The lack of the information on the Internet about small home recording mixers capable of accepting direct signal from electric guitar or bass guitar is quite obvious. It's probably because there aren't too many of them in the market. In fact, there are only handful of such mixers that are able to deliver professional guitar recording quality. And guess what? Some of them actually have real tubes inside!
For all these reasons I took the time (read: two days) to do my own research and I have compiled this list of low budget mixers you can plug your guitar or bass guitar cable straight in, without having to buy any additional equipment such as active or passive direct boxes, additional audio interfaces, guitar processors, etc.
While selecting the mixers for the list below, aside from dedicated guitar inputs, I had following criteria on my mind:
You may have heard about ART MPA preamps before or not, but rest assured that those preamps won sympathies all over the world. I have read dozens and dozens of excellent reviews on Gearslutz, heard dozens of audio samples recorded with these preamps as being compared to renowned high end counterparts and trust me on this one - it's the top class.
Possibly the single most praised thing about ART tube preamps is the tone quality of electric guitars and bass guitars you get by direct plugging to it. There's another good news about this mixer: it's cheaper than one would expect.
So if you are into real tubes, check the rest of the specs here
.
No, this mixer is not on this list because I think it is the best out there or because of the great reviews at Thomann UK for example... It's here because of my first hand experience: I use it and I love it! It has terrific preamps, the same ones found in A&H MixWizard high end soundboards. In addition to that, the two customized guitar inputs are tailored to preserve guitar character. It has both USB and audio outs so you can connect it to your computer any way you like. I personally use audio outs connected to my EMU 0404 PCI sound card, but if you prefer USB output it will allow you recording in 24 bit resolution (studio quality).
If you wish you can check detailed reviews at this Amazon page
.
Allen & Heath ZED 10 is completely dry mixer without any digital effects and if you need a mixer with FX effects (say for your live venues) you should try and consider some other mixer like Soundcraft Signature 10 that's coming right below.
With two direct guitar Hi Z inputs, six legendary low noise "Soundcraft Ghost" preamps and two USB ins & outs, this mixer could easily be the mixer of choice for your professional home guitar recording project. In addition, this mixer features built-in Lexicon FX effect such as spring, gate, hall, plate and room reverbs as well as dozen of different delay effects.
Also, the robust metal housing makes it travel friendly and surely contributes to its durability and longevity.
Of course, these features come with the price but not as high as one would expect..
The feedback from the owners is very positive and you can read their reviews on this page.
We all know Yamaha, right? Those guys don't make mistakes. That seems to be the rule in this case too. According to reviews, the people who use these two mixers are super pleased with its features (4.5 out of 5 stars). Both mixers provide single guitar input and also the amp simulator which sounds really convincing! Additionally, you have two FX effects: reverb and compressor for studio or live performance.
USB connectors are both PC and MAC compatible and allow professional studio quality resolution of 24-bit/96 kHz.
Another good thing about the bigger mixer version Yamaha AG06 is really affordable price.
You can check the availability here.
If you like this mixer but the price is bit high for your expectations, I suggest you should try its younger brother, Yamaha AG03 3-Channel Mixer with similar features. Please visit this link for more details.
According to the number of positive reviews, Mackie PROFX8V2 seems to be the most popular and most selling small mixer out there. Since it offers single guitar/bass guitar input, it is great to have it on this list!
Please note that Mackie PRO FX series with its Vita preamps are specifically designed for live sound and not all the models come with USB connection for recording! Luckily, this one does.
Also, not all Mackies have direct guitar inputs so please be careful if shopping for one.
As you can tell by its name, Mackie PROFX8V2 is equipped with onboard digital FX effects: various types of reverbs, chorus, echo and delays. That's certainly handy for live performances, though the effects are non editable.
All in all, Mackie is good for gigs recording, but if you are into home recording perfectionism and plan to use it as USB device, then I'm afraid Mackie is not for you because its USB out works at basic 16-bit, 44.1/48 kHZ. Of course, if you intend to record the audio signal from the mixer - you're good to go.
