advice on 16+ channel mixers.

Hey whats up? I am in the market to buy a used mixer. I have a beheringer 2442 euro rack mixer right now its alright. However I want something a little more crisp with better sound quality. I have been looking at mackie 1604 vlz mixers. I also hear that allen & heath and soundcraft are really good mixers. I really need the mixer to have a 4 bus alt. So if any of you could shoot some recommandations this way it would be highly valued and respected. thank you all.

A bit pricey but still another option is the Toft Audio ATB. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ATB16a/ They have great reviews for nice clean mic-pres. A lot of people on Gearslutz also love the EQ on the ATB's.

any other mixing decks in the $5000 range that you can suggest?

backtothelab wrote:Hey whats up? I am in the market to buy a used mixer. I have a beheringer 2442 euro rack mixer right now its alright. However I want something a little more crisp with better sound quality. I have been looking at mackie 1604 vlz mixers. I also hear that allen & heath and soundcraft are really good mixers. I really need the mixer to have a 4 bus alt. So if any of you could shoot some recommandations this way it would be highly valued and respected. thank you all.

IMO you cant go wrong with that but if you want something else you should tell us your buget
peace

Just get what you need. If your not sure by now.. then you shouldn't spend a rack on something just to have it. The digi 003 would be a good choice. The toft is for pro's who know and understand analog.

I will throw in support for that Mackie. Tons of mixer for your money and they sound solid.

The mute-bus is the best thing to have on a mixer if you use it with a sampler.

All I have ever had in both my private and commercial labs is Mackie boards. I love them.

here's a few nuggets that were passed to me when i was looking for a new board many years ago. I'm not teaching noone how to suck eggs or what not but i found this super helpful, so perhaps someone else might too.

1. figure out what the application is for. Comerical, domestic, genre specific, etc as this will really dictate the sound or board construct that your looking for. Commercial applications require more flexibility or unique sonics. Domestic well you can pretty much get whatever and mash what you need to be your own. If your talking genre specific then certain people will only work on certain boards so you have to go that route.
have a think and jot down those "must have" features and start from there ( i not you've allready started with the busses etc)
2. set your budget and timeframe. While the money is important it's relative to the timeframe. e.g. if you have a 10 year lease on a space and are setting up a commercial facility (as i once did) then getting a board that is diverse, has it's own sonic character, is rugged, modular and easy to maintain is essential. However if you budget is $3k but the board that will do all that you need "properly" (which is more important really) is $7k your better off putting up for that. Best thing i ever did. if it's something for your apartment which you might leave in a year or two then perhaps spending less for something smaller easily moved and getting a good quality roadcase to put it in is the smatter option so as when push comes to shove all you need to do is pack lock and stack that sucker somewhere safe so clumsy movers dont destroy.
3. lastly, and most importantly, listen to it. Very seriously. take a cd's of ish that you know inside and out and listen to every channel, every eq, every insert point, everything. You need to know that desk inside and out. At the end of the day you have to work on a board that sounds good to you. as you have to work on it noone else (unless it's something to do with point 1.) After working on my s600 for like 5 years i went out and bought another identical board for home simply because i love the sound. seems a bit rediculous to have a $5k analog console in my spare room for the meager amount of gear i have there but i just love that sound.

ok well thats enough of that.
Here's a couple of boards that i think are bang for buck and worth a look.
allen heath r16 (if you want computer intergration i highly reccommend this board)
anything soundcraft pre 1989
anything soundtracs between 1974 and 1993
anything MCI ever
not a huge makie fan so you won't hear support from me there but that's a personal thing (and i've been spoilt so sorry)

Hope thats useful to someone out there in the ether.
peace

Mackie CR1604 can be had CHEAP! No the sound isnt amazing but it does have a switch to get a 3/4 bus and will get you started with sends/returns/inserts, and eq... I saw a CR MINT for $175 with rack ears a few weeks ago, grip one, learn it and save your dough for a real board, then later use the 1604 to sum your mpc outs and fx and use your real board for the better ish.. or trade/sell it off.. prob the better solution since you dont wanna dirty a better board (down the road) with mackie crust..
Mackie=good enough to start and perfect for some genres (DNB! clip a kick on a mackie for some 90's fattness)

then save up til you know better

Freeman wrote:anything soundcraft pre 1989

what's the difference with the new boards?

ALSO: i probably can get a 32+4 soundcraft mh3 (second hand, not produced anymore) for cheap, what do you guys reckon is a 'normal' price for it? if the difference is large enough, i think ill buy it to sell again