Xone 96 maybe
This is a known problem on the VLZ4 series
For a compact digital solution you could have a look at A&H Qu-Pac (or Qu-SB): 16 physical mono ins that can be paired into stereo channels, 3 stereo-ins, 4 mono aux sends, 3 stereo aux sends; good internal processing and fx options, very flexible routing, 18 track multitrack recording on the mixer (on USB key or HD) or 32 tracks USB 2.0 streaming to computer; but no dedicated fx returns - fx returns need to be patched into regular channels; main drawback: you need to add a wifi router and best mix on an Ipad to change things on the fly.
thanks everyone.
seems there is still room for the āultimateā dawless stereo synth setup - mixer in this world!
there is no mixer that has it all as far as i know
- mainly stereo inputs
- good analog sound/eq
- stereo fx send/returns
- multitrack recording via USB or SD card
or is there?
- iāve checked: tascam, zoom, A&H, but couldnt find one that ticks all boxes
Personally I feel you want to pick 3 out of your 4 points and go from there. I may be wrong, but you can get 1-3 no problem, adding in 4 - the digital recording side - is probably asking too much.
Iād ask yourself if you really need to multitrack record? If yes, letās face it, thatās where a big interface and a DAW will excel.
Personally Iāve found itās too easy to get lost chasing the ābestā solution - only to find at the end itās either Waaaay to complicated, expensive or needless. And it all changes as soon as I buy a new piece of gear anyway lol.
Haha good point.
well if I forget about point 4 then there are many options, the model 1 from playdifferently being the mother of them all
I know you said you donāt like the breakout cables butā¦ 1010 Bluebox checks all of those boxes. The EQ isnāt analog but it sounds great! Itās also on Eurorack levels so signals can run pretty hot with plenty of headroom in my experience.
You can always add a box of faders via MIDI/USB if you want more physical controls.
Iāve got a SSL SiX and the model 1 is the only thing that Iād consider changing to. Iād love the filters, eq and extra channels, but miss the Compressor
Yeah, the 1010 Bluebox is the closest device. I ditched my mackie 1402 for it and havenāt looked back.
An overlooked bonus is the 1010ās projects allow you to quickly save/load patches for your mixer so you can re-route tracks to the sends, change EQs, etc. for your whole config in a couple of taps.
Thanks, you are right, but afaik, the bluebox only has 1 aux send for external pedals? and no returns?
It has two stereo sends in addition to the master out. One is labeled Cue (for headphones) but you can use it as a regular 2nd out.
There are no dedicated returns, but with 6 stereo ins, youāre still left with 8 mono/4 stereo if you use two of them as returns. Not too bad for the small package.
Technically you have 2 stereo sends. You can use the headphone output as an addition stereo send (itās a selectable output separate from stereo outs 1 and 2).
No specific aux return. You can always use one or two of the 6 stereo channels for that.
I was considering adding a little simple unity or tiny passive mixer for combining fx returns onto one channel.
Edit: Also, assuming you have some Elektron devices, you may be able to use the inputs on an Elektron box as an fx return.
Edit continuedā¦
For me Bluebox is all about footprint, and being able to save mixer states, with eq settings, etcā¦ for live performances. Bonus that I can multitrack record with it too.
Or automatically with program changes!
Edit for misinformation: functionality is coming in a future update.
Oh damn, I didnāt realize you can send Program Change events to it. I just tried with my Deluge and it didnāt seem to respond. Is there a trick to it?
Edit: looks like it doesnāt support it yet, but might in the future? List of MIDI learnable functions - 1010music Forum
Yeah sorry, I should have specified that itās planned for Bluebox. Aaron said itās coming in a future update which usually means it will.
Blackbox and others already support that functionality and it makes sense with the 1010 way of dealing with presets on other similar boxes.
Thanks guys, i was looking around, doesnāt the Allen Heath Zed 14 also have the option to send aux 1+2 as stereo send?
Of course there is, people here have already recommended it: A&H Xone 96, 6 stereo channels + 2 return channels (stereo), 2 aux send in stereo, 2x USB soundcard (yup, itās a DJ mixer, you can plug 2 computers and select which USB card is active).\
I had exactly the requirements you have and got one, it fits perfectly for my setup, itās all I wanted.
EDIT: Haha, just saw I replied you on the other thread about mixers that is alive
I tested out a friends 802 side by side with mine over the weekend and it had the exact same problem. The sends on these things are utterly useless, which is a real shame because I otherwise love this mixer
Aux 1 and 2 are pre fader, though! Not ideal for fx.
Itās not only the sends! My 802VLZ4 is very biased to the left channels (at least 1-2dB), the first time I recorded a jam with it some years ago I remember having to calibrate the input levels of the recorder to match, still needed sometimes post-processing.
I had no idea though, it took me a couple of months to test it and realise it was actually the mixer and not me doing something stupid