Yamaha mixer vs. Soundcraft? Now Owned by Harmon?

[RCAGuy05]

I read this somewhere on the archives and it made me think. Because I'm a beginner looking to get basic mixer to run into my BR864 Boss recorder. Someone was saying that the newer Soundcrafts are now Beringer level. Its a choice between a simple 4 channel Yamaha or 4 Channel Soundcraft. Both 100 bucks, anybody know any specifics on this supposed downgrade of Soundcraft, is this a Myth? Which one is better value??(lower noise, more signal, ect)

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I have one of the budget-oriented small Yamaha mixers (use it for extra talkback as needed).... it sounds ok and doesn't seem unduly noisy - mind you, I don't use it at all for any type of recording!

At the budget end of things, you're not going to get huge differences in sound quality -- there aren't too many variants of "mediocre".... you may see differences in build quality or even quality control though.... Behringer generally seems to have a very poor rep for QA compared to other manufacturers.

 

[warble]

Soundcraft is not bad. The thing is, they make several different products and some don't like their lower-end offerings. For example, the E series mixers seem to not be too favored. But, their M series mixers really aren't bad at all. I've read some good things about them here, but a 4-channel will run you about $500 (roughly).

Some people complain that because they are now a part of the Harmon Group, that their QA has drifted from the "soundcraft" original standard, can't say for sure. I've only seen a couple of people really pissed at the lower-end products, so that's just a couple people's opinions. Unless I see a mass of people disliking something, I'll tend to take a chance if the product seems like it's worth it's value - or in some cases - better.

These companies are also a part of the Harmon Group: AKG, Crown, dbx, DOD, JBL, Lexicon and Studer. I don't think that because they are a part of Harmon that all their respective products suck. Some of the low-end stuff won't be spectacular quality, but it could very well be usable. I wonder if it's not just a mindset that some have?

The Yamaha MG series mixers are pretty decent - usable mic pre's, solid. I actually have an older Yamaha too - the MX12/4. That things still kicking and sounding pretty good. I used it for recording a couple years back, but now just use it live. Yamaha makes some quality product. You'll get a different sound between Soundcraft and Yamaha. Soundcraft is known for their "sound" - nice EQ's and warm sound (again, when you get down into their really low-end stuff, I don't think you're getting into what they are known for).

 

[noisedude]

I'd agree with the Bear. But for recording, it's a definite that the Yamaha MG pres are better than the Behringer UB series ones. The Behringer is pretty quiet, like the Yamaha, but if I had to put one in my recording chain it'd be the Yamaha.

On Soundcrafts, it depends which one you're looking at. The Compact 4 is not really a 4-channel mixer as you'd expect - it's a kinda recording interfacey-type layout and a bit different routing. The Soundcraft M series are a big step up from both this and the Yamaha ... and the M4 would be an excellent little starter console with good pres, musical EQ and sensible layout/routing. Go for that if you can afford it.

Nik

 

[mixmkr]

I have an older Yamaha MX12/4 board and I like it a lot except for the dinky faders and knobs. But that seems to be what you get on these inexpensive boards. For the bang for the buck, I think they are fantastic. For non critical recording or a serious hobbiest, they fit the bill great. For the "serious" stuff...remember, look at the price of these things.

I use the pres all the time too, especially recording live two track stuff. Works great.
Makes a good submixer too.

 

[EdWonbass]

I have the Soundcraft Compact 10. It's like the Compact 4 but with more inputs. I bought it to have more pres to run into my Firebox and also as a volume control for my monitors. It doesn't seem to do anything to the sound as far as I know but I don't have the ears that some of the guys here have.
For live situations my band got a Yamaha MG mixer for submixing drums and it seems to be pretty decent. I think they are both pretty decent.
I like the Compact series for recording because of the layout. It's easy for a guy like me to understand. I think the biggest problem with budget mixers is noise and reliability. I don't experience either with these two mixers. Just my 2 cents.

 

[xstatic]

Being distirbuted by Harmon is certainly no guarantee that a product line will slide downhill. Most Harmon companies still maintain their same manufacturing practice.