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  #31  
Old 05-20-2012, 01:17 AM
ntik ntik is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brokenpretzel View Post
the Efx 8 does not have the special hi z inputs that the Zed has. i play thru a pedalboard loaded with stuff and don't need them.
If you only need the 4 mic pres and like the effects, the Zed is nice. it also has usb which the Efx 8 does not
robert
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which of two have better EQ allen, or soundcraft?it is better to play with one di box?, or to play with channels 3-4 allen-heath?
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  #32  
Old 05-20-2012, 04:21 AM
ntik ntik is offline
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because the electric system that I have in my guitar is active, they would be better i connect a passive di box in the channels 3-4 of the Allen?

Last edited by ntik; 05-20-2012 at 04:28 AM.
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  #33  
Old 05-20-2012, 11:27 AM
brokenpretzel brokenpretzel is offline
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the eq on both boards seem good but i only had the allen here for a day or so.
don't know the answer to how a passive di will sound with your guitar and channel 3 or 4 on allen.
i think you can make either board work well for you with some experimentation and i think you should decide based on price, need for mic inputs, usb and other features talked about here
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  #34  
Old 06-07-2012, 09:03 PM
Jazzgear Jazzgear is offline
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I am in a position to offer an opinion on both as I had the ZED 10FX, and both the Soundcraft EFX8 and the MFXi8 at the same time. I wanted to evaluate which of the three I would prefer...and figured that side by side evaluation would be best. Then I can just return the two of the three within my 30 day window @ GC. Of the three the MFXi8 is the best -- due to the routing options. Sonically the MFXi8 and the EFX8 sound the same. I felt the Soundcraft EQ and Pres had certain sweetness not present in the ZED. That said, however, the ZED sounded great as well. My acoustics just had a certain something extra through the soundcraft....maybe it was the nicer lexicon effects.

I ended up returning the MFXi8 because I simply did not need all of the inputs and routing options -- and it was too big for my purposes. It was a struggle trying to decide between the ZED and the EFX8. Again I liked the sonics of the Soundcraft better. But in the end the sound difference live was not noticeable enough to pay the extra $$, the bigger size...plus channels 3 & 4 on the ZED are invaluable -- especially when I can use the board alone for both my electrics and acoustics at rehearsals and small gigs and coffee houses. I ended up returning the EFX8 too and kept the ZED. So far no regrets.

If you're a solo acoustic gigger...my vote goes for the ZED 10FX

Last edited by Jazzgear; 06-08-2012 at 05:08 AM.
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  #35  
Old 06-12-2012, 05:53 PM
Mr Blues Mr Blues is offline
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Hi Jazzgear

I too vote for the Zed 10 FX , I think they sound awesome. I did have a Soundcraft MFX i 8 . Some of the chanels needed repairing so i took it to Denmark street to an Amp repair man but sadly his workshop had a break-in and My soundcraft mixer was one of the first thing that got stolen.

Anyway i am well happy with my Allen & heath Zed 10 FX
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  #36  
Old 06-12-2012, 06:06 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
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Aloha,

The Soundcraft EFX & MFX series provide MUCH better sounding 24-bit Lexicon FX & recording-level features than the A&H ZED series' 10FX, plus mute buttons. I own the MFXi & think it's the best of the smaller, live mixers for under $750. Great EQ.

That said, BOTH OFFER GREAT EQ FOR LIVE ACOUSTIC APPS & BOTH WORK WELL on vocals & acoustic instruments. It's also nice to have the extra inputs for when other musicians come to jam with you.

Those sweepable mid's & quality of the mic preamps in both the A&H ZED & Soundcraft's are the key as to why they are MUCH better than all the other small mixers for giggers, including Mackies, IMO.

Soundcraft offers better quality & FX plus more features. The ZED FX10 is a great value, simple & very schleppable live gigging mixer w/a small imprint. Easier to carry in a gig bag.

Ya can't go wrong with either A&H ZED's or the Soundcraft EFX & MFX Series of small mixers for a live acoustic rig.

In terms of using a DI or pre? Depends on the type/brand of pickup. I use K&K mini's with internal mic's - dual-source systems. So I use a SPS-1 module to impedance match the signals & provide 48V phantom power to the mic before they go to either the SPS-1 rack unit or a mixer (using different cables from the module). Most pickups will need to plug into a DI in front of a mixer to be maximized. Again, it depends on the pickup system. So it is best to plan your live signal chain to have all the elements complement each other.

alohachris

Last edited by alohachris; 06-13-2012 at 01:15 PM.
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  #37  
Old 08-25-2012, 06:59 PM
Jazzgear Jazzgear is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazzgear View Post
I am in a position to offer an opinion on both as I had the ZED 10FX, and both the Soundcraft EFX8 and the MFXi8 at the same time. I wanted to evaluate which of the three I would prefer...and figured that side by side evaluation would be best. Then I can just return the two of the three within my 30 day window @ GC. Of the three the MFXi8 is the best -- due to the routing options. Sonically the MFXi8 and the EFX8 sound the same. I felt the Soundcraft EQ and Pres had certain sweetness not present in the ZED. That said, however, the ZED sounded great as well. My acoustics just had a certain something extra through the soundcraft....maybe it was the nicer lexicon effects.

