Dubba Dutchdj Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I've recently started a music production diploma so I'm eligible for student discounts (standby credit card). Ive needed a studio mixer for time but haven't a clue where to start or what brands are worth a shout or avoiding etc..Requirements Minimun 4 channels inputsMinimum 2 stereo outputs (one pair XLR)USB audio I/O (class compliant interface would be nice)Advice from experienced DV fam much appreciated x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 soundcraft seems like a decent choice???? maybe??? i see lots of pro-looking people with them at least..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rasteri Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Soundcraft are good but their reliability is somewhat variable. Usually easily/cheaply repaired though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Soundcraft are good but their reliability is somewhat variable. Usually easily/cheaply repaired though.this i can also say is true. we go through a lot of the EPM range of mixers at my work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Rock Well Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Indeed, my old Soundcraft 8 channel didn't last as long as I'd have liked. Paul - if it was my money, I'd probably head to the cheapest A&H one that fits the bill. The ZED range, if that's still what they call them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Rock Well Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Looks like maybe a ZED10 or a ZED14 would do the job? Looking round there isn't a huge choice these days and while there are plenty of really cheap options, assuming that everything else is going to be running through the channels and built in interface, I'd want something half decent that isn't going to undermine everything I ran through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubba Dutchdj Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Cheers boysYeah both ZED10 or 14 tick all the box's, considering the brand it seems like the best chance of getting a decent bit of kit at £200 - £300ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexinoodle Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I would have recommended the Behringer X Air, that thing is amazing, but obviously you get all the bullshit that now seems to go along with that company. If you can find a good second hand original Mackie 1604 they have the best bass overdrive going on the gains (not the VLZ) they are rare though because they get snapped up by DnB producers. The Zed is a nice cheap bit of kit, but if you go second hand A&H you could get something a little bigger with a deeper EQ. If you are willing to travel and pick up, big format consoles (and i mean big lol) go for pennies on the pound on ebay now, the mid range big formats or live desks have very little value, you can regularly find 24-32 channels going for £2-300. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest It'sPhilFromThursdays Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 More importantly, what course are you doing and where Paulo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubba Dutchdj Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 @Phil - online with Point Blank covering all aspects of production using Ableton, going to an actual college would of been cool but jus not practical with work, where as online I can get stuck in when I want etc....So far Im really enjoying it, I know a lot of this stuff you can teach your self with all the available free resources online but having an actual detailed structured course to work to (thats cost me money) is the best way to keep my easily distracted mind on track. You get a weekly 1-2-1 session with the tutor and there's weekly live streamed class's where you can get questions answered.Apart from wanting to focus on making music I've been wanting to get into Ableton for time and after only a week of learning it the software Im seeing so much potential for both my own live show and also stuff I do with the brass band.Unsurprisingly 99% percent of the other students on the course are into..... tech and or minimal house, because the world always needs more of that 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebzer Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 So, you need a typical mixer layout, with all the channel faders and EQ knobs, but with the digital goodies (I/O)... This is not going to be cheap, as the cheap options out there sound completely shit (and you'll probably end up substituting them within a year of use). E.g. Alesis Multimix, sounds like shit. Mackie VLZs, sound like shit. Anything actually that costs less than 2k sounds like shit. Unfortunately, these kinds of gear are expensive, as there are quite a lot of circuiting going on. Best bet for you is to look for a second hand ProTools rig (no joking). Maybe you get lucky and you stumble upon a studio closure / upgrade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexinoodle Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Total nonsense.1 Small mixers at that price have been and will always be used as sub mixers even with bigger set ups. 2 Unless we are including the mic amps (doubtful) there is very little in a modern small mixer that can sound shit, most of them all use a variant of a british EQ as used in most large format consoles or even sinple tone controls which have even less chance of making anything sound shit. 3 Buying a Pro-Tools set up cheap and trying to Run Ableton Live on it would be a class exercise in stupidity, most Pro-Tools rigs have no ASIO drivers. 4 Anything that costs less than 2k sounds like shit ? That is total nonsense, so much so in fact that i am not even going to give reasons why it is total nonsense !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest It'sPhilFromThursdays Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 @Phil - online with Point Blank covering all aspects of production using Ableton, going to an actual college would of been cool but jus not practical with work, where as online I can get stuck in when I want etc.... So far Im really enjoying it, I know a lot of this stuff you can teach your self with all the available free resources online but having an actual detailed structured course to work to (thats cost me money) is the best way to keep my easily distracted mind on track. You get a weekly 1-2-1 session with the tutor and there's weekly live streamed class's where you can get questions answered. Apart from wanting to focus on making music I've been wanting to get into Ableton for time and after only a week of learning it the software Im seeing so much potential for both my own live show and also stuff I do with the brass band. Unsurprisingly 99% percent of the other students on the course are into..... tech and or minimal house, because the world always needs more of that Cool (not the house making student), doing a music course made me learn what i probably would've learned in 10 years (esp. per-prevalence of online learning tools then) in a couple so it's well worth it and anything that makes you be even more rad at music is only of supreme benefit to us all. The courses look pretty damn good and i love the sound of that course structure. Kudos, i hope/know you'll smash it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Point Blank is legit, at least from what I've seen thus far. Tuts are easy to follow, so can only imagine their course work is solid, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Rock Well Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 I think Kebzer's nailed it. When you're one week into an Ableton based, computer music production course and you need mixer, there really are only three sensible options - buy two grand's worth of analogue mixer, buy a used Pro-Tools rig or kill yourself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubba Dutchdj Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Point Blank is legit, at least from what I've seen thus far. Tuts are easy to follow, so can only imagine their course work is solid, too. Early days but yeah its all laid out in easily digestible chunks, intrigued to see how the more complex stuff will be taught. The thing I really like is the tutors (or atlas the one Ive got) are active pro musicians at the top of there specific field. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexinoodle Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mackie-8-bus-32ch-Console-24ch-extender-and-meter-bridges/323332154771?hash=item4b48192593:g:p1cAAOSw2spbAWmZThere ya go, put wheels on it and drive it home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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