Need a decent mixer and some advice

[cortexx]

Hi Guys

Im using a Fostex MR8hd but hit the limit of its 4 simultaneous channel recording with my current equipment. Problem is my keyboards use 2 channel each and this doesnt give me much ability to recod many sources at the same time.

So i am looking for a mixer to use in conjunction with it. Taking my future plans into consideration i`m thinking a 16 channel unit. I also want one that has signal level meter for each channel if possible (the fostex has this ability on its LCD screen)

I also want to know what effects units you guys use in conjunction with your keyboards. I want a unit that can give me a broad spectrum of Phaser,Flanger,Chorus and delay etc . I have been looking at some of the alesis rack mount gear for the affects unit.

Thanks

 

[tourettes5139]

What's your price range? You could go with one of the Yamaha MG series for not too much money, or one of the Mackie Onyx Mixers (plus then you could buy the firewire option for it and use it as an interface for your computer down the road), or something even better like an Allen and Heath Mixwizard or something like that.

I don't know if any of these offer a meter bridge; if any of them did, I would bet on the Allen and Heath.

As for the keyboard effects, I really can't say. I'm not a keyboard player. Sorry. Maybe someone who knows a little more about keyboard stuff could help you better. Kurzweil makes some good effects units, as does T.C. Electronic, and many others, just to throw something out there.

 

[mshilarious]

What's your price range? You could go with one of the Yamaha MG series for not too much money, or one of the Mackie Onyx Mixers (plus then you could buy the firewire option for it and use it as an interface for your computer down the road), or something even better like an Allen and Heath Mixwizard or something like that.

I don't know if any of these offer a meter bridge; if any of them did, I would bet on the Allen and Heath.

The MixWiz does not have a meter bridge. You need to take a pretty big step up to get that, although some of the midrange stuff offers a few LEDs on each channel.

Another option would be something like the HD24, then you don't have to worry about submixes while tracking, and it gives you a sort of metering on each channel.

 

[Dags]

Do I dare mention the 'Beh' word in this post?

Some synths have effects engines already built into them, so you can start utilising those, though some only permit two simultaneous effects for an instrument.
Alesis effects are pretty good as add-ons....or maybe a 'B...e...h...r....i...n...g...e...r' Virtualizer?
OK, I mentioned it. sorry

Dags

 

[cortexx]

Hi thanks for the replies

I was thinking around $500 canadian for a half decent mixer , slightly more if it is worth spending it. I am not limited by funds , I just want to be sensible with the purchase and how much i spend on it, there has to be a point of diminishing returns for my usage the more i spend.

I play keyboards only , my music is dance, trance, atmospheric mood type music, ( my inspirations were Jarre , Oldfield , Vangelis , Tangerine dream etc ), I use a DR880 (although I use it for composing rhythms then controlling sounds on the synths via midi. I dont use the kits or bass presets themselves).

I really dont like to use the affects on the boards , the ones on the MS2000 are crap , the vsynth ones are not too bad , the ones on my Fostex DR8HD pretty much suck. I was planning a rack setup so was looking at the alesis microverb4, maybe even the Korg Kaoss pad.

Mixers I have no idea what to get. What wrong with the Behringers?

 

[Dags]

Hi thanks for the replies

I play keyboards only , my music is dance, trance, atmospheric mood type music, ( my inspirations were Jarre , Oldfield , Vangelis , Tangerine dream etc ), I use a DR880 (although I use it for composing rhythms then controlling sounds on the synths via midi. I dont use the kits or bass presets themselves).

I really dont like to use the affects on the boards , the ones on the MS2000 are crap , the vsynth ones are not too bad , the ones on my Fostex DR8HD pretty much suck. I was planning a rack setup so was looking at the alesis microverb4, maybe even the Korg Kaoss pad.

Mixers I have no idea what to get. What wrong with the Behringers?

Cool influences, cortexx! Nice to see that the godfathers of ambient electronic music have not been forgotten.

I'm assuming you're talking about realtime playing and using sequenced arrangements live rather than sequencing in the studio? Again, I tip my hat to you! (Sequencing in the studio is easy - you can record your synths fairly dry and use plugins to your heart's content)


The Kaoss pad will give you realtime vector control over the effects within the Kaoss pad, and the unit can obviously be patched in to your desk as an aux effect unit (I believe Brian Eno uses a couple of these??)
Any rack unit that has tap tempo control over the effects would be worth the money because you can then synch your delays to the tempo of the music you're playing.

I am uncertain of what mixers are available over there. Mackie obviously have a good reputation, but have a look at the Soundcraft and, yes, even the Behringer mixers as well. (Steer clear of the ones with built in effects if you can - you may be paying for something you'll never use)
Have a look around the shops at what mixers are available then to a google search for reviews of the units you're interested in. Sometimes that can help you make up your mind.

The tentative Behringer reference was put in my previous post because there's a lot of anti-Behringer posts that have been appearing on these forums. I think the quality control in the Chinese factory nowdays is less than adequate so the audio community has lost faith with their gear to some extent. Which is a pity because the company offers good entry-level gear at affordable prices.

Best of luck!
Dags

 

[cortexx]

Hi Dags

I am building a home studio for my own use but still prefere to play live (to myself ) rather than recoding 1 track at a time. I have sonar on my pc and sometimes record live midi information and have this playback while recording a few other tracks.

I personally dont like the feel of my music when control of the playing is taken out of my hands , I get more feeling of accomplishment when its all payed and recorded real time.

At the moment im working on a pretty cool project (a trance version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana O Fortuna ). There are around 12 different tracks involved in it but I`m hoping the finished master will be a live recording with no over dubbing.

