Good Intro Mixer?

[Justin C]

Hello! I guess this will also be a little bit of an introduction, but I'm Justin, a recent graduate of Southern Oregon University, and I'm looking to purchase my own gear. While I took classes, I was lucky enough to rent out Zooms and Tascams, but now I'm on my own for my equipment. I've been researching Sound Devices and Behringer, but I'm curious what people's thoughts on here are for the best intro mixer. I'm really interested in the Behringer FLOW 4V if anyone has used that before and can talk about it. 

[Tim Norris]

I suppose it depends on what you're gonna do with it. 

 

After near 40 years of mostly doing Network News, my minimum acceptable mixer is the MixPre 10 ll. It doesn't have the features of my Scorpio, and it is more difficult to work with when time counts, but it weighs a lot less when fitted with a DRS4 and all the necessary goodies and I don't really need the extra features for most news days. Originally, I bought it as a disposable boom only mixer for hurricanes, boat trips, riots, and other dangerous stuff. It's the only MixPre with two sets of outputs, which makes it OK for my purposes.

 

I'd love to play with the Behringer FLOW 4V for a few minutes, but I can't imagine it has the features or build quality required even for news. At $300, it might serve as an IFB kit mixer/router for me, permanently mounted in the IFB case. The price alone makes me think it's super low end and may not like being manipulated. Zoom and Tascam never crossed my mind. 

 

It might be right for you... you should know what you want a mixer to do for you and work from there.

Buy more than you need... never cheap out.

 

I look forward to seeing what Behringer FLOW 4V users have to say and what you choose as your first mixer.

 

Cheers,

Tim

 

* In my day, there were no classes. 

[Philip Perkins]

When you say "mixer" do you really mean a mixer or a recorder with a mixer in it?    For the latter, the SD gear is a good bet, up and down their line.  Their stuff is well enough made that used versions of models no longer made are still a good bet, although they have quirky OS and won't talk to your phone.  I'm not a fan of Zoom/Deity/whatever brand X, but they get the job done for a lot of folks.  However, I would very much recommend that you only consider those as new purchases, not used.

[Johnny Karlsson]

If you are just starting out, I would advise to not buy anything until you have jobs that pay decent labor rates and gear rentals to the point that you can get a return on your investment. Until you have a regular steady stream of such jobs, rent gear at a local sound store (or "usual suspects" as they are known around here), or from a local Sound Mixer, who may also become a source of jobs when they are double booked. They may also become a source of knowledge/mentor, and might possibly also sell you some gear when they are upgrading to the latest and greatest. I believe we have at least a couple people that post here that are from PNW(?).

Once you get to the point of having regular jobs, I bet you would not want either of those brands you mentioned. As Tim and Philip has pointed out above, I agree that Sound Devices is a good bet. Both for usability, quality - and re-sellability (is that a real word?). 

[Tim Norris]

8 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said:

Both for usability, quality - and re-sellability (is that a real word?). 

 

Real word or not, it's a thing. As an early adopter of SD gear, I was able to sell several of my very well cared for Sound Devices for more than I paid when a new model came out.

 

My only Zoom device ever, an early recorder used as an upgrade from cassette tapes for transcriptions, was tossed in the trash when the SD 552 came out.

 

I still have a MixPre D that gets occasional use as a problem solver.

I lost my original MixPre, their first product, to theft. I imagine it is still usable today.

 

Cheers,

Tim

[Olle Sjostrom]

There's a glowing review of the Behringer Flow here on this Forum. Glowing in the sense that it's beautifully tearing it apart and making it clear that it is not an acceptable working unit as of now at least. 

[Jim Feeley]

I think Olle is referring to @cmgoodin's comment and video here: 

 

Courtney posted a useful PDF detailing his issues (at the time) with the Behringer recorder. He also posted this nine-minute video: 

 

[DanieldH]

What @Johnny Karlsson said!

If you feel the urge to spend money on a mixing recorder right now, a used SD633 in mint condition might be what I'd look out for. I don't because on the few occasions I'd want one, enough people in town have one and could help me out. Even the camera rental place in my neighborhood have some units. If you know what types of jobs you aim for, invest in what is the most expensive to rent or not for rent at all. In my case, this is rather wireless and mics. A top tier shotgun and boom and accessories could last a career, any recorder or wireless likely a lot less.
From what I see, the film and video industry is changing and will change even faster, and so will our craft and our tools. 

[Philip Perkins]

3 hours ago, Tim Norris said:

 

Real word or not, it's a thing. As an early adopter of SD gear, I was able to sell several of my very well cared for Sound Devices for more than I paid when a new model came out.

 

My only Zoom device ever, an early recorder used as an upgrade from cassette tapes for transcriptions, was tossed in the trash when the SD 552 came out.

 

I still have a MixPre D that gets occasional use as a problem solver.

I lost my original MixPre, their first product, to theft. I imagine it is still usable today.

 

Cheers,

Tim

I still use 2 of those OG MixPres fairly often.  They still sound great, being from the "Lundahl Era" at SD.

[Derek H]

I agree on the used 633 suggestion. I still think it’s the best tool for the job for documentaries for example. You can probably find a used one for under $2k. 
 

Of that’s out of the question then I would think a Zoom F8N or F8N Pro would be your next best choice. The Zoom F8 series is a much better recorder than their earlier handy recorder days and has most of the features you would need for an actual job. It is a pain in the ass to mix on though. Interface takes some getting used to. Actually I may never get used to it. 
 

Good luck

PS .. can you prove you’re not an AI bot? I see this is your first and only post and we’ve had a lot of bots here lately.