Old/New Soundcraft Mixer.. Colorfull EQ-Low Noise?

[Ghostmanagement]

Hey folks,

I was thinking to buy a used Soundcraft mixer, I know that they can thicken the Sound in some cases, one of my friends got a Soundcraft Spirit, we run some groups through it and they sounded a lil thicker with sweet mids.

Basically I'm most intrested in 2 things: 1: Sweet and Colorfull EQ and 2: Low self noise.

I hope someone can help me cause there're plenty of Soundcraft mixers outhere.. Spirit, Delta (I guess the older ones are all colorfull..not sure)

Then there're the newer ones, EPM, EFX, MFX...

Don't wanne talk about the Ghost cause this is waaaaay out of my Budget..
The EPM series would be nice cause they're pretty cheap..but i dont know if they sound colorfull in a pleasing way

I don't need many Channels so thats secondary..Hope someone can share some light

[firefly419]

I use a 1987 Soundcraft 600, upgraded 6 months ago by Jim Williams. Before the upgrade I considered the console/eq's to be fine and useful, but it clearly had a ceiling. After the upgrade.... WOW. Jim knows what the hell he is doing. The desk now sounds wide and tall, and the EQ's are very potent. There are several songs posted on my sites listed below... they were all mixed through the upgraded console. Take a listen!

[Ghostmanagement]

Pretty cool, but way out of my Budget.. Thing is Basically I just need 2 Channels so I can run a Stereo Signal through it and add some color or highs.

Best would be a 4 Band EQ to control the Low End plus a Colorfull Mid Range EQ.. seems like the Soundcraft Spirit is the right series, or the I guess Soundcraft FX series..but I guess a older Spirit Mixer would be best..

My bigger concern right now is that I don't know if Allen & Heath or Yamaha got also Colorfull EQ's..or on the other Hand, should I buy something like 2 x Joe meek threeQ or something else... like I sayed no money for an SSl Channel strip or Neve.. thankfull for every advice...

[Stuart Coleco]

Originally Posted by Ghostmanagement

I just need 2 Channels so I can run a Stereo Signal through it and add some color or highs.

I wouldn't get a mixer if you're looking for a stereo eq. I would save a little more and get a good 2 channel eq.. like the JDK R24.

[jpgerard]

I love the Delta's. You can find an 8 mono input Delta for not much money, they're easy/cheap to recap and the overall design is excellent. But if you just need to send your signal through a stereo strip to add colour... maybe look at the current boutique stereo EQ's or used, you could do worse than a BSS stereo graphic, a Klark Teknik (many models, take your pick...), even the TL Audio Classic EQ is not a bad character EQ and the preamps don't suck either. LA Audio also made the "Classic Equalizer", 2U, 2 channels, nice 4 band EQ and they go for about 600 Euros used.

[living sounds]

The old Soundcrafts without modifications will subject the signal to pretty audible degradation, I wouldn't call that "thickening" or "sweetening". It's bandwidth limiting both in the bass and treble region, distortion, loss of low level detail, muddying of transients... And not in the way a good tape machine does it.

[HarlowPrice]

Midas eq's are musical

[Stuart Coleco]

Originally Posted by living sounds

The old Soundcrafts without modifications will subject the signal to pretty audible degradation, I wouldn't call that "thickening" or "sweetening". It's bandwidth limiting both in the bass and treble region, distortion, loss of low level detail, muddying of transients... And not in the way a good tape machine does it.

I own a 200 SR. I disagree with living sounds opinion.

[funkycam]

2 channels with character & adding highs I would be looking at a black lion eq:
Black Lion Audio | Black Lion Audio am/cha1 EQ

& maybe 2 FMR PBC-6As if you have the budget.
FMR Audio PBC-6A Retro Compressor