Please check for price range here.
Thanks for taking your time to read through this list. If you have any comments or would like to suggest mixer with guitar input of your choice please put it in the comment.
Cheers!
While selecting the mixers for the list below, aside from dedicated guitar inputs, I had following criteria on my mind:
- Mixers should be at affordable low cost, anywhere between $100 and $300
- Mixer reviews must be good. Low budget does not necessarily mean junk sound
- Studio quality in terms of acclaimed preamps, competent EQs, phantom power and low noise is a must
- Aesthetically pleasing design is also important, at least to me. I can't stand hours and hours of staring into something that looks like firecracker fair of some sort... hope you get me :)
Art Tube Mix
I love everything about this mixer! Its vintage style, analog VU meters, absolutely amazing ART preamps and above all - the tube guitar chanel input. Yes, actually there is assignable 12AX7 tube inside you can unleash on your guitar input at chanel No. 5, or you can assign it to the one of your mic inputs in order to get real tube warmth. Plus this mixer features guitar amp option!
You may have heard about ART MPA preamps before or not, but rest assured that those preamps won sympathies all over the world. I have read dozens and dozens of excellent reviews on Gearslutz, heard dozens of audio samples recorded with these preamps as being compared to renowned high end counterparts and trust me on this one - it's the top class.
Possibly the single most praised thing about ART tube preamps is the tone quality of electric guitars and bass guitars you get by direct plugging to it. There's another good news about this mixer: it's cheaper than one would expect.
So if you are into real tubes, check the rest of the specs here
.Allen & Heath ZED 10
No, this mixer is not on this list because I think it is the best out there or because of the great reviews at Thomann UK for example... It's here because of my first hand experience: I use it and I love it! It has terrific preamps, the same ones found in A&H MixWizard high end soundboards. In addition to that, the two customized guitar inputs are tailored to preserve guitar character. It has both USB and audio outs so you can connect it to your computer any way you like. I personally use audio outs connected to my EMU 0404 PCI sound card, but if you prefer USB output it will allow you recording in 24 bit resolution (studio quality).If you wish you can check detailed reviews at this Amazon page
.Allen & Heath ZED 10 is completely dry mixer without any digital effects and if you need a mixer with FX effects (say for your live venues) you should try and consider some other mixer like Soundcraft Signature 10 that's coming right below.
Soundcraft Signature 10
Also, the robust metal housing makes it travel friendly and surely contributes to its durability and longevity.
Of course, these features come with the price but not as high as one would expect..
The feedback from the owners is very positive and you can read their reviews on this page
.Yamaha AG06 6-Channel Mixer and Yamaha AG03 3-Channel Mixer
USB connectors are both PC and MAC compatible and allow professional studio quality resolution of 24-bit/96 kHz.
Another good thing about the bigger mixer version Yamaha AG06 is really affordable price.
You can check the availability here
.If you like this mixer but the price is bit high for your expectations, I suggest you should try its younger brother, Yamaha AG03 3-Channel Mixer with similar features. Please visit this link for more details
. Mackie PROFX8V2
Please note that Mackie PRO FX series with its Vita preamps are specifically designed for live sound and not all the models come with USB connection for recording! Luckily, this one does.
Also, not all Mackies have direct guitar inputs so please be careful if shopping for one.
As you can tell by its name, Mackie PROFX8V2 is equipped with onboard digital FX effects: various types of reverbs, chorus, echo and delays. That's certainly handy for live performances, though the effects are non editable.
All in all, Mackie is good for gigs recording, but if you are into home recording perfectionism and plan to use it as USB device, then I'm afraid Mackie is not for you because its USB out works at basic 16-bit, 44.1/48 kHZ. Of course, if you intend to record the audio signal from the mixer - you're good to go.
Please check for price range here
. Thanks for taking your time to read through this list. If you have any comments or would like to suggest mixer with guitar input of your choice please put it in the comment.
Cheers!
Comments
Post a Comment