I think you nailed the important distinction. If somebody wants a mixer where the mixer is an integral part of a live performance or jamming, with tweaking the settings and the channels, this is not it.
It’s for someone who wants a compact mixer for getting their gear all hooked up together, with the ability to do some playing/recording. For that, the Livetrak L6 series is excellent.
And most importantly, compared to something like the Tascam Model 12, leaves you space for another desktop module synth
I think that’s pretty accurate. Like, it’s not a DJ mixer. But, I think it is great for people who want to play their gear out live with a mixer that they can send to front of house and the ability to record their liveset, all in a single small and portable package.
This is definitely why I bought one recently. You can easily track your separate machines to your computer while using it as an interface, and also to be able to record a live set or just hook up your smart phone and record jams for IG or whatever. Useful little device.
The Tascam 12 is a compelling product if it has about the right number of inputs for your studio. But the L6Maxes are small enough and cheap enough (and will be cheaper in a year or so when discounts roll in and used units appear) that you can almost get two L6Maxes for the price of a Tascam 12.
There doesn’t seem to be any integrated link technology, so I’ll keep my stack of 1U MOTUs for if/when I really need to record all of the gear at the same time. Realistically, I’m more likely to use a few pieces of gear at a time, and a L6Max per synth desk is more practical in terms of cash outlay and space than a T12 per desk or a single large console (which I don’t have room for at all)
Looking at the bottom of the 12, it might be possible to 3D print a VESA mounting plate that snaps into place, or just glue or double-sided tape a plate to the bottom. Then the L6Max could be put on a monitor stand or even be wall mounted.
One thing I’ve considered is having the master stereo out from my L6max going through a master pedal (I have heat mk2, platform, and deco) into my older Scarlett 2i2 and using an aggregate device with the L6 (or simply recording the stems to SD on L6 while tracking master in and then load the stems later. If you have some master processor in HW you really like that works well, otherwise can always just run things back through the HW processor in a bus+bounce step.
I wrote above that this is how I initially had it setup going into my Golden Master pedal into my MOTU. However, I found the onboard compressor/limiter totally fine for my needs and it’s nice to have one less box on the desk, one less power wart, less cables, and no DAW/computer needed but can record the stereo master or all tracks to the SD card. Pretty glorious actually. But sure, that option is totally viable if you really love that end-of-chain hardware
Edit: to be clear, you can record just the stereo master, or all tracks PLUS the stereo master. Find the stereo master lacking and want to remix it in your DAW? All good!
Are the L6 and L6 max able to provide power to devices that are connected via USB C?
My specific use case would be to connect the USB C port to an OP-1 field for power, Midi and audio.
The 802 is the centerpiece of my humble home studio. The flexibility feels unmatched but these L-series seem really sweet. I’m often using a Zoom R8 or R16 to record and am starting to see how the whole process could be streamlined.
Really like your thoughts here!
I don’t often use a mixer as a performance tool but I do appreciate being able to change my channel strip settings quickly, as I often repurpose my channels, based on what the day needs. So maybe I’m somewhere in between the two scenarios you describe? Regardless, I have been writing these off as not immediate enough, but your comment gave me a new perspective, so thanks
Nope! The L6max has worked out perfectly for me. I needed the extra channels and I love the much smaller form factor and the ability to record not only the master 2-buss as the live performance recording, but also simultaneously the individual tracks for archival purposes. I appreciate no other device needed for recording.
I posted this a few weeks ago if you’re interested in seeing it being used in practice. This is the stereo master channel recording mixed on the L6max in real time, mastered in Logic, purposefully gnarly :
Cheers. Seems odd that it would record even if no cables connected to a specific channel - it puts the card under stress for no purpose. Good to know though, thanks.
I’m guessing to keep the unit as small as possible without additional record arm/disarm buttons and/or to save people from being angry about not arming channels they meant to and losing recordings, especially having to do so from within a menu
I just found this out the hard way. Such a bummer. I have a Zoom L6max and was planning on using with my MPC. Dammit. Great footprint, but I don’t know if it makes sense to just use as a sub mixer without the interface working for my needs.
Fair enough but, did you say it records all tracks - even those which have no jacks inserted? Like if I often recorded two stereo streams, I’d record those two stereo channels plus eight empty ones to the card each time?
