What's the difference...?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Fallen
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Chris Fallen

Chris Fallen

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Are there any really big differences in consoles used for recording than live sound? I'd think they'd be the exact same, but I just want to make sure.

What are some good live consoles in the 1000 range? Drop some names. Would a Soundcraft M12 or A&H 16:2 (I think I heard something about A&H being more live sound than recording) be a good choice, or are there better boards in that range?


Opinions welcome.

Christopher
 
SoundCraft and the Allen & Heath are both very nice mixers. In that range, there's not many better choices out there.
 
The main difference is in the layouts. When you are mixing live you dont want to be searching thru multi page digital menus or trying to find a tiny PFL button in the dark.

Make sure you get a mixer that you are comfortable with the layout and preferably has easy metering, lots of LED's on the solo and mute buttons, etc.

Mackie, Soundcraft, A&H are all good choices but some of their smaller 'Project' mixers are a little too compact for easy live use.

Make sure you have enough AUX and Buss sends for the number of effects and discreet monitor mixes you will need.
 
oh and get one with channel clip warning lights! Very important for live mixing.
 
TexRoadkill said:
oh and get one with channel clip warning lights! Very important for live mixing.

Indeed!!! I like seeing when I am crunching the preamp with a snare drum! :)

Generally speaking, things like noise floor on a live console are not of as big of a concern. You may find also less switching for your aux sends to be Pre or Post fader.

Studio consoles will usually offer matrixing of subgroups, mix B's, aux sends, and master buss to accomodate different routing you would need in the studio. But, if you have ever worked on a Yamaha PM 3000, well, you would know that there ARE exceptions to that rule! :)

In my opinion though, the main difference between a live and studio console is: most studio consoles offer a Tape Return that does not go through the channels preamp. Most mackies DO NOT offer this!!!

Eddie
 
Indeed!!! I like seeing when I am crunching the preamp with a snare drum!

A blinking red light is good. A solid red light means that is where the wailing feedback is probably coming from.
 
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