How are Behringer Mixers?

mattjohnson · Post by **mattjohnson** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:55 pm

How are these mixers they seem to go pretty cheap on ebay. Any comments on them?

directaction · Post by **directaction** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:34 pm

They're very "Behringer." Harsh sounding, little headroom. If you're recording on a computer, there are many better-sounding options in the same price range.

mattjohnson · Post by **mattjohnson** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:44 pm

I am recording onto a computer what do you suggest?

Scodiddly · Post by **Scodiddly** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:10 pm

They can sound OK. The biggest problem with Behringer in general is reliability - I definitely wouldn't buy one used.

??????? · Post by **???????** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:12 pm

what kind of format are you talking here? How many channels?

I'd rather get a used Mackie, even in cosmetically non-mint condition, than a Behringer. As much as everyone slags Mackie, they are about the best you can do in their price range. Totally usable. I have a little bitty 1202 from them myself, I use it to submix multiple kick drum mics and multiple tomtom mics things like on the way in (mix ITB at home).

I think I gave $60 for it on eBay, had some tape residue. Works perfectly. Preamps totally usable and passable, better than regular Digi002 pres or things like that.

mattjohnson · Post by **mattjohnson** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:16 pm

i was looking at mackie and they weren't too reasonable used on ebay. i was looking for 8 inputs, and have been hearing mix reviews with the behringerss.

??????? · Post by **???????** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:29 pm

in internet-land, 'mixed reviews' usually equals 'bad.' A majority of people reviewing the product are owners of the product, and nobody likes to feel dumb or like they made an unwise purchase. For most at that price point it's their first mixer and they have very little frame of reference.

Behringer does not really have much of a reputation for quality. Often, you get what you pay for.

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:47 pm

matt, resist the urge. they're not worth anything. they look neat and say something about "german ISO something". it's bullshit, I promise. There is a reason they go cheap! Seriously, pretty much any other used mixer will serve you better/longer.

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:22 am

Get a used Mackie 1202, the original one.

My electronica duo has a Behringer powered mixer and it's noisy as hell, and very thin sounding. It was a waste of money.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:49 am

Two people I know use Behringer mixers and they have been relegated to use as PA mixers, and even in that application they are noisy and thin.

Don't do it. They aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

snatchman · Post by **snatchman** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 6:59 am

Yeah, my sister bought one for her church and right out of the box, it was broke. Totally un-usable.

??????? · Post by **???????** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 7:56 am

inverseroom wrote:Get a used Mackie 1202, the original one.

My electronica duo has a Behringer powered mixer and it's noisy as hell, and very thin sounding. It was a waste of money.

Yep.

We're talking the difference between $40 and $65 here.

If you cannot afford $65, then you cannot afford a mixer.

Sorry.

Mradyfist · Post by **Mradyfist** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:57 am

I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure why everybody here thinks Behringer mixers are so noisy. At my studio I've got a Focusrite Red 8, a Drawmer MX60, a Presonus DigiMax LT, and a pair of ART TPS IIs. I've also got a couple Behringer mixers that get used mainly for utilitarian purpose, ie headphone mixes and pres when the 15 good ones are all being used. I did a quick comparison of all the pres when I got the Drawmer, just to see how it stacked up; I matched the gains for each of them and tried tracking a number of things, including silence, with an SM57.

Now, don't get me wrong; the Behringer pre was definitely the worst sounding by a long shot. I was expecting it to sound bad, but I was shocked by how noticeably flat and lifeless it sounded compared to any of the other pres, even on a single track. After listening to it, compared to the Red or even the ARTs, I could see exactly what people meant when they referred to a preamp as sounding more "3D". However, the noise off the preamp was absolutely fine. If I remember correctly, the Behringer actually tied with the Red for lowest background noise, although the Behringer had a distinctly more unpleasant noise quality to it. I believe the ARTs did the worst, and the Drawmer was disappointing considering how excited I was to have just bought it.

As far as reliability goes, I think it depends on the line. I bought a used MX3242X off eBay when I first started doing live sound in high school (maybe 7 years ago? how old am I again?) and every time I take it out to use it on something, I'm amazed that everything still works perfectly.However, my buddy at the studio has two different UB-series mixers (a baby one and a 12-channel one), and both have developed major issues with the left channel cutting out if you look at the master fader the wrong way. I haven't used the new Xenyx series yet.

My verdict? I would never want to track everything through a Behringer. Get yourself a couple of really nice pres first. But when you're doing drums and you really need top and bottom mics on all 5 toms, you probably don't need to rush out and buy an SSL.

Kindly Killer · Post by **Kindly Killer** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:59 am

Soundcraft Spirit FX8 is a $400 console that uses INA163 chips for gain - they are clean and good sounding. It has inserts on each of its 8 mono channels, plus . I used a bigger version in a band for a while, and when I used phones for checking monitor and submixes, it sounded like a million bucks. Not the best scenario to eval a mixer, I know, but I would be amazed if it didn't make a great set of 8 simple preamps. That's what you want a mixer for, I presume?

I don't think you'll get a Mackie VLZ for any less than that, and I am much more impressed with the Soundcraft mixers.

My only other suggestion would be to pick up decent low-end pres as you have the money, e.g. ART and M-Audio.

On Behringer: reliability is the issue. If you have decent chops and you don't need super high gain on anything, you can make a decent recording with one. My friend who is a *real* engineer works at a studio that uses one for recording live shows (they have a Trident in the studio) - so it's plenty good enough for that. I started out with a tiny 2-channel Behringer mixer and one of those MXL mics, which is currently the mod lab monkey in my workshop; it was better than my recording skill for a while. When it started holding me back - which was when I needed high gain for a ribbon mic - I started collecting cheap-but-good preamps. No reason for me to mix on a console b/c I can't afford anything that sounds better than mixing in the box. I have better stuff now, but I haven't thrown away the Behringer.

A-Barr · Post by **A-Barr** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:05 am

I've got a 2 channel "Euromix" and a "Tube Ultragain." Somehow both of those titles seem to be insults to my intelligence....

Anyway, the so-called Euromix has been very reliable for me, but that thing is ridiculously noisy. I own a lot of preamps and other gear and honestly, that is the only piece I own where noise has really been an issue. Not a problem with line level signals, just using the mic pre's. It's also the only mic pre I have where it has just not had enough gain sometimes. The Toob ultragain actually has like 70 db of gain and is really quiet, but sounds about how you would expect.

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How are Behringer Mixers?

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