Mackie 1202 VLZ4 : AUX/SEND to stereo pedals?

The Lounge Other Gear
21

Xone 96 maybe

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This is a known problem on the VLZ4 series

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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.

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thanks everyone.

seems there is still room for the ā€˜ultimateā€™ dawless stereo synth setup - mixer in this world!

there is no mixer that has it all as far as i know

  1. mainly stereo inputs
  2. good analog sound/eq
  3. stereo fx send/returns
  4. multitrack recording via USB or SD card

or is there?

  • iā€™ve checked: tascam, zoom, A&H, but couldnt find one that ticks all boxes
25

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.

Iā€™d ask yourself if you really need to multitrack record? If yes, letā€™s face it, thatā€™s where a big interface and a DAW will excel.

Personally Iā€™ve found itā€™s too easy to get lost chasing the ā€œbestā€ solution - only to find at the end itā€™s either Waaaay to complicated, expensive or needless. And it all changes as soon as I buy a new piece of gear anyway lol.

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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

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I know you said you donā€™t like the breakout cables butā€¦ 1010 Bluebox checks all of those boxes. The EQ isnā€™t analog but it sounds great! Itā€™s 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.

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Iā€™ve got a SSL SiX and the model 1 is the only thing that Iā€™d consider changing to. Iā€™d love the filters, eq and extra channels, but miss the Compressor

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Yeah, the 1010 Bluebox is the closest device. I ditched my mackie 1402 for it and havenā€™t looked back.

An overlooked bonus is the 1010ā€™s 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.

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Thanks, you are right, but afaik, the bluebox only has 1 aux send for external pedals? and no returns?

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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, youā€™re still left with 8 mono/4 stereo if you use two of them as returns. Not too bad for the small package.

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32

Technically you have 2 stereo sends. You can use the headphone output as an addition stereo send (itā€™s 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.

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33

Or automatically with program changes!

Edit for misinformation: functionality is coming in a future update.

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34

Oh damn, I didnā€™t realize you can send Program Change events to it. I just tried with my Deluge and it didnā€™t seem to respond. Is there a trick to it?

Edit: looks like it doesnā€™t support it yet, but might in the future? List of MIDI learnable functions - 1010music Forum

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35

Yeah sorry, I should have specified that itā€™s planned for Bluebox. Aaron said itā€™s 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.

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Thanks guys, i was looking around, doesnā€™t the Allen Heath Zed 14 also have the option to send aux 1+2 as stereo send?

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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, itā€™s 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, itā€™s all I wanted.

EDIT: Haha, just saw I replied you on the other thread about mixers that is alive :stuck_out_tongue:

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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

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Aux 1 and 2 are pre fader, though! Not ideal for fx.

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Itā€™s 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 :man_facepalming: