Mixing together kit by various manufacturers

[MisterJames]

Hey Guys,

 

 

Is it true that mixing kit for example having whafledale tops, HK Subs, a Behringer Mixer, Dap EQ and so on... Will make sound quality bad or worse? Or is that just abit of a myth. I can understand the thought in it, but surely if you had HK gear with JBL and allen and heath then that would be okie than just a ful HK and im very sure its impossible to have a complete set of everything from speakers to processing in one brand. maybe not in high priced items but in low it is... Unless you go all behringer. but there not one for sound.

 

So is mixing kit okie?

 

 

Hope you can give me some kind of answer if there is one!

 

Cheer James

 

Moderation: I changed the title of your topic as "a quick question" doesn't really help others to find this thread amongst all the others.

[Chris Beesley]

There isnt an audio manufacturer on the market that makes the best in every component... some brands require kit to be matched (eg d&B or Nexo) where others can be mixed and matched... there is no hard and fast rule on this one. A lot will be down to how you set up the equipment and which components you choose.

[Shez]

With speakers, you'll often find the best results using kit all from one manufacturer but even then, sometimes subs from a different manufacturer will do the job that you want better. As Chris has said, with some kit like d&b, using their speakers and amps / processing all together will give the best results. But beyond that, it's an open field. It's only companies like Behringer that produce everything from mics to speakers. Higher end companies stick to a narrower specialism. There's absolutely nothing wrong with using DPA mics with Sennheiser radio packs with a Yamaha desk with XTA speaker processing with Lab Gruppen amps with EAW speakers. For instance.

[Russ83]

Generally yes, mixing manufacturers is ok as at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference.

 

Obviously there are occasions where you wouldn't want to (stage left different manufacturer to stage right speakers for example) and some set ups where it would be beneficial (the XTi amps have presets that match tops and subs to give the best crossover settings and save you time).

 

I find it quite common for pubs/clubs to have various mixing desks, BSS EQs, Behringer or dbx compressor/gates and speakers ranging from someones DIY project through to some nice Nexo or RCF gear. As long as you (and the people paying you) are happy with the sound that comes out it doesn't matter what you use.

[paulears]

Look at it like cars. Some people can customise cars, some can't. The enthusiast know exactly which Landrover V8 to put into the imported American car with a dodgy motor. While they're doing it, they know who to go to to find a custom bellhousing to get them to mate up. They can then source a gearbox and diff matched to these rest and be content the final performance will be what they expect. Alternatively, you can buy a 10 year old Renault, bolt on a few body panels. You can take the springs off and cut a bit off each one, and put on a big bore exhaust pipe.

 

The two end products will be very different. The Renault seems to be the variable success one - it could end up a really nice car, or just be a mess. That's the problem with assembling a bits and pieces sound system without being able to listen to the result of each substitution on it's own. Some bits are not so much a gamble - the Behringer mixer, for example - they sound fine. They're not perhaps in the same league as others, but often this is in certain areas only. I've had Behringer mixers in the past, and apart from the slightly noisy preamps when the gain was cranked up, they were pretty good. I bought a small rackmount one for a specific job, and it's just the job. I do have some HK subs, and was trying to assemble a spare system for just one job - I thought I'd add those to a full range Turbosound pair of tops. Sounded horrible. No amount of crossover twiddling could find a frequency where as they took over from the 12" drivers, they sounded good and actually added something. They just clashed. On paper, there's no real reason they should have hated each other so much!