Since the DT got its update I have been running a couple of mono synths into the L/R inputs and having much fun, but the output volume is a bit low running straight from the synths and I was thinking that it would be better if I could find a new mixer that has a couple of mono outputs that can be routed back to the DT. I need at least 4 stereo channels and 2 mono but most importantly I need to be able to separate and control which channels are sent back out to the L/R inputs.
I have no idea if such a thing exists or is common so it would be very helpful if someone could point me in the right direction or offer any advice, thanks.
Really? Even with input gain cranked up on the DT mixer?
Sure the mixer you describe exists in droves. Just look for something with the channels you want, that also has an aux send. You’ll use the aux send to send channels to the DT.
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Hmm… strange. If I have the input gains cranked on the DT it’s absolutely deafening. I run them at around 70-75 or so. Cranked all the way is hastening my deafness…
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The volume on my td 3 is on 90%, the input is set 100% on the DT and I need to turn audio tracks down to 50% of their normal position to accommodate, even then its a bit quiet.
Can someone name me a mixer that can can output 2 separate mono sends to the DT, preferably with the ability to route those channels through fx first. I want to be able to press buttons and choose if they are mixed with the main signal or individually isolated and sent straight to the DT to be mixed with its signal and I have no idea where to start, thanks.
The mackies are cheap and many have a button that routes to 3/4. You can hard pan.
Otherwise we need to channel Peter for a previously in elektronauts moment
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Input gain right? Not to be confused with external input level.
Where is this input gain?, I have not seen anything other than the input level on the external mixer page.
If I describe my setup maybe someone will understand the issue.
I have 3 stereo devices going to 3 of the 4 channels available on my cheapo Behringer 1002, 2 mono synths going to the 2 mono channels and an fx send returning to the 4th stereo channel. Now that I can run those 2 mono synths separately through the L/R on the DT’s external mixer I would like them to be connected most of the time but I would also like to be able to run them into the mixer for processing first and then choose to send one or both either straight to the DT to add to the DT’s mix or into the main mix depending on what I am doing.
It seems looking around that smaller mixers are lacking the 4 stereo inputs and none that I saw had the fx send and 2 aux sends that I would need to run the 2 mono’s through external fx and out to the DT.
Sounds like you need a mixer with a sub output (which would give you L/R separation) or two (or more) mono sends, preferably with the option of pre-fader. A lot of Behringers have all this as standard - I’m using a Xeynx X2222 at the moment and using the sub output to feed my samplers. So everything goes through the mixer’s main outputs, and to sample I just push a button to temporarily route the channel(s) I want to the sub rather than the main - nice, quick and easy, and it allows me to grab samples and loops on the fly without breaking my ‘flow’, such as it is.
I would caution that one of my input channels has developed a crackle - but I knowingly made the affordability / features deal with the devil when I bought it. If I was replacing it I’d probably go for an A&H Zed14, which seems to tick all my boxes.
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This is probably more than you want to spend, and might be overkill for you, but I just picked up a Mackie 16VLZ42 mixer for many of the same reasons you are citing. I wanted a really good quality mixer (sorry Behringer) that had at least 14 channels and had the capacity to route at least 4 aux sends and returns, so I could decide whether any or all of my synths could go to the ins of my OT, MPC One, Mac, Moog Mother 32 or MatrixBrute, with or without routing through my H9 and BlueSky effects pedals. This mixer also has separate gains that can be independently applied to the incoming source audio from any of my synths, which is nice (especially for the Moog and the Cobalt8, which both seem to have lower amplitude outs).
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And as a caveat to my caveat, I seem to have solved the crackle by putting a dummy jack into the insert socket of the channel (something I saw as a possible fix on a related forum thread). The Xenyx did bring a lot of features for the price, and I got it on one of Amazon’s ‘pay in five installments’ deals, so I let sheer convenience carry me away there. So I’m not proud, but I’m happy enough.
It also has a surprisingly decent reverb! It’s like the mixer equivalent of a Big Mac, you know you shouldn’t have bought it but it hits the spot.
The Mackie 1202 VLZ4 has
4 x stereo inputs
4 x mono inputs
2 x FX loops (mono send, stereo return)
Plus an all-important ALT 3+4 output. You can quickly send any channel to the ALT 3+4 output using a button in the respective channel strip.
In your case, you’d have everything running through the mixer, outputting to your speakers or wherever. The ALT 3+4 would be hooked up to the Digitakt’s inputs. Then, you could send any of your synths to the Digitakt by pressing a single button.
These Mackies are hard to beat for flexible routing.
Another alternative, if you want something smaller, is the Keith McMillen K-Mix. It has lots of inputs and outputs, and because it’s digital, the routing options are almost endless. The touch sliders aren’t great for accuracy though.
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I had a Mackie mix8 for a while and thought the build quality was great for the little, affordable mixer it was. But it had a very noticeable hum when nothing was playing through my speakers (presumably from the power cable). Do you have any hum issues with the 1202?
(Sorry if a bit OT)
No hum whatsoever. Whenever I get hum, it’s almost always a cable.
Or the neighbor’s hairdryer.
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Good to know, thanks! I’d swapped around audio cables and the power adapter was a brick of a thing, I must have got a dodgy unit
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I had a previous version of this mixer. I bought it in the early 90s, lasted me over 25 years, until late last year 2-3 channels started to flake out, so I replaced it with my current Mackie mixer. I’d agree this mixer is perfectly adequate for the OP’s purposes. One thing I do like about my new mixer is that the dust sealing on the inputs, knobs and sliders so far seems a lot better than the older version. I spent a fair bit of time using condensed air sprayers cleaning out the old mixer, and haven’t had to do that once yet with the new one (they even advertise this as an advantage of the new mixer).
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