Mick Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 I'm in the market for a new mixer having sold my Cooper and I'm curious about what working sound mixers are using these days. I've looked at the Yamaha and would like to see if there are options out there that I haven't considered. Any input would be appreciated. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afewmoreyears Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 What recorder? When I had my 01v96, I loved it, but it was huge and heavy.... great console though.. power was not an issue for me, but was for others.... Learning curve was steep... I went to a CL-9, I am on a 788.... That CL-9 works great and weighs about a pound... small, powerful and light.. If you are on another recorder, then a Solice may be nice... The 788- CL-9 is a nice paring.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 The question is always whether you go with a standalone mixing panel or an interface. Big differences, obviously. An interface will give you true control surface hardware you need but it is only an interface to the recorder you are using so will only have the capabilities and functions that theca recorder provides. So, if using a SD 788 with the companion interface (CL-9?) this may work out fine for you. If using a Deva, the MIX-12 or MIX-8 would be the way to go. As for standalone mixers, in analog the only real contenders I know of currently in use are the Cooper, the Solice, the Sonosax and the Audio Developments boards. In the digital world, you have the Yamaha, the Soundcraft (quite new and not in wide usage yet) and one offering from Allen and Heath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 JW: " In the digital world, you have the Yamaha, the Soundcraft " I'm a fan of the Soundcraft (Si Expression), and think it is a worthy successor (upgrade/improvement over) of the Yamaha. mixer choice is as personal as mic choice. you could buy (again) a used Cooper ... SonoSax's are also somewhat timeless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 There is the PreSonus too. I've never used it but the rental guys at Trew talk it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark LeBlanc Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 I visited the Presonus home office in Baton Rouge. The StudioLive AI series mixers look promising. The Preamp dynamic range is 8db better than the Yamaha coming in at 118db vs 110db for the Yamaha. A Dante expansion card is planed, but won't be ready when the unit ships. 16 channel model comes in at 23 lbs. It's a powerhog, with a 200w power requirement. Hoping to field test one sometime early in the new year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pampasound Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 I have a somehow related question regarding a possible interface for the 633 (something along the lines of "Mix8"). Can this be done now or in the near future with some firmware upgrade? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 pampasound: " Can this be done now or in the near future with some firmware upgrade? " I feel pretty confident saying... nope... if the unit does not meet your needs, select one that does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfarrowaudiopost Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 There is the PreSonus too. I've never used it but the rental guys at Trew talk it up. Has the build quality improved on presonus gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Gandy Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 pampasound: " Can this be done now or in the near future with some firmware upgrade? " I feel pretty confident saying... nope... if the unit does not meet your needs, select one that does. Let's not go there, but I agree. one offering from Allen and Heath. Do you know what this thing's called? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Hey Mick, I used a Cooper 106 forever and loved it but unfortunately needed more inputs and routing outputs. I looked at all the units mentioned above minus the PreSonus as it wasn't out at the time. I came close to a Mix 12 but I wanted an analog front end before it hit the Deva so I went with the Solice. Very happy with it. Well built and quite. It even has T power. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bash Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Benjamin, you may be thinking of the Allen & Heath QU-16, which I have just bought two of. Really nice desk, which also includes an 18 track recorder - just plug in a USB drive. No TC, but a great backup!!!!! Kindest, sb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 I use the Solice, for functionality, size, power requirements, etc. The best thing to do is "drive" on to see if you like how it feels, then consider the kind of work you're doing (do you need 8+ wires all the time or just a couple of booms and wires), then consider how it will integrate into your cart and powering system. But you know all this. The Yamaha seems the most tested and group supported mixer, if you go big/digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanross Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Have anyone of you seen or tried this one out?: http://www.roland.com/products/en/M-200i/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollandaudio Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 not meaning to hijack the thread. But Bash, whats been your experience? Is this replacing your MIx 12? Jonathan P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Have anyone of you seen or tried this one out?: http://www.roland.com/products/en/M-200i/ The Roland M-200i was one of the first of the digital mixers I looked at as possible alternatives to the Yamaha. It had a lot of really nice features but if I am remembering, it didn't have quite the flexibility of routing that I think we need. When looking into any of these digital mixers, I always want to determine first if it can be easily set up the way I would like to work: all inputs should be routable to all outputs, pre or post fader, and there needs to be proper outputs to have all inputs iso as eel as post fader mix to at least one output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Allen & Heath QU-16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 They're all so big! I can't imaging being in the location I am in today with a cart big enough to house any of the usual digital mixers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afewmoreyears Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 They're all so big! I can't imaging being in the location I am in today with a cart big enough to house any of the usual digital mixers. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJW Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 They're all so big! I can't imaging being in the location I am in today with a cart big enough to house any of the usual digital mixers. Agreed. I have a Sonosax ST. A lovely way to work but the very good pre-amps of the Sonosax are bypassing the very good pre-amps of the Cantar. And a good analogue desk is costly. For me it is either a 12v analogue desk or a fader panel. A digital mains desk might have applications on bigger jobs but I would avoid them for day to day mixing. Interestingly, the voltage of LiFePo batteries as opposed to lead gel can make a sinusoidal inverter a more realistic option - even on a small rig - opening up the possibility of a mains desk. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 The Yamaha is BIG, yes, but the two others most mentioned, the Soundcraft and the Allen & Heath, are not as big (and both are very lightweight). I still have a real problem with ANY mixer that requires AC but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Because I only work on small projects, I purchased a Cooper CS-306 and it has been a dream come nearly true in my quest for "the perfect mixer". I think the only thing I dislike so far is the lack of an external slate mic option. I also own a Sony DMX-E2000 as my "digital desk" which I'm still trying to figure out how to fit into my workflow, but is on standby if I ever needed to do a larger job. Quite frankly, it will probably stay on the shelf for quite awhile. I owned in the past a Presonus 16.4.2 and an O1V96i. I really liked the Presonus, but mainly used it for music remotes recording bands. I used it on occasion on set and a couple of times for ADR, but the experience was less than satisfying - making it work was a chore with mind-bending button presses (at least in the heat of the moment) adding stress to a situation where it was not welcome. The O1V is not my cup of tea. I tried it out, just couldn't get into it at all. We had some sort of personality conflict, so we parted ways. If I needed advanced routing and the features of a digital workflow today, quite frankly I'd go with a DAW. A digital desk is an embedded computer with a fixed feature set. A DAW is built upon a general purpose computer with an infinitely customizable feature set. Because I'm so particular, I think I would be happier with a DAW even given some of the downsides. Because one of the downsides with a DAW is stability - and that's a big one, it would be unprofesssional to not address that issue when designing the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marien Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 Hi guys, I recently used a A&H mixwizard on a corporate gig where I needed to handle a small PA as well as recording. I was impressed overall with the mixing and routing capabilities of this little board and everything sounded great...until we went to post. Then, we discovered that the quality of the preamp were painfully inferior to my usual 552. My cos-11 sounded harsh with too much sibillance and the 416 used for Q&A was muddy lacked clarity and dedinition. Nothing horrible but just not as good as usual. I thought of using higher quality front end preamps, like metric halo before going in the mixer for next time. Problem is a lot of those cheaper mixer don't have a real line in amp, just a pad before the mic preamp. A system's quality being determined by the cheapest element of the chain, the front end preamps wouldn't be a perfect solution. At the moment, I am yet to experience a true competitor to the 01v96 in digital and coopers/audio development in analog (never actually used a cooper myself, opinion based on common feedback). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 I'm in the market for a new mixer having sold my Cooper and I'm curious about what working sound mixers are using these days. If you liked the Cooper, the PSC Solice (used by CrewC above) is fantastic -- virtually the same features and a similar signal chain. Weighs 15 pounds, all 12VDC operation, $10K. I like the 01V96 a lot and don't have a problem with the Yamaha interface, but there is a learning curve and you do need to spend a couple of days getting over lots of quirks with setting it up. But it's 33 pounds, very deep (22"), and requires 120VAC. Great on a big cart, plus they're only $2300 (less than half that used on eBay). I think the preamps in the Yamaha are actually very good, and the routing and delays are extremely flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Allen & Heath QU-16 Qu-16_The-Mixing-Experience.jpg I looked into this mixer and the problem for me was that there weren't enough outs once you plugged each channel Iso into your recorder. There wasn't anything left for camera feeds, comteks PL's etal. Too bad because it looks interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.279748a58a2b862b7aa5f3b84126e232.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.