I have been asked by a local college to perform some of my music live onstage for the students prior to their own production. ( Andrew Lloyd Webbers `Cats'). The schools Music teacher came into my store to have his PC repaired and heard me playing my v-synth in the workshop, naturally we got talking and it led to him asking me to perform and me saying yes before realising what i was getting myself into . the Carmina Burana project will be my first part followed by a selection of Jean Michelle Jarres Equinox work.

Hmm off track a bit (i`m a rambler) back to the focus ....

So i think i am settling on the alesis MicroVerb rack mount and a Kaoss pad from Korg for the effects.

1616USB ALesis mixer deck or maybe a peavy unit ( these are in the local store and look kinda solid, pretty decent price too )

After this I think i`ll spring for a couple of access virus rack mounts and an Ion, then my synth needs will be taken care of for the time being.

 

[altitude909]

For the effects, look at something with a little more quality- Maybe a Lexicon MX200 (which is 2 channel) or the 300m from TC, they are both under $200

Also, the Micron may be a good choice instead of the Ion since it is just the engine without the UI

 

[timboZ]

Have you looked into a Fostex VF160ex and a Beh....ADA8000.(less than $1000 US for the 2)
That will give you the option to record 16 tracks at the same time.
It has lcd meters for all 16 channels.
It has internal FX's and 2 aux sends for external FX's.

 

[Dags]

At the moment im working on a pretty cool project (a trance version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana O Fortuna ). There are around 12 different tracks involved in it but I`m hoping the finished master will be a live recording with no over dubbing.

Sounds like an awesome project to be involved in!

So i think i am settling on the alesis MicroVerb rack mount and a Kaoss pad from Korg for the effects.

I am uncertain if the Microverb has the ability to synch via MIDI (or tap) to the tempo of the track for delay-based effects, if you need that type of thing. Will be fine for adding reverb though.

Best of luck, cortexx!
Dags

 

[cortexx]

Just ordered the Lixicon MX200 , thanks for that tip , the alesis one doesnt stand up to the Lex

 

[altitude909]

Excellent choice Let me know if you have any questions, I love mine

If your still in the market for a mixer, The Mackie Onyx 12 ch mixers are on sale with the firewire upgrade at musicians friend for 529.00, seeing that is a 399.00 upgrade, I think that would be on my short list

 

[cortexx]

Yes thats actually not a bad price , I am not going to buy alesis now for personal reasons, i`ll never buy an Alesis product after the conversation I had with their area rep yesterday

At the moment i`m checking out Mackie and Yamaha mixers , problem is I dont want to pay for stuff I wont use (like the affects and EQ features).

 

[altitude909]

Well the mackie is a straight up mixer with no effects, and believe me, EQs are hard to live without. It is also worth mentioning that the mackie with the firewire will work as your main computer soundcard

 

[Dags]

I am not going to buy alesis now for personal reasons, i`ll never buy an Alesis product after the conversation I had with their area rep yesterday

Doesn't sound good

 

[cortexx]

Hmmmm Alesis

Looking on the internet for some info on the alesis ion i stumbled upon www.zzounds.com/a--2676837 and checked out the reviews, printed out the page that referred to the Ion and headed on down to my usual music store to ask price , availability etc.

Spoke to the usual guy and he called the Alesis rep for a price on it , Alesis rep told him cost was around $1200 can , i told him that was out to lunch when it can be had on the internet for $599 US ($799 can), so he called the alesis rep and asked him how another company can sell it cheaper than he can buy it.

Alesis rep calls me at work and tells me NOT to buy off the internet from a store in the states BECAUSE Alesis will not warrenty the item in Canada, OR if I buy it from an internet supplier. He then went on to tell me that Zzounds.com ( one of the largest online suppliers or musical instruments ) was probably some bogus site that would not actually charge me the online price , probably dont have it in stock , and will charge me up to 20% more for it to ship it to Canada . He then effectively told me I should pay almost double from a store to support the local economy and his dealership (canadian Alesis distributership talking here).

Funny thing is that I never intended to buy it online , I always support the local stores ( I have one myself ) , and as far as i am concerned Alesis should warrenty their product regardless of where I buy it. I simply had the online price because I used the printed web page to show the store which keyboard I was looking for.

So Alesis not only lose out on an Ion sale , but also a 1616USb mixer , effects rack and next years purchases was inevitably going to include an Andromeda.

I`m glad I found out now before I spent that type of cash.

 

[venuesystem]

I can understand you ire but take a deep breath and chant slowly for a bit. Alesis as a company/product has some nice things to offer. I think you got hooked up with a jerk and he should not represent the company as a whole. I have the HD24 and Masterlink and can't imagine working without them. Solid equipment. It's the one bad apple scenerio...

 

[cortexx]

I think maybe i`ll call alesis myself today, i want to see what their reaction is.

Too bad I really liked the look of the 1616USB mixer deck, the Mackie with the firewire port isn`t really priority because I have a soundblaster Audigy 4 Pro for a sound card , and to be honest I dont do much of my composing on the PC. I really do prefere using hardware and live play. I am much more at home with Knobs, sliders and Rec/PLy buttons

 

[ChadAustin]

I love the Allen & Heath Mixwizards.

The preamps I think sounds better than the mackies.

There are direct outs on every channel.

Just more bang for your buck.

$0.02

 

[CFSound]

I just bought the Allen & Heath MixWiz 16:2. It is an awesome mixer for the money. Clean, quiet, and wonderful for recording. So, if you have a spare $999 USD this would be the perfect mixer for you. I'm not the biggest fan of Alesis gear. I used a couple of their products for live sound for a few years and was not impressed, but I wasn't in charge of the budget. I've never used their mixers so I wouldn't be able to tell you about them. I was not impressed with their effects and DEQ processors.