Live Mixer Buying Guide

Using a digital mixer live
Live vs. studio mixers
Powered mixer benefits
Mixer business explained
What’s the best way to mix monitors?
Mixing Monitors from the FOH
Using The Aux Sends

 

A live mixer is heart of any PA system. Using this, you can perform in any circumstances. This is very significant component of any sound system. Hope this article will help you to select a live mixer that you really needs.

 

Using a digital mixer live

Good digital live mixers can easier your life while you going to develop a significant good sound. Digital live mixers are usually lightweight, small and extensive processing power as well as excellent routing capabilities. Not only that, most of them are programmable.

Based on the live performance, digital live mixers have two aspects. First – its Menu based system help you to adjust everything quickly, which is not possible in any traditional mixers, where every function involves separate knobs. Second – you will get more enhanced and clear sound.

 

As mentioned earlier, in todays live digital mixers can be programmable. Every time adjusting EQs in live performance is critical. To overcome this problem, sound engineers program their possible combinations. A good example of programmable live digital mixer is - Mackie's TT24 Digital Live Console.

 

Live vs. studio mixers

After arrival of the digital live mixer, the old debate again takes it place – “Live Vs. Studio Mixers”. Surprisingly both of them signal combiners. They perform the same basic functions. Apart from them, both have some differences. Both of them has different applications, those makes them different. For example - Mackie's SR24x4 VLZ Pro normally mix the sound and send a finite numbers of places like main speakers, monitors and many others…. Where as a studio speaker such as - Mackie 32-8 eight-bus recording console, able to send individual channel inputs to a multi-track recorder with a variety of mixes to control room monitors, headphone mixes for the performers.

 

Powered mixer benefits

Apart from everything, the main question in your mind is – “Why would I purchase a powered mixer?”. Well, here are the answers –

- A power mixer is one of the best and cost effective device for those musicians who worked on small venues like clubs, coffee houses and other multipurpose houses. Usually, a high quality powered mixer is nothing but a all-in-one integration.

- Powered mixer is mall, powerful, robust, light weight and of course very durable component system, which can be move easily, easy to set up and simple operation.

 

- The built in effects processors makes it more effective. You need not to carry any other device.

 

Mixer business explained

In sounds terms, a “Bus” is a point of a circuit, where numbers of signals meet together, and in mixer, you need to find mix buses, where multiple channel’s signals blended together. Where feeds from the channels are blended together and routed to an out side destination – is external processor, monitor etc… usually, the more buses a mixer has, is more flexible. A widely used mixer is - Mackie's SR32-4 VLZ Pro.

What’s the best way to mix monitors?

Hopefully, this is the final question in your mind. Well, before you move forword, you must consider the following things –

 

Mixing Monitors from the FOH

Usually, the monitor mix is quite different from house mix. The main reason of that is, a performers deal with numbers of stage sound variables like – loud amps, drums and other variables. It is very necessary that, you must concentrate on certain signals and blends.

 

Using The Aux Sends

Luckily, almost every mixer uses mains plus monitors using their auxiliary send. These tap your mixer’s input channels and finally route the signals to another output. Using this feature, you can setup two different monitor mixes.