best low end mixer with direct outs?

[praashekh]

Im looking for a new mixer with direct outs to connect to my new delta44s..was using a behringer eurorack 802A previously with a behringer UCA202interface.. (my first set-up) .. but im falling short of tracks on it.. need around atleast 8 XLR on the mixer.with direct outs on it.. just need something with Good EQ and gain n trim controls.. doesnt matter if there's no FX on it. i wouldnt the Fx ever anyway. Also I wouldnt wantto usethe channel inserts as Outputs thats why looking for a mixer with a dedicated Direct out.. Would therebe a big difference in quality if i used the channel inserts instead of Direct Outs.. i think channel inserts would work only unbalanced as the jack is left half Out only till the first click in... (so the grounding wouldnt work there).. whereas direct outs are supposed to be balanced right? what mixer would be good for then? dont even mind some good behringer stuff but i keep hearing people on forums talkin about how they got a useless piece from behringer etc..

[cc2ss]

is really good for low end. I would argue the pres are more than usable. Very clear and detailed when you consider you can get 16 for around 1500. The eq on the boards is very usable too. The new 1640i is 16in/16out to your daw too ! With all that said I am really not a fan of Mackie stuff or their company but IMO for a low end mixer they very useful in a home / project studio. Direct out on every channel as well as inserts. The new 1640i can send the eq to your daw the older 1640 can not without a modification. Also 6 aux sends and 4 sub groups which is helpful for patching in effects and HP mixes. I have the older 1640 paid $700 used with a Firewire card. I do not regret it one bit.

[cc2ss]

would be an A&H mix wizard although they do not have any A/D conversion built in. Definitely a better built board and better company. Only 2 subgroups. Sound is comparable to onyx some say better some say not. I have used them both but not in the same set up so I wouldnt want to say which is better sounding.

[praashekh]

i ws thinking of the A & H ZED series too... but i wasnt sure i they had direct outs.. mackie n A&H were myoptions.. but theshop person kept sayin try behringer also.. im not too sureif i should go for the behringer stuff.. i need something with really low noise and distortion.. n behringer doesnt seem like one of those kinda makes..what are you using? i have an Maudio delta44.. so really clean and flat convertors.. just need the direct outs on the mixer now..

[PFRfan]

I think your best bet is a Soundcraft Spirit M8. If you use the channel inserts on the A&H boards (or any that I know of), you'll be bypassing the EQ which you said you wanted. The Soundcraft provides real direct outs and they're switchable to bypass the EQ & channel fader if you want.

I have an M4 for sale on eBay because my new super tiny office/studio doesn't have room for a desktop mixer. I hate to see it go because it sounds SO nice.

[rty5150]

i like the old ramsa stuff. the WR-S44xx series has tons of mojo for very little money now. they were very expensive boards back in the day.

[Beefy]

I have an allen and heath mix wiz 16:2 and absolutely everything is switchable pre/post eq pre/post fader it has direct outs on every channel. It doesn't have as many routing options as I'd like but defiantly enough to get by. I've also heard and used the zed series mixers and the mixwiz is by far the Superior product.

As far as the onyx goes I bought a microphone from a guy that was using one with logic. He was using his to record live opera live micing the halls with condensers and a lot of spoken word stuff and to tell the truth I thought it sounded exceptionally well. The thing is everything is pre eq pre fader. This is coming from a guy who really isn't a mackie fan.

If I were you I'd take some time and read some posts on the mixers you are most inerested in figure out what type of options you need. Then try and make the most educated decision you can.

[RTR]

Also the new Mackie "i" series works with pro tools to, if that is important to you or not I don't know, just thought I would mention it!

[GZsound]

The OP said he wants EQ, etc.

Are most direct outs POST EQ, Fader, etc. or PRE EQ?

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by GZsound

The OP said he wants EQ, etc.

Are most direct outs POST EQ, Fader, etc. or PRE EQ?

most direct outs are post fader. if you use the inserts and go half-in, then it's pre-fader. it's all in what you want. some post fader relies on the channel fader to be up to get signal(hence post fader), this may make getting a good monitr mix from the board a bit more difficult, but for just using the channels, just for the strip and not for the master outs, just put them at unity and roll. monitor via the DAW's cue mix.

[jaymcb]

I know people hate to hear the B-word around here, but the MX8000 and MX9000 were both decent budget boards with direct outs. Those can be found used at very fair prices. If you want to buy new, the current model is SX4882.

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by jaymcb

I know people hate to hear the B-word around here, but the MX8000 and MX9000 were both decent budget boards with direct outs. Those can be found used at very fair prices. If you want to buy new, the current model is SX4882.

true, they have direct outs, but those preamps just don't sound that good.
i used to have an mx3282a, which has the same pres in the mx8000/9000 and they were very disappointing sonically. when i upgraded to better pres, my recording reached a new level. just because they are feature rich for a low price range doesn't mean that they perform as such. with the behringer consoles, you compromise quality for quantity. money is just better spent on something stellar out of the gate and not worry so much about the upgrading side later on. the little extra on the front end will make your life easier with less fixing and more mixing.

[Sam Kapala]

I'm happy with my A&H Zed 420... decent-sounding for $1k (B-stock...not a scratch), dig the 4 band with 2 sweepable mids, and I use the direct outs every day. They come from the factory post-EQ (which comes with its own in/out switch) and post-insert (and post mute...pain in the ass), but pre-aux and pre-fader. There's an internal jumper to put the direct outs after the aux groups for the electrically-inclined.

I just looked at the wiring diagram on the Zed to make sure I'm right about the outs... but I'm no engineer, so correct me if I'm wrong!

[spandexstallion]

yamaha m series.

all the vocals on this track were done through it. distortion came from hitting the pre hard with a gt-55 and a 421.

http://www.ryantruso.com/santababy.mp3

[lomky]

I got a used Mixwiz 2 16 channel, direct outs on every channel, post eq. Works for me. For $600 no brainer for me.