Good Low/Mid Priced Mixer

[Gailid]

Hello All,

I've been thinking on adding a good Mixer to my setup, Currently I've been considering This Trident S100 (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Trident-Audio-S100-8-Channel-Mixer-180323-i1125000.gc). One of the studios I interned for had 2 of these and I just found out that he's selling them. Well he's sold one and I've asked how much he's asking.

Any thoughts on that board?

I know Toft has entered the realm with some nice quality that doesn't break the bank. but I'm not sure I can justify that much. I'm just not bringing in the clientele to get my money back out of it.

[Sandyrb]

Hi Craig.

I've been thinking on adding a good Mixer to my setup, Currently I've been considering This Trident S100 (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Trident-Audio-S100-8-Channel-Mixer-180323-i1125000.gc). [...] Any thoughts on that board?
Let me preface this by saying that I haven't HEARD one of these things and it might be the best thing since sliced bread, I dunno. But, that being said, it seems very expensive for the given feature set. Nearly three grand for eight channels? $5½K list? Holy cow. And with unbalanced insert points and rotaries rather than faders? Honestly, maybe I'm out-of-the-loop with today's prices but it seems rather steep to me. Much as the last thing I would want to do is to besmirch the hallowed name of Trident let's just say that things ain't what they used to be.

OTOH, there's this little SSL 8-channel gizmo (http://www.mercenary.com/ssl-xdesk.html) for not much more money. I'm not going to suggest it's better or more fully-featured but it means you've got at least one alternative to look at. And there's always the second hand market too; we picked up one of our Ameks for three grand and it's in absolutely pristine condition (well, it was until we transplanted all the new channels into the other one :) ). There again, even if that doesn't put a strain on your wallet it might put a strain on your lounge floor! ;)

I know Toft has entered the realm with some nice quality that doesn't break the bank.
Once more I must indemnify myself by stating that this isn't my own observation but my boss looked into the Toft stuff when we were building Control-2. What dissuaded him was that he was unhappy with the build quality. He likes to take the lid off things and see what's really going on and apparently it was bad enough to put him off. Apart from that it might be great gear; again, I haven't heard it.

Hope this helps. :)

Cheers,

[Gailid]

Yeah thanks! I wouldn't buy that Trident new for that price. IF I do get this, I would be buying it from my old internship, so I'd hope that he'd sell it for less then the current new price, however I've not gotten a price yet. I asked him where he got them from and he said he bought them strait from Trident. However, I'm not sure when PMI group bought out Trident Audio Design, but when I try to look up Trident, I dont even see this board. So I dont know if they've stop making them or if I just can't find them.

[Mixwell]

Much as the last thing I would want to do is to besmirch the hallowed name of Trident let's just say that things ain't what they used to be.

Who is the REAL red headed step child of British EQ?

I know who the father is.

[cookseyeng]

pre sonus 16.4.2 $2,000 or the new one in 3 months 24.4.2 10 aux's for $3200 i do believe

[tekis]

That thing's pro audio junk food. Who cares how great it sounds. I has NO features. I'd get something that does everything I need, even if it wasn't as "hi-fi" as others. I was going to recommend that a friend of mine check out that Presonus desk. At $2k and it's automated, recall, DAW controller. I'm sure it's not a Melbourne, but it seems flexible and portable. A baby Amek might be nice, like the other gentleman mentioned--a TAC Bullet, no? The "X Desk" has no pre's or eq's...

[albert]

I won't tell you what to do, but. . .


I can't resist.

Please, do not buy that thing.




Anyway, if you have time and money, hunt for a nice inexpensive used Amek or something. Something like that will be an actual solution.

It's all up to you, I still don't fully understand what you need :/

If you don't have a place to put a free-standing console, or you rent and move often or whatever, consider the Toft ATB series. It's great EQs, decent preamps, and enough routing to get by. I just wish that one didn't have to fumble around the back of it so much, and that it had a patchbay. :/

Hm, my largest complaint about the Toft ATB series is the workflow/routing/etc. Man, imagine all the second hand super cheap Toft ATBs on the market in the future. . . insane . . .

P.S. That thing is not "Trident" you might be thinking about.

[tfletchii]

I have and use a S100 I got for under $1000 and it is a solid deal for that amount of money. I have a modest home studio, nothing fancy and it fits my purposes well. I don't use the pre's alot but they are fine. I do use the eq and I fine them more pleasing than any of the standard plugins. It only has inserts on the main buss and not on the aux busses which is a bummer.

I think in the end if you like being in the analog realm over digital and you don't use a ton of tracks you'll enjoy it. Especially if you can get it for $1000 or less anymore and you'd be better served getting something else

[moose]

I'm fairly sure that "Trident" there is the one that's a re-badged SoundTech piece... rather lo-fi. But especially for the price... $2700??? Seriously??? I'm sure its hipper then a Smackie but ehhh...

