Small mixer with hi-z input

[Hinto]

Hi, I was looking at a Mackie ProFX8 mixer today, and it has the two main things I'm looking for, an instrument (guitar) input, no need for a DI box, and some effects. Just wondering if there are any other small mixers out there that fit the bill? I just need 2 channels really, one for the guitar and the other for the vocal mic.

Any input is always welcomed!

Cheers.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Hinto

Hi, I was looking at a Mackie ProFX8 mixer today, and it has the two main things I'm looking for, an instrument (guitar) input, no need for a DI box, and some effects. Just wondering if there are any other small mixers out there that fit the bill? I just need 2 channels really, one for the guitar and the other for the vocal mic.

Any input is always welcomed!

Cheers.

Hi Hinto...

Mackie builds great mixers and that one is no exception. Won't break the bank. I do have a question…

What will you plug it into? Do you plan to acquire some powered cabinets? If not, while it will feed line levels, this is pretty extreme to replace a passive DI, and $200 more expensive.

Most sound techs don't really want you carrying in your own mixer if the house PA has one. So unless you are building a sound system, it may not be your best choice.

[alohachris]

Aloha Hinto,

I used Mackie mixers extensively when they first came out in the early 90's. They were quite a breakthrough at the time, quiet, pretty good all around & finally, a portable gigging mixer.

I used an old FX6 until around 2002 or so. But I never liked Mackie's EQ & their onboard mic preamps always sounded a bit constrained & mid-rangey to me. I had to add a stand-alone, stereo 1/3 octave Rane SEQ-30L equalizer to get the room control I needed to play in a wide variety of rooms night to night. That worked.

Two small mixers that offer better everything than the Mackie's today are the Allen & Heath ZED FX Series & the Soundcraft efxi & mfxi Series. Both have hi-Z inputs.

More importantly, both provide much better EQ & mic pre's than the Mackie's. But for me, it's the 24-bit Lexicon FX on the Soundcraft that makes it the clear winner in the category & not that much more expensive either.

In fact, those two are the only small mixers I would gig through today.

Hope this opinion helps, Hinto.

alohachris

[brokenpretzel]

i have to second Aloha Chris here. i don't really like the preamps on the Mackies and i didn't really like the efx on the Allen and Heath ( i know there are others who do) and i think the Souncraft Efx8 that i have (at least partially because of Aloha's recomendation) sounds great. happy new year
robert
www.roberttemplemusic.com
www.soundcloud.com/roberttemple-1 (where the 7 string lives for now)

[lschwart]

I don't think the Soundcraft mixers have any high-z "instrument" inputs. But the smaller ZEDs certainly do. The ZED10FX fits the bill. Nice little mixer.

Louis

[Bobby1note]

The smallest mixer I've had, with Hi-Z input, was the Soundcraft Compact 4. Those were discontinued quite a while back, but you still find them from time to time. I just sold mine to a friend, because I never used it.

You're better off with a D.I.,,,,,, unless the mixers' right next to you.

[guitaniac]

It's worth noting that the ProFX8's Hi-Z input channel (at 1Mohm input impedance) won't be ideal for some of the passive piezo pickups on the market. Pickups like the Baggs LB6, the Baggs Hex and the Fishman AG series undersaddle pickups will sound better with a 10Mohm input impedance. On the other hand, the Hi-Z input should work very well with passive magnetic pickups and passive K&K pickups.

[Hinto]

Hi guys, thanks for the great replies. I should have provided a bit more detail, so here goes.

I'm using a single powered speaker, a Yorkville NX55P. And the application is purely for home use, with the odd party from time to time, not really intended for 'gigs'. I just like playing and practicing plugged in, I get to hear all the good/bad in my singing and playing.

For my vocal chain, I'm going from my TC Helicon Mic into a TC Helicon Mic Mechanic, to the speaker.

For my guitar chain, I'm going directly from my Taylor GA3 (with Fishman Matrix Infinity) to the speaker.

The vocals sound great, the guitar not so much, weak signal and not impressive tone. I just got a Boss AD-5 off of eBay that I've yet to receive, and that might solve my problems with the guitar, with it acting as a DI box, some EQ, and some reverb.

That being said, I still think a mixer might be a good option for me in order to have more control of the tone for both my chains.

