After A New Mixer...

[TC Entertainments 0]

Hi guys,

Been KJ-ing in pubs for well over 10 years now and built up a fantastic rep with pub management and punters alike.

 

After many years of using mixeramps of around the £500 mark, replacing them approx every 2 years or so due to some fault or another, the last time I got some new kit I went for separate amp & mixer.

 

They have been working fine but I’m sure the sound isn’t as ‘rich’ as it used to be and I seem to be forever ‘twiddling’ the EQs to get the best sound over numerous tracks. (Sure I didn’t have to do it as much with the combined units I used to have).

 

Exact model numbers I cannot provide but the setup is 750w (4ohm) x 2 power amp into peavey 600w (also 4ohm) speakers. These specs would agree should be ample for small to medium venues but also doesn’t seem to be that loud?

 

I’m convinced the weak link is the mixer, it a Behringer, again not sure of the model but it has 6 mono (xlr/jack) inputs and 2 stereo (jack) outputs with effects and such.

I am right in thinking a mixer can make THAT much difference in sound quality even with decent amp & speaker setup?

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/suggestions!

 

TC

 

[bigMCben 0]

I've used a Denon X500 mixer for over three years and it's covered every eventually I've needed. It has 8 inputs which can be assigned to any of the 4 faders. These can be assigned to either side of the crossfader. Treble, mid and bass eq on each channel as well as on the 2 mic channels. There an aux send and return which again can be assigned to any channel or mic. There's a booth output as well which again can be any channel or main out. There's xlr out, phono out, rec out and a sub out with variable crossover. You can also split the headphone output for mixing. I think that's everything. Oh it's 19" rack mountable as well

[MintyDave 0]

Mixers can and do have a big impact on sound and shoving a fiesta engine into a bmw will give you simular results.

 

with regards to DJ mixers i have seen a vast improvement upgrading from kam to denon (the mic pre amp is far superior) and its the same with live mixers. I have a Mackie DFX6 for karaoke and very small pub band pa gigs (usually duets) and have to say it is poor.

 

if im doing something bigger we use my mates peavey rig which is far superior but also 5 times the value.

 

You cant expect a decent eq, and mic preamps and quality digital effects for the budget that theses units appear on the market for.

 

It has been said on numerous occasions (soundonsound.com) that new generation mixers (higher end stuff) are far inferior to their predecessors due to the circuitry used. They lack the old anologue warmth.

 

The ideal situation is to spend a good few hundred pounds on a decent mixer (no built in effx) then add an effects rack if you need that level of processing.

 

Also you get what you pay for with amplifiers. I have 2 kam kxr amps that i used with my peavey rig and they were not the best. I used a yamaha amp one night to diagnose a fault and the sound was different ever so slightly with less hiss.

 

have a look at your speaker configuration more closely and let us know if you are running full range to both sets of cabs or are there bass bins in there with a crossover etc and if you get chance get some model details from al the gear.

 

cheers

Dave

[dj_dash 0]

I agree with Dave.

 

Funny that you should say it's a Behringer that's causing you problems as well. I was using one of Behringer's (at the time fairly new) 24 channel FX series mixing desks for show sound in a large school hall with just a simple 400w amp and some 15" Eminence-loaded speakers. I know a 400w setup wasn't going to be massively impressive, but I know it would do the job with my Pioneer DJM700 running through it.

 

The behringer however wasn't all that capable. I had the gain controls virtually fully up along with the faders about 3/4 way and still was getting a rather weak sound. EQ didn't really do much either.

 

So to answer your question; yes, you'd be surprised how much upgrading or downgrading mixers can affect sound quality.

 

 

EDIT: Actually, just to point out, I ran those same 15" cabs with a borrowed Peavey amp (instead of the 400w KAM I have for them) which could only do about 150w per side; yet sounded a LOT better than the 200w-a-side KAM.

Edited January 14, 2011 by dj_dash

[TC Entertainments 0]

Thanks guys, got a gig tomorrow (Saturday) so will make a point of jotting down the model specifics.

 

TC

[superstardeejay 0]

The clue is the name. They are not the most fantastically sounding mixers in the world. The Peavey setup is great, you can always add-to with another amp and maybe bass bins etc at a later date if you need it louder.

 

Regarding a decent mixer for pro use (ie where you rely on it to earn money, rather than look great in your bedroom) then you need something half-decent.

 

For Karaoke combined with Disco, with plenty of FX and mic input options, I recommend a Mackie Pro FX8 (8 channel + 4 x mic + effects) or Yamaha MG124CX (12ch +4 mic + effects). Both have excellent sound and are well built, the Mackie probably has the edge on the Yam regarding clarity and robustness.

 

Both of these are professional mixers and can be had for around £200 or less online.

[TC Entertainments 0]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

 

Got the model specifics now for you to have a look at:

 

Amp is a Skytec PRO-1500 (750w @ 4 Ohm)

Speakers Peavey PRO-15's

Mixer Behringer Eurorack UB1204FX-PRO

 

All are connected via good quality cables.

 

Is there a weak link there anyone can see? (Used the same speakers before with another setup and sounded great).

 

TIA,

 

TC

[superstardeejay 0]

The Skytec amp will be gutless, get one your speakers deserve.

 

I dont know how on earth Skytronic calculate that wattage, if it can deliver more than 400W in total then I'll go to the foot of my stairs and back.

Edited January 16, 2011 by superstardeejay

[TC Entertainments 0]

Thanks superstardeejay,

 

Any recommendations?

[MintyDave 0]

I dont know how on earth Skytronic calculate that wattage, if it can deliver more than 400W in total then I'll go to the foot of my stairs and back.

 

Thats saying something - he lives in a bungalow!

 

I have to totally agree with SSDJ, behringer and skytec are not a great combination but we all have budgets that we have to stick to.

The peaveys are also not great but certainly a step in the right direction. I used a s/h pair of eurosys cabs for ages doing pub karaoke but thats as far as i could go with them. they were 200w rms as opposed to your 300w and they actually sounded quite nice at small pub levels. If they did get driven they were very harsh.

 

I would look at borrowing a better mixer if you know somebody with one and see what you think, if you are still unhappy then try get your hands on an amp too. You may need to consider hiring something in for a night if you cant find anything to borrow and that would be better than spending a pile of cash on something thats not much better.

 

where are you btw? you never know there may be a friendly forum member in your area with some time to kill.

[superstardeejay 0]

I agree, beg and borrow to see what improvements occur before parting with cash.

 

Last christmas I had to lend a DJ at Alton Towers (who are just up the road from me) an amp because he had forgotten to bring his with him. The one I had was only a lowly QSC RMX1450 but he was 'blown away' with the improvement in sound quality compared to his regular amp. You might be missing a treat!

[TC Entertainments 0]

Thanks guys,

 

Plenty to ponder there :)

 

I'm in Cambs (PE29) if anyone is local.

 

Cheers,

 

TC