For most recording setups the mixing console is the heart of the rig. Everything is going through there at least once...

How much is that worth?

IME, a better console is going to make things sound better which brings more work.

[Gailid]

well, after discussing it with my wife, we decided not to purchase that Trident (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Trident-Audio-S100-8-Channel-Mixer-180323-i1125000.gc) board. He set the price at $1500, and I just can't justify it.

However, I'm still looking for a good sounding board for under $1000 if anyone has any suggestions. I know my price range is limiting me tremendously.

[Halfway Competent]

well, after discussing it with my wife, we decided not to purchase that Trident (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Trident-Audio-S100-8-Channel-Mixer-180323-i1125000.gc) board. He set the price at $1500, and I just can't justify it.

However, I'm still looking for a good sounding board for under $1000 if anyone has any suggestions. I know my price range is limiting me tremendously.

At the risk of losing credibility (haha), I gotta say the Mackie Onyx boards are pretty decent sounding. Good enough? Well, you can decide that. :)

I bought one for doing small sound reinforcement gigs (Onyx 1620, $800) and was rather startled at how much it didn't suck. In fact, the vocals really came through clearly and rather leapt off the EVs.

I finally did a live recording with it. This was mixed ITB in Pro Tools, but it at least gives you an idea of the pres.

Drum O/H thru a Presonus Digimax; everything else thru the Onyx. Remember, this is a rough mix of a live recording. ;)

http://www.tewsnet.com/dropbox/jmsample.mp3

[Gailid]

ya, i'd been considering the Allen & Heath mix wizard, i've used that one on the road and its got some decent pres and eqs. The aspects of that Trident that i liked so much was that it's basically 8 channel strips (obviously) with bussing. so, more like i was buying an 8 channel pre (that happened to have EQs on each channel and 5 aux sends), and less like i was buying a mixer. Sorta like that Chandler Ltd Mini Rack. however, the mini rack doesn't have eqs or bussing, and is a lot more expensive.

so, as i've been looking around, i've whittling down what i'd like to get. and i'm wanting decent sound, it to be rack-able, have bussing, EQs, i dont really need more than 8 channels, and affordable.

[Dan]

You haven't said why exactly you want a board and what you'll be using it for. Do you want for the faders? Zero-latency headphone routing/monitoring? Outboard summing? Channel strips? All of the above?

Knowing how you intend to use it will be helpful. For example, if all you want is faders (which is more about ergonomics than sound quality), I'd say get a control surface. If all you want is summing, then maybe a summing box would be better.

-Dan.

[Gailid]

I'm mainly looking for a board for that "Zero-Latency" Routing for a Headphone mix and out-board gear. Faders aren't an issue, I've got a Command 8 control board. So, a rack mounted board with decent sounding Pre's and EQs, all with the routing capabilities of having a few Aux Sends is what I'm going for. all for as inexpensive as possible.

how would some 8-16 channel (live) boards (perhaps an Allen & Heath Mix wizard (http://www.allen-heath.co.uk/US/DisplayProduct.asp?pview=69), or that Mackie Onyx (http://www.mackie.com/products/onyx1640i/)) compare to some lower end Pres? like This PreSonus (http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRSD8) or This Focusrite OctoPre (http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCOCTOPREMKII).

Based on what my understanding (or maybe lack there of) of what a summing box is, I'm not wanting that. (However, perhaps that's a good side topic, What exactly is a Summing Box?).

[Sandyrb]

how would some 8-16 channel (live) boards (perhaps an Allen & Heath Mix wizard (http://www.allen-heath.co.uk/US/DisplayProduct.asp?pview=69), or that Mackie Onyx (http://www.mackie.com/products/onyx1640i/)) compare to some lower end Pres? like This PreSonus (http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRSD8) or This Focusrite OctoPre (http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCOCTOPREMKII).

Given the four of them I'd pick the Mackie. I'll probably get mercilessly flamed for even thinking this, but I've had some really good results through those little Mackie boards. And two of my most successful records were tracked through a 1604VLZ believe it or not.

Cheers,

[Halfway Competent]

I'm mainly looking for a board for that "Zero-Latency" Routing for a Headphone mix and out-board gear. Faders aren't an issue, I've got a Command 8 control board. So, a rack mounted board with decent sounding Pre's and EQs, all with the routing capabilities of having a few Aux Sends is what I'm going for. all for as inexpensive as possible.

how would some 8-16 channel (live) boards (perhaps an Allen & Heath Mix wizard (http://www.allen-heath.co.uk/US/DisplayProduct.asp?pview=69), or that Mackie Onyx (http://www.mackie.com/products/onyx1640i/)) compare to some lower end Pres? like This PreSonus (http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRSD8) or This Focusrite OctoPre (http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCOCTOPREMKII).

