Best Digital Mixer For The Money

Purchasing the right digital mixing panel can exist quite a daunting task. That’s considering, considering how expensive they are, you definitely want to purchase a digital mixer that is bang-up for now and for the future.

My Top Picks for Digital Mixing Consoles

Every bit a music producer, session musician, and worship keyboard thespian, I spend a lot of time in recording studios, the church, musician forums, and other musicians and audio engineers. And after many hours of conversations on mixing consoles, backed by hours of inquiry, hither are my top recommended digital mixers (click on the link to check current prices)

• All-time overall digital mixer: Allen & Heath SQ5
• All-time budget: Behringer XR18

Although these are my elevation picks for many reasons, and I highly recommend them, there are other mixing consoles that are definitely worth mentioning. Perchance one of these may perfectly fit your needs and upkeep.

Behringer Wing
Presonus StudioLive 32SX
Soundcraft UI24R
Allen & Heath Avantis

Best Overall Digital Mixer: Allen & Heath SQ5

The Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer (on Amazon) is, without a doubt, one of the best mixing consoles available today. This console is part of Allen & Heath’s SQ series digital mixing consoles.

There are iii digital mixers in this series — the SQ5, SQ6, and SQ7. All 3 consoles have the same features and inputs/outputs. The differences can be found in the fader count, the number of local inputs/outputs, and soft controls.

The SQ5, nonetheless, has won the hearts of many sound and mixing engineers and myself for many reasons, which nosotros will dive into shortly.

Before I even begin to talk about its features, workflow, and capabilities, I just desire to commend Allen & Heath for making such an excellent digital mixer at a very competitive price indicate.

Why am I maxim this? Let’south get into it.

What I similar about the Allen & Heath SQ5

The first thing I like virtually this digital mixer is that it has 48 input channels, which is more than enough input channels for many live situations. 32 input channel digital mixers are the virtually pop options out there. And that’s because 32 sound inputs are just enough for many mixing engineers.

However, the 16 extra input channels on a 48-input channel mixer similar the Allen & Heath SQ5 go far future-proof. This ways, anytime you need a piffling more 32 inputs, you lot volition accept xvi more inputs ready for the taking.

Also, because of the 48 inputs, the SQ5 is dandy for medium-sized concerts where many musical instruments and microphones volition be used.

All of the 48 input channels have their ain sound processing units you would expect in a digital mixing console such as Gate, Parametric EQ, and Compressor. And this allows you to mix every input aqueduct to your preference.

Another thing I really like about the Allen & Heath SQ5 is that it has 12 stereo mixes in add-on to the main stereo mix. This is really amazing for musicians that employ in-ear monitors. Upward to 12 musicians can become an individual mix in stereo. Why is this such a big deal for me?

Well, most digital mixers have sixteen mono auxiliary outputs. And this means y’all tin have up to 8 stereo mixes, which is fine. Yet, if you lot have more than than eight musicians on stage, all of them can’t accept stereo mixes. And honestly, I think 12 separate stereo mixes is enough for many band’s in-ear monitoring needs.

And the last thing nearly Allen & Heath SQ5 that literally blows my mind is the price. This mixing console is a deal for the features, the number of inputs and outputs, and the overall build quality and workflow.

The Allen & Heath SQ5 is just a niggling to a higher place $3000. And that is the boilerplate price signal for many 32-input channel digital mixers. The SQ5 is, without a dubiety, the cheapest 48-input channel digital mixer bachelor today. That’s because most 48-channel digital mixers are priced above $4000 and can become as high every bit $eleven,000 for the most expensive brands.

Even so, don’t allow the toll make yous think this is a less capable mixing console. That’south farther from the truth, actually.

Besides the three things I personally like about the SQ5, here are some other features worth mentioning

• 7-inch highly responsive touch screen
• 32 input and 32 output sound interface built into the mixer that allows you to multitrack record selected channels
• Ability to tape up to xvi channels of sound on a USB Drive
• Eight stereo effect engines. And each has a dedicated upshot returns
• SQ4You and SQ Mix App allows you to mix from your Android, iOS, Mac or Windows PC remotely
• Rack-Mountable

What I don’t like about the Allen & Heath SQ5

The SQ5 and all the other mixers in the SQ series only allow you to multitrack record 32 input channels, although the console has 48 input channels.

