Soundcraft m12 advice!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Manray
  • Start date Start date
M

Manray

New member
Hello all. I'm planning on building a recording studio consisting of the soundcraft m12 and the motu 24 i/o. I also want to have the option of offering live mixing for bands and so forth. My main concern is the lack of ins on the m12 when i'll probably need at least 8 mics on the drums. This could be a potential problem if i was recording/mixing a 5 piece band live. However, if I could group the drum mics over single channels i might be able to free up some inputs for vocal/guitar/bass mics. Could I for instance group tom mics and overheads using a splitter cable? Or, my other 'idea' would be to use the stereo busses L and R inputs as mic ins using external preamps? It's all a bit tricky and i'm new to the mixer side of things. I know the easy answer is to just buy a mixer with some more mono inputs. But I find the mixers with bigger frame sizes don't have pre's on all the mono channels and don't have the direct output on all channels, where as the m12 does.

Any advice is much appreciated,
Thanks in advance - Rory.
 
ah. i've been looking at the spirit fx 16 board. This board seems to cater to the recording/live sound more so than the m12. The effects section would be of little use to me seeing as though I intend to use plug ins, but the extra 4 mono in's may make it a worthwhile purchase.

Can anyone tell me which desk 'sounds better' ? I know the m12 uses a preamp based on the ghost desk and the fx16 uses a preamp similar to the gb30, or at least, it's designed by the same guy. I've read the detailed post on the spirit pres but no one seemed to favour the fx16 or the m12. Any input on this matter will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Rory.
 
First, have you considered cutting waaaaaay down on the drum mics? 8 is about 4 or 5 more than is needed for many mixes. :)

G.
 
yeah, that is an option, but if i want to mic bass drum, snare, hats, 3 toms and 2 overheads that's 8. In the past i've had good results with just 2 overheads and and a bass mic. I think 12 inputs will be enough for recording purposes no problems, but live stuff i may need some more. I'm just trying to look ahead and make sure i get a mixer that will give me enough inputs no matter what application i use it for. I'm just wondering if the fx16 is on par sound quality wise with the m12. I've read that the ultra mic pres aren't so good for vocals. The other issue is that the m12 pre's only have 12db+ headroom, where as the ultramic has 22db+.

There's no way i can a/b these consoles so i'm just looking for anyone who has used either who can give me a little bit of 'real world' info on them.
 
Manray, I have used and owned both boards. I still have the FX16. It seemed better built and was a step up from the M series in the pre section. It is configured in the standard way and is very much like the Mix Wizard in quality and application. Soundcraft is a brand I have used for a long time. The effects section is a afterthought at best and was designed for live work. I use the pre's for about any application even though I have quality stand alone preamps. The M is good too but seems more like a extension or add on for DAW systems. Directs on all channels, rack or surface mounting, steel chassis and the ultra mic pres were the difference for me. You have done your homework well and I don't think you can go wrong either way.

Good luck.

Chip Evans
 
aw, thanks chip. Finally a definitive answer!

I've also been looking at the mackie onyx 1640. That seems like a super board and would actually end up cheaper if i bought the firewire i/o box with it, as opposed to the m12/fx16 + motu 24 i/0 combo.

The mackie onyx is certainly a viable option, but i don't think it's capable of live sound applications. I guess i'll just keep reading! thanks again chip!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top