the Behringer mx602a

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boymonkey

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Hi,
I'm wanting to build a home studio type thing, but am on a budget. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on the behringer mx602a. For the money is this a good 6 channel mixer or is it outdated now? Are there any better mixers out there? I know that the sound quality is only as good as your weakest product, so i'll give a list of the other products i'm planning on using (feel free to give advice on these too!)
Mic: AKG C-1000S or Shure 57sm (can't decide between the two at the moment...would ideally like the akg but it is more expensive.)

Sound card: the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz or Lucid ADA1000 (again would prefer the Lucid.)

PC software: Adobe Audition or n-track

Plus all the cables etc. Is this the best way for making good quality music from home? Also, is the equipment and particularly the mixer good for what I am wanting to do?
Any advice or help would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Simon
 
starter equip

hey.. im in the same situation as you man... i got the behringer ub 2222.. it all depends wat u are gona record... solo artsits... or fiull size bands.... if u will be doin full bands... u will need at least 6 mic pres... soundcard wise... check out m audios gear on musicians freind for pricing... i have the 66 .. its good... and mics... u will need some nice mics... but the shure sm 57 is a must for a studio.. use it for snare... toms... guitar amps... and i guess vocals if thats all u got... good luck .. contact me thru AIM if u have further questions...and i can send u a sample with my gear.. which is prob the same stuff u will get .. later
 
same boat same price range

the UB802 has 2 pre mic inputs and thats what I'm using...I was thinking about the santa cruz 6.1 cause of the versa jack also but the other dude said M-audio on musicians friend and they have a decent sound card on there...since m-audio is a respectable name I'm having to decide between Santa Cruz for $69-79 and picking it up when i get paid or $99 for M-audio sound card plus shipping and waiting for ups to bring it to me.....I'm cheap and impatient....Santa Cruz here i come and I'll hope for the best. as far as mic's go...i have a no name dynamic cardioid mic that was probably bought at circuit city (same place I'll probably get the sound card) but it does the job.....shure 57s are good for instruments and can be used as vocal stuff but I'm looking more towards a condenser mic....probably go to www.americanmusical.com to find a good one of those.
 
and another thing!

i've never tried n-track or adobe audition but they seem to be picking up reviews so I'll have to check them out....i have cakewalk Sonar 2.0xl but cant half work it, Cakewalk guitar tracks which i use for recording and Fl Studio for making real drumkit sounds(wish it had more cymbals to choose from and a drum roll option). i am looking for something easier to operate so if those are better...more power to ya!
 
Is this the best way for making good quality music from home?

Well....... depends opon what you think is good quality. If you want something that you might want to use for a demo.........

A mixer that has BALANCED lines out....
Better yet, a decent standalone preamp.
A decent sound card that can accept BALANCED lines in.
Balanced cables. XLR TRS
If you're going to stick with Behringer preamps and are only going to have one or two mics, get a DECENT condenser mic like a Studio Projects B1 or even a Behringer B2 ( for multi-pattern - some versatility ). You won't get much out of the SM57 with those preamps and with unbalanced outputs and inputs. A lot of hiss mostly. I think the lowest model Behringer UB mixer with balanced outputs is the 1204... I'm not certain, you need to research that.
These things are a bare minimum for starting to get "good quality music from home." But like I said, your definition of "good quality" may differ from mine. Just giving you some stuff to think about. Good luck!
 
Thanks for your helpful comments. I have a few questions though...
What is the difference between the behringer mx602 and the ub802? Basically, what is the difference between ub and mx? Also, what type of sound card am I looking to purchase. Would you say the M-audio delta 44 is a good choice? If i'm looking for something slightly cheaper, would the M-audio Revolution 7.1 surround card be a good choice? I'm not really sure what type of sound card will accept balanced lines in? I'm going to stick with the preamps included in the mixer I get...do you think this is a bad idea or is it worth purchasing a stand alone preamp also? Basically I want to make sure I am making the right choice before I spend the money. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Si
 
boymonkey said:
.... Basically I want to make sure I am making the right choice before I spend the money. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Si

.....Than save your money to purchase a better mixer than Behringer! Check A&H, Spirit's, Sountracs, or even a used Mackie.
 
The pres aren't that great. They might be ok if you have a really good room.
 
http://www.midiman.net/products/m-audio/delta44.php

The Delta 44 has 4 balanced/unbalanced inputs. It will do what you need.

The UB series of Behringer mixers is a newer line that was supposedly designed by Uli Behringer himself (UB). The preamps are reputed to be better than those in the previous models. I myself don't know. Haven't heard them. If I were to buy a Behringer mixer ( I probably wouldn't ), I would get the UB model - one with balanced outputs. But if I were shooting to make quality recordings with an inexpensive mixer, I would buy a Soundcraft M4. The M4 also has S/PDIF outputs for digital recording. You would need a soundcard with S/PDIF inputs to use with it. One of the new little Yamaha mixers might be nice too...check em out. The MG series, I believe.

http://www.soundcraft.com/products/spirit_mseries_home.htm

There are a lot of choices out there so you really need to do your homework before you buy. Don't buy before you're sure of what you're getting and that your purchases will get you what you want out of your recording. Or, you'll just have to buy something else when you hate what you're getting.
 
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