MIKE900 Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 We currently use Soundcraft EFX 8, we have 2 vocalist with drummer doing vocals as well. The EFX only has one aux out with 2nd used for onboard effects(which we use for some reverb/delay on FOH vocals) We now really need to get 3 separate monitor mixes, therefore need a desk with 3aux outs whilst still being able to use onboard effects (I think all Souncraft mid range desks have max 2 Augs out) looking for something not too big or expensive. Any ideas guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter F Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Soundcraft FX16ii? Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Allen and Heath mix wizard with fx? (2nd hand but bulletproof) X32 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 I love the MixWiz, and the version 4 16:2 is very much available as a new desk. It is, however, over £1000, so some cheaper alternatives would be sensible...The Soundcraft GB2 rack mount is good but doesn't have fx (but those aren't difficult to pick up second hand these days), Allen and Heath do have some fx equipped desks in their Zed range. However, if you have the device to control it, why not look at the digital Behringer X-Air range? You will get far more auxes, effects, dynamic controllers and equalisers all built in, and for a price between £250 for the 4 mic channel XR12 and ~£610 for the 16 mic input XR18...The only criticism I have come across so far is that the inbuilt wifi can be flaky occasionally, but you can just use a network cable or plug in a better access point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjadingle Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Just seen the Allen & Heath Zed 16FX, Aux 3 is post fade but otherwise fits your needs. One on ebay for £456 right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 The ZED is a nice desk and has a few extra bells and whistles compared to the EFX - but it's still only a two band shelving eq plus single swept mid and one extra aux. I think I would want more if I intended ditching the EFX!I would still prefer the X Air or MixWiz :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 The ZED is a nice desk and has a few extra bells and whistles compared to the EFX - but it's still only a two band shelving eq plus single swept mid and one extra aux. I think I would want more if I intended ditching the EFX!I would still prefer the X Air or MixWiz :-) The X-Air is packed with features for the price but you can't get away from the fact you are mixing on a touch screen... which is quite hard in a live situation, in my opinion. At least you can multi-touch several sliders at once but you have to be looking at the tablet all the time to keep your fingers in the right place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 The ZED is a nice desk and has a few extra bells and whistles compared to the EFX - but it's still only a two band shelving eq plus single swept mid and one extra aux. I think I would want more if I intended ditching the EFX!I would still prefer the X Air or MixWiz :-) The X-Air is packed with features for the price but you can't get away from the fact you are mixing on a touch screen... which is quite hard in a live situation, in my opinion. At least you can multi-touch several sliders at once but you have to be looking at the tablet all the time to keep your fingers in the right place... The X-18 is a good bit cheaper than the rackmount XR18 at present. And (unlike the X32 range) the X-Air mixers play properly with the X-Touch control surfaces, if you want a set of faders. Mind you, the X-touch costs more than the X18! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazz339 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 We currently use Soundcraft EFX 8, we have 2 vocalist with drummer doing vocals as well. The EFX only has one aux out with 2nd used for onboard effects(which we use for some reverb/delay on FOH vocals) We now really need to get 3 separate monitor mixes, therefore need a desk with 3aux outs whilst still being able to use onboard effects (I think all Souncraft mid range desks have max 2 Augs out) looking for something not too big or expensive. Any ideas guys! I assuming rightly or wrongly that you do not have someone "Mixing". My friend (Who is a good sound engineer) plays bass in a band and uses a Soundcraft Ui16 and I think its great for a small band (They have guitar+vocals, accordion+vocals and bass). It does need a tablet but can be used with a smart phone if necessary. If there is no-one to mix it can be set up as you would an on stage mixer. If there is someone to mix they can control it using tablet or smart phone, and of course they can wonder around and have a listen in different places. You can have multiple control devices and tailor what range of functions the devices have access to. The More Me function on a monitor mix might be of use to some. Link to demo software I would not like to mix a serious show on a touch screen but for sitting in the audience/moving around and making adjustments they are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE900 Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 Thanks for input. So we don't have a sound guy. I tend to do it from my side of stage (Bass player)and play out front during sound check. We only put kick, snare and vocals through PA. Just struggling getting 3 monitor mixes. Currently looking at Soundcraft fx16ii and Allen Heath 16FX. Not too comfortable going down tablet operated. Are these the best option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Do you have any idea of what sort of budget you have available? Something like a Soundcraft UI will probably be cheaper than an equivalent analogue board. However you need to be fairly confident that you can troubleshoot any wi-fi issues etc. otherwise you are dead in the water. An analogue desk (like the MixWiz) is simpler and more "grabbable" but has less features. Whether you'd need all those additional features is debatable, but if you have a reasonable idea of what you're doing, then gating drum mics and adding a bit of compression to vocals can be worthwhile improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Thanks for input. So we don't have a sound guy. I tend to do it from my side of stage (Bass player)and play out front during sound check. We only put kick, snare and vocals through PA. Just struggling getting 3 monitor mixes. Currently looking at Soundcraft fx16ii and Allen Heath 16FX. Not too comfortable going down tablet operated. Are these the best option? Ah, in that situation you really can't beat the tablet operated desks like the X-Air or UI - the ability to have the whole mix surface right in front of you onstage, and just carry it out into the audience if you want to listen/adjust from out there, is really useful. But it does take some getting used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Ah, in that situation you really can't beat the tablet operated desks like the X-Air or UI ..... ...and out of those two offerings, it seems that the Soundcraft has had more than its fair share of noisy units. As far as I remember, Soundcraft didn't develop the Ui but took it over from another brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Ah, in that situation you really can't beat the tablet operated desks like the X-Air or UI ..... ...and out of those two offerings, it seems that the Soundcraft has had more than its fair share of noisy units. As far as I remember, Soundcraft didn't develop the Ui but took it over from another brand. I have only ever used the X-Air so I don't know about the UI. The X-Air is an amazing bit of kit for the money and would get you your 3 monitor mixes no problem at all. In fact each person could have the app on their phone to set their own monitor mix. In the situation where you are setting up a fixed mix while playing in the band, being able to wander around with the desk controls on your phone or on a tablet is really useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I bought a UI when they first became available. Appeared to be exactly what I wanted for my "all in the boot of a car" system. The preamps were noisier than I'd expected, though not to the point where I felt they were any worse than many analogue desks in the same price range, and with careful gain settings, quite useable. However, for the 4 or so times I used it, I had connection problems every time, (one of which was a show stopper & required a desk swap). Much home testing, trying external routers, and different settings, and internet advice (mainly from that extremely long thread on Gearslutz), always seemed promising, but at each gig, the problems returned, with the wired laptop being to only reliable way of working. When the promised new firmware failed to help at all, I returned it as "unfit for purpose" and shelled out the extra dosh for a QU-Pac, which sounds great, has never let me down and actually gets better with each new firmware update. I'm still subscribed to that Gearslutz thread, as I still like the mixing from any browser concept , but it looks like there's been little, if any real improvement to the connection issue, although there are some users who seem very happy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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