Guy

[guitaniac]

Since the Matrix Infinity is an active pickup system, Guy, you don't need a high Z input to handle it. The mixer's regular channels will handle it just fine.

I'm surprised that you aren't getting a decent level from the Matrix Infinity system. Perhaps its just low in comparison to the whopping big signal coming from the TC Helicon pedal. I have a TC Helicon Harmony G pedal and it puts out a huge signal.

Have you tried turning off the mic signal and just running the guitar signal to your powered mixer? Do you have enough overall gain, using both the input channel's gain control and your master volume control, to get a good strong amplified sound from the guitar?

The AD5 will certainly give you plenty of gain, and let you send the guitar signal to a mic channel on your powered mixer. Be careful to set the AD5's input gain at an appropriate level. The Infinity signal will overdrive the AD5 if you set the gain too high.

If guitar tone is your primary concern, the Fishman Aura Spectrum preamp/DI would be my choice for a preamp to use with the Matrix Infinity system. The Spectrum can also send the guitar signal to a mic input on your powered mixer. There's a bit of a learning curve with the Aura technology, however.

[Hinto]

Hi, there is definitely a big difference in the volume levels between my mic and guitar. Even when I take the Mic Mechanic out of the chain, just the mic is much louder. I can balance it by adjusting the volume for each input though, and it's not too bad, but I'm pretty much maxed out for what I can do with my guitar volume and it just fills up my living room. I know I can crank up the mic and blow the windows out.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by Hinto

Hi, there is definitely a big difference in the volume levels between my mic and guitar. Even when I take the Mic Mechanic out of the chain, just the mic is much louder. I can balance it by adjusting the volume for each input though, and it's not too bad, but I'm pretty much maxed out for what I can do with my guitar volume and it just fills up my living room. I know I can crank up the mic and blow the windows out.

Hinto:

How exactly are you plugging into your NX55P? Are you using the XLR "mic" input for your mic and one of the 1/4" balanced TRS "Line/CD" inputs for your guitar, and is the "Mixer on/off" switch set "on?"

I don't have experience with these speakers beyond fiddling around with one when I was shopping for powered speakers, but from that fiddling and from the manual I just looked at, to use it the way you're using it, you need to make sure that it's set to use the internal mixer, rather than the regular ("link") inputs (the ones you'd use if you were sending it a signal from an external mixer and connecting together more than one speaker).

You may know all this already, but I just wanted to check!

Louis

[Hinto]

Hi, I'm using the mixer inputs, not the link inputs. I did try my Mic Mechanic into the link input and it worked fine. I'm just wondering why there is such a difference between the two. It just might be that the line inputs on this speaker are not as hot as the mic input.

[Hinto]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

Since the Matrix Infinity is an active pickup system, Guy, you don't need a high Z input to handle it. The mixer's regular channels will handle it just fine.

I'm surprised that you aren't getting a decent level from the Matrix Infinity system. Perhaps its just low in comparison to the whopping big signal coming from the TC Helicon pedal. I have a TC Helicon Harmony G pedal and it puts out a huge signal.

Have you tried turning off the mic signal and just running the guitar signal to your powered mixer? Do you have enough overall gain, using both the input channel's gain control and your master volume control, to get a good strong amplified sound from the guitar?

The AD5 will certainly give you plenty of gain, and let you send the guitar signal to a mic channel on your powered mixer. Be careful to set the AD5's input gain at an appropriate level. The Infinity signal will overdrive the AD5 if you set the gain too high.

If guitar tone is your primary concern, the Fishman Aura Spectrum preamp/DI would be my choice for a preamp to use with the Matrix Infinity system. The Spectrum can also send the guitar signal to a mic input on your powered mixer. There's a bit of a learning curve with the Aura technology, however.

Hi, I have a question about your TC Helicon Harmony G pedal. Is there any EQ for the guitar signal? I think you can blend in some reverb, or whatever effect you're using, but was wondering if there is any EQ for the guitar.

[Bobby1note]

Hinto, what kind of cable are you using, for plugging your guitar into the NX55P's Line in? That speaker input is a balanced input, optimized for handing signal from pro-level devices (+4dBv vs -10dBv).

Does your Fishman have a balanced "out"?

[Hinto]

I'm using a standard instrument cable. The output of the Fishman pickup is not balanced as far as I know.