Soundcraft NotePad Series?

[arashaw]

Does anyone use the soundcraft notepad series mixers? I noticed they are less money, are the preamps of less quality? Do they come with effects and how do they sound if they do?

Thanks,

Aaron

[arashaw]

Notepad 8FX vs EFX-8. Pretty big price difference..

[krisls]

I have two Soundcraft mixers. An MFXi8 and a Notepad 12FX. The MFX is definitely superior in most respects.

That said the Notepad is a very small footprint, decent preamps and effects and suits me very well for small gigs where the bigger mixer would be cumbersome or just unnecessary. I use just a pinch of reverb ... sorta fancied a very small Delay on vocal but the touch tempo on that drives me insane, so....

If you need compact and gig worthy quality the Notepads are worth a look.

Kris

[larren]

I keep a Notepad 12FX in a small case and take it with me on out of town solo gigs as a spare. I used it for a few gigs when I got it (to learn how to, and what the gain structure etc was like), and found the preamps to be quite nice. The FX are pretty basic with only one reverb, but work well.

[arashaw]

I think I’m torn between compact and high quality sound. Maybe I need to consider the average listener won’t be able to differentiate preamps in a mixer. Thanks Kris.

[Kalani]

I have the Notepad 8FX and EFX8. The average listener will NOT be able to tell the difference. Both have high quality preamps. The EFX has more and better effects than the Notepad and a parametric mid EQ but it’s a lot larger and heavier and doesn’t have a hi-pass filter like the Notepad. The Notepad is more than adequate and I’ve even used it for a guitar/bass duo (w/vocals for each). I’m back to gigging with the EFX though for my own pleasure but I do miss the hi-pass filter.

[jonfields45]

I am happy with the 12FX, BUT the windows drivers are unsigned which if you ever plan to use it as a digital audio interface requires rebooting your PC in a specific debug mode :~(.

[arashaw]

Seems like the parametric mid eq is nice to have when working with some of these soundboard transducers (k&k). One thought is if your using a pre with sweepable mids you don’t need that function on the mixer.

[varmonter]

I will lug a larger mixer
If it means having the sweepable
Midrange. The zed10x is small and
Has the parametric mid.you might
Want to chk it out as well.

[arashaw]

I would be adding a touch of reverb to the vocal. Do you feel the Zed reverb gets the job done? How about the build, which one seems more solid? Thanks for all the replies. Also, is the EPM the same as the EFX just no effects?

[Oregon Donor]

I’ve been using the Notepad 12fx for a little while and I really like it. It has good preamps and the high-pass filter is useful (as is the hi-Z switch, which I use for my stompbox). The EQ is simple but effective. There’s a bank of three effects but I only use the reverb. I haven’t used a monitor with it as I don’t understand how the effects bus and aux bus are on the same set of pots, but this is more of a solo or small duo mixer anyways.

For a sub-$200 mixer it’s great.

[kgreener]

I used to own the older version of this mixer, the Notepad 124. While I liked it's sound and features, I wasn't a huge fan of the large external power supply "brick" and cord, especially at a gig when moving gear around and whatnot (and hence the main reason I sold it). Does anyone who owns the Notepad-12FX have any concerns in this regard, i.e. the durability of the external power supply? Thanks.

[Oregon Donor]

Honestly I prefer it to a wall-wart. I keep the two cords coiled together neatly and have a spot for them in my suitcase. There’s maybe a disadvantage over a standard three-prong power cable, but so far I don’t mind the difference.

[Irish Pennant]

I have a low budget PA setup in my garage I use for practice. I think it sounds pretty good for what it is. The PA consist of a Notepad 8fx, a pair of Harbinger 12" powered speakers (SDOTD specials), a pedalboard and a SM58 mic.