As a solo performer, do you really need a mixer?

[DavidE]

I don’t use a mixer for solo anymore. I try and set my mic volume right and then use the volume knob on the guitar to balance, or mix, the two.

[BearfootBob]

You need Necromancy.

And you need a Mixer.

[CASD57]

I use a TC Helicon Perform VG for my mixer,(Vocal and Acoustic) going to use an Electric for my next gig and I'll just run my guitar into the UA Dream 65 to my PA and bypass the TC
Don't really see a need for a mixer with just vocals and a guitar...
The TC Helicon is nice since it fits on the mic stand

[FreDrummer]

Originally Posted by JackB1

I always laugh when I see a solo performer with a huge 12 channel mixer and all they have is a mic and a guitar going in.

As others have said, it can give you a lot more control. Seems like most of the 8-channel or less mixers have limited features - no compression and limited effects, and only hi and low tone controls. If there’s one thing you need for an acoustic guitar, it’s a mid control (probably will help your vocals, too). 10-12 channels (for analog mixers) seems to be the demarcation point where mid controls, compression, and effects get pretty decent. 16 or more channels seems to be where one begins seeing a sweepable mid control.

FWIW, my Yamaha 12 channel mixer measures about 14” x 12”…hardly huge.

[PaperMoon]

Originally Posted by FreDrummer

As others have said, it can give you a lot more control. Seems like most of the 8-channel or less mixers have limited features - no compression and limited effects, and only hi and low tone controls. If there’s one thing you need for an acoustic guitar, it’s a mid control (probably will help your vocals, too). 10-12 channels (for analog mixers) seems to be the demarcation point where mid controls, compression, and effects get pretty decent. 16 or more channels seems to be where one begins seeing a sweepable mid control.

FWIW, my Yamaha 12 channel mixer measures about 14” x 12”…hardly huge.

I'm using an A&H Zed10Fx--the smallest analog board I know of with sweepable mids on the mic channels, and absolutely essential on vocals/guitar as you mentioned--and it's still too big for me, haha. I keep thinking about getting a Bose T4s purely for the smaller form factor.

[CASD57]

EAE makes a small mixer..

[BearfootBob]

some need them, others don't.

If you need one, and all you have is a 12-channel, that's what you use. The show must go on.

The main benefits IMO are being able to tweak settings or mute a channel MUCH faster in many cases, vs. going to your PA or amp. That is one of the selling features of the Helicon mic-stand units.

The other main benefit is having an Aux Send or two. Very useful for a looper setup where you want multiple inputs, and obviously for a monitor mix.

Some of the small, Pro touring acts I've done sound for as a semi-Pro Engineer use a small mixer onstage. They've dialed in their basic sound, and quite frankly don't need the Sound Guy messing with it. They hand me one XLR, and I EQ the FOH. Done. If something seems out of balance, I let them know.

[IraDuncan]

I have never used a mixer for any of my gigs except when the venue has it's own house system and someone to run it.

The majority of the time I bring a rig out, I'm taking a few guitars with me, my Loudbox 100 and Fishman Acoustic Performer Pro. I don't sing, but I do like to talk to the crowd every so often.

If I need more horsepower, I'll drag out my Daedalus and Genz Benz.

When performing, the vocal mic I use goes into my Loudbox 100, as does my guitar. I'll run my pedalboard in the guitar channel's effects loop, and all that will be sent to the Acoustic Performer Pro.

A touch of reverb on the Loudbox is used.

[markcrawford]

Depends...you can't play some of the gigs I play with an amp. I use a Mackie 808s which is somewhat overkill, but it gives me a ton of headroom which makes everything sound better. I have several guitars so I use three channels eqd for those guitars. I also have times when I have a second singer, guitar player, etc... I played an outdoor event this summer where about 150 people were listening...like really listening. I was not background noise. The throw was probably 100-150 feet. There is no way I could do that gig with one of those towers (Bose maybe) and or an acoustic amp. Bodys swallow those things up IMO. I see people playing in coffee shops with those and that is fine for that type of gig. I have the Mackie 808s (have owned two over the last 20 years)and two nonpowered Mackie 10 inch speakers and I covered that outside gig with NO problem. The mackie is heavy but in the words of Tom Bukovac, "good tone is heavy and hard to carry". When the mackie dies, I may look at powered speakers and a non powered board, but powered speakers are usually pretty heavy.

And by the way, the Mackie has 8 channels, great effects, compression, and tons of eq control. Not sure what the poster is talking about when he says that 8 channel mixers don't have those things.

[guitaniac]

For small gigs I would sometimes send the signal from one of my dual source pickups into my SoloAmp’s Aux In. That eliminated the need for a mixer or outboard blender. The caveats are that it needed to be an active signal since the Aux In’s input impedance is only 10Kohms. It also needed to be a strong signal to be balanced with the SoloAmp’s primary inputs. I typically would put a preamp (for impedance buffering, EQ, signal boost and level control) in the signal chain going to the Aux In.