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lulumusique
Published on 01/25/09 at 15:23
Blah, blah...no effects...blah, blah...eq...etc
I'll say it straight away: It isn't ambitious at the features level, where others add digital effects or a 7-band EQ with feedback detector (pretty damn useful for a 7-band, LOL)
It has a sturdy look.
A good point: external PSU, which avoids interferences.
I opened it out of curiosity and the PCB doesn't seem too bad. It is isolated with a sort of cardboard covered with a conductor on the shell. I blew the fuse by placing it wrong: You just have to make a short circuit by touching the power tracks...oops, in any case, it didn't flinch. And once I replaced the fuse, everything was fine!
UTILIZATION
Very easy to set up.
The manual was a nice surprise (it explains mixing techniques, balanced connections, etc.), compared to the one of my motif. Yamaha should make better manuals for their most complex products, because that's when you really need them...
I'm disappointed that it has only one Aux, which is mono (you never think about it when you buy it, but it's impossible to use a reverb, unless you use it to process a mono source).
SOUNDS
- Does the console sound transparent?
It's hard to say. It's pretty decent, that's for sure...just like the fact that it doesn't warm up the sound! I have never tried another product at this price point.
- Does it generate noise?
I've seen worse (if you adjust the sources correctly). I have never used the mic inputs, so it can be that they are noisy...
- Is the EQ effective?...
If you think effectiveness means +/-15dB, then, yes it is effective, but at what price!!!! You could say that it allows for small corrections but without being too ambitious.
I read a previous review that said that if you feed it a kick and another thing, there is more room. I do not agree and I did try it out several days ago: In the beginning I did it to test the routing. And after I bought an A3000 (a sampler of the same brand that I use for percussions), I did a mix with it. I sent the kick to a track and as soon as you add a bass on another one, the kick collapses. => the summing bus can't stand the blow (at first I thought it was an acoustic phenomenon, but it isn't). It's true that the A3000 has a lot of power, so it's easy to understand.
Another issue: the pots are pretty average, they don't mute sound completely when set to the minimum. Plus, they are not quite balanced (right/left) when they are low enough (at around 1/5th of the travel).
OVERALL OPINION
I only route synths (motifES and MFB), a sampler (A3000) and a compressor (dbx266): Only mid-range and entry-level gear.
It's a small mixer, not a true mixing console and even less so for recording. Broadly speaking, it is OK to route different sources, but not to mix. And that for the different reasons stated above:
- Dubious summing
- Only one auxiliary, and it's mono
- EQ...only average.
I bought it for routing and don't regret a thing. Now I'm looking for a real console with more inputs, but I won't sell this one (I wouldn't get much in relation to the service it gives me).
I have lots of yamaha gear (motif es, A3000, HS80, HS10W) and I always get the same impression after several years of hindsight: It's nothing to write home about (far from that), but it doesn't have too many defects (taking into account the value for money of the products and that you have to choose them correctly according to your needs), and it's reliable.
I'll say it straight away: It isn't ambitious at the features level, where others add digital effects or a 7-band EQ with feedback detector (pretty damn useful for a 7-band, LOL)
It has a sturdy look.
A good point: external PSU, which avoids interferences.
I opened it out of curiosity and the PCB doesn't seem too bad. It is isolated with a sort of cardboard covered with a conductor on the shell. I blew the fuse by placing it wrong: You just have to make a short circuit by touching the power tracks...oops, in any case, it didn't flinch. And once I replaced the fuse, everything was fine!
UTILIZATION
Very easy to set up.
The manual was a nice surprise (it explains mixing techniques, balanced connections, etc.), compared to the one of my motif. Yamaha should make better manuals for their most complex products, because that's when you really need them...
I'm disappointed that it has only one Aux, which is mono (you never think about it when you buy it, but it's impossible to use a reverb, unless you use it to process a mono source).
SOUNDS
- Does the console sound transparent?
It's hard to say. It's pretty decent, that's for sure...just like the fact that it doesn't warm up the sound! I have never tried another product at this price point.
- Does it generate noise?
I've seen worse (if you adjust the sources correctly). I have never used the mic inputs, so it can be that they are noisy...
- Is the EQ effective?...
If you think effectiveness means +/-15dB, then, yes it is effective, but at what price!!!! You could say that it allows for small corrections but without being too ambitious.
I read a previous review that said that if you feed it a kick and another thing, there is more room. I do not agree and I did try it out several days ago: In the beginning I did it to test the routing. And after I bought an A3000 (a sampler of the same brand that I use for percussions), I did a mix with it. I sent the kick to a track and as soon as you add a bass on another one, the kick collapses. => the summing bus can't stand the blow (at first I thought it was an acoustic phenomenon, but it isn't). It's true that the A3000 has a lot of power, so it's easy to understand.
Another issue: the pots are pretty average, they don't mute sound completely when set to the minimum. Plus, they are not quite balanced (right/left) when they are low enough (at around 1/5th of the travel).
OVERALL OPINION
I only route synths (motifES and MFB), a sampler (A3000) and a compressor (dbx266): Only mid-range and entry-level gear.
It's a small mixer, not a true mixing console and even less so for recording. Broadly speaking, it is OK to route different sources, but not to mix. And that for the different reasons stated above:
- Dubious summing
- Only one auxiliary, and it's mono
- EQ...only average.
I bought it for routing and don't regret a thing. Now I'm looking for a real console with more inputs, but I won't sell this one (I wouldn't get much in relation to the service it gives me).
I have lots of yamaha gear (motif es, A3000, HS80, HS10W) and I always get the same impression after several years of hindsight: It's nothing to write home about (far from that), but it doesn't have too many defects (taking into account the value for money of the products and that you have to choose them correctly according to your needs), and it's reliable.