Budget audio mixer?
- Thread starter pmk396
- Start date
David W. Jones
Veteran
IMO, many of the lesser field mixers have mic pre quality level no better than the built-in mic pres of cameras.
If you really want to take your audio to the next level, you really need to step up to a professional level field mixer. First things first... Set a budget! Then find a solution that fits your budget. My suggestion would be to purchase a used professional level mixer which will have the quality level and features you will need. A nice used pro mixer will not cost much more than a new faux-pro lower cost mixer. Good luck with your quest!
If you really want to take your audio to the next level, you really need to step up to a professional level field mixer. First things first... Set a budget! Then find a solution that fits your budget. My suggestion would be to purchase a used professional level mixer which will have the quality level and features you will need. A nice used pro mixer will not cost much more than a new faux-pro lower cost mixer. Good luck with your quest!
Steve House
Veteran
You do get what you pay for. There are no high-quality field mixers in that price range.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
You might find one used for ~$200 but probably not. If you will have AC power you can get a number of good small mixers, but if you need to be on batteries then the field is small.
Options I have heard respectable mixers talk about as low budget options (but have not used my self) are modified Mackie mixers with a battery in and the very cheap Behringer mixer that can be powered off 9V batteries.
The first is going to be over your budget and isn't an over the shoulder solution. The second I was very skeptical of but the person who was hot on it had been a production mixer for about 50 years and was also one of the early Oktava proponents and had consistently good advice, so for under $100 it's probably worth a try.
Options I have heard respectable mixers talk about as low budget options (but have not used my self) are modified Mackie mixers with a battery in and the very cheap Behringer mixer that can be powered off 9V batteries.
The first is going to be over your budget and isn't an over the shoulder solution. The second I was very skeptical of but the person who was hot on it had been a production mixer for about 50 years and was also one of the early Oktava proponents and had consistently good advice, so for under $100 it's probably worth a try.
silentnoise
Member
The Rolls MX124 may be a good compromise for you if you can't afford the sound devices.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294571-REG/Rolls_MX124_MX124_Portable_4_Channel.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294571-REG/Rolls_MX124_MX124_Portable_4_Channel.html
JordanBlock
Well-known member
The preamps in any of the Rolls/Azden/other cheap mixers aren't any improvement over the h4n's preamps, don't throw your money away.
silentnoise
Member
If he can't get clean audio with an h4n then he needs to move his mics closer. I recommended the rolls mixer because it would give more channels and more control over signal levels. the little behringer looks nice though...
It's not a issue of getting clean audio. The microphone does not have enough sensitivity to drive the recorder's preamps (which are gained for micing loud sources) to reach proper level. Yea, a rolls would bring the level up, but with a significant rise in noise floor. The OP doesn't need more channels, he needs more clean gain.
JordanBlock
Well-known member
Another option would be a single channel pre. Sound Devices has a couple, and I think PSC makes a single channel 'dv promix'.
kgimedia
Well-known member
Rolls makes some nice products for monitoring and adapting signal. If your camera only has a 1/8" input the mixer listed would be a nice option to adapt XLR sources to the camera. The above posters comments should be read at least twice by anyone that has not heard professional audio or does not understand gain structure. There is a reason audio guys call us Vidiots. I would rather adjust in post then let poor quality analog components get into my audio, especially considering this is in the "Filmmaking" section. If you are making backyard wrestling videos for youtube go for it. If you are trying to make a film and tell a story that makes people suspend disbelief you need quality audio. You can show 3 minutes of black with compelling audio and people can follow your intent, try showing 3 minutes of 4k RED footage or IMAX with poor quality audio and some people will walk out. I know I would. Unless of course it was a Documentary, my one exception because sometimes you just have to capture whats happening and hope it works. You can't do a second take in Doc work unless it is interview or b-roll.
A mackie 802 or 402 VLZ3 runs 100-200$ if you want a non digital mixer. The preamps are fine, believe it or not.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/mackie802402vlz3.htm
But not battery powered.
I wouldn't use them myself, but they sound fine, and I would not bet I could tell them apart from a more expensive unit in a double blind test. I would hope, but also pray.
For battery power, look at the Behringers. Their preamps are a slight step down, but the fact is a lot of this all-on-a-chip stuff sounds much better than it did five years ago.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/mackie802402vlz3.htm
But not battery powered.
I wouldn't use them myself, but they sound fine, and I would not bet I could tell them apart from a more expensive unit in a double blind test. I would hope, but also pray.
For battery power, look at the Behringers. Their preamps are a slight step down, but the fact is a lot of this all-on-a-chip stuff sounds much better than it did five years ago.
kgimedia
Well-known member
My comments were about field mixers. Can someone post a link to the Behringers? It is my belief that the battery powered Behringers have been discontinued. While some of Behringers are nice I am not sure I would rely on equipment that is no longer produced by the manufacturer.
JordanBlock
Well-known member
Well, relying on anything from Behringer is pretty much a crap shoot, but it does appear there is a current offering, the Xenyx 1002B, looks like it's right around $100. The preamps in the Xenyx stuff aren't particularly good, I'd try before you buy if at all possible. Behringer claimed 4hours battery life, I think we can safely assume that's without phantom power in use, and it's probably on the optimistic side.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
If you think about it probably most the stuff you own is no longer made by the manufacturer, but I bet that "old" 2010 model car will keep running for awhile.
Behringer's problem is Quality control. Most of the boxes are OK to good and some are really good... BUT you can't count on the one you bought being as good as the one someone reviewed. I've had brand new boxes have parts literally fall off as I took it out of the packaging. Once you get one that works they seem to last as long as any other box. So they are a bit of a gamble, like buying anything from Guitar Center. Make sure you can get it replaced if it's defective. I would probably only buy local or from Sweetwater or B&H.
It's near impossible to repair most modern electronics so the odds are any "repair" on equipment costing under a couple of grand is going to be a replacement. And that translates to much less of a concern with something still being made since you won't need replacement parts or someone who knows how to work on it. If you're under warrantee you will get it replaced, if not you will buy a new one. The more "professional" VS "consumer" the gear is the more likely it will be that it can be repaired. I can get my MixPre repaired but probably not my Marantz recorder, both are still made.