guitar recording from an audio interface (one OUT of Steinberg UR22) to reamp box and then to, here is my lack of knowledge, straight guitar amp with "Y" splitter along with normal guitar or to mixer and then to R-BOX and amp. IS any of these solutions real and doable?
 
The click track referenced is so that your recorded guitar track is in line with your live playing. If the recorded track runs throughout the song, then the clicktrack could be ditched, but if the recorded track only comes 'on' at certain times, how else would you be able to keep it in time with your live playing?
 
mjbphotos said:
The click track referenced is so that your recorded guitar track is in line with your live playing. If the recorded track runs throughout the song, then the clicktrack could be ditched, but if the recorded track only comes 'on' at certain times, how else would you be able to keep it in time with your live playing?
Click to expand...

This track will be going along with the whole backtrack because we've got bunch of electronics and synth drums that play across the whole song. I imagine it like that: LEFT stereo channel of Cubase mixer containing main backtrack (MONO) will go through LEFT audio interface OUT and the guitar track will go analogously through RIGHT channel. Main track and guitar track are synchronised.
 
Ok, you're now giving more info! I would record the 'backing guitar' part with the sound you want, forget trying to send the recorded clean guitar into an amp from the mixer, its just not going to work until you get a better mixer with more routing options - and even then you'd need a reamp box to take the line level signal from the mixer to the amp. So that backing guitar part will be run thorugh the PA, just like the rest of your prerecorded tracks - in fact it might be eaiser just ot mix them all together into a single mono (or stereo) track and run them to the mixer that way.
 
Yeah Behringer always USED to include a block diagram with their manuals and the manuals were and still are very good, one of their plus points!

I did contact them a year or so ago about this retrograde step but they just gave me some corporate bullshit, obviously from a highly paid but technically challenged numpty.

Attached is from my archive of gigs of manuals of the 2442fx and I doubt they have changed the topology much!

Dave.
 

Attachments

mjbphotos said:
Ok, you're now giving more info! I would record the 'backing guitar' part with the sound you want, forget trying to send the recorded clean guitar into an amp from the mixer, its just not going to work until you get a better mixer with more routing options - and even then you'd need a reamp box to take the line level signal from the mixer to the amp. So that backing guitar part will be run thorugh the PA, just like the rest of your prerecorded tracks - in fact it might be eaiser just ot mix them all together into a single mono (or stereo) track and run them to the mixer that way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought about it because it's really the simplest solution. Though I'm wondering whether the prerecorded guitar sound (of course without any mixing modifications like EQs, compression, just straight, clean distorted recording) would not differ hugely from the live guitar sound... You know, the whole reamping idead was to ensure, that we will be able to fake the rhythm guitar without second guitarist, but I guess I gotta try the solution you've suggested me with hope, that it'll work. Concerning the reamp-box it isnt a problem because as I've seen the schematics it's a really simple contruction and would be able to do it myself (I did bunch of stompboxes in the past enormously more complicated than this one) but I'm also worried that would it work if two input signals are sent to single amp... :?
 
I have used Behringer for years

I have used the full spectrum of Behringer products. I've tried other mixers, in this price range and you can't beat Behringer. I just sold a zenyx usb 1832fx? Which I regret. Went through Mackie, Yamaha and in my opinion the Behringer offered more at the same price. I've owned several Behringer active speakers and mixers and have had problems with only one. Zenyx 1204, which was sent back and repaired. We still use it at my band mates house. I Have the x1622 now and use it all the time. I've recorded with them and performed with them. I would suggest getting a few more inputs than you think you need. You always need more.
I like Behringer and don't see or hear the difference in paying more
For the lower cost brand names.
 
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