Based on what my understanding (or maybe lack there of) of what a summing box is, I'm not wanting that. (However, perhaps that's a good side topic, What exactly is a Summing Box?).

Between my Mackie Onyx and Presonus DigiMax LT, I prefer the pres on the Mackie. The Digimax pres sound thin and sterile, and it takes me a lot of effort to get recordings made with it to sound good. The Mackie pres sound a bit fuller, and definitely sound better in the bass. That doesn't mean I still don't dream of someday affording a set of John Hardy M1s...

[hamjam]

i have been researching this pretty heavily as well. i am leaning towrds this line

http://www.allen-heath.co.uk/US/products.asp

they are coming out w/ a 24 chan version in aug/sept which looks even better but will surely be in the 5k range. 24pre's/ eq's /100m/ faders/ adc/ machine control etc it is the zed r24

[tfletchii]

Anybody seen the new Toft ATB 8 and 4 channels. Might be a good option. Mercenary, are yall still selling the Toft ATB series? and if so what do you know about the new smaller formats? Heres a link to an interview with Malcom Toft about the 4 channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgB7QnEsKzk&feature=player_embedded

[Mixwell]

Anybody seen the new Toft ATB 8 and 4 channels. Might be a good option. Mercenary, are yall still selling the Toft ATB series? and if so what do you know about the new smaller formats? Heres a link to an interview with Malcom Toft about the 4 channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgB7QnEsKzk&feature=player_embedded

We are Toft Audio Dealers, yes.

I have not laid hands on these mini ATB's, but I have used 4-8 channels on the current console offerings, which is exactly the same thing as this product.

[phrenology]

Death To Mixers! Long Live Summing Boxes! Seriously, I have a RMS Fulcrom into a NPNG...faders are nice, but this set up sounds killer.

[Zachg]

Death To Mixers! Long Live Summing Boxes! Seriously, I have a RMS Fulcrom into a NPNG...faders are nice, but this set up sounds killer.

Uhh....

He said he wanted a mixer for zero latency headphone mixes and preamps, not to do OTB summing.


The mackie boards aren't too bad, I've used 3 different one at school, mainly a 1604VLZ. Not too bad really, but a lot of the channels are broken. I wish they had another band of eq for live use though...

Hope this helps.
Zach

[Mixwell]

(However, perhaps that's a good side topic, What exactly is a Summing Box?).

"Summing" is the process of Folding Multiple Sources Down.

All of the products discussed in this thread are "summing boxes" with other stuff on them, which qualifies them more as "mixers and/or consoles"....

If you ask me it is a debate of semantics. In regard to the "sound", its all about the topology and the circuit used. Hopefully the memo got out to the marketing department by now.

Some MIXERS have MORE electronics, +pan, +level control, +equalizer, +routing, ++++, more active circuity..etc

Some Sum Boxes have LESS electronics, -pan, -level control, -equalizer, -routing, ----, less active circuity..etc

Some Summing Boxes are riddled with character driven active circuity, transformer coupled, and use specially designed 2-bus amplifiers that have the headroom of a console and beyond. They have the RIGHT electronics.

[evets]

consider the Toft ATB series. It's great EQs, decent preamps, and enough routing to get by. I just wish that one didn't have to fumble around the back of it so much, and that it had a patchbay. :/

Hm, my largest complaint about the Toft ATB series is the workflow/routing/etc. Man, imagine all the second hand super cheap Toft ATBs on the market in the future. . . insane . .



I haven't had chance to lay my hands on one of these consoles yet, I do have a friend who is considering one though. What exactly is the problem with the workflow/routing? and why do you have to fumble around the back of it a lot, is it something that could be solved with an external patch bay?

From what we have found through internet research the ATB got a bad rep from the early pilot scheme models but it seems that people who are using the later version consoles are very pleased with them.

[Mixwell]

I would not recommend putting this desk in your studio without several patch bays, and proper wiring array.

It is a fully in line designed mixer, with 2-paths per channel, so by right, it does have the proper routing for using a multi track recording device.

You'd have to spend some time trying to convince me that this mixer doesn't have the proper work flow aesthetics.

I would be as so bold, as to suggest the MAIN and possibly most important reason for purchasing this console is the layout/routing.

[evets]

That's exactly what made us consider it, after watching online videos showing the consoles features it seemed to have everything that we needed and the same features as larger consoles that I've used (with the exception of a patch bay).
Hopefully it wouldn't have the maintenance issues that could be associated with an older console (although that is still being considered as an option).

If all the inserts and inputs were hooked up to a TT patchbay I think the workflow would be great. Are the inserts on the later version balanced too?

Now all I need to know is how it sounds, I have heard it can be a bit noisy and crosstalk isn't too great, although that may have been corrected since the Pilot.
If anybody with any time on the console can give their opinions it would be helpful.