Fireal402
Eyeballs! OH MY GOD EYES
Well, I only have experience with the Soundcraft Digital 328, but it blows away most other digital mixers. You want to know why? Those famous Soundcraft preamps and EQ everyone talks about.
The preamps, to put it bluntly, rock. They sound very good, have low low noise, and fit amazingly well together. I can't describe how great it is to have 32 channels in a mix and not have to worry about the sound getting muddy.
The EQ section is also top notch, and even though for recording I use plugins, live it sounds pretty much the same. They say it's a "british" sounding EQ, but all I know is that it sounds nice and full, and the top end can have some nice sparkle if you wish.
Now, I'm not sure your exact price range, but I got my 328 for $1850, and I've seen them for less. It sounds like you don't want to spend that much, but from what I've heard and read, the low cost analog boards rival anything Allen & Heath have, and blow Mackie, Yamaha, etc. out of the water. I don't think you could go wrong with a Soundcraft, no matter what the model.
The preamps, to put it bluntly, rock. They sound very good, have low low noise, and fit amazingly well together. I can't describe how great it is to have 32 channels in a mix and not have to worry about the sound getting muddy.
The EQ section is also top notch, and even though for recording I use plugins, live it sounds pretty much the same. They say it's a "british" sounding EQ, but all I know is that it sounds nice and full, and the top end can have some nice sparkle if you wish.
Now, I'm not sure your exact price range, but I got my 328 for $1850, and I've seen them for less. It sounds like you don't want to spend that much, but from what I've heard and read, the low cost analog boards rival anything Allen & Heath have, and blow Mackie, Yamaha, etc. out of the water. I don't think you could go wrong with a Soundcraft, no matter what the model.
pipelineaudio
Well-known member
I had a soundcraft ghost for 4 or 5 years of my life, and its job was to replace the SSL 4000 E, Neve 8108 and Neve 5116 I was used to
not a very fair fight, but to be honest, the soundcraft was a VERY decent board. Great EQ's some good mic pre's, VERY low noise
of course knowing I would have to use the soundcraft got me mixing in the box in a hurry. Only actually mixed one album on the board
not a very fair fight, but to be honest, the soundcraft was a VERY decent board. Great EQ's some good mic pre's, VERY low noise
of course knowing I would have to use the soundcraft got me mixing in the box in a hurry. Only actually mixed one album on the board
X
xstatic
New member
A 16 channel 400b should be very cheap. Off the top of my head around $300 or so, no more than $500. The older Soundcrafts are kind of cool. I actually like them much better than the newer ones. Like a lot of older equipment though, the HF extension on them is not quite where a lot of newer model stuff is. They had a nice warm sound to them, and the EQ seemed much more "natural" for lack of a better word.
As far as the digital 328 goes, my experience with them is exactly the opposite of what the previous person mentioned. First off, there is nothing truly "Soundcraft" about the 328. It is a Spirit branded Soundcraft which means all different parts and technology. In the last two years Soundcraft has shared a little with the smaller Spirit series stuff (16 channels and below) but only in the preamp department. The EQ's on the Spirits seem absolutely awful to me, and the preamps always have a weird harmonic thing going on and definately do not respond well to even brief overloads. There is a reason that even in the live industry almost every rider says "NO SPIRIT's".
Th older Soundcraft stuff is actually built pretty well. It is easy to work on and maintain, and most all of the parts are very common and still readily available. They also did not use OEM faders on most of the older stuff so getting new faders is not too tough. The biggest problem you will probably have with an older Soundcraft is the noise. Most all older equipment like that has more noise in it. For most all of your rock stuff it won't even be an issue, but on a quiet source with a high gain setting it could certainly become an issue. Also, older Soundcraft stuff had really cheap switches in them that seemed to get dirty very easily. Luckily on an older one like the 400b the channels are easy to get at and the switches are easy and cheap to replace.
As far as the digital 328 goes, my experience with them is exactly the opposite of what the previous person mentioned. First off, there is nothing truly "Soundcraft" about the 328. It is a Spirit branded Soundcraft which means all different parts and technology. In the last two years Soundcraft has shared a little with the smaller Spirit series stuff (16 channels and below) but only in the preamp department. The EQ's on the Spirits seem absolutely awful to me, and the preamps always have a weird harmonic thing going on and definately do not respond well to even brief overloads. There is a reason that even in the live industry almost every rider says "NO SPIRIT's".
Th older Soundcraft stuff is actually built pretty well. It is easy to work on and maintain, and most all of the parts are very common and still readily available. They also did not use OEM faders on most of the older stuff so getting new faders is not too tough. The biggest problem you will probably have with an older Soundcraft is the noise. Most all older equipment like that has more noise in it. For most all of your rock stuff it won't even be an issue, but on a quiet source with a high gain setting it could certainly become an issue. Also, older Soundcraft stuff had really cheap switches in them that seemed to get dirty very easily. Luckily on an older one like the 400b the channels are easy to get at and the switches are easy and cheap to replace.