Which of these mixers would you buy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter misterx
  • Start date Start date

Which mixer would you purchase?

  • Behringer MX2442A 16 mono 4 stereo $600.00

    Votes: 10 27.8%

  • Yamaha MX20/6 16 mono 2 stereo $750.00

    Votes: 6 16.7%

  • Mackie CFX20 16 mono 2 stereo $900.00

    Votes: 20 55.6%
  • Total voters
    36
misterx said:


However, thanks to the feedback from this forum, and some further research on the net, I will have the Spirit M12 in my home studio in 2 days.
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An excellent choice. I really like my M12, and I'd be surprised if you weren't crazy about yours. Enjoy!
 
littledog said:


Sure -

*TubeTech MP1a mic pre $1400
*Daking mic pre $1200
*Cranesong HEDD $1700
*AudioTechnica 4060 tube mic $700

probably a lot more, but those are the ones I remember. I've also sold "expensive" stuff too - Masterlink, ProTools farm cards, Sytek mic pre, etc.
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You Sir!


Have way too much money for this forum! :p

The only check I write even close to those numbers...are for my house....Oh my...


Peace,
Dennis
 
Misterx- great choice!

Est- Specs lie. Don't trust specs. Specs are only as good as the manufacturing process and if a company puts out a lot of units for very cheap than the quality control is the first place they skimp. What good are specs if the company doesn't check to make sure their own products actually meet the published specs. Ever notice the disclaimer on all specs? "Subject to change without notice."

Signal to noise is easy to test and even GC will let you do this usually. Hook up two mixers to some monitors. Turn the trim to about 90% and the faders to unity. Do this on all the channels and the master buss. Just compare the amount of hiss coming out of each mixer. This is the most quiet your mixer will be.

A better test is to run some music through it. You can usually hear a difference between mixers with just 2 channels of CD playing.

An even better test is to actually mix something. The demo recordings on multitracks are a good way to test this. A good mixer has better summing amps. This means it combines the signals with less quality loss and more headroom.

In pro circles most mixing engineers despise even the mighty Mackie. Behringer isn't even on the radar.
 
Newest User said:


You Sir!
Have way too much money for this forum! :p

The only check I write even close to those numbers...are for my house....Oh my...


Peace,
Dennis
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Don't be fooled. First of all, someone asked if anyone did any transactions above $600 on e-bay. Those figures were in response to that question - but I didn't say over how long a time period. It's not like that is a typical weekly expenditure.

Unlike some, this is how I make my living, along with playing keyboards. Like any other business, there is a certain level of investment one makes in equipment. It would be far worse if i was a doctor or a dentist.

In a typical year I usually end up purchasing about $20,000 worth of gear. That includes everything - computer stuff too. Since I only book my studio 20-25 billable hours per week (at $40/hr), obviously the performance income is what keeps me afloat.

So, I may spend more than most here, but at the end of the year, my bottom line is hardly overwhelming. Chances are, you have more money than i do.
 
if you had a desk with average preamps and hooked a good preamp into one of its channels would that improve the sound quality or not.
 
des said:
if you had a desk with average preamps and hooked a good preamp into one of its channels would that improve the sound quality or not.
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Most definitely (but make sure you plug into the line input of the mixer, nut the mixer's mic pre).

But an even better way might be to try going from the preamp right to tape/DAW, and then using the mixer to monitor the tape/DAW track output.
 
littledog said:



In a typical year I usually end up purchasing about $20,000 worth of gear. That includes everything - computer stuff too. Since I only book my studio 20-25 billable hours per week (at $40/hr), obviously the performance income is what keeps me afloat.
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Is that 20 grand or so business related expenses that give you tax relief?


littledog said:


Chances are, you have more money than i do.
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Probably not littledog, my income as an uneducated worker "B" is in the same range as most high school kids. Im at the low end of the scale. It takes me 3 to 6 months to save for an 80 dollar microphone with an annual recording budget under 500 dollars. Its hard to say for sure because I have a 2100sq house a van payment, 2 kids, wife and a tabby cat. Plus Seattle isn't exactly cheap as far as living goes.

So what kind background do you have that warrants $20,000 of gear per year on average?

