Opinions on 8-10 Ch mixers w/ FX and possibly USB ?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1115780948.685328.222290@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com> netter06108@yahoo.com writes:

> I'm looking for some guidance on selecting a small mixer w/ built-in
> effects (at least some reverb for vocals). USB output would also be
> nice, but is not essential. I need at least 2 Mic inputs and about 8 ch
> total. Price range is up to $220.
>
> I just need something for amateur band rehearsals and to record into a
> PC.
>
> I want something with audio quality that's good enough so an amateur
> can't notice the noise - I'm not expecting miracles from an $200 mixer.
>
> The Alesis seems like a good deal for $149 (w/ USB), but reviews
> suggest that the audio and fx quality is pretty bad. However, I'm not
> sure if those reviews were written by pro's or by regular people.

It doesn't matter, and the audio and FX quality of any mixer in that
price range will be about the same.

Buy a mixer that has the features you need, that's available from a
local source at a decent price (you want to be able to take it back
and exchange if for something else easily if it really doesn't do what
you expect, or as well), read the manual, and start using it. Whatever
you buy will be OK. Don't worry about whether something else is
marginally better. Unlike Kevin A., I won't tell you that they all
sound the same (though they may, within certain limits) but I'll tell
you that the differences in sound quality aren't going to be big
enough to make or break a decision based on functionality, features,
and general reputation of the manufacturer for good products and good
support.

You will read good and bad reviews of everything in this price class.
You can sort out the useful and useless reviews by how well the author
describes his application (assuming it's a reasonable application for
the product) and how well the mixer he reviews suits that application.

> Does anybody have anything good to say about sub-$200 mixers w/
> effects?

Yes. They're mostly all good sub-$200 mixers, an effective use of
money when requirements aren't stringent. They make no attempt to
compete with super-$2,000 mixers, so don't expect them to do so.


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