Reddit reviews Alto Professional ZMX122FX | 8 Channel Compact Audio Mixing Desk with Built-In Effects, Four XLR Microphone Inputs and Two Stereo Inputs
We found 3 Reddit comments about Alto Professional ZMX122FX | 8 Channel Compact Audio Mixing Desk with Built-In Effects, Four XLR Microphone Inputs and Two Stereo Inputs. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
A Mixer For Any Occasion: Sixteen total inputs with phantom powered XLR inputs on channels 1-4 - perfect for musicians looking for a compact mixing console for studio, podcast or live sound useSuperior Sound Quality: High headroom circuitry offering extra dynamic range and ultra-low-noise for the best performance from your studio microphonesTweak Your Sound: Warm, natural three-band EQ on all channels for adding studio grade processing to all inputs including your dynamic, ribbon and condenser microphone signalsThe Ins & Outs: 1/4” Main, Control Room, Headphone & Aux outputs for flexible signal routing; Four mic input channels with XLR and balanced line inputs; two additional stereo input channelsStudio Quality Built In Effects: 256 onboard 24-bit DSP effects from Alesis including reverb, delay, chorus and phaser; Footswitch input for effects on/off (footswitch sold separately)
If you ever want to have callers/skypers/etc. on your show, make sure you get one that you can do a mix-minus with. Basically you'll want a mon-send or an fx-send. Look for at least a 2-bus mixer or you'll be limited to a single mix-minus connection.
I have a Behringer Q802USB - I should have just bought the 802 (not USB) for $15 less. Here's a little secrete I didn't know when I bought it - you can't use the USB bi-directionally. You're EITHER sending audio to the PC or receiving audio from the PC. So it didn't work for my needs to monitoring incoming audio from the PC and send my mic feed at the same time. I ended up buying a UCA202 USB interface and that solved my problem.
You'll hear the Behringer's are noisy. They are. If you drive the gain it gets really hissy. BUT keep the levels down and it works just fine. For under $80 it's really hard to beat.
If you're on a budget, and want to record 3 mic, I would maybe take a look at these:
Behring 1202
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-1202-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B000J5Y282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430697&sr=8-1&keywords=behringer+1202
Alto Professional ZMX122FX
http://www.amazon.com/Alto-Professional-ZMX122FX-8-Channel-Preamps/dp/B004TM31FG/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421430794&sr=1-2
Mackie 802VLZ4
http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-802VLZ4-8-channel-Compact-Quality/dp/B00EDHWLFI/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430841&sr=8-33&keywords=audio+mixer
Yamaha MG10XU
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-MG10XU-10-Input-Stereo-Mixer/dp/B00IBIVL42/ref=sr_1_61?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430887&sr=8-61&keywords=audio+mixer
For a really inexpensive 2-bus mixer with a sub-group, maybe the Behringer Eurorack UB1204. You get 2 aux sends + a 3-4 submix. I've not heard anything about these mixers - so I can't tell you if the mic pres are at all acceptable. Anyone will tell you if you're serious to stay away from Behringer.
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UB1204-PRO-BEHRINGER-EURORACK/dp/B00551VDIM/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421430950&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=behringer+euroack
If you are looking for a mixer that will have EQs on more than just the channels with microphone pres, I'd recommend this one. Still has 8 channels and effects as well. I can vouch that Alto is a pretty good mixer for the price. I've not had any issues with mine that I've had for 3 years. It's pretty compact for the channels as well. Hope this helps.
https://www.amazon.com/Alto-Professional-ZMX122FX-8-Channel-Compact/dp/B004TM31FG/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1493434497&sr=1-1&keywords=alto+professional+mixer
Whoops - you'll want a small cheapo 8-track mixing board to dump the drums out to a single output like this one. Spend as little as possible, you just want basic levels and 3-band EQ functionality for this.
I'm also of the opinion that OP should get at most the 4-mic kit I linked for the drum kit. He doesn't know shit about recording yet, so it's best to KISS - keep it simple, stupid. Just drop a kick, a snare, a toms, and an overheads mic. A good kit, tuned well, and a good drummer are way more important than getting an individual mic on every single bit of the drum kit. It will teach him to figure out good mic technique as well as save him hundreds of dollars as a high school student.