console

[swpowe]

Hey, I'm thinking about getting the Behringer MX2442A 24-CHANNEL 4-BUS MIXING CONSOLE for a small post production, demo facility. Just wanted to see what people think. I've heard good and bad about Behringer. Thanks [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[dans]

I was once contemplating such a purchase: to buy Behringer or not to buy Behringer. Circumstances changed and I never had to decide, but I did do tons of research on Google Groups (an excellent resource for almost anything). It boiled down to this, some people hate them and some don't, with very few inbetween. There's no doubt they are very cheap, probably saving R&D costs by copying other company's products and *maybe* using inferior parts and service. My vocal coach has a couple of their mixers and they seem just fine. He's never had a problem. But in the end, it seems the general rule, "you get what you pay for" is indeed a law of the universe.

I think I would not buy their stuff unless money was a *huge* factor. If you are really tight on cash, then go ahead and get one. But if you can afford a better name, like Mackie, you won't be let down.

[Carbon111]

You will save yourself a lot of tears by looking into Mackie (very sturdy and affordable) or Spirit (not quite as affordable). I have had miserable luck with Beheringer...

[jamlaw]

I would definitely get a mackie before a crapinger!

[[Benjamin]]

They all suck. Really. Don't believe the (age-old) hype about Mackie. Not even them could turn **** into shinola but they sure could make you believe it. Let's not even get into Behringer.

If I were to buy a cheap small format mixer today I'd look at Phonic (yes, believe it or not, but their latest batch of small mixers are not bad at all. At least as good as Mackie and far less expensive. Don't take it from me. Try one or check reviews on: MM1002 (few features, 4ch/2bal) MM1202 (12ch/4bal) MM1805/1805X (18ch/6bal).

I tried a small Yamaha two or three years ago that was pretty good. can't remember the model but it was $2-300 and I think 10 or 12ch. I remember thinking it sounded better than the Mackies.

Another brand that I think has gotten a bad name for cosmetic reasons rather than sonic reasons is Spirit. Sure, I wouldn't call them flat or transparent, but Spirits mic amps and eqs have good presence and aren't too hard to get a good mix on.

As always with budget mixers - check the noise level! I'm not afraid of a little noise, but sometimes they offer a bit much. The usual old test: First patch a source (CD or something) on line ins or so. Put the Master at 0 or nominal. Adjust gain/level on source channel til you get a healthy output (check meters to see that you're saturating the mix bus enough (some mixers like it around 0, others want it louder - listen and decide, but don't near distorsion land.) Next, take out the cables you patched the source with, turn all mic gains up to something healthy-hot (whatever that may be, like whatever puts a lo-z dynamic at OdB(u) running on vocals or something). Put the line gains (if any) to nominal level. Last, turn up all faders (and returns of you want to) to 0. Now you're hearing the mixer's self-noise with all channels on, can you hear it? Is it annoying or is it barely there? If you want to you can push all the faders up to their max to see if the mixer's self-noise increases much when pushed beyond unity operation. And so on.. This is all a pretty amateurish "test" but it's better than nothing. However, it doesn't say much, if anything, about the sound of a mixer.

Long post about something this fluffy..

Ben

[Doc]

Ben,
Phonic?? They must've improved dramatically in the past few years. I used to work as a tech doing repairs to many brands (including Mackie, Behringer, Yamaha, Soundcraft and others) and must say that back then, I wouldn't have touched a Phonic desk with a barge pole. Even Behringer ran rings around them. I guess things can change though.

Yamaha are pretty hard to beat for reliability and solid construction although they did have a bad run with the 01V and Promix 01 series. I remember doing a service on a Yamaha (EM series I think, with stepped attenuators) that was in house at one of the local pubs for years (JBL 3 way system with Crown and BGW amps). Except for a broken fader, it was working perfectly. When I took it apart, I could barely make out the tracks on the PC boards from the conductive cocktail of beer, Coke, dust, cigarette ash and spirits plastered everywhere. I could hardly believe it was still working, let alone working well. The faders were still silky smooth (I'd mixed on this PA many times).
I too agree that it sounded better than the Mackies. Admittedly, I'm talking about live sound and analog consoles here but they seem to have a warmth and fullness that the Mackies lack to some degree. Also, although Mackies have good headroom, the Yamaha's are legendary for headroom. They begin to sound really nice when you peg the VU meters. In fact, you'll probably break the needles before you here clipping. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] If you ever get the opportunity, try it on a PM4000.

Just one more thing. Noise tests should be done with the inputs shorted or preferably terminated with the equivalent of a typical input source. Unterminated inputs usually give a very misleading result. Some mic pre's make very good white noise generators when they are unterminated but can be almost silent with the correct load. The amount of variation depends on the design of the mic pre's.

[burzum2000]

I HAVE THE BEHRINGER MX2442A console i use it with my mac g4 800 and digi 001 i like the console, because it was all i could afford, i am 16, but im problaby gonna end up replacing it with some presonuse mic pres

[where02190]

The audio quality of their consoles is very inferior, and their construction prone to failure easily with even mild road use. I'd recommend saving for something better.

[swpowe]

thanks for all the input guys! anyone else...I'll be using it with the 001 or course..my price range is around $650-$700 I know its not too much, but are you guys using? what do you think I could get for around that price range? again, thanks so much! [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]