Digital Mixer

thef0x

thef0x

Active member
I figure it's a good idea to get a digital mixer to stream directly into a laptop while on location.

http://www.activemusician.com/item--EM.PHN-MU1202X/ref=fg

Edit: ebay is cheap and has free shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Phonic-MU-1...ryZ47094QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Looks like a killer deal for what it does.

I'd get this mixer before getting a newer Mic as I figure the mixer will be great for a long time and will drastically improve the sound of my mic (and add to its versatility--cleaner outdoor and indoor sound w/ V.O. settings).

What do you guy's think?
 
Well, if that's your plan, I'd suggest at least going wiuth a mixer that has a USB or Firewire output to the computer - otherwise, the computer's built-in audio and a/d circuitry will be a weak link. Yamaha, Alesis, Phonic all make reasonably priced units...
 
I thought this mixer has that. I very much want a mixer with a USB out so I can stream digital audio information to my computer for a much cleaner sound.

Does this mixer not do that? What mixers do do that?
 
Your probably right but you shouldn't assume that just because it's going in USB it's going to be a "much cleaner" sound. A $100 mixer might not be all that much better than your audio ins.

thef0x said:
I thought this mixer has that. I very much want a mixer with a USB out so I can stream digital audio information to my computer for a much cleaner sound.

Does this mixer not do that? What mixers do do that?
Click to expand...
 
Noiz2: I dunno, I'd say in most cases, yes, a $100 mixer will make a significant difference. The farther you can get from those noisy computer circuits...

thef0x: If you like that store, and Phonic, check this:

http://www.activemusician.com/item--EM.PHN-HELIXBD12

Personally, if I were looking for such a thing, I'd go for something like this Yamaha:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MW10/

...Yamaha's mixers are pretty nice sounding; definitely better than Alesis, but I've never tried Phonic.

You might consider getting a small firewire recording interface or mixer if you want to capture all the tracks separately.... or just drag along something like this setup:

OpSetup.jpg


-Barry
 
The Mackie Onyx series also is well thought of.

And, I would only go firewire, not USB. The architecture of USB has problems that causes its true throughput to be significantly worse than firewire (and no, I'm not a Mac snob - I'm a windows user with a firewire port on my notebook).

And, if you do go Mac, there are great software products for recording multi-track (boom recorder and metacorder).

Phil
 
Ullanta, Your right about getting away from noisy computer circuits but a mixer that has a USB out is a computer and most cheap mixers are pretty noisey on there own... but ya never know.
 
You get what you pay for. I thought Behringer mixers were cool till I actually used one. They are so noisy they are unusable.

-Dave
 
Dave,

I'll second your thoughts on Behringer. My first mixer was a Behringer. I upgraded to a Mackie (1202, not an Onyx) and when I first plugged it in, I thought it was broken because it was so quiet (compared to what I was used to). For me, Behringer mixers rank right up there with the ME66. ;-(

You do get what you pay for, but I'm personally still a bit skeptical that a Cooper mixer really sounds more than 20x better than an Onyx. Now, I do have to qualify that and say I have never used a Cooper (or a Sonosax). Someday, maybe. ;-)

Phil
 
Behringer is junk. That Phonic thing looks like it is about in the same league. Keep in mind that digital technology does nothing to bring down the cost of good analog preamps. Normally you are gonna end up paying a minimum of $500 a channel for "excellent" quality mic preamps. That is just preamps, not for a mixer.

I think it is safe to assume that the Mackie mixers are usually the cheapest you want to go. They are generally a pretty decent value, and are definately quality gear. They just aren't super.


I wouldn't be surprised if that $100 Phonic thing sounded worse than the built in audio on the DVX100.
 
Well, I'm certainly not PUSHING thesde things, especially not having tried 'em. I have used a variety of Yamaha mixers (analog), and can say that they're far better than Behringer, and close to Mackie (MDR, not necessarily Onyx) in preamp quality. he Yamaha stuff tends to be lower in features but better in quality than other mixers in the price range... so I think checking their USB mixers may be worthwhile.

Agreed, the USB mixers have computer-y electronics, but not the really noisy kinds of things, and CAN be a lot better than what's built-in to the computer. But again, I'm not advocating buying; I'm advocating investigating.
 
TRue and I'm not saying that they would be the same, I suspect that the odds are greatly in favor of the USB mixer of any type being better than the built in. But a cheap mixer doesn't necessarily help you all that much and just because it's going in USB doesn't make it "noise free", which was something implied by the original poster.

ullanta said:
Agreed, the USB mixers have computer-y electronics, but not the really noisy kinds of things, and CAN be a lot better than what's built-in to the computer. But again, I'm not advocating buying; I'm advocating investigating.
Click to expand...
 
While I haven't used that mixer, my guess would be, based on price, that it isn't a very good mixer - probably in the Behringer range of mixer quality.

In that price range, look for a used Mackie. I picked up a 1202 for about that price and while it isn't digital, it will do the job fairly well for you (I would guess, since I'm not familiar with what you are trying to do).

Phil
 
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