Sound desk

[BigYinUK]

Yamaha MG166CX

 

We use one of those. OK its a budget desk but it seems very good, does what it says on the tin :)

 

Jon

[Bobbsy]

I completely concur that the Yamaha MG series is good value for a school environment. Indeed, I recommended on for my son's high school when he was there and, last I heard, it's still working okay (he's 30 now).

 

However, the MG166CX has only 10 mic inputs plus 2 line level stereo inputs. That's a far cry from the specified 24 channels.

[GaryNattrass]

I agree with the Yamaha MG ser as a good choice and with more budget the MG32/14 fits the spec perfectly : http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en/products/mixers/mg_fx/

[azlan]

If the desk is going to be used in a school, but they don't currently have the budget to support buying something worthwhile, is it worth talking to the PTA about sponsoring the purchase, doing an event with the current equipment (or hiring in for the night) to try to raise money? I know at my old school used both these techniques to keep the halls in reasonable technical condition, and it isn't that big a stretch that a school concert could make £2-300 even at £5 a ticket, which would help a lot to getting the budget towards where it needs to be to get something suitable.

 

It may also be a good idea to ask a few local companies to quote for a desk, based on the feature set you need (a realistic feature set, not an all the bells and whistles you can think of one), and go to the head with these quotes and see what they say, along with a case showing why it is needed over whatever they currently have.

[Bobbsy]

I agree with the Yamaha MG ser as a good choice and with more budget the MG32/14 fits the spec perfectly : http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en/products/mixers/mg_fx/

 

...at a bit more than double the stated budget.

 

Basically the OP either has to seriously UP the budget or seriously DOWN the required specification--or a mix of the two.

 

I'm sure we could find something to recommend eventually--but at this stage I think we need some guidance from the OP about what direction he wants to go.

[SoulHead]

have you ever tried looking in those Cash Generator stores that you get on most high streets. Occasionally you get some real gems in there if you look around.

 

I have brought some used gear there before and still working fine.. I did see a Powermate mixer by Dynachord once going for £350 would you believe , ( they are normally over a grand) someone snapped it up that afternoon.

Dave

 

Soundcraft are very good , I have a spirit M4 . Amazing preamps

 

Dave

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item35ccdafe7a

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item27d8608806

[J Pearce]

Very few schools would be able to spend £300 cash in a store such as cash generators. There are proper procurement procedures to follow when you are spending taxpayers' money.

[pisquee]

I used to work in a school, and would get around procurement quite easily by buying on credit card, and putting an expenses claim in. I knew it was naughty and finance didn't like it, but sometimes it was the only way. Thankfully one of the managers liked me, and could see I was from a pro background and that the job was beneath me, and liked that I was just trying to get the job done to a pro standard (or in some cases just trying to get the job done without jumping through their hoops)

[Bobbsy]

While there are ways around most procurement procedures (remind me to tell you one day how I once bought a $120,000 TV standards converter as spare parts to avoid restrictions on capital expenditure) I doubt it would be easy for a teenage student to play the system that much.

[paulears]

Keep in mind that there are many rules about educational finances that can land you in very deep water - potentially even the sack.

 

When I first started work in the college, we were always short of money, and I personally had piles of radio mic kit I used to hire to amateur groups and local theatres. When it came to the end of course shows, the students as part of their work used the show for many of the criteria they were being assessed on. So whoever was doing sound had to get three quotes for mic hire, and I knocked 20% off the cheapest one and saved the college even more money. We did this for perhaps five years until a change of Director of Finance. After the show, he called me in and explained that there were legal rules that meant this was simply not on. He had no beef with me putting a quote in - as long as I was not privy to the price quoted by competition. The reality was that by saving them 20%, I had a financial advantage not available to others. He even explained that this could be construed as gross misconduct and taking advantage of my position for material gain. Very serious stuff. He knew I hadn't got a clue and had saved them quite a bit of the years, but from then on budget appeared to purchase their own kit and save the hire.

 

It strikes me that the person who uses their personal credit card to buy something that then gets reimbursed as an expense could well be seen to have been circumventing the rules, designed for exactly this reason. The teachers who get given budgets to run have no training in finance, or the implications of this kind of thing. Think how unpleasant it would be to have to prove you really did buy the mixer for X price and hadn't stuck a little extra on, or perhaps done a deal with the shop for a cash 'thank you'.

 

If you are the type of person who frequently pushes the edge - this could be exactly what your employer needs to generate sanctions. Be aware!

[OllieDuff]

Keep in mind that there are many rules about educational finances that can land you in very deep water - potentially even the sack.

 

When I first started work in the college, we were always short of money, and I personally had piles of radio mic kit I used to hire to amateur groups and local theatres. When it came to the end of course shows, the students as part of their work used the show for many of the criteria they were being assessed on. So whoever was doing sound had to get three quotes for mic hire, and I knocked 20% off the cheapest one and saved the college even more money. We did this for perhaps five years until a change of Director of Finance. After the show, he called me in and explained that there were legal rules that meant this was simply not on. He had no beef with me putting a quote in - as long as I was not privy to the price quoted by competition. The reality was that by saving them 20%, I had a financial advantage not available to others. He even explained that this could be construed as gross misconduct and taking advantage of my position for material gain. Very serious stuff. He knew I hadn't got a clue and had saved them quite a bit of the years, but from then on budget appeared to purchase their own kit and save the hire.

 

 

That sounds like a very blurry line. If you know roughly how much discount the college can wrangle off list price from SLX/ShiteLight/whoever, then you can just quote 20% below that price up front. How's that different from a supplier with very low overheads - which is basically what you are - who knows they can outquote their competitors by 20%?

[Simon Lewis]

Although individual rules may change slightly, most are there to ensure transparency and to remove the possibility that staff were placing orders to their own financial benefit. In most tendering processes (which typically would apply to higher price items?) it is not allowed to confer with other suppliers lest you are deemed to have colluded or fixed a price. This can be pretty serious, so most finance people would rather pay more an d be "above board" than run the risk of an audit revealing unsatisfactory activity.

 

We might be clear that we are saving the establishment money, but they have rules that they need to stick to. As for expenses or petty cash, the places I am familiar with do not operate petty cash and expenses have to be pre-approved.

[bitofagiggle]

+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.

 

I think it will be a hard buy, but not a neigh impossible task. I bought a second hand 28 channel SL3242FX-PRO in very good condition for £150. That was negotiated down from £200 granted.

[Bobbsy]

 

I think it will be a hard buy, but not a neigh impossible task. I bought a second hand 28 channel SL3242FX-PRO in very good condition for £150. That was negotiated down from £200 granted.

 

Except, as has been pointed out several times, it will be virtually impossible for a school to purchase anything second hand due to local authority rules.

 

I'd also be worried about a Behringer in the typically rough environment present in a school--I'm not a Behringer basher but I doubt one would last very long the way most schools treat tech gear.