Do you really have to pay 400+ to get a good sounding USB mixer? Seems way harder for me to choose a mixer as it is always missing something… All I’m looking for is roughly 4-5 mono channels / 3-4 stereo / decent sound / Good USB compatibility. Any suggestions?
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I have a mackie 12 vlz4
£219 it works ok
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Allen and Heath. Nicer sounding EQs than the Mackie. (To my ears)
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Yes I agree
It sounds like you’d like a mixer that can multi-track record over usb into your DAW. If so you’re looking for the same beast as me. My current front runners are:
- Soundcraft Signature MTK 12
- Tascam Model 12
- PreSonos AR12
- Zoom L-12
- Zoom XR18
As you say they all have something missing.
The MTK12 is solid but doesn’t have any means of recording on the mixer itself, and the channels are tapped pre-eq for input into your DAW, which upsets some.
The Tascam Model 12, fixes both of the above, and looks pretty much perfect, but it’s only a 10 channel mixer. I could just about make that work if I could monitor my Digitakt through the “Music / Talk” input, because I’d be recording that using Overbridge anyway, but it appears that’s shared with channel 9/10. It’s a shame as it’s killer feature is as well as onboard recording, it also features MIDI and can sync for overdubbing. I’d be tempted to look at the Model 16 for more inputs, but it’s an older product and doesn’t feature the MIDI as far as I can tell.
The PreSonus AR12 looks very interesting, it’s actually a 14 channel mixer, with the 13/14 channel being a combo of bluetooth, stereo line level and I think USB input. It’s a 14in/4out interface, whereas the Soundcraft is 12in/12 out if that’s important to you (mixing in hardware rather than in your DAW).
The Zoom L-12 is more featured towards recording on the device and somehow doesn’t feel quite so much a “real” mixer as the others, but I think I’m probably biased against it and need to give it another look. The front panel doesn’t look like it but it has EQ for every channel, I think it’s all digital though.
The Zoom XR18 is very well featured and is a full 18in / 18out interface, has good FX provisions and I think plenty of busses. However it’s geared more to live use and you lose the physical control surface, controlling it with a tablet or computer. There are people here who love it and shove it under the desk out of the way. I think you can use physical controllers to add faders etc over MIDI. Don’t be fooled by the XR12 - it’s not a 12in interface, the XR18 is the first in the range that’s properly a multitrack interface.
No clear standout for me. I think the MTK12 or AR12 might be the best compromise, especially taking price into account. The Tascam Model 12 would have had it if it was a 12 track with an additional FX return, but it isn’t.
The Mackie 12 VLZ4 doesn’t have USB, but it does have a total of 6 outputs I think, so you can get creative and add an interface (the Zoom H6 works well for this surprisingly!) and record 6 mono tracks at any given time into your DAW.
Behringer used to do the UFX1204 USB which looks like it did everything, but it’s discontinued and they don’t appear to have an equivalent product anymore. If you see it secondhand, probably grab it. No idea on build quality or sound though.
Currently I’m multitrack recording using Overbridge for my Digitakt (8 sample tracks + 2 external inputs), and a Zoom H6 (a lot of people don’t realise but there’s a 3.5mm input on the side of the XY mic that can be used for line level input). I also have a 2in soundcard (H6 and sound card can be combined in Audio MIDI Setup on Mac). So I can manage to multitrack 8 Digitakt sample tracks plus an additional 10 tracks of hardware inputs all without a mixer or real multitrack interface. So that sets the bar a little too high for something like the Tascam Model 12. The pre-amps on the H6 are excellent too. Plus I can use it as a field recorder. It just looks messy and is a little fiddly.
Hope this helps.
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Mackie 1202 (especially the pre-VLZ) and any decent USB interface.
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Ive heard nothing but good things about this mixer/audio interface
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+1. The Mackie is the only one that has enough stereo inputs, plus amazing routing option.
Plus overdriving the mono inputs is like 4 killer dirt pedals for free.
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Is the USB a must for you? Do you already have a 2 channel audio interface? My experience with multitracking USB has been bad, with lots of bugs and time spent troubleshooting the USB features. Maybe things are better now.
I have a Mackie 1202 VLZ4 now like some other users here. No USB - I just route the stereo mix to a 2 channel Scarlett 2i2 and either record the full mix in one track or record tracks individually.
Even recording elektron gear with overbridge usb multitrack has been super buggy for me on a 2015 MBP. Whether I run the USB through a hub or directly into the mac, i get dropouts, have to raise the buffer super high, etc. Not worth the hassle for me personally.
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Yeah, for an affordable mixer the 1202 VLZ is just the right size for a small studio setup.
4 channels of mono and 4 channels of stereo with 2 send FX.
Main drawback: gain knobs instead of faders makes it hard to fade multiple tracks at once. Otherwise I love it!
Also if you have an iPad and going to digital anyway you might want to look hard at the Behringer/Midas XR12.
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I decided to go for the Soundcraft MTK 12 as I would like to have the option to multitrack record with a decent interface built in(According to many reviews). Has anyone had any experience with Soundcraft USB mixers?
Previously on Elektronauts:
Plenty more discussion if you search on Soundcraft MTK.
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I have a MTK22 and so far so good. The only 2 downsides for me are there’s no midi and the multitrack recording is pre fader.
Other than that I’m pretty ok with the mixer .
My brother has the 12Mtk and it’s pretty satisfied too. We both upgraded from old motu mk3 and him a mk2 and sound are pretty much the same or better now.
Hope this helps you to make the right choice
Currently using a Mackie 1402 (20 years old) to sum my HW synths with a stereo pair out to MOTU ULTRALITE MK3.
I am still pondering a 22MTK but not sure of the quality of the onboard soundcard…
Well if your setup works well just keep it.
Don’t try to fix a thing that’s not broken
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good topic, thanks!
I might start a war here but…
Have seen so many setups with amazing (and costly) hardware synths/drum machines/effects connected to poor (quality, not price…) mixers.
People in general have a tendency to forget about how important it is as it is most likely at the end of your “chain”.
On the other hand, spending a fortune on a board is useless if the hardware does not follow the same rule.
Just an opinion, not a rule 
Had a Mackie mixer (made in USA) up until I got a Midas 160 and although it is a more live oriented board, the difference is HUGE in terms of gain staging and EQ, routing options…
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Overdriving the gain stage on the channels, similar sound to abused Boss BX-series mixers. Also easy to set up controlled feedback loops with sends and alt outs. Great for techno/industrial/noise/whatever.
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