This is good advice. A 1202VLZ is my only mixer but I just use it for writing and jamming. If I want to record I go straight into an audio interface via patch bay.

Aghh! Wish it was me that bought it!

This is important info !

As mixer companies are fixated on the idea that the only instruments are guitars & vocals .
I didnt realise for ages that when you read specs of mixer you have to assume they mean mono channels.

So if you have synth & effects in stereo - you need to double the number of channels eg you may actually need a 8 ch mixer!
(& also check the effects sends & retuns are also stereo).

I personally like compact rack gear, and dont need eq etc so for limited budget (with room for future expansion)
Warning! im going to mention a dirty word on here ) can beat Be***ger RX1602

Gb4 16 channel, very happy and it was 700 dollars and two years old. Would not trade for an ssl six

The OP mentionned a SMALL mixer for 4 synths and 4 effects, 2 of them being stereo (BIM and BAM), i don't know what is his size limit but i don't think he need a huge 16channels mixer that take the size of a huge desk. Even a mixer like a Mackie 1202 is quite large. A SSl Six without the trim is almost half the size and check everything he asked.

The MW2408 has 4 aux sends, so you can apply your FX to any channel using the appropriate Aux send knob.

Keep in mind though that you need to set aside mixer channels to RETURN the effects back into your mix. If you have an OTO Bim and Bam, thats two stereo channels (or 4 mono channels).

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

There is a lot to consider here, so I am going to do some more research into the suggested mixers and perhaps simplify my requirements a little bit. Simple is better for me.

The SSL Six I think is a front runner and seems to fit the bill pretty well, especially if I make a couple of small concessions. Seems like they can be had second hand for around 1k which is on the upper end of my budget but happy to pay for it if the quality and utility is there.

It looks okay for podcasting. It looks like the reason why it's stupid expensive is because of the mic pres and the compressors on it. Are you using it for podcasting? Do you need fancy "boutique" mic pres on a small format mixer? For line level signals, like synths and effect returns, there will be zero difference between this and something made by mackie.

no podcasting, no.

Might get use of the mic pre with an acoustic guitar, but not the main reason i would use it.

Stupid expensive.. i dont know, its like, your opinion man
Im done trying to convince that the Six is great or not that expensive for what you get. Here is a link with an honest review about the Six, he compare one to a mackie.
https://youtu.be/JbZQwZ6_jHI

For what its worth, I can see the value in the Six and I'm happy to pay for it if it fits the bill.

I hope this is a somehow related question. My setup is similar to the OP, but my number of synths is constantly growing due to my sl***ness -ahem, spaciousness
So now all my mixer channels are in use and if I want to use a different synth, I have to connect-disconnect cables which is by no means a tragedy, but can be a hassle nonetheless.

So I was thinking to get a larger mixer, but then I thought...all my synths have their own volume control and I literally NEVER use EQ or effects from the mixer: if needed, I do it in post-production in my DAW.
Also, as a live-in-the-studio player I don't do elaborated sequencing and rarely use more than one synth at a time: I control them all from my master keyboard and multitrack them one by one.
So, wouldn't a solution like this be more practical?
https://www.thomann.de/it/art_tpatch.htm

8 In x 8 Out, no power needed, cheap and tiny. I could connect 8 synths there and bring a single out to the mixer, using up only one cable and one channel and doing all the individual settings on the modules themselves.
Any pro/con/advice?

MW2408 has 8 busses as well, might be worth mentioning! ha.

https://reverb.com/item/39727571-trident-s100-8x6-mixer
https://reverb.com/item/39686641-yam...log-6ch-mixier
https://reverb.com/item/39686583-rane-sm26b
https://reverb.com/item/39665726-mac...d-firewire-800
https://reverb.com/item/38877303-sou...2SUXGKiZsNpmR0
https://reverb.com/item/39835726-yam...IQOEpxmcx5JbXc
Few decent ones to pick from

Perhaps you want this:
https://summing.vintagemaker.net/1U-...#passive+mixer
LA audio can make you a summing cable.
https://www.proaudiola.com/the-sum-c...RoCjXwQAvD_BwE

I saw what you did there!

Allen heath mix wizards or maybe mackie or soundcraft

If you have no effects, compressors, eq i.e. a need for really mixing with hardware then a summing mixer / line mixer will suffice - there are tons but I'd be looking at the Speck x.sum.

