Alan A Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Hey all, I had a question, Im looking into a new mixer. But having trouble deciding which one, I heard that a good starting mixer is a mackie I was looking at some of those mixers but wanted some advice of which one to get. Im using the Aaton Cantar x2 I want at least 8 channels but need help picking one. I have a pretty low budget, just starting out doing indy stuff and student productions. I am going to upgrade later on to a much better one just looking for a cheap mixer that will suffice. Thanks, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Mackies are very good values (a similar Allen and Heath model may be an even better value) they are very popular, and should work ok for you, but neither is in the same class as the Cantar. sorry, but it kind of contrasts with your limited budget... as someone keeps saying: "buy once", but other folks do it in steps. in either case: it is not about the arrows, it is about the archer! all the best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Don't buy a cheap mixer. It will prove to be money wasted. With such a capable recorder, you could work for a long time without purchasing any mixer at all. Put your money in microphones or other items that significantly enhance your recording options. The Cantar already has 5 mike inputs, 4 line inputs and digital inputs. It also has a line out to feed cameras and a foldback out that can supply video village and/or a boom operator. Granted, it doesn't have discrete outputs that permit providing a different signal to your boom and to others monitoring but you could work quite awhile without that kind of refinement. When I was starting in the business I had a Nagra recorder that I used for virtually every assignment. Even on video shoots I would use the Nagra to provide power to the mikes and monitoring for me. I would feed a line level signal to the video recorder from the Nagra. You could use the Cantar the same way, bringing it even on shoots where all audio would be recorded on another device. If you do have some funds available and want to enhance your system, consider getting the Cantarem faders. That would provide smooth P&G fader control for any input. It's also a device that can serve you many years in the future (assuming you still have the Cantar) when working in insert cars or on boats or anywhere a full mixing panel would be cumbersome. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan A Posted March 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Ya I was looking at the mixer panel for the cantar, any one know a price? Been looking but can't find a price. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Ya I was looking at the mixer panel for the cantar, any one know a price? The LSC site doesn't post a price but I'm pretty sure it's about $3200. Give LSC a call to confirm before you write the check but it's in that range. Here's a link to the specs from the LSC catalog: http://www.locationsound.com/proaudio/ls/AATCANTAREM.html And from the Aaton site: http://www.aaton.com/products/sound/cantarem/index.php David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 There is also a Cantar mixer interface from iTAK that offers eq and some other refinements. I believe (not sure) that it is compatible with the Cantarem faders. That is, one could use the Cantarem simultaneously with the iTAK interface. iTAK also, I think offers their own fader set as an accessory. Cost, not counting slide faders, is 1900 Euros (about $2574 as of 3/21/09). For more information: http://www.dcaudiovisuel.com/news_info.php/newsPath/9/news_id/62?DCASID=b420586cff84e852815d24f518130bc2 David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I found it to be not that good. It is only for the 4 line in ports. Stick with the Cantarem. Scott, do you mean that it is not a good product or only that it is limited because it works only with the four line ins? If it's the latter, I think it might still be a product worthy of a good look. Of course, if the quality of the preamps or construction is not high, that's another matter. (I've never seen one myself. All my knowledge comes from their on-line presentation) David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I don't mean to keep repeating myself... or maybe I do. And Alan, I encourage you to search for previous threads of this topic. It has been discussed MANY times before in great detail. I use a Mackie 1642VLZ3. Not that my resume is all that impressive, but I have been praised by post on recent projects. I am probably most pleased with the sound from "Boogeyman 2", with the post being handled by the team that has done all of Sam Raimi's stuff, including the Spiderman movies. The post team made numerous positive comments to the producers and the director/editor about my sound. The sound on that movie was done on a Mackie 1402. Now... I can't imagine the sound from that machine measuring up to a Cooper or Sonosax or perhaps the new PSC when hard-lined to a mic on a whisper quiet set, etc., and listened to through headphones, but that does not bother me. I can tell you that I can lug my headphones into the Mackie, shove up ALL the faders with no signal present on the preamps (usually generating hiss), and am VERY impressed with the low noise. My friends Steve Morrow and Bob Wald both use the Mackie Onyx 1640. These guys are both SERIOUS professionals, which I doubt anyone here would dispute. Both have used much higher end machines, and could certainly buy another one now. So...as I said before. Using a Mackie is a fine choice for anyone, especially a beginner. As Senator Mike Michaels wrote...It's not about the arrows, it's about the archer. Work on your skills, and spend your money on equipment that really makes a difference, like good mics and little tricks that will get you sound when you might not have otherwise been able to. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 " the mixer panel for the cantar, any one know a price? " the best place to check for a price, and get the best quote, is the dealer who sold your Canter ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 If AC powering is not an issue, then Mackie makes a solid product for the price. I have a 1642VLZ and a Mackie ONYX1642 in my home studio and like them very much. Mr Lightstone and others are big Yamaha fans and that is a good value for the money. After that I think low $$$ options are played out. The Cantar is a good all in one unit that should be enough for 95% of jobs. I would buy good microphones and save for a pro film style mixer. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Since you paid the price for the Cantar, I'd recommend really trying to get the Cantarem to work for you. The Cantar preamps are pretty great, but you'd have to decide how much you'd miss EQ and the other ancillary features of a mixer (like sends, buses, communications etc.). How many inputs do you figure you need? Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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