Suggest A Mixer

[Confusitron]

My brother will be starting a band project this summer. We're looking to invest in a mixer. This band will probably consist of up to two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist, two vocalists, and a drummer. We would like to have the ability to hook all these things up on the same mixer at the same time. Maybe that will not be possible... Could anyone suggest a mixer fitting for this number of instruments? I am not completely sure about a price range at the moment. I would guess that a twenty to twenty-four channel mixer would be appropriate. Thank you.

 

[Massive Master]

There's about a zillion of them to choose from -

Could you give us a handle on the budget? Will they want it to double as a recording console?

 

[noisedude]

Some ideas -

Yamaha MG range - fabulous for the price but less extensive range than the dreaded...
Behringer UB range - wouldn't recommend them but the UB2442 might suit you ... I would tend to avoid the bigger ones cos there's so much more to go wrong with them.
Mackie - if you have more money ... you could go second hand
Soundcraft / Allen and Heath / Anyone else - 'proper' mixers ... second hand can work a treat, I saw an Allen and Heath 16ch with flightcase and recent service go for £200 the other day ... but that's not typical

 

[Confusitron]

There's about a zillion of them to choose from -

Could you give us a handle on the budget? Will they want it to double as a recording console?

Hm... Price range... I'm thinking up to $1200. We would like it less, though. Yes, it will double as a recording console.

Some ideas -

Yamaha MG range - fabulous for the price but less extensive range than the dreaded...
Behringer UB range - wouldn't recommend them but the UB2442 might suit you ... I would tend to avoid the bigger ones cos there's so much more to go wrong with them.
Mackie - if you have more money ... you could go second hand
Soundcraft / Allen and Heath / Anyone else - 'proper' mixers ... second hand can work a treat, I saw an Allen and Heath 16ch with flightcase and recent service go for £200 the other day ... but that's not typical

I don't know anything about the Yamaha stuff. Their mixers don't look bad.

I was considering a Behringer, but I am unsure of that since they get bashed so often... It doesn't seem like they would be bad.

I guess I have considered all of those, but Mackie and Allen & Heath seemed about the least likely.

 

[noisedude]

Behringer ain't bad but their reliability is the worst ... and if I was looking to invest in a 'real' mixer I wouldn't want a liability. Allen and Heath are the real deal ... I would probably take a Yamaha MG over a Mackie because they're very similar for very dissimilar prices.

 

[HangDawg]

Shell out the thousand bucks and get the Allen Heath mix wizard. I think I'm gonna get one for the live stuff.

 

[Ed Dixon]

What other gear are you trying to get with the same $. Bands starting up usually need amps, mics, speakers, cables, effects, etc.

My experience with Behringer mixers has been very good, expecially for live use. The Behringer MX2442A Eurodesk Mixer looks like a pretty good unit for the size you outlined.

Ed

 

[noisedude]

I disagree - seriously do not get an MX for recording ... noisy pieces of crap. There are some great Soundcraft and A+H bargains to be had on ebay usually - make your money go further than a Behringer board.

 

[Ed Dixon]

I disagree - seriously do not get an MX for recording...

It sounds like they are talking about live use, but that was not clear.

My experience with Behringer has been good for both cases, but clearly opinions vary greatly in this area.

Ed

 

[noisedude]

Yes, it will double as a recording console.

My opinion = poor sound, poor build, poor value. I don't know how anyone who's heard the Yamahas for the same money can disagree ... but they do

 

[Ed Dixon]

I think we're on opposite sides of this one. I have a number of different Behringer mixers and have just about the total opposite opinion, based on my experiences with them. Each has had very good sound, been very solid, and represented (at least to me) a very good value.

Perhaps you have had some bad experiences with them, but I have seen exactly the opposite. I have used them in 3 different bands and 2 different churches, as well as in a home recording setup. Clearly opinions and mileage vary...

I have also worked with Machie, Yamaha, SoundCraft, and a few others. They also worked well.

Ed

 

[noisedude]

Fair enough. I'm only a low-end gear user and to me they represent poor value for what else you can get. I used to use an MX802 for recording, then bought a UB1204 for the extra pres. I've used both in live setups. The MX died a while back and the 1204 is 14 months old and has spent 13.5 of that in the box, the Tape In doesn't work and one of the stereo channels has gone. I asked about warranty repairs and the shop said, "well we sent some of 8 months ago that haven't come back ... have you considered a new one?". Whatever!

 

[Ed Dixon]

I think we're on opposite sides of this one. I have a number of different Behringer mixers and have just about the total opposite opinion, based on my experiences with them. Each has had very good sound, been very solid, and represented (at least to me) a very good value.

Perhaps you have had some bad experiences with them, but I have seen exactly the opposite. I have used them in 3 different bands and 2 different churches, as well as in a home recording setup. Clearly opinions and mileage vary...

I have also worked with Machie, Yamaha, SoundCraft, and a few others. They also worked well.

Ed

 

[noisedude]

Why did you re-post?

 

[Ed Dixon]

Did not intend to do so. First time the system said it was busy and to try again later. I did that, only to find 2 posts.

Ed

 

[distortedrumble]

ya know.....normally i would jump in and start defending behringer....but we all know my position lol. behringer is good, cheap and effective...i dont have the reliability problems that some other people have. all my behringer equipment works just fine....I'm looking into getting a new one though.
http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-BEH-SL2442FXPRO.html
or
http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-BEH-SL3242FXPRO.html

for larger projects....i'm still shopping around though

 

[Confusitron]

Would anyone suggest a Peavey mixer? I am considering a used Yamaha or Mackie, though.

 

[TexRoadkill]

behringer is good, cheap and effective...

One out of three aint bad.

A buddy of mine bought a small berry mixer for his live rig and I've had the displeasure of using it a few times. The mic preamps are just boring and lifeless. Using the same PA speakers and mics through a small Roland VM3100 or Soundcraft Ghost is a HUGE difference. It's like there is a blanket over the speakers going when we go through the berry.

 

[Ed Dixon]

One out of three aint bad.

It sounds like your experience might be with a unit with problems, which can of course occur for any brand.

I regularly use 4 different Behringer mixers in live situations. This experience has been over the last 4 years. On some jobs, a Mackie is used. Other than the number of inputs available, no difference in sound that any of us can hear occurs. One application, which occurs every weekend, involves both a high end Mackie and a small Behringer. Moving vocal mics from one to the other results in no difference in sound that any one can hear through either speakers or headphones.

Not a single one has ever had a problem in any form or fashion. These are units that have been hauled, setup, tore down, dropped, etc over many years and gigs.

So my experience as a purchaser, owner, and user of multiple units over multiple years in multiple situations seems to show that the comments of distortedrumble of "Behringer is good, cheap and effective..." appear accurate.

There are clearly better mixers, and lots of more expensive mixers. Other mixers may have features and options not available in Behringer that are needed. Each has to make their decision on various criteria.

Ed

 

[shevsound]

Just some advice if it helps

I bought a brand new Mackie 24 8. I love it, very nice desk, packed with features. However.... within a week of using it, one if the jack sockets snapped inside so I had to ship it back to Mackie UK. I was gutted. They repaired it quick enough though. But the point is, I did nothing wrong to cause this (just so happened that the jacks I were using didnt agree with the desk). Im just glad it was still under guarentee.

If you are buying second hand large desks - bear in mind that due to the fact that alot of the internals are PCBs, the whole unit has to be shipped back for repair. It might be worth checking with the repairer on prices before you commit to a 2nd hand desk.

I have also hear horror stories about Behringer external power supplies, but cannot verify these as I have only used Behringer desks - not owned one.