I've never been able to wrap my head around a patch bay and small units that act like them since at least a summing mixer can do input level volume control and panning/balance.

OTOH my workflow records everything compressed with eq and effects in one take, then sent off to a mastering enginneer. Sort of the opposite of a summing mixer use case.

I'm considering the tpatch for similar reasons (audio interface)

I think it's worth a go for the dinero? Patchbays are almost always handy..

Mackie 1202 vlz4= $300 bucks new
Ssl Six= $1500 bucks

Those prices are off the charts different.

Is it 5 times better? For a little mixer??


Let's say OP doesn't need the boutique pre-amps or the 1 knob compressors. He just needs a mixer for his line level synths and effects, like he originally stated.

Here's a little trick:

- Take the outputs 1/2 of your audio interface and go directly into you studio monitors. Play a track you're familiar with.
- Take the 3/4 outputs of your interface and go into a little mackie vlz4.
- Now swap the cables going into your monitors with cables coming from the master out of the mackie. Play the track again from the 3/4 out of the interface.

Does it sound exactly the same? If so, you can be confident that the mixer is transparent and isn't coloring the sound at all. That's the only thing that matters with line level signals, unless you want to intentionally change the sound.

Technically, OP needs 16 channels, not 8. If he's got stereo units. 4 synths (8 channels), 4 effects (8 channels).

I would recommend my Onyx 1620 used because it has 4 mono sends and 4 stereo returns, but I assume he wants something a little smaller format than that.

I haven’t used it myself but I’d check the Midas DM12 too — 12 channels, simple facilities, (presumably) nice sound and ridiculously cheap. I’d probably pick that over a Mackie any day.

The 1010 Bluebox is worth a look.

We must be up to about 20 different recommendations at this point.

Poor OP

Samson sm10? I’ve settled on these.

2 one knob compressors and a bus comp is what you're paying for.

If you look at it that way, a 500 series G-Comp lists for $2199 at SW and you still need rack power so $1500 isn't so bad. Granted the G has a lot more control. Personally I have a TK knock off that I got for <$1k if I want outboard bus compression. Most of the time I'm fine using plugins.

Right. Perfect for podcasting, or live broadcasting, but not something a lot of us need. And doesn't really fit the bill for what OP asked for in the first place, which is a mixer that can accomodate up to 16 channels (4 stereo synths, 4 stereo effects), with, optimally, 4 sends and 4 stereo returns.

That being said, you can get one knob compressors per channel in the lowly Yamaha MG series mixers. They're not "ssl quality" compressors though. Perhaps useful once in a blue moon with synths, but in the studio, it just seems better to get a clean signal recorded first.

If I were OP, I'd probably just go ahead and get something like the Mackie 1604 VLZ4, 1642 VLZ4, or something comparable. You can also get these used for much cheaper.

It's more channels than he needs, but he's got 4 sends and 4 stereo returns. He can also return his effects to their own dedicated channels. And you can bus the wet signal to a separate bus output.

At any rate, it leaves room to grow. But, if size is a huge factor, he'll have to make compromises on some other smaller mixer.

I replaced a circa-1999 Mackie 1402 with a 1642 last year, and one of the features I was after was 4 FX sends. Between the Mackie and a Furman patch bay I think I have all the I/O and interconnectivity I will ever need for my uses. My favorite use of the extra sends is having one to use for a tuner so I can tune synths or guitars without re-patching.

The sub outs on the Mackie are also handy for feeding monitors to synths that are at 90-degrees relative to my main monitors.

Sonically, I'm very happy with the 1642. I don't know if it qualifies as "high quality" in GS-land but it's working out better than expected for my needs.

For me. To be "A good mixer" it needs to accept a +24 signal. I think that board can take +12 or +15 at the input. A separate power supply is one of the typical indicators. The quality of the EQ is next after the headroom(input level max).

When you buy a mixer, really you are buying EQ's and routing.

I never use the eq's on my board for recording. The only time I'd ever use my mixing board eq's are just for preview purposes. I'm sure that's really important for live mixing and broadcasting and such, but I think much less important for a home recording environment, especially with synths, where the eq'ing is done elsewhere. That being said, the eq's sound totally fine on mine (1620). Sweepable mids too.

What do you mean by +24? Do you have a link that details what you're talking about? My mackie has a built in power supply. Standard 3 prong socket in the back.