russchallis1 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Hi, I have decided to purchase a digital mixing console after a few events where I have needed to run a lot of cables quite a long distance... I very much like the look of the Allen & Heath QU-16 however I would ideally like a console which is only 8-10 channels as well for if I run smaller events. I have looked around at different companies for quite some time but I have not found a solution. I don't have an iPad and am not considering purchasing one so the iPad based mixers are not possible for my setup. Does anyone else know of any companies which make a small mixer on a reasonable budget? ThanksRuss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Have you taken a look at the QSC Touch Mix? It's a slightly different concept to the QU, et al, but for a smaller mixer it might meet your needs? About the size of a laptop But what do you mean about running long cables? The QU (etc) have a cat 5 snake option but mixers smaller than that don't tend to do the cat5 snake thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 The Soundcraft Ui series can be controlled by any device with a web browser, The Behringer X32 and X18/XR18 series can be controlled by a laptop (Mac or Windows), Android tablet or pretty much any iDevice. Other than that I'm not sure how the Qu16 will help avoid both long cable runs and an iPad, you can either have the desk on stage (which requires an iPad for remote mixing) or a single long cat5s cable from the mix position and an (expensive) AR series stagebox or two. A bit more info will help us give more (hopefully) useful advice. I know you've said you don't own an iPad but you can buy an iPad mini for £299 and a Mackie DL806 (8 mic inputs, 4 auxs and stereo main outputs) for £350 so that may be the cheapest way to get your small mixer (but it doesn't have 10 inputs). I have a DL1608 and it is very good, if the DL806 has the I/O you need I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one (especially at the current price). I have a couple of X32s, Compact and Rack which give me a range of options, Rack alone with iPad and/or 'droid control (I could also use my MacBook Pro), Compact at stageside gives me a control surface to set things up and I then mix FOH on a tablet during the show, returning to the physical desk if necessary, or Rack configured as a stagebox with a cat5s snake to a remote mix position so I can mix the show on the Compact using the iPad to fine tune monitors at the soundcheck. I can hire in an S16 for about £25 if I need the full complement of 38 analogue inputs on stage (or even an X32 Console if I need a monitor desk as well) if I need and the Rack and Compact provide redundancy should one fail. It's a very flexible setup and I explored many other ways of achieving the same flexibility (pretty much all costing several times the price) before settling on the X32s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russchallis1 Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 Sorry, I made the cable length a bit unclear. Basically I would like to have a digital multi-core with just the single CAT5 cable running which would require a digital desk rather than an analogue one. I have looked at the X32 core and the X32 rack the only restriction I found was that I quite like to have physical faders to move during a show but if that is the only way to achieve what I am trying to achieve then I will definitely consider it. I have always liked the X32 series but have been put off it by old-school technicians who do not trust Behringer equipment for some reason.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 X32 probably the most affordable way to do that then. Qu series stage boxes are horrifically expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Berry kit of old has a justified bad rep, the X32 series seems to have turned that on it's head. You'll still find some guys who will be unhappy with Behringer but the X32 is becoming widely accepted on tech riders. And, I have seen A&H described as "unprofessional" on a couple of riders over the years so you're "damned if you do and damned if you don't". I'd say the A&H GLD is worth the extra money if you can afford it but the Qu series are lacking in features compared to the X32. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Er, read the last line of the first post Sam. I'd hardly say that someone who wanted to do in the box mixing would consider GLD to be "reasonable budget"? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 You're right my post is not clear. I was just trying to put the Qu/X32 comparison in context, and the GLD offers a similar feature set to the X32 but at a significantly higher price, acceptable for a pro user but harder to justify for us ordinary Joes. http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif Sorry, it's late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacethebase Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I love the x32 rack! Can use it for nearly anything :) Small and has the features to do most small - medium jobs. I have even started carrying one with me to freelance jobs as a back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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