The new Behringer mixers....has anyone

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cnote763

rattlesnake rocker
heard the so called improved preamps in the new UB series mixers.
 
Yeah, and even though I'm not a Behringer fan I thought they were pretty decent. I didn't get to a/b it to the old Behringer or a Mackie (both of which I've owned), but the noise floor seemed low and it had plenty of gain (which is NOT how I remember my last Behringer mixer). Sounded far better than the built-in mic pres on my Fostex Vf-160.

So, yeah, I'll go so far as to say they didn't sound awful. This is only from using a loaner for a few hours, though, I didn't really have the chance to give it a critical listen... no, wasn't awful.
 
Ohhh brutha'!!:o

Again, the new UB series pre's has a max input of only +12 dBu of gain suitable for only LOW-sensitive mics while the Mackie's OLD line of VLZ's pre's are rated at least with +16 dBu while the XDR's have a max of +24dBu.
Behringer is only cosmetically upgrading their pre's while maintaing the same pad ratings of their old MX lines!

Some things NEVER change!
 
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I posted this same question on the Newbie forum about 10 days ago, but got no replies.

I went ahead and picked up the UB1622fx from GC at what they said was a pricing mistake, at cost of $169. The sales-bot claimed that the new mic pres were every bit as good as the Mackies (I was skeptical).

After using an MX802 for many years as an output mixer and mic pre for jams, I never having any troubles with it. I thought that Behringer just got a bad rap around here, but after a week, the LEDs for the right channel levels stopped working, so it has to go back now. I may just take the refund and save up for a Mackie (even though it's twice the price and no effects).

I still haven't done a side by side A/B, but recording vocals through a B1 condensor to my VS880, wasn't too bad, and had noticeable less noise than the MX board's pres.

Anyone care to enlighten me on the difference in "input dBu" that MISTERQCUE speaks of? I searched and can't find anything on the subject. Is it just gain? What are "LOW-sensitive mics"?

Anyone have anything good to say about Behringer products- are they ok for the budget prices, or not worth wasting your time? Their Ultragain 2200 is lookin kinda tempting for a pre (if it sounds better than a Blue Tube), but not if it's going to fall apart in the first week.
 
MISTERQCUE said:
Ohhh brutha'!!:o

Some things NEVER change!
Click to expand...

Where there's a thread about Behringer mixers, you'll find Misterqcue! ;) Hehe.... he sits at home just waiting for someone to post, and then, WHAM - in he goes!!

Hey man, how's things?!

I don't own any dedicated Behringer mic pres, but I have a MX802 mixer and a Composer Pro compressor, and I'm totally happy with both of them. In the "bang for the buck" category, they out-perform stuff that costs a lot more. Reliability has never been an issue for me.

That said, I've never used an LA2A compressor, or a Neve console, so what do I know....

According to an interview in Recording Magazine, Bon Jovi's producer uses Behringer compressors, though he didn't specify which one(s) exactly. Guess they can't be ALL bad. :)

Chris
 
I'm using that UB 1622 FX for live use and its great for that application. I've been hauling it around for a couple months and its performed without a hitch. I have NOT tried to do any recording with it and probably never will unless I do a board tape. I also have used the MX 802A without any problems. If its a question of doing without or getting something done due to money restrictions, its decent for the money. One of these days I'll have to do a critical test of the pre's and see whats up.
 
I went to see a hip hop show with some fairly big people performing. There were only about 20 people at the show though so i i got a good view. They were using a little behringer mixer! I was utterly shocked. It didn't sound particularly good, but i have no comparision for live gigs. Probably just the show/room.
 
it was probably because most hip hop acts dont know how to use a mic. "lets just cup our hand around that there 58 and turn that thing into an omni!" "we like the feedback from the monitors. we like the fact that our voice now sounds like a telephone"

sorry just rantings from a monitor tech.
 
More info, and more HipHop distortion/feedback/static

In case anyone is interested, chessrock posted more info on my question about input dBu in the "Preamps on mixers" thread.

As for HipHop vocalists not knowing how to use a mic, I didn't know there was a right and wrong way... Hollowbody guitar players use feedback as a tool too- is that so wrong? Of course no body wants to hear the resonance of a cranked sound system when somebody shoves a hot mic next to a speaker (and it sucks to be the guy sitting at the faders when some numbskull does that) Whaaaaaauuuhhh!!!! But if you are not Whitney Houston, a little distortion might be kinda good for you! (I know Cave tell 'em to get a real effects processor, right?)

<(c;

-J
 
hey i'm all for cheap effects like cupping the mic for that phone effect.... but rappers do it all the time! dammit! the problem is when a cardioid mic is cupped, the air passages behind the capsule are blocked, and the mic now becomes omni directional mic. an Omni is not you friend on stage, especially for a vocal mic.

hip hop artist-"shit cave, crank dem monitorz up, yo!"
cavedweller- "i can't, there will be feedback. simply un-cup your
hand from around the microphone and i will turn it up....."

feedback on a guitar can sound great, amazing even. but people yell at the monitor tech when the vocal mic is feeding back. trust me on that one :D
 
I didn't mean it quite that way. It didn't sound terrible, i just assumed they would have used something nicer. And generally live hip hip isn't very good. There is some good underground hip hop that is really really great and have good live shows. But basically anything that resembles what you see on tv or much music or hear on the radio, or see on the walls in cd stores is garbage live or recorded.
 
LOL, Cave. True, true. Let em now about that huge difference in SPL between rockin lyrics and kickin that crazy-fat woofer blowin beatbox too! "Damn kid, you blew my monitors!"

Ambi, you've hit on one of the key differentiators between Rap and HipHop! Keep promoting the real, and all of the Milli Vannilis and Vanilla Ices will fall off eventually.

"Rap is business music, HipHop is cultural music"
-Busta Rhymes on "Classic Material"

-J
 
Input dBu

coloradojay!

Here is an oversimplification of what Q was talking about.
When someone is talking input dBu the are basically telling you how much input signal your input op-amp will take before it starts distorting and crapping out. It has a direct relationship to how much headroom or dynamics your sound will have. Hot mics such as condensors will easily, easily, put out 18-20 dBu so if your pre will only handle 12dBu you'll get some ugly distortion.
Most newer stand alone preamps of any quality will have bettween 26-32 dBu for headroom. I have a Mackie vlz pro that even as good as the pres are on it you have to watch out to keep them from snapping.

tmix
 
MMMkay then, another question

Thanks tmix, and MISTERQCUE. That clears it up for me. So is this a time when the -10dB pad on a large diaphragm condensor would be used (to attenuate some of the signal so the pre doesn't clip)?
 
seriously though......has anyone ever had a time when a mic was too hot for the preamp???? i mean, maybe with a direct out from a bass head or something like that. but really, not enough attenuation on a pre? i do live sound and studio work, i've never had this happen
 
Cave Dweller said:
it was probably because most hip hop acts dont know how to use a mic. "lets just cup our hand around that there 58 and turn that thing into an omni!" "we like the feedback from the monitors. we like the fact that our voice now sounds like a telephone"

sorry just rantings from a monitor tech.
Click to expand...

Thats why I leave after 20 minutes of having my ears ravaged and go home and listen to the cd...I hear ya man...
 
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