I ended up returning the MFXi8 because I simply did not need all of the inputs and routing options -- and it was too big for my purposes. It was a struggle trying to decide between the ZED and the EFX8. Again I liked the sonics of the Soundcraft better. But in the end the sound difference live was not noticeable enough to pay the extra $$, the bigger size...plus channels 3 & 4 on the ZED are invaluable -- especially when I can use the board alone for both my electrics and acoustics at rehearsals and small gigs and coffee houses. I ended up returning the EFX8 too and kept the ZED. So far no regrets.

If you're a solo acoustic gigger...my vote goes for the ZED 10FX
Updating my post to say that after using the Zed for 2 mos, I sold it and went back to the Soundcraft - for the better sounding preamps and effects
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  #38  
Old 08-26-2012, 12:20 AM
Bobby1note Bobby1note is offline
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I've been running an EFX-8 for close to five years now, and I think it's just a great little console. I can't quite put my finger on what it is I like so much about this board, but the sweetness of the EQ has got to be right up there, along with the quality of the FX. I like working with faders too.

Tonight, I did a small acoustic gig with the Soundcraft Notepad 124FX, and I'm really starting to warm up to that mixer. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but the more I use it,,,,,,,,,

The MFXi was not yet available when I bought my EFX-8, and it adds some features I'd like to see on the EFX-8. Great little board.

Nothing against the Allen & Heaths either,,, I have a MixWiz3 16;2, and a GL-2400-24. Both are a joy to work with. The GL-2400 is basically a MixWiz3 on steroids.
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  #39  
Old 08-28-2012, 11:45 AM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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My vote goes to ZED 10FX, I like the pres in channels 3 and 4 better than the soundcraft for my applications. As for the effects the nod may go to the soundcraft boards, but I use external FX for my guitar, and I only use 2 or 3 of the ZED FX per night for vocals which work fine for me. I have over 300 gigs on one of my ZEDs (I own two), and the thing has been bullet proof and consistant from gig to gig.

And like Jazzgear I bought all the contenders froms GC and returned what I didn't like. I also tried the Mackie Onyx series which I felt for sound were close to the Allen and Heath, but I wanted onboard FX for the quick in and out gigs.

My current rig...

1) Shure SM58 (sometimes Beta 87) directly into channel 1

2) Homemade footboard with dynamic element directly into channel 2

3) Acoustic guitar (Gibson or Tripp) and Reso (National) into pedal board which consists of vol pedal, tuner, overdrive, buffer, trem, echo, reverb, into channel 3 (then aux for channel 3 gets routed to my electric guitar amp of choice which changes for the venues I play)

4) Mandolin (Breedlove FF with LR Baggs radius) through same pedal board but routed into channel 4 for different EQ

Zed goes into Mackie HD System 2XHD1221 - 1XHD1521

With this rig I can go from very clean acoustic guitar or mandolin to dirty resonator blues effortlessly!!!

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  #40  
Old 02-24-2016, 01:21 AM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rockabilly69 View Post
My vote goes to ZED 10FX, I like the pres in channels 3 and 4 better than the soundcraft for my applications. As for the effects the nod may go to the soundcraft boards, but I use external FX for my guitar, and I only use 2 or 3 of the ZED FX per night for vocals which work fine for me. I have over 300 gigs on one of my ZEDs (I own two), and the thing has been bullet proof and consistant from gig to gig.

And like Jazzgear I bought all the contenders froms GC and returned what I didn't like. I also tried the Mackie Onyx series which I felt for sound were close to the Allen and Heath, but I wanted onboard FX for the quick in and out gigs.

My current rig...

1) Shure SM58 (sometimes Beta 87) directly into channel 1

2) Homemade footboard with dynamic element directly into channel 2

3) Acoustic guitar (Gibson or Tripp) and Reso (National) into pedal board which consists of vol pedal, tuner, overdrive, buffer, trem, echo, reverb, into channel 3 (then aux for channel 3 gets routed to my electric guitar amp of choice which changes for the venues I play)

4) Mandolin (Breedlove FF with LR Baggs radius) through same pedal board but routed into channel 4 for different EQ

Zed goes into Mackie HD System 2XHD1221 - 1XHD1521

With this rig I can go from very clean acoustic guitar or mandolin to dirty resonator blues effortlessly!!!

Beautiful setup!
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