What mixer you using for small gigs / open mic ?

spark240

Ive become part of an open mic thing and they have good turnout but no clue with the PA, I'm thinking one of those Zoom things and I know @Legionreturns has brought one to Jam days and it seemed petty good, anyone using anything else ? 

I need maybe 8-10 channels with some basic FX and ideally a recording option.

Musicwolf

By 'Zoom thing' do you mean a Livetrak?  If so then, having owned one, I'd say not the right thing for the open mic situation that you describe as they are far from foolproof.  They are very capable units but not really something that you want to give to a novice.  Far too easy to get lost in all the menues and mix layers.

I'd recommend something like an Allen Heath Z Series.

mrkb

The zoom was an r16 I think- he’s replaced that with the Behringer xr18. 

Musicwolf

I replaced my Livetrak with an XR18.  I think that the XR18 is great - I certainly wouldn't put it in the hands of a novice either.

Stratavarious

For compact, open mic setups, the Yamaha MG10/12XUs are pretty bombproof.. digital fx, phantom power for active DI boxes, and a USB audio that is plug and play with ipads and phones for recording or playback.

For Duos/Trio pickup gigs, it is what I use.

We have big Soundcraft MTK and a rack digital mixer with apps and multitrack recording live for band, but they are overkill for a small session. 

maltingsaudio

Second endorsement for Allen and Heath Zed series or a secondhand Mix wizard. Nb great thing about mix wiz’s is they are built to be easily repaired so despite their age it’s a solid workhorse great quality and relatively cheap toget hold of.

For small gigs I use either Mix Wiz Zed10fx or Soundcraft Signature, The only thing which separates them is the Zed10 has no channel mute which can be a pain . 

Stratavarious

I might buy one of these if buying again.. https://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/zedi-10fx/

Legionreturns

mrkb said:

The zoom was an r16 I think- he’s replaced that with the Behringer xr18. 

Correct. I have 2 XR18s and an X Touch controller these days. Definitely needs some time to get used to. 

Danny1969

The Soundcraft UI12 will fit the bill feature wise and is cheap as chips @£205 

But a smallish old skool analog desk be easier to navigate 

darthed1981

What is a good little mixer/PA gadget for open mics etc?

This sort of thing any good?

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-PK112A/dp/B08KY3V128/ref=pd_ybh_a_NaN/257-1264462-5904063?pd_rd_w=TBGgj&pf_rd_p=76229bdc-95a6-43ea-ab54-1d53a25be5d8&pf_rd_r=S5P5Q4NB9DAMR8A7EMGT&pd_rd_r=7301b168-b8c3-4fee-a003-882dba6c6004&pd_rd_wg=w4cJ2&pd_rd_i=B08KY3V128&psc=1

hassleham

I used to use my Soundcraft UI16 for mine but I would spend so much time organising who was playing and chatting to people (actually enjoying myself rather than faffing! ) throughout the night I never had time to spend that much time tweaking the mix.
Now the venue has bought a yamaha analogue desk with on board fx and compression and it does the job fine and I barely touch it all night. Also it’s ready to plug mics in and go so saves time in setting up.

If I was getting paid to do the sound and not worry about organising/compering/helping people get ready, then I would still use my soundcraft. 

menamestom

I like the look of the Tascam Model 12.  Possibly overkill but looks a great recorder/mixer/interface etc.

maltingsaudio

menamestom said:

I like the look of the Tascam Model 12.  Possibly overkill but looks a great recorder/mixer/interface etc.

Always liked the Tascam stuff, I think for what it says it can do your under channelled only 8 in and 1aux (the other being fx return). Can only record 12 tracks. However for simple jobs like open mic and project studio good shout.

PS I used a Tascam DM24 for live back in the day great desk but after upgrading couldn’t give it away. Actually I did wind up giving it away as couldn’t sell it due to complete lack of interest even at a silly price

menamestom

maltingsaudio said:

menamestom said:

I like the look of the Tascam Model 12.  Possibly overkill but looks a great recorder/mixer/interface etc.

Always liked the Tascam stuff, I think for what it says it can do your under channelled only 8 in and 1aux (the other being fx return). Can only record 12 tracks. However for simple jobs like open mic and project studio good shout.

Yeah I used to have a Tascam 564 back in the day.  Sounded great but had some kind of glitching.  Swapped to a Fostex machine which worked better but didn't sound nearly as good as the Tascam....

Re the Model 12 - they do bigger in the range - 16 and 24, although they are slightly different in that they have analog eq and no midi interface. But yeah for small band / open mic the 12 is probably ideal.

I just like the idea of going back to a more traditional workflow, with the option of importing everything into the DAW at a later stage.  I like the idea of being more live performance based than what I am currently which is play everything once and copy and past a song 

Early days I had tape portastudio type things then ADATS and analog desks.  The DAW was a revelation but sometimes it's nice to force a change in workflow for different creative approaches.   

Roland

How about this one: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/222819/f-s-allen-heath-zed-10fx