Mixer Opinion PLEASE!

[richb]

I play in an acoustic duo where I play both Acoustic Gtr. & Bass, and sing backup. My partner plays guitar & sings lead. we currently use a small Behringer 1202 4 chnl mixer. ($75.00)

I want to upgrade for a number of reasons, but I want to keep my purchase around $250.00. I found was looking VERY hard at a Mackie ProFX 12 for $250.00. On the Mackie I like that Chnl 1 is a "DI" which I can use for my bass.
Then I cam across a Yamaha MG124CX 12-Input Stereo Mixer with Compression and Effects for $239.00. I like the Yamaha because it has a compressor on each channel. (and the compressor gets decent reviews from SOS mag.)

If anyone has experience with either of these, can you please share your thoughts?

[donh]

Between Mackie and Yamaha, I'd get an Allen and Heath.

If forced to choose only those two, it would be the Yamaha hands down. More Stable.
.

[lschwart]

I think in practice you'll find the compressor less useful than you think it might be. Although Yamaha has upped the build-quality on the new models of their small mixers, A&H still rules this particular realm with the ZED10FX. One considerable advantage it has over both the Yamaha and the Mackie items (and I think it's a bigger deal than compression for an acoustic ensemble) is the semi-parametric mid control on the four mono XLR channels. It also has two high-z inputs if you don't want to use a DI (although remember that you will still have to use one if the cable length is long). There isn't going to be a huge difference between all these little mixers in terms of sound, but the A&H offers a particularly nice combination of features and build quality for your application.

If you don't mind something a little bigger, there are some even more fully featured items in the ZED range, and the Soundcraft EFX and MFXi mixers are also worth consideration--they have particularly nice effects engines.

Louis

[RustyAxe]

I have owned both the MG124cx and the MG166cx with powered speakers ... and liked them both. They do what they advertise, and do it quite well. I have since gone to a Carvin RX1200 (passive) and a Crown XTi amp for the extra inputs and the dual FX processors.

[Bobby1note]

Either the A&H or Soundcraft, and better to have a few spare channels, vs not enough. If you hunt around, I'm reasonably certain that you could find a Soundcraft EFX-8 for close to your stated budget. (8 mono/XLR inputs, plus 2 stereo channels, plus Lexicon FX, and a swept-mid EQ) The built-in power-supply is also nice to have ( I hate wall-warts/ line-lumps).

I've got a bunch of small-format Soundcraft's (Notepad 124FX; EFX-8; and MFXi8. The EFX-8 is now 7 years old, and there's never been so much as a blip when it comes to reliability. The 60mm faders really help to keep the footprint compact. I carry mine in a Gator G-Mix B-15x15 padded shoulder bag (8 lbs.) Great lil' workhorse.

[MikeBmusic]

The A&H is widely recommended. But it is $50 more (retail).

I picked up the Mackie ProFX12 a few years ago for $220 at GC with one of their usual discount coupons. I found that I can plug any pre-amp equipped acoustic into any channel and get acceptable volume/sound (using a Radial preamp/DI ups the quality). Has 2 more mic preamps than the A&H, but maybe you won't ever need them. Channel EQ (3 band) is limited, but there is a multi-band EQ for the mains and monitor. Mic preamps are strong and noise-free. With 6 mic preamp channels plus 3 stereo channels plus a tape input channel, there's a lot of flexibility in set-up.
Note: the only monitor output is 1/4" unbalanced; USB output can be noisy if you turn it up (true of most USB-equipped mixers, but the Mackie has a volume control); the built-in FX are limited and you can only use one setting at a time, I just use a #2 room reverb, never bother with the rest; channel mutes do not mute the monitor output of that channel.

[giblet]

I use a 8 channel Yamaha board (MG82cx) and am very satisfied with it. No regrets. Good sound, lightweight, easy to use, decent effects, used it for a year now, no problems.

[clintj]

I've had one experience with a Yamaha board, and it wasn't good. I was all set up, ready to go, and found all my condenser mics were dead. The phantom power light was on, but according to my multimeter it was dead. Fiddled around for an hour, and suddenly it was back for no apparent reason. Weird.

I'll cast another vote for A&H. I have a ZED24 and it has proved to be extremely reliable. Some places will honor discounts and/or coupons for them, so it pays to shop around. I got mine for 18% off street price.

[zerocharisma]

Last year I bought an A&H ZED10FX, but exchanged it after seeing my local Guitar Center offer the Yamaha MGP12X for half off. I don't know why Yamaha isn't pushing this particular model/series more. Six mic preamps (4 with compression), 4 stereo line inputs, 2 aux sends (1 pre fader, 1 switchable from pre to post). I will say the A&H sounded really good for its size. However, the Yamaha sounds a little clearer and smoother.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/live_...2x/?mode=model

Try to look around for a deal on these

[Woodstock School Of Music]

I've been using the Yamaha Mg12xu for a few months and it's been a nice mixer. I wanted something that would facilitate my duo but have enough inputs and outputs to use with a small band. As unimportant as it sounds I really like that it has individual channel on and off switches. My last mixer didn't have that or mutes and it was always a pain if I had to plug and unplug channels during a gig which I often did

I would suspect that most mixers in this price range will give you similar performance and it comes down to features that are most important to you.

[richb]

@ The Dman.. I was just looking at MG12Xu too. Can you tell me, do you find the compressors work well? I really like the idea of this feature, but I would like you opinion on if they really are functional in a live performance? Again, I play an acoustic duo, but also play bass on some tunes. So my channel needs are 2 Gtr, 2 Vocal, 1 bass. Also, I see them sell for $319.00, do you know of a better price?

Thanks

[Woodstock School Of Music]

Originally Posted by richb

@ The Dman.. I was just looking at MG12Xu too. Can you tell me, do you find the compressors work well? I really like the idea of this feature, but I would like you opinion on if they really are functional in a live performance? Again, I play an acoustic duo, but also play bass on some tunes. So my channel needs are 2 Gtr, 2 Vocal, 1 bass. Also, I see them sell for $319.00, do you know of a better price?

Thanks

I think the compressors sound pretty good for a cheap mixer, I have $1k+ compressors in my studio so I know what a good compressor sounds like. I dial them in subtly but it's fairly invisible when you crank them. As invisible as a gob of gain reduction can be on a cheaper compressor. Wonderful times we live in

[Random1643]

+1 "Between Mackie and Yamaha, I'd get an Allen and Heath." I have the ZED10FGX. Just my 2 cents.