Choosing the right sound mixing board

Here are a few pointers for folks who are new to the world of live sound or just need a little nudge in the right direction when about to purchase a new live sound mixer.

Quantity: Always try to buy a slightly larger mixer than you think you need at the moment. If you think you need an 8 channel, go with a 12 channel to leave room for unexpected situations where you need more inputs than planned. You will want to determine if going with a large number of channels, say 24 or 32, if you need the mixer to have a subgroup section. This will allow you to organize specific channels into groups, so only one fader is needed to control all the drum microphones, for example. You will also want to know how many "send" and "return" channels it has. Most mixers, even the smallest ones, come with 2. These will allow you to hook up some monitor speakers for the stage, or some outboard effects processors. For a large group, you will need 4 or even 6 send and return channels. Most larger boards (16 channels and up) have 4, some even have 6, such as the Allen & Heath Mix Wizard.

Quality: If you need a mixer for live sound, the less expensive brands will usually do the job. Their sound quality may arguably not be as good as more expensive ones, but I have found from experience that your audience will never notice nor will they care. As long as the vocals are loud and clear, everyone is happy. Behringer is a good brand for inexpensive mixers. I have used one for many years with no issues. The sound quality is very good. If you are recording, you will want to go with a better quality mixer. Mackie or Allen & Heath are two very well-known brands for quality. They will be quieter than the cheap mixers, with less background noise.

Features: Some mixers come with built-in digital effects, such as reverb and delay. They are handy when you want to spice up your mix. Some vocalists prefer a little reverb, or you may want to add a little delay to make the vocals "stick" better in the mix. You can put a chorus effect on a guitar as well. Most mixers with this feature allow you to do some basic controlling of the effect, but usually very little. They will have just enough parameters to tailor your sound, but not give you extreme control. They usually do the job nicely. Most major brands of mixers offer models with built in effects at reasonable prices. Some mixers also come with built in compressors on the first few channels to give better control over you vocal levels. This is a handy feature and makes your vocals pump up in the mix so they are heard more evenly and loudly over the music. Some of the Yamaha mixers have this feature. If you are recording top your computer you will not want a mixer with effects, so save your money. Most recording software have very good assortments of digital effects.

Don't forget to get a good, heavy duty road case for you mixer if you plan on using it for gigs. You can be as careful as you want, but eventually your mixer will get beat up pretty fast.

If you have any questions on anything related to live sound or recording, please feel free to contact me through eBay, I will be happy to try and answer your questions. My username is retrostarmusic. While you are here, stop by our store http://stores.ebay.com/Retrostar-Music