Summing mixers

The Roll Music Systems Folcrom RMS216 is a 16 channel passive summing mixer. It's got 16 channels of inputs and two channels of outputs. This is an awesome for a home studio where you're doing most of your work in the box. As far as connections on the RMS216 go, it's got D sub jacks for line inputs 1-16, and XLR outputs for your stereo outputs. This is a rack mountable piece of gear, and will only take up a single space in your traditional rack casing. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Roll Music Systems Folcrom RMS216 isn't hard to follow at all. Summing mixers in general are pretty simple, as once you've made your connections it pretty much does the work. The front panel only has two buttons for each of the 16 channels - one for 'left' and one for 'right.' This is simply for panning purposes and for spreading your channels. A manual isn't necessary unless you need help setting it up. SOUNDS The Roll Music Systems Folcrom RMS216 is really perfect for adding some depth and warmth to your overall mixes. This is a quick and easy way to getting a better sound from your DAW mixes. With more and more home studios being present, having something like this in yours can really make a huge difference. You'll definitely notice more depth and overall fullness to your sound pretty instantaneously with the Folcrom RM216. OVERALL OPINION A summing box is one of the best investments you can make for your home or DAW based studio, and the Roll Music Systems Folcrom RMS216 is definitely not a bad way to go. It has a great sound and is definitely a lot less expensive than you'd think, especially when comparing it to other similar summing boxes. I'd highly recommend the Roll Music Systems Folcrom RMS216 for anyone looking to get a little more fullness from their DAW based mixes.

The studio that I work at has a Neve 1272 Custom Summing Mixer, the origins of which I'm not totally sure of. It's definitely not a product that's available on the consumer market and I'm pretty sure that any of them out there will have been custom made. What we've got is essentially an eight channel line mixer, which we use in one of our smaller rooms for summing purposes. There's not much to it, but it's got XLR connections that are hooked up to our patch bay and takes up about four spaces (maybe more) in a traditional rack casing. UTILIZATION It's not at all hard to use our Neve 1272 Custom Summing Mixer. The bulk of it is just connecting to it properly and setting it up to mix with. From there, each of the eight channels has level and panning control, and there's also stereo faders for your overall output level. That's really all there is to it, and in fact we usually will just keep all the levels up on it and it pan left and right on alternating channels. There's no manual for this... SOUNDS The sound of the Neve 1272 Custom Summing Mixer is pretty awesome. It's not as clean sounding as most other summing mixers out there as it's kind of it's own sound, but it's really great for quickly beefing up your sound a little bit. Of course running any set of 1272's as line mixers is going to do the same trick, but I doubt anyone else out there has access to something like this custom summing mixer. If you do come across something like this in a studio, it's really a great tool to have access to. OVERALL OPINION The Neve 1272 Custom Summing Mixer is rarely going to be seen about, but it's an awesome color to have access to for mixing purposes. I think that if you were able to find something like this for sale that it would be pretty expensive but probably worth having in professional studios. We try to have a summing mixer in all of our rooms and this is in one of the smaller producer's suites. Come down to our studio if you want to try it, otherwise good luck finding anything like it out there!

The API Audio 8200 is an eight channel line mixer that is for use in the recording studio. It has value as an eight channel summing box and is basically great for running your sounds through some circuitry if you're working primarily inside the box. It's got D sub connections as well as XLR outputs for your stereo send out. It is rack mountable and will take up just a single space. UTILIZATION The make up of the API Audio 8200 isn't too hard to figure out as it's basically got a number of features you'd get from a traditional analog mixer. Each of the eight channels has the same make up, with parameters for pan, level, two knobs for aux sends, and buttons for mute, INS, and AFL solo. That's what you'll find on each of the eight channels, so it should be pretty self explanatory if you're familiar with the general make up of mixers. The manual has everything you'd need to know about this, so definitely check it out if you're at all confused. SOUNDS The sound of the API Audio 8200 is through and through, outstanding. If you'd like something to warm up your inside the box sounds a bit, the 8200 is ideal and is perfect for this application. It adds fullness and depth to your tone, with a sounds that isn't possible without using real analog circuitry. Of course it's made by API, so I wouldn't expect anything less from them. Basically you're getting the sound of a big console without all the hassles of it. OVERALL OPINION The API Audio 8200 is the perfect line mixer to add to your home or professional studio if you don't have a console. It's much more than just a summing box, as it's got the traditional mixer parameters to give you more control as well. It's not the cheapest out there, but then again you're getting eight channels of API gear. If you have a home studio and are looking for a little analog mixer to team up with your DAW and that will take up the least amount of space possible, the 8200 is for you.

The Inward Connections Mix 690 Summing Mixer is a 16 channel rack mixer. I'm not sure exactly what types of connections it has, as the Pro Tools HD system I've used it with already had it racked up. Mix 690 will take up two spaces in a traditional rack space. UTILIZATION After you've got everything running and set up, the Inward Connections Mix 690 Summing Mixer will take care of itself. The parameters on the front of the unit simply control panning for each of the 16 available channels. There is also a stereo pair of VU metering, and an overall output level parameter. This isn't the type of gear that you will be constantly playing with, as it does its job after being set up, with only the panning parameters to work with. I haven't seen a manual of this, so I can't say anything about it's make up. SOUNDS The difference between having the Inward Connections Mix 690 Summing Mixer and not having it in a digital Pro Tools HD based system is incredible. If you are worried about having too thin of mixing coming from the digital realm, this will cure any sort of worrying. It adds fullness and clarity to your sound, making it more realistic and true to its original source. Like I said earlier, you can't get varying tones from this or anything like that, as this is simply a summing mixer which stays in place, but the difference between having it and not having it is pretty unreal. OVERALL OPINION If you're looking for a fuller, warmer sound for your home or professional studio, and don't have a console, the Inward Connections Mix 690 Summing Mixer can replace this need. While pretty expensive, when compared to having a whole console it doesn't seem like much. Everything from what you hear during mixing to the actual end mixes themselves will sound better when ran through the Mix 690. I'd recommend it to any user with a digital set up that is looking to cap the harshness of a digital signal a bit...