dear all,
not wanting to flood lines with threads about mixers, but i need some advice (:
i’m looking to buy a (12-)16 channel mixer with an integrated interface for multitracking on my mac. both doesn’t require to be high-end and for now i don’t care about it being a digital or analog desk.
i would how ever love to see it not being super-giant – currently have a behringer X32 rack, which i do like the size and functionality of, but not so much controlling it with a tablet.
happy about any advice (or other approaches for multitracking, too!)
I’m thinking about swapping out my Focusrite Scarlett for a MOTU Ultralite AVB, which has a browser based console accessible via wifi. That and an iPad is about the most compact setup capable of multichannel audio I can imagine.
Everybody complains about mixers being too big, so I figure going virtual is one solution. I dunno. You said you already have a mixer you control with a tablet so maybe a big bank of sliders is what you need. (But maybe they could be midi sliders?)
thanks for helping out once again, @jasonw22… it’s been a real struggle with the X32 and my iPad – may be due to the terrible software running it ( – so terrible that i’ve actually written an alternative in max … which is kind’a annoying to, cause i now need a computer. hehe :))
i think if you’re in for touchscreens, there’s quite some interesting stuff out there. i’ve how ever noticed that i really prefer faders and buttons on a mixer (which i usually do not). i will check the motu out, anyways. have to decide if format or feel will be the final criteria of decision.
I think we’ve made it pretty clear in that other thread that there’s a hole in the market. Small mixers with aux sends. Problem is, “small” does mean different things to different people, and there are so many potential features that are either “necessary”, or not (add them all and it’s no longer “small”). So, it’s not just a missing product in the market, it’s a missing product line.
If you don’t mind the cost and size, the A&H Q16 is pretty great. There’s also the Qu-Pac which I guess is similar in concept to the X32 Rack but has more controls onboard.
Personally I use the MOTU 16A and really like it. I used to have a mixer on the frontend and take the individual outs into the 16A channels but I eventually did away with that. It saved me a lot of space, and all the mixing I do is in the DAW anyway which I can do with a controller after everything is recorded. I just set the gain trim on each input so it doesn’t clip and then do the rest in the DAW. You can also live mix with it and it has an OSC interface for that (though I haven’t seen anyone make anything for it yet) as well as an iPad app. Best of all it all fits in a 1U rack space!
I’m looking hard at one right now. Seems kind of ideal. Works as a standalone mixer, has built in FX (YMMV), 8-in / 8-out usb interface, 3 “pages” of midi control functionality, etc etc etc. Plus it’ll trim down eurorack outputs enough so you don’t need an output module.
Plus my experience so far with KMI stuff is that they’re pretty indestructible, which is a bonus.
I did this, for more IO. I feel like the motu is more finicky to get right but that thing is a TANK. Also for euro it pairs nicely with an es-8 for an additional 4 in and 8 out. I still want a mixer though. Probably a mackie vlz 12.
The catch for me would be that the Zoom mixer has no aux sends (just an internal fx send). Apart from that it looks cool and is probably an excellent solution to record a band, etc.
I’ll get a KMix myself at some point, but not yet (gear money has been spoken for for a while and my next big expense will probably be a Teletype).
that’s precisely my thought /: would really like two aux at the least. the keith mcmillen approach does look pretty neat, i have to admit! some further research also lead me to think that the Allen & Heath QU 16 might be very good to use (thanks @kisielk! great tip!) … it’s the size of a normal mixing desk, but i may be able to live with that.
also, there’s the Allen & Heath QU PAC which seems perfect if one can live without faders. it has a bunch of assignable buttons and a touch-screen (which makes handling it probably a bit more flexible than using the X32 rack). if one is willing to go with a tablet all along, last there’s the QU-SB, excelling the X32 due to the fact that it has jack inputs (X32 has only XLR).
i’ll def be selling my X32 – all options of these and the above seem a better approach for me
Aren’t they headphone outs ? If they go through an headphone amp the sound is likely to be a bit different from a normal aux send (though probably usable)…
If the headphone outs of the Zoom work decently as sends, it’s brilliant. The only thing that’s missing is motorised faders. Now you have to look at the leds to see the saved fader position and move the fader manually to the saved position.
You already have the X32 rack so why not add the XTouch? I use an X32 compact in the studio and I have 2 pedal boards, one with XR18 and one with XR12 for travelling.
