A lot of people say that a mixer is useless, and a channel strip will do the same thing, and so on.
That was before.
In fact, no one doubts the fact that the top-level big stage has a particularly good voice. The main problem is that the big stage is too expensive, the music market can’t make so much money now, and the cost is not appropriate. However, the needs of most listeners are still at the level of “almost just enough”, and they have not reached the level of “to listen to lossless”, so they really don’t need to be that high. That’s why I took the next step, dismantling the big stage, and changing it to channel strips, or simply using only the phone amplifier, which is more economical.
In recent years, there have been several new mixers that are inexpensive and have remarkable performance. I think they are very suitable for “small studios and individuals”. Some of them are suitable for recording, some are suitable for summing, some are very cost-effective and suitable for those with insufficient budget, and some small bands can arrange their own music. In fact, the requirements of many people are not so high, and the current channel strips are not cheap at all. Don’t blindly pursue such luxury, and buy a working tool at 1/2 or even 1/3 the price, isn’t it good?
Mackie RunningMan VLZ Series
Features: The preamp is very simulated, and the workmanship is extremely strong
Disadvantage: The configuration is very simple
Price: 1-12K range, the number of interfaces is different
Mickey’s classic VLZ series mixer has been around for four generations. Still great dynamics, low noise, good preamp, good workmanship, as always. The entry-level price is less than 1K, and the 32-way price is only 12K, which is quite cost-effective. In the 2017 version, I specially took out the 2-word version of it and introduced it to everyone as a sub-word. In the past few years, dozens of netizens have discussed this product with me, and I have confirmed that six of them have purchased it. Except for one of the more reserved lady who did not express her opinion, the other five all said that it was worth the money and was very comfortable to use. One of them even bought a 16-way version to record the band’s rehearsal demo. He also tried taking it home and doing summing with his audio interface and compressor. According to feedback, the sound can easily be pressed a lot louder than Cubase+Waves L2 without becoming soft.
I can only repeat this information as it is because of the existence of hardware compressors and I can’t confirm it myself. I’m not sure how useful this mixer is in this step. But the experience of using this mixer’s mic preamp is still very good, I can guarantee this, because I used it to record an afternoon lecture. This series is particularly worth mentioning is the 2 mic preamp version, the price is low, the sound is very worthy of its price, when used, pan to the extreme left and extreme right is the 2-way mic preamp.
Behringer XR Series
Midas MR series
Features: This pair of brothers has a high configuration, a bunch of mic preamps + channel strips + massive DSP effects, with remote control, high-end with audio interface
Disadvantages: all operations have to rely on remote control, nothing on the panel
Price: 2-5K range, the number of interfaces is different
Do you want to buy 4 Midas mic preamps, a whole bunch of channel strips, 50+ DSP effects for the price of 2K? Or at the price of 5K, increase to 16 Midas Pro mic preamps and add an audio interface?
Behringer and Midas (now the same company) are insane and totally insane. The price of 2K can buy a small digital mixer, and 5K can buy an 18-channel digital mixer with an audio interface! I tested the XR18 when I was helping an underground metal band record in their own small rehearsal studio, and it turned out to be an ideal sounding console! The DSP processing power is halved, but it is enough, and the sound is similar to the X32 to me! I watched helplessly as the bass player took out his backpack from the back seat of the car, reached out and picked up the gadget, put it on the table, and then placed a bunch of microphones with the drummer step by step, and finally took out the notebook and connected it. Pass me the earphones. This is how our cooperation started happily.
The XR series is a little lower-end, and the MR series is relatively high-end. In fact, the price is similar, and the core is similar. I think the sound is 99% the same, the difference is that the Midas mic preamp is better. But it’s the same as everything else, so I think you can buy whichever you want. It should be noted that the highest level is equipped with an audio interface, and the middle and low level are equipped with a U disk recording function.
SSL Six
Features: SSL, you know
Cons: A bit too simplified…
Price: 9-10K range
When SSL Six was launched, I wrote a special article. At that time, the price was in the 11-12K range. Now the price is lower than when it was listed, which is more cost-effective.
This little mixer, I’ve been interested in it since it was released. Because it’s not cheap: dual mic preamps; dual simplified channel strips with compression and EQ, which of course are simplified; there are line inputs; there is G Bus Comp compression, no surprise, everything is simplified. In short, everything is there, everything is simple. Whether it’s right for you depends on your specific situation: if you have a particularly handy amp, compressor, and equalizer, and use a high-performance sound card to make music, then you probably don’t need this gadget; if you only have a If you are using a multi-channel sound card, for example, there are already 8-10 outputs in the back. , then you can also connect it and use it as a summing box, the operation is more refined, and the dynamic performance of the finished product is better (hardware G Bus Comp!). This little mixer, the sound quality is no problem, but, it’s just no problem. After I played with my friends, I felt that I didn’t know it clearly enough, so I took the opportunity to go to Chuanxin to try it out, and finally came to the conclusion that “it is an overall shrunken version of the SSL medium-sized mixer”. It does not simply cut the channel, but also reduces the control power, and the price/performance ratio is normal. Note that the price/performance ratio is normal, neither high nor low, about the sound level worth 10,000 yuan, and the pricing is basically reliable.