Peace,
Dennis
 
Spirit M12 arrived today! Now I have to redo the home studio, clean it up, make it look cool...again! (Anyone else like organizing their home studio??)

Man, if this thing (M12) sounds and functions as good as it looks I'm in frickin home studio HEAVEN!!!!! :)
 
Newest User said:


Is that 20 grand or so business related expenses that give you tax relief?
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If you're asking are my business expenses tax deductible, of course they are. But that seems so obvious that maybe I think I'm misunderstanding your question.

Newest User said:

So what kind background do you have that warrants $20,000 of gear per year on average?
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Oh, you want my pedigree? Purebred Yorkshire Terrier. ;)

But I'm not sure why I need an "excuse" to invest in my livelihood. I would guess that 90% of the businesses in the USA have much greater annual capital expenses than that! Try opening a restaurant, a record store, a car dealership, or a dentist's office and see what your capital expenses would be! I think I do pretty well keeping my costs as low as they are. If I had a whole lot more money, I'm sure i would spend a whole lot more. You have any idea how much a new concert grand Steinway costs? Or how about the expense of sending three or four mics to Stephen Paul for modification? A nice Fairchild anyone? And let's not forget room acoustic modifications...
 
tyler657recpro said:
Is that AT 4060 better than the neumann tlm103?
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You've been around long enough to know the answer to that one as well as anyone!

I own both of those mics. I've used them both for vocals quite often (as well as many other mics). They are different sounding, but there is no way to tell which is "better' until you try them on a particular voice.

You can make certain rough observations:
•4060 is a Tube Mic
•TLM103 has a hotter output
•4060 come with a shockmount
•TLM103 is much smaller physically, which can be convenient

But it's still going to ultimately come down to auditioning each mic on the individual voice.
 
I would guess that 90% of the businesses in the USA have much greater annual capital expenses than that!
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It's funny you should mention that. I've been running numbers on different types of business for the last few years trying to figure out what I want to do and a recording studio is actually one of the cheaper business to jump into.

You can't even get a liquor license here for $20,000.
 
littledog said:


If you're asking are my business expenses tax deductible, of course they are. But that seems so obvious that maybe I think I'm misunderstanding your question.
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I guess Im misunderstand what you do for a living to put it simply. Hobbiest was in my head...Hobbiests...I say...


Im well aware of studio building costs and equipment costs, but there is vast difference between part time studio after your done with your normal job and owning and operating a major recording facility. I have a friend that made the switch and went out of business soon after. I guess I should read slower huh?

littledog said:

Oh, you want my pedigree? Purebred Yorkshire Terrier. ;)
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Heh Heh.... :) Im just a generic dog myself. Microdog!

Ahhh...nevermind its an old thread..

Peace,
Dennis
 
Actually, I have hobbies too. You think owning a studio is like throwing money into the ocean? Try buying a boat... then you'll literally be throwing your money into the ocean!!! :D

But a few nice pieces of gear does not a major commercial studio make. (You need a few of them shiny platinum thingies on the wall). I think of myself as more of a minor commercial studio. On some days, maybe even a diminished one. ;)
 
mackie vlz 1642 (i believe).
use it live
use it studio
use it use it use it
Can be had for under $900 if you look real hard.
Short Sound - somewhere outside of PittPA
 
You forgot d) None of the above...

I suggest a Mackie 1604vlz or some flavour of Soundcraft or A&H in your price range.........

The pres on the 1604 went head-to-head with some of the big boy pres on Lynn Fuston's Mic pre comparsion CD and it was quite favorable. I heard it "blind" on the CD for myself - very eye-opening......!

Bruce
 
A&H is my personal favorite. I finally got my church to buy and ML5000, and I'm gonna buy a MixWzrd16:2:d. I finally got off my mackie kick. Now to find something other than JBL speakers to buy (for church)...
 
you have to look hard to find a 1642 for under 900?

I bought a 1604! for 829
 
misterx said:
Spirit M12 arrived today! Now I have to redo the home studio, clean it up, make it look cool...again! (Anyone else like organizing their home studio??)
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haha I like Organizing my studio! Theres to many cables it gets to messy to walk through
 
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