Minimal mixers

[baleen]

also @alanza

we have the previous mk of the 402vlz (it’s really nice for its size) and the mix8 and we’ve shredded both of them. I prefer the vlz line to the “mix8” style but mix8’s price is hard to beat even if it’s not ideal for gigs and gigs and gigs.

[bobbcorr]

I’m curious - based on your Robust Use Case, can you recommend something of a similar size but more robust constitution?

[baleen]

not really, which is why i replaced a vlz802 with the mix8 - it’s cheaper.

mixers aren’t designed to be placed, however gently, into a bag or case with the rest of our stuff and bonked in the back of a car or squished on a plane. yeah, could get a lil cozy case, that’s still not gonna change variable conditions from venue to venue and who knows. yeah i could have gentler but i don’t think our gig habits even qualify as “mixer abuse.”

[Jonny]

fwiw, I’ve had an 802vlz3 for about 10 years and it’s been working fine…playing shows maybe 2-3 times a year the past few years though, nothing super intense. I usually pack it in an old M-Audio bag in one of the inner compartments: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StudioBkpk--m-audio-portable-studio-backpack

[dianus]

I was doing some research into open-source mixing consoles, to see what is out there and I found this: https://web.archive.org/web/20130820042250/http://auroramixer.com/files.html from a Hackaday article waaaay back in 2008. It’s a 2ch DJ style controller for audio (and video(?)) It also has a bunch of I/O for sending CC commands to control PD or other MIDI software
*Edit NVM digging through the documentation, I assumed there was some “mixing” involved but it actually is a open source midi controller. But hey maybe this will be useful for someone!

[cold_fashioned]

Woo, that Audio Development mixer looks great, but it’s price is not for the faint of heart.

[Pineyb]

Ok… this one is really minimal. 4 input channels, and mono output on a single, hard wired, Amphenol connector.

Edit to add, that it’s all tube too.

[bradfromraleigh]

Not minimal but not maximal either.

One of these paired with a 16n…

[josephsomer]

minimal in size:function ratio

[LLK]

I knew the panasonic Gamecube Q had potential!

[ParanormalPatroler]

Well that looks really nice! I’m sure it’s expensive. What model is it?

EDIT

It’s the Cooper Sound CS 106 +1

[boboter]

This might be the thread I clicked on most in my life. Every time a post is added, I’m hoping someone finally made the “perfect” portable mixer. Sadly I have nothing new to contribute. But if this magical device finally emerges, I’m sure this is where we will read about it first.

[equipoise]

I think if we took just a simple survey of the people active in this thread we’d quickly realize there is no such thing as a perfect portable - what’s perfect for one person is another person’s useless or excessive or too X or not enough Y. The cost of portability is focus, and by definition the more you focus on the less you’re actually focused.

I would still love to get the results of that survey, though. I wonder if we’d find any specific sweet spots that are really missing from market options.

[jlmitch5]

One thing that is really puzzling to me is that there seems to be nothing modern at a lower price with more reserved aesthetics. It’s all pretty much the same molded plastic shape with fairly high-contrast/in-your-face legend printing. Kind of the same thing with midi keyboards/other peripherals though.

[kim]

Was also thinking about this. And it’s true for more than mixers. Minimalist stuff seems to be more expensive in general – be it furniture, kitchen utensils, electronics, clothes, packaged food, etc. Is there perhaps some grand capitalist conspiracy concerning social class and unconscious bias and desires going on, or is it simply more people want maximalist stuff so those things are cheaper? I suspect a mixture of both, plus something more, something other, perhaps obvious, that I’m either not well read or educated enough to immediately see.

Before a show earlier this summer I looked everywhere for a good, small, three to four stereo-channel mixer. I found several incredibly good-looking boutique ones that were all ridiculously expensive. Complaining about it to a friend, he recommended this:

It’s not super cheap, but nowhere near the other ones I found. And it works great. But is it a sight for sore eyes? I think not.

[jlmitch5]

I think ikea strikes a good balance of relatively minimal looks and fairly cheap in terms of furniture. That being said, some (not all) ikea furniture is basically cardboard and falls apart extremely easy, in my experience.

So far as I know, there is not an ikea of music technology. It’s all either cheap, unsightly plastic or boutique/handmade/custom/modular at equivalent prices.

[bradfromraleigh]

I’m always a bit perplexed when mfgs opt for USB I/O instead of a more flexible analog channel. Does anyone actually use the USB inputs on their mixer?

EDIT: I should say that I certainly see a use-case for USB, but I’m more curious if anyone here uses their USB I/O. I assume that most folks here have made the leap to a dedicated audio interface.

[kim]

I don’t use it. But folks do use laptops and ipads in their setups, and so it’s good for that.

[xenus_dad]

One thing that is really puzzling to me is that there seems to be nothing modern at a lower price with more reserved aesthetics.

Probably getting off-topic, but, IMO reserved aesthetics are very often a wealth signifier; they deliberately telegraph sophistication.

Also more practically, cheaper materials show wear more easily, and a riot of color helps disguise that.

[Quru]

Also, I would assume that most of the people who appreciate minimalist aesthetics and good design also appreciate overall good quality, both in build and in functions. I wouldn’t buy a stylish, minimalist mixer with internal components from 100€ Behringer mixer. And if a business narrows it’s customer base to those who are willing to pay for both (visual and material) design and good quality they can’t rely on pure volume if they want to make profit. Niche products cost more for many very understandable reasons.