# Need a bit of help buying a mixer...not sure what i need.



## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I want to get a mixer with some decent preamps in it to help with recording however Im a bit confused on what to get.

Whats the difference between powered and non powered mixers?

Also when Im looking for a decent low budget mixer I really have no clue what Im looking for except for name brand and reading reviews.

basically my recording setup is this

Computer
recording software
m audio USB interface
Electric Guitar
Amp
Guitar effects
Amplitube 2 (kind of like guitar rig 2 and 3)
addictive drums DEMO program

Obviously I need a decent mixer/preamps...also after I get a mixer the next thing in line will be a compressor/limiter similar to this dbx model 
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=12186

However for now i want to get a mixer...I was looking at this low budget Mackie mixer and the reviews look pretty good on it and mackie is a good brand name however I have no idea how I would hook it up to the m audio fast track interface and also will the mixer need some kind of power source or does it come with its own.

Mackie 402 VLZ3 Mixer
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=22490

what does passive mean in regards to a mixer.

Thanks in advance for the help

I was also looking at this peavey mixer as well.
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=5833

Also there are a bunch of behringer ones to choose from as well
Behringer Xenyx 1002FX Mixer with Effects

http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=13193


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Vincent said:


> I want to get a mixer with some decent preamps in it to help with recording however Im a bit confused on what to get.
> 
> Whats the difference between powered and non powered mixers?
> 
> ...



You'll likely get various opinions in response to this thread.

First, the difference between a powered and non-powered mixer is that a powerd mixer has power amp(s) built in. You can connect a powered mixer direct to speakers. With a non powred mixer you would need a seperate power amp to drive speakers.

I prefer a non powered mixer. They're lighter and you use whatever power amps you need depending on how large a space you need to fill, should you decide to use it as a live board.

I would get a minimum of 8 channels. Between Behringer and Mackie, I'd take the Mackie (better preamps in my opinion).


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

well powered mixer = no good for recording. the power amps will make a bunch of noise that will translate into noise on your recording. powered mixers are pretty much strictly for live sound use, while unpowered mixers move between the two areas.

the little mackies are very nice, and they have good quality preamps, so i'd go that route over a behringer (reliability issues)... the peavey should be just fine, but i'm not personally familiar with that line of peavey mixers, so i'm going by my experience with the company. any of these mixers will include a "wall wart" style power supply.

as to how to hook it up, you'll need to list which m-audio interface you're using to be 100%, but you're most likely just going to come out of the mixer's main outs and into the interface's inputs, this will most likely be a pair of balanced 1/4" (TRS) cables. 

one thing to note, as you get to larger mixers (4 mic preamps and up), they're more likely to have what's called an "alt 3/4" switch, and this allows you to come out of the alternate outs to the m-audio interface instead. the advantage there is that you then have a "push to record" button, so when you're set up and ready to record with a good tone, you just push the button to go live to the interface. 

"passive mixer" is another way of saying unpowered mixer. 

i just re-read your post, and you list the m-audio fast track. that's only a one channel in interface, isn't it? frankly for the money of the mixer, you're probably better off selling the fast track and buying a mobilepreUSB, it'll be cheaper, you'll get 2 channels in simultaneously, and it's got built in decent mic pres. just FYI.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

I would try to look for an older 'British' board over just about anything that is new and budget priced. Soundcraft, Studiomaster, Allen & Heath (higher end units) are good examples of some of the better boards that you should be able to pick up fairly cheap. They will probably have at least 16-24 channels, but there are bound to be a few quirky ones in the lot.

There are alot of people dumping pro audio gear lately as the business is starting to tank again. You should be able to find something decent between $500.00 & $1000.00

Other names to look for are Crest, Yamaha (be carefull as they have a wide range and only some are good), TAC etc....

If you want more features, you can go digital. I like the Yamaha Pro Mix 01's (below $500), and the 01v's (below $1000). If you want better quality look for the 02Rs and 03Ds - the more recent models will cost you considerably more though.


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2008)

I went through a long process of looking for a mixer also and wound up buying a Mackie Onyx 1220 along with it's firewire card. As far as preamps go, this board is very warm.
Plug the board into a firewire port and it becomes your sound card. It has lots of routing options and from what I've read, less latency problems.
Mackie's recording software (Traktion) seems very powerful but I haven't had a lot of time to play with it. Looks pretty straightforward to use, came with lots of plugins including a cool mastering plugin.
Behringer is up to their usual antics with the Xynx stuff and the prices may seem attractive but you get what you pay for.
This Onyx board is exactly what I needed, just wish it had been a little cheaper.


