Mixer with direct outs?

[Janesaid2me]

In my quest for glory...im looking to get a nice mixer with direct outs so i can use the pres on that as stock pres (when in need of bulk) that way i can buy and audiofire12 and sell my MOTU 896...and eventually ill add other nicer pres and eventually just use the board for monitoring purposes. So anyways my question to ya'll is which board do you think is better...

Soundcraft m12 or Allen & Heath Mixwizard3 12:2 or 16:2

Any suggestions let me know otherwise...just trying to get peoples opinions on the two if they have used them or any similar boards with direct outs with 8+ pres.

Thanks
Any suggestions etc are welcome!

[dviola]

did you check out yamaha?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMMG166FX

how many channels do you need?

i have one of the mixers in this series that doesnt have the effects and i love it....can;t beat the price especially if the preamps wont be a concern down the line...and I think they sound good anyway

[Janesaid2me]

Hows the eq on that unit...any good? Ive read some pretty good stuff on the Mixwards overall both eq and preamps....just got an audiofire12 so gonna need a mixer soon.

[dviola]

its not bad, you're getting what you pay for but these mixers are a great deal, just pick the one that suits your needs....my logic is spend as little on this type of thing and slowly buy better pres and stuff...its definately functional and I have no complaints about the sound at all

[Janesaid2me]

yea trying to find that fine line between spending too much for something that long term that will basically just be used for monitoring purposes...

[Janesaid2me]

Does anyone know how the allen&heath wizward3 preamps compare to other preamps...like what would u compare them to...better or worse then a motu 896, or a firebox, presonus stuff...worse better...any idea?

[APOHStudios]

Theoretically, if your mixer has inserts on each channel, you have direct outs. Just don't push the insert cable all the way in, just to the first detent. You may not have control whether the signal going out is pre or post fader though.

But I have a Soundcraft M12, and for the price, it's a great little mixer. Just try to find an older one. They have the "Ghost" pre's in them. Fairly transparent, and the EQ is not bad for a semi-parametric. Direct outs are switchable from pre or post fader. I've used mine for many a live gig/recording. One other bonus: A SPDIF out. Great for those spur of the moment reference recordings. Just hook up a DAT or portable HD/CD/DVD recorder with a SPDIF In, and away you go. So, based on my experience, the Soundcraft will really suit you. I have used the Yamaha (with and without on-board effects if you choose the Yamaha go with no effects) and the Allen&Heath MixWizard, and I personally don't care for the pre's and EQ (lacked the transparency and very noisy, especially on the Yamaha). For those of you who have recommended these, this is just my opinion, no offense is intended.

Drawback: Global phantom power. I hate global phantom. But most of your "inexpensive" small format mixers will have this.

Doc

[mrfantastical]

I LUV the Allen and Heath!!!!

It works well.

But i dont like it as much as My Chameleon 7602 or my Trident 4ts BUT for just a straight up unit its great.

I really enjoy the Euro EQs they makes alot of sense.

Good Luck,
mrfantastical
www.myspace.com/mrfantastical

[Ashofapheonix]

The Onyx and Mackie 1642VLZ3 have direct outs. The Onyx stuff is better than the lowend allen heaths, by a slim margin, you have to buy the front end mod to avoid direct outs. The Soundcraft stuff I'm curious, but i've heard the spirit M series does a different circiut from the ghost. If your in the UK the sound craft is a best buy.

I own the yamaha MG12/4 and I've used the 16/4 doesn't have direct outs. The pres remind me of the firepod preamps...their pretty neutral but the sound could be tightened up a bit. The strength of the Onyx in the lowend category of gear is that the sound, isn't as unfocused as the other stuff, and the gain head room is higher than most by a tad usually 55 db where noise kicks in v.s 40 (i used to own the onyx). I down graded to yamaha mainly because I only use the pres for drums, and my drum sound is going to be compromised by a small room as it is. For guitar ect I plan on going RNP.

[Janesaid2me]

Cool thanks for all that feedback guys...im basically looking for the best deal on one of the above models on ebay at this point...just gotta keep waiting and looking...could take a few weeks...no rush though...Anymore thoughts let me know....I didnt realize could use the insert as outs...good to know...could include some other mixers possibly now in my search.

[zemlin]

Another fan of the A&H here. I have the Mixwizard 16:2DX. My experience with A&H support has also been very good - very helpful folks providing lots of information when I asked about jumpers.

[Janesaid2me]

Yea I already asked about the jumpers and they emailed me back 3 times in 1 day....was incredible...im definitely leaning towards a mixwiard either a 16:2 or 12:2...definitely want to try and get the WZ3....but again i guess it depends on what turns up for a good price...

[lomky]

I picked up a mixwizard for my project studio, and I like it. Nice and compact, direct outs. Works well for me, and I paid $600 used CDN for it, so I'm happy.

[Janesaid2me]

Anyone have any opinions on the mackie studio boards....some dude is selling a 16X8 version (they stopped making this one only the 24x8 and 32x8 are still made)...hes asking 600...seems to have way more options then a mixwizard would (almost overkill for what i need)...but was wondering what the quality was since the higher input models go for a couple grand.