Just checked the manual, no mention of rack mountability. Perhaps if you’d remove the plastic side frames you could install custom rack ears? Just guessing here though…
I’ll readjust the peak values to 100% match on all channels and post a new file soon. adjusting gain by ±0.5dB shouldn’t be that destructive to audio integrity, right? 
Ahh, forget it. I will never get these two to match exactly. If I 100% match the peak levels of the tracks, the 12MTK sounds louder. So we have to conclude that the 12MTK circuitry introduces slight dynamic compression compared to recording via OB.
This actually explains your perceptions, running through the 12MTK gives you a little more RMS mileage for the same peak values as OB 
Cheers , to listen thoroughly again it would be nice to know actual ( approx.) times transition is made between device? So quieter sounding part is MTK I/F recording or DAW fed back into MTK?
The idea was to make the transitions like that so there is less bias. If you cannot pinpoint the transitions, the difference can’t be that big, right? Generally the files change at the end of bars, the louder is the MTK.
Aargh, okay. One more time. This time I will RMS match everything with the bx meter. I’m starting to think A/B testing should be left to people who do A/B testing for a living 
Listen Amigo - no worries 
I appreciate you taking the time out to make this comparison. My concerns are that I will be happy with my mix and sound quality which hopefully are gonna benefit from nice pre amp and eq’s etc, the overall tactile experience controlling tracks on a nice touchy feely desk will be real hands on fun.
I was so close to getting the 18i20 I/F yesterday but watching some Youtube video last night from a dude called Jorg swayed me just a little.
wow, this video makes me to get modular with it
well, mixers are always fun, the tactileness of massaging track with faders, sends and eqs is always a more pleasing experience IMO than mouseying around. And like I said, the pres sound great and the eq is better specced than most mixer eqs in this price range.
But still I need to also do this for my own sake. Learning to conduct proper A/B:s is a very useful skill after all!
Cool and the gang Amigo! Have fun that’s what we are here for
How are the onboard effects?
Okay, so turns out the bx meter is not that useful when wanting steady RMS figures, so I matched the following by ear. This time the files change every 2 bars. Hope I got the levels better matched this time!
Bear in mind that both files are still summed with Ableton. This A/B is only for the recording side.
The onboard fx are okay, nothing superb though. They might work well for certain material, but certainly not anyone’s go-to’s. Thankfully there is some scope between the algos!
This is my first post here, I found this forum by searching for questions I have about the Soundcraft Signature 12 mtk i just purchased. I am using it in my home studio, and I am running Logic on Mac. I bought this mixer last week when I was on the phone with my sweetwater sales rep and explained him how I wanted to run my home studio setup due to my sweetwater rep’s recommendation of this mixer as he explained it has an ITB audio interface and I wanted an analogue style mixer so I could fatten up sounds with the mixers gain/trim/eq, then record it all back into logic analogue summed through the main master fader…So I set up my studio and I am testing everything out, I have a few sounds coming from logic onto USB channels 1/2 which correspond to channels 1/2 on the soundcraft, my jaw drops when I figure out that the gains on each channel of the mixer are rendered absolutely useless, apparently they are post USB? Says the manual. If I can’t use something as simple as the gains on a mixer, what good at all is this mixer ??
I have also read somewhere that the EQ’s are not able to be recorded into the DAW which mystifys me…
another issue I’m having, I set up a Audio Record track channel 13/14 (Master Fader) to test the audio coming back into the DAW from the mixer and the levels I’m seeing in logic are so extremely low and the volume coming from my monitors is extremely loud…the volume of my monitors is controlled by the main fader and the main fader also is supposed to set the record level into Logic…this Soundcraft mtk sig 12 mixer has no separate volume control or outs for studio monitors as my old Mackie 4 and 8 bus desks had.
So am I running this mixer absolutely incorrectly, what am I missing here regarding the problems im explaining? I’ve read this mixer was made not just for live sound but also home studio use. Please help me so I can decide to ship this thing back to sweetwater!!!
I was sad when I bought the mtk 12 and realized I had to send it back. It’s always a bummer to get new gear and realize it didn’t do what you hoped it’d do.
The mtk allows you to run sounds into your computer but not through the board and then into your computer.
It taps the usb signal right at the input, I think just after the gain, but before anything cool happens. It is very limited in its interfacing/usb flow.
I sent it back and paid for the upgrade to the Allen and Heath qu pac, forgoing the analog EQ and faders, but I have not been disappointed or limited in any way since and it’s now been 3 months or so.
I got a sweet deal through Sweetwater where I have 36 months to pay for the qu pac without interest as long as I applied for their credit card and used that for the purchase. I’m paying $100/month and will have it paid for way before 36 months come around. I’m no financial coach, but it’s working for me.
I tried everything I could to make the mtk work for me but couldn’t because it doesn’t do it. There’s even a “usb” button/toggle pictured in the manual that isn’t even on the actual board. That was frustrating, too.
I’ve copied the following over from another post I made on the subject. You can indeed record all of your EQ and effects, pan, level, etc to the computer, but you’ll have to give up another channel/channels to do so and route via aux or groups. This is due to the lack of direct outs, an unfortunate exclusion that was doubtlessly made to cut costs.
I bought this desk with the view of having the luxury of a mixer / audio interface combo. I so regret not going down my initial plan of the 18 8 focus rite interface! As Raizedbywolvz states: found the only way to get descent recording output is by putting the gain knob at max to get. I am no ways pleased about this - now considering bouncing the summed output to a basic 2 channel interface when recording.
As a mixer - pretty sweet piece of kit . As audio interface - not so sure !
What peak levels are you getting when recording with the 12MTK? -18dBFS peaks are perfectly acceptable in 24bit IME. I always gainstage the PFL to around 0 on the Hw meters and so far have been getting acceptable results.
I am having no regrets myself concerning the unit. For the price, it’s still a good piece of kit. I only wish the form factor was a lil smaller (like, are the side panels really necessary?). I am even finding use for the onboard fx now, which I wasn’t sure about initially.
At this time I’m not sure you can beat a xr18 as a mixer and soundcard combo
Nice to see some positive feedback on this mixer (tsutek, Scot Solida) after the early negative reviews turned me off.
I’ve been vacillating between this and the K-Mix as a mixer to get me more aux send busses (current mixer - a Mackie - has only 1) and integrate iPad/IOS audio with hardware audio.
XR-18 not having a hardware volume knob on the main out is worrisome. When I play/rehearse with bands, I need quick, reliable control over my overall level - I don’t trust touchscreens for that.
welp, i just pulled the trigger on an mtk 22 on ebay. should be here early next week. i have a cheap, surface pro 4 knock-off tablet. i’m hoping it can run reaper and record 24 tracks at a time. i’d like something small and portable so i’m hoping this fits the bill.
so a question to those who use the mtk now…
i’d like to hook a bunch of stuff up and record the stereo mix live while jamming with the internal fx to a portable recorder (through the headphone jack probably) AND record the tracks, dry to a DAW. can i do that at the same time? or does it force me to route the audio through the DAW and back into the mixer (latency fears…) to then record the stereo mix? also, i assume it records the stereo mix as channels 23/24 based on what i’ve read. and thats all post fader from everythign going to the l/r group, right?