Mixer Recommendation
 

Hi. I am a member of a six-piece band. We are looking for recommendations, advice, etc. regarding a PA system.

We have the speakers, stands, etc. but just need a mixer.

We would like to have the following plugged in:

- 6 microphones
- 6 instruments
- 3 monitors
- 1 iPad

Any suggestions on mixers or whatever else we might need? I appreciate any advice that is offered.

Two questions...

Powered or unpowered mixer?

Budget?

Behringer XR-18 is what I have and I love it. 16 XLR inputs which gives you room to expand. Or there are units with less inputs. This thing is the size of a loaf of bread but as versatile as a big board. The downside is you need a tablet or laptop to interface with it but that is how I would have hooked up to a digital mixer anyway. On sale for $599 at Sweetwater right now. Check it out. Behringer has really improved their offerings over the last few years.

Tim

Mixer
 

Thanks Tim.

Mackie 1604. Really quite good. Or an Allen and Heath 16-channel board....you will assuredly use all the channels. :)

I have a Yamaha MG16XU that had S O M U C H head room. It would make a pair of cheap computer speakers sound awesome. The mic pre's are great, plenty of aux sends for monitors, XLR or TRS outs, USB connectivity, good effects. And best of all, on board one knob compression on 8 channels.

A&H MixWiz 16X2. A good sounding analog mixer. 4 aux buses, individual channel send returns, plenty of EQ. I have one and I played weekly at a club that has one. That thing takes some serious abuse and runs like a top. Kind of old school and certainly big but they have been around the block and work well. 16 XLR / 1/4 ins will handle your band with a little room to spare.

Want to keep it tight? A Soundcraft EFX12. 12 XLR / 1/4 inputs. You can dump the I=Pad into the stereo or two track inputs. One aux buss and global inserts though. If you are looking for three different monitor mixes gotta go Mixwiz. I also have the 8 input version of this mixer as does one of our regular venues. Another solid good sounding mixer.

hunter

Check out the new soundcraft UI24R

If you would answer Chitz's questions it would certainly help out....

I can't recommend a mixer. I am curious if there is a mixer that allows for individual monitors for each channel so that each instrument and vocalist can have it's own monitor.

Hey Irish,

You can get that with most mixers. You should be able to mix each monitor, or aux, out with any input on the mixer. With analog mixers, you are limited to a number of individual mixes by the number of monitor (or axes) out. With digital mixers you can have a lot of individual mixes, delivered by CAT 5, but need a separate device (like a P16) for each musician to uncode that signal. Hope that makes sense.

Tim

You can daisy chain them with most powered speakers that have a pass through, and many passive speakers as well (in and out). Problem with that is you won't be able to EQ them separately. There are many mixers that have outputs (L and R) that can be dedicated to monitors separately.

It makes sense, thanks for the insight for I'm not up to speed on the digital mixers.

My A&H Zed mixers, 10fx and 60-14fx both have a single output for a monitor. Yes I can daisy chain but it's a mixed signal with all inputs. To have more than one monitor signal I've used acoustic amps between the instrument and the mixer.

It seems to me that going digital may be what the OP is going to need to do in order to have an individual monitor for everyone.

See above, Mixwiz, 4 aux outs. To clarify that translates into 4 monitor mixes. Each aux buss has independent channel volumes for each channel which means independent monitor volume mixes. L and R monitor outs still only gives one monitor mix.

hunter

There is a very real difference between completely individual monitor "mixes'"(with different EQ settings) and what many smaller analogue mixers can do (different volume settings).

With digital mixers you can do completely different mixes, including different FX's, for every monitor.