In the last segment, we discussed the basic functions of mixers and why they are essential to a live sound setup and the everyday gigging musician. In this piece we will discuss the different types of mixers available and help you decide which one is best for your setup.
Although different types of mixers all serve the same general purpose, certain types are more suited to do the job than others. The mixer required for a band practice will be very different from one that is used in a professional arena rock show, for instance. Knowing the differences and choosing the correct one will help you spend less time twiddling knobs and more time playing music!
The Carvin Audio XP1000L is lightweight and powerful, offering 1200RMS from three power amplifiers and weighing in at only fifteen pounds!
The Carvin Audio S600B is battery powered so you can take it on the go for outdoor gigs.
The centerpiece of our humble yet very cool little studio here in Meridian Idaho is the Carvin1648 that I bought approx. 5 years ago when it had just replaced the 1644. I had extensive experience w/ the 1644 in live situations w/ the band I was in just prior to opening Bear Bones Productions and loved its simplicity and BIG sound; it never let us down. So when the ‘48 series came out, it was a no-brainer. I mean, four-band EQ w/ high AND low sweepable mid freqs on every channel, SIX monitor sends, and a compressor on each of the 4 sub sends? C’mon! At first, I thought a one-knob compressor was a bit hokey and doubted it’s utility, but it has saved my ass twice now on very important recording sessions where I needed more compressors than I have in my rack. It’s touchy, but a little bit does the job very nicely for smoothing peaky signals, however. Nice perk, Carvin! I rarely use or need more than 8 inputs to track with, so my chain goes: for drums/initial tracking the snare goes to Left Main, kick to Right Main, Left/Center/Right overheads to Subs 1&2, and hi-hat on Sub 3. Yes, except for the hi-hat mic and the center “room ribbon” mic, it’s the Glyn Johns “…Levee Breaks” technique (it works, and it ROCKS), w/ a scratch vocal into Mon 1 (no EQ), usually DI’d bass thru Sub 4 and either guitar or piano/synth thru Mon 2 utilizing the nice 9-band graphic EQ you provide onboard taking up the other three inputs on the recorder (no we’re NOT Pro Fooles over here). Have I gushed enough yet? I just felt compelled to let youse guise know how much we LOVE OUR 1648!!! (I just wish we woulda had room for the 24 channel; no more space on the control room desk…..sigh).
THANX CARVIN!
Busta Speeker
Bear Bones Productions
Meridian Idaho
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When it comes to picking your ideal vocal mic, you can read for days about various recommendations, polar patterns, frequency response, mic styles, SPL, response curves, proximity effect, and so on. But since the human voice is so variable, specific recommendations can easily lead you astray.
Instead, we’ll go over the major considerations which will narrow your choices down significantly – and then it’s just a matter of listening.
By now it’s an age-old question: should we track the band together as if we were playing live or should we try to get the cleanest signals and performances possible by tracking separately?
randy adair
March 02, 2017
I have been designated sound man at my church and we are using the C3248 system and my knowledge is very limited, do you offer a video tutorial or other that may help me to understand how to get started operating this system? I have read some of the blogs that have helped quite a bit however a thorough overview from start to finish would help a great deal. Thank you.