Mixer comparison

[Progger]

So, what I'm using now in my humble little student home studio is a Behringer Eurorack 1204FX-PRO. Only 4 mono tracks and 2 stereo tracks. This does okay for simple 5-mic drum micing, but I want to get into close-micing the rack toms, which means more mics which in turn means more inputs.

I'm looking at getting a mixer with 8 mono channels. I've come across the Behringer Eurorack UB2222FX-PRO and the Yamaha MG16/4 (8/10 mono channels, 4 stereo).

The biggest thing I don't like about Behringer mixers is that the faders feel flimsy and imprecise, and the paint on the metal surface seems to smudge on my fingers if I touch it. Not good! I've also heard that the preamps in Behringer mixers are not very high quality. Pretty easy to believe.

The Behringer and the Yamaha mentioned above have very similar prices. The biggest difference between the two is that the Yamaha has no effects built in, the Behringer does.

So my question to you is: What would you choose, and why?

 

[Purge]

If you want effects (and most people will think that ones included in mixers are not that great, but okay) consider the Yamaha MG16/6fx. It's basically the same as the 16/4 but having the two extra busses is nice.

Go with the Yamaha over the Behringer. I've had both and it's no contest, even if you have to sacrifice the effects by buying the 16/4.

 

[manning1]

yamaha.
then save up for a couple of nice pre's like fmraudio.com or rane ms1b
for your up front lead tracks. or a great river or hardy pre if you come into some money.

 

[Progger]

Thanks for the input. About saving up for pres, that's a problem, because I don't have a job and I'm going to college next year (Berklee College of Music, yay!), so I don't have much money to spend at all. I figure the pres in the mixer will do fine, right? I'd imagine they'd kick the crap out of the Behrie ones.

 

[Bulls Hit]

Never owned a Berri but I have the MG12/4 and it's a great little mixer. The pres are quiet as a church mouse

 

[cavedog101]

You simply cannot compare the Yamaha to the B.B.B.......ger.............its just not fair..

We use a 16/4 live.....great little workhorse mixer...decent eq and routing...very quiet...the pres are very clean..and it was $200.00!!!!!!!!

incredible...finally a real bargain in the electronics world....the B...B........ger is no bargain at all....it sounds like ass and I've seen three of em turn into toilet seats.Cant have that kind of reliability problems...