JamesGillett Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Hey guys,I need a new sound desk for my college, we need at least 24 channels and a budget of £300.Preferably digital but, they can get very expensive, I know.Do you guys have any good suggestions?Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Does it have to be new or can your college buy second hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesGillett Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 No, second hand is fine, but new would be better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMitchell Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Do you guys have any good suggestions? Your college will have a procurement process, which will likely involve gaining quotes from a few approved suppliers, with whom account terms and trade discounts will exist. The Department Head may have a ceiling he/she can sign off, above which senior authorisation will be required. I'm surprised your college can buy secondhand, although am sure Paul or someone with much more experience than me in dealing with the Education sector will chip in shortly, if I'm not up to speed on that. I wonder if this planned purchase is intended to be below the radar, perhaps the somewhat arbitrary (and detached from reality, certainly for digital ) £300 is at the top end of what can be signed off on a teacher's personal expense return? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesGillett Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 No, this is defiantly 100% legitimate and will be for the college use. If that is the case with 2nd hand equipment, I may have got the 'wrong end of the stick'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 I think it would be useful if you could work out a slightly more detailed specification. For example, how many outputs do you need? And of what kind? How many auxes? How many mix buses? For live use or recording? Or both? If analogue, what sort of outboard will you need? Once you've determined the minimum spec that you need (as opposed to want), we'll be better placed to be able to suggest desks that will meet those requirements. £300 isn't much for a 24 channel desk; if you can make a detailed case for a particular slightly more expensive desk that shows you understand how it's going to be used, how it's compatible with any other existing equipment and how it will fulfill future needs and perhaps save money on hires, you might find that a more realistic budget becomes available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelgrian Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 I need a new sound desk for my college, we need at least 24 channels and a budget of £300.Preferably digital but, they can get very expensive, I know. Sorry but your budget is unrealistic, even a 16 mic + 4 stereo line input analogue Behringer is going to come out at £350 odd. Specifically http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/behringer-sx2442fx-pro-eurodesk-studio-live-mixer--57332. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 +1 to what Chelgrian said. Your budget is totally unrealistic for any mixer worth having. Even on the second hand market you'll be hard pressed to find a decent 24 channel mixer for £300. Digital would be completely out of the question. The Presonus Studiolive 24 and Behringer X32 are both around the £2000 mark. In analogue, as Chelgrian says, even the cheapest Behringers are around £400 for a 24 channel model--and probably not recommended for the not-always-careful use mixers get in a school. In short, you need to find a lot more cash or get VERY lucky on the second hand market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 £300 is petty cash money, so is the kind of sum that can come out of budgets designed for nom-skilled people to manage - books, paper, pens, new headphones general stuff like that. So they don't need to go through the capital item procurement process - they just write an order out. This rarely allows for any 'real' money - so basically it's an invoice/receipt, and then 30-60 days later they get paid. So a Behringer XYZ £300 +VAT would sail through - even if second hand. I do agree with others that for anything worthwhile, it's just too little. It could also be that £300 is the limit on orders from this budget without scrutiny? Or more likely, just what the budget holder feels he/she can get away with burried in the middle of all the other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesGillett Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Thank you for all the feedback guys, the limit was set by the head actually, as it would come out of school budget. I will try and put a case forward for a little more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laolu Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I also suggest that you have to get much more cash for what is needed. Maybe pull some offers off the internet, including ebay so you cover the 2nd hand market, and show it your department head or dean. I am also working in a school and am surprised how naïve some administrators can be: they want professional equipment and/or service for amateur prices? Can not be. Norbert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 If there is a £300 limit then it is not worth getting a replacement desk and you are working backwards. Budgeting is not just about making things fit the money available. As others have suggested, make a list of your requirements, ignoring cost for now, and see how much those requirements will cost to fulfill regardless of cost. Those requirements need to address the reasons for wanting to upgrade, such as course delivery etc. Next step is to research the second hand market and when you have all the necessary information pass it to the budget holder. At least then some reality enters the equation and the budget holder has sufficient to base a decision upon. You might be pleasantly surprised in that the head could decide to look at other budget areas and find the justification for spending the additional funds. At present you are on a hiding to nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pisquee Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soundcraft-spirit-studio-24-mixing-desk-console-mixer-/231070170746?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35ccdafe7a http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soundcraft-Spirit-Studio-32-Channel-8-Bus-With-Soundcraft-Dust-Cover-Manuals-/171133929478?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27d8608806 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigYinUK Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Trouble with schools is of course that they're always stretched on their budgets and juggling about trying to get both ends to meet. There is as said above plenty of stuff about secondhand, but please check the kit over very carefully for noisy or broken pots and sliders and ideally try to get some sort of sale or return agreement if you can. There's a risk that you may buy a 24 channel desk and end up with only 18 working channels as some of this kit will have worked very hard for a living. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Bloke Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 If your budget really is stuck at £300 then can I suggest that the best thing in a college environment, IMHO, is this: http://www.studiospares.com/mixers-analogue/yamaha-mg166cx-mixer/invt/274240?VBMST=274 240OK, so you don't get 24 channels, but what you do get is very usable and should last a while. At £290 it's excellent value for money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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