Experience with rack mount mixers for live sound?

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1987cp
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Experience with rack mount mixers for live sound?

Post by 1987cp »

Looking for insight regarding rack-mounted mixers for what I think would be called "live sound". I'll try dividing this into two or three initial posts to keep it clearer. The short version is: I want to get a decent rack mount mixer with at least three mic-preamp channels and two more channels (or one stereo channel) I'll use for normal level inputs, preferably with one or two mic inputs in the front, for as cheap as I can manage (within reason - things are pretty workable for now and saving up is not out of the question). :-D Models I'm currently considering include:

Ashly MX406
Alesis Multimix 10
Studiomaster C3

For (probably too many) details, read on:

1987cp
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Re: Experience with rack mount mixers for live sound?

Post by 1987cp »

This sound system is for a virtual organ project that has been evolving over time, so the purpose is to get the best sound I can afford out of my computer and into the room. The instrument's primary purpose is for playing in church. Our current congregation is tiny (15-20 is a good week) and our worship space is about the size of a large living room, so power requirements are modest. I started with bringing along my home stereo receiver and a pair of all-original vintage speakers after the "house" system was first wildly unreliable for me and then quit entirely. This use exacerbated the hiss I can normally ignore in that (also quite ancient) receiver, plus I really wanted it back at home for listening to records, so clearly change was needed and I started piecing together something better.

Here's the gear I have so far, downstream of the computer:

ART USB-DI audio interface
Behringer X802 mixer
DBX 223 crossover
ART SLA-4 four channel amplifier
2x Klipsch KG.5 bookshelf speakers
1x REL HT1205 sub, dead plate amp replaced with plywood and powered from channels 1/2 of the SLA-4

Component selection has been based on what I imagine are the usual criteria: Known needs at the time, price, reports of satisfactory performance, and opportunity/availability. The sub, for example, I got for about $150 shipped vs. about $900 for a new one. When I initially ordered the two ART components new, I didn't know that a DI box is specifically for outputting a very low level signal, but it was a good price, does only one thing, and I think it sounds better than other interfaces I've tried, so for now it's staying. The selection of the X802 was incredibly scientific :wink: , the the result of 1) discovering I needed a preamp, 2) a guy telling me that model's decent and another guy backing him up from experience, and 3) discovering my local secondhand music shop had one for $45. The fronts should be upgraded eventually, but were an opportunistic buy that I was thinking of using at home, but when I heard how decent they sound, combined with their ability to hide away in the corners, they joined my church system, replacing a pair of all-original KLH 33s that I really like having in my basement. The SLA-4, while admittedly on the cheap end of pro amps, was still spendier than I preferred, but buying new seemed a good way to avoid reliability problems, and I had the idea of transitioning to 4-channel sound someday and thought it could grow with me.

1987cp
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Re: Experience with rack mount mixers for live sound?

Post by 1987cp »

The electronics are all housed in a homebuilt 8u audio rack that I mounted on tall legs so the sub can fit underneath. Since the mixer and interface aren't rack mountable, they live on a shelf that I incorporated into the design of the rack (shelf pegs are cheap, and I had wondered what to do with that extra 20" of board left over from the carcass anyway). After some experiments, the USB-DI ended up connected to the mic inputs on the X802, and it sounds better that way than when I tried another mic preamp, so for now that's staying and the other preamp (an ART USB Dual Pre) is being kept around for occasions when we may want to plug in a microphone. Two other channels are being used for input from the pastor's computer.

All three of the mixers in the original post I've seen used for under $200. All else being equal, I'm rather keen on the idea of the C3 and Multimix 10 having front mic inputs, since that would simply connecting and disconnecting a microphone or two based on needs, but of course it would be possible to screw a bulkhead XLR plug to the rack and route it to the Ashly. The way the C3 groups multiple inputs into one set of knobs may be an inconvenience, but I'm not sure how much that matters. There's a lot of info online on the Ashly and the Alesis. It seems Ashly stuff is universally well liked and recommended, though the relatively high retail price raises concerns about the age and condition of a specimen I can find for $200. I do like the look of the knob arrangement on the front along with being 2u instead of 3u. The Alesis is far cheaper new and has some interesting features and even more convenient looking knob arrangement, but I've found conflicting reports on its performance and durability. The Studiomaster C3? Nothing!

It's quite possible there are good plain mixer models I've overlooked, or even USB mixers with really great internal DACs that I should consider. I do want something mountable to the front of my rack to keep the space on top clear. Low cost is good, but I don't have a problem with stashing some money aside for a while if going cheap would prove disastrous!

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