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## natelp (Mar 21, 2008)

I use a Soundcraft compact mixer at home for playing around and it has been very reliable. I previously had two behringer mixers, both an 8 channel and a 12 channel and I prefer this greatly, although admittedly I'm not using any of them for anything intense, just recording stuff at home.

I bought mine from Steve's in Montreal, they had to order it in.

http://www.soundcraft.com/product_sheet.asp?product_id=121


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks for the info...Kind of clears things up for me...I forgot to post the link to the mackie mixer in my original post...here is what I was thinking of getting.

Mackie 402 VLZ3 Mixer
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=22490

You can also see images of it here...I was wondering about the back image...I dont really see a normal input for a "Wall wart" on this mixer so Im guessing its a "powered mixer" and probably isnt what I need...image takes a bit to load up.

Back
http://www.mackie.com/home/showimage.html?u=/products/402vlz3/photos/402-VLZ3_Back.jpg

Top
http://www.mackie.com/home/showimage.html?u=/products/402vlz3/photos/402VLZ3.jpg

Mackie Mackie 402 VLZ3 Mixer on their website
http://www.mackie.com/products/402vlz3/

I guess I will move on to the peavey mixer...how can one tell if its powered or non powered from reading the description...just wondering

The reviews seem to be positive for this mixer
Peavey PV 6
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=5833#

You can see back of mixer at musicians friend
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-PV6-Mixer?sku=631366

Thanks for the help guys


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Well, I'm pretty sure that little Mackie is NOT a powered mixer, but I've never seen a power inlet like that (XLR).

Very unusual.

Generally the easiest way to tell a powered board from a non-powered one is to pick it up. The powered ones will be considerably heavier. Also, they will have speaker outputs.

In terms of descriptive text on web sites, look for wattage specs (only powered mixers will brag about how mucg power they deliver).


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i i have the 1202 vlz pro- it looks like the 402, except with 12 channels. it does however have a pc power supply type of cord inlet, but it is a 2 year old and now discontinued model. perhaps that xlr type inlet is some new technology lol
fwiw, the preamps on mine are pretty good, and i think for home recording the preamps are crucial. combined with the versatility of the unit as a whole, and 12 channels really helps, im really happy with it. i think id have to spend a much larger wad of cash to improve on it-
mackie makes some good quality stuff for the price
i find going with a mixer like this that i can have all my mics and my pod and stuff connected, if i want to change anything, i flip a switch- no need to waste time plugging in and messing with wires n stuff. the 1202 has left/right xlr outputs, that connect to the left/right xlr inputs of my soundcard. took a while to figure out what would work best for me, but this is a very easy to use setup- mixer and soundcard cost under $600


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I was looking on you tube for mixers and noticed a few people using Tapco mixers and so i searched La Music and found some...looks like they are made by Mackie and look to be pretty good however Im not sure...anyone own a Tapco?

Hear is the one Im looking at.
Tapco Blend 6 6 Channel Compact Stereo Mixer
http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=9345#


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## Apostrophe (') (Dec 30, 2007)

Vincent said:


> I was looking on you tube for mixers and noticed a few people using Tapco mixers and so i searched La Music and found some...looks like they are made by Mackie and look to be pretty good however Im not sure...anyone own a Tapco?
> 
> Hear is the one Im looking at.
> Tapco Blend 6 6 Channel Compact Stereo Mixer
> http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=9345#


Never tried one, but when I was doing my research, the Tapco 60 seemed like the best Tapco deal to me, but I was more worried about $$. I think the only negative I found was it had no Aux Return controller. (you'd have to control it on the Aux device itself) In the end, I came to the conclusion that a mixer was overkill for my situation and bailed out.

As far as mixers in general, (and all other home recording items) I'd recommend this site's guide:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/choosing_a_mixer_for_your_studio.html

And check their forums, as their are a fair number of polls.


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## sard (Jan 12, 2008)

*tapco mixer*



Vincent said:


> I was looking on you tube for mixers and noticed a few people using Tapco mixers and so i searched La Music and found some...looks like they are made by Mackie and look to be pretty good however Im not sure...anyone own a Tapco?
> 
> Hear is the one Im looking at.
> Tapco Blend 6 6 Channel Compact Stereo Mixer
> http://lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=9345#


I have the tapco 220 fx and love it, heres a link to a review:http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug06/articles/tapcomix220fx.htm


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I ended up getting the tapco mix 60...it seems like a decent mixer...preamps seem to do a nice job...have not had much time to use it yet however I like the look of it and the quality is pretty good for the price.


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