As I mentioned earlier, 32 sound input channels are enough inputs for many audio engineers. This means many engineers will accept no issue with being able to multitrack record up to 32 input channels from their mixing console. However, there volition exist times you’ll definitely desire to record all of your 48 input channels. But this mixing console will only allow you to multitrack record up to 32 channels.

However, this is not a dealbreaker. That’s considering there is a workaround to this. What practice I hateful? Well, I mean, at that place is a way y’all can record all of the 48 input channels of audio at the aforementioned time on an SQ5.

How is information technology done? Let me explain.

A USB port on the Allen & Heath SQ5 allows you lot to plug a USB stick and tape up to 16 input channels straight on the USB stick. And then essentially, you’ll record 16 out of the 48 sound input channels on a USB stick and so multitrack record the remaining 32 input channels using a DAW.

Honestly, this is not the most user-friendly mode to multitrack record. But, in my opinion, this isn’t such a dealbreaker, especially when you consider the pricing of this mixer compared to other 48 channel digital mixing consoles.

Best Budget – Behringer XR18

The Behringer XR18 Digital Mixer (on Amazon) is one of Behringer’s most successful digital mixers available. The XR18 is an entry-level digital mixer for utilize in the studio and for live purposes. This digital mixer is very popular because information technology provides all of the essential features of a digital mixer in a portable rack-mountable grade gene. And it is also cheap.

As you can already run across from the image above, the Behringer XR18 digital mixer has no physical faders and knobs for mixing. All you lot can run across on the unit is a Power On/Off switch, headphone volume knob, a Wifi antenna, and many different input and output ports. And you’ll get to know why in a moment.

What I similar about the Behringer XR18

The get-go thing about the Behringer XR18 that I love so much is its portability. This unit weighs about 7 lbs, and that makes it very piece of cake to transport from one place to another. You lot tin also mount information technology in your audio rack, along with all of your other gear like amplifiers and such.

As I’ve already mentioned, Behringer got rid of all of the stuff that makes traditional digital mixers beefy such as the display screens, knobs, faders, and buttons. And this makes the XR18 very portable.

So if there are no controls on the Behringer XR18 for mixing, then how do you lot control information technology?

All you have to exercise is download the X-Air app for your figurer, phone, or tablet, connect the device and digital mixer on the aforementioned network, and you’ll be able to command and mix from that device.

The X-Air app is where you’ll accept access to all your controls such as book faders, preamp gain, all the processing units such as EQ, gate and compressors, Pan settings, effects, and every other control yous’ll need on a digital mixer.

This means the X-Air can be on stage with the musicians while yous control and mix on the Ten-Air app at the venue.

I really like the real life review of this mixer fabricated by the team over at Worship Leader Hangout. And you should definitely check it out below

I wrote a comparison article on the Behringer XR18 and Midas MR18 digital mixers. Feel complimentary to cheque it out here if you want to learn more about this mixer.

What I don’t like virtually the Behringer XR18

The only downside of the Behringer XR18 is the congenital-in WiFi. As I mentioned earlier, yous’ll demand to connect the XR18 and your phone, tablet, or reckoner on the aforementioned network so that y’all can command this mixer. For this reason, there is a built-in WiFi on the XR18 which allows y’all to practise that.

Nevertheless, the built-in WiFi sucks, honestly. They are not reliable, and y’all’ll experience a lot of point dropouts if you lot determine to use them.

So if you lot decide to go for the Behringer XR18, you should definitely get a dedicated wireless router. This is what anybody does in the industry. Check out my article where I reviewed the all-time wireless routers for digital mixers and option the right one for your XR18.

Also, I wish there were more inputs on the Behringer XR18. 18 inputs tin get the job done for cover bands and small outdoor events, merely can exist problematic if you need more than than eighteen inputs.

That’s non a dealbreaker though. That’s considering if yous demand more than xviii inputs, you lot can certainly get for the Behringer X32 Rack (too on Amazon). This has similar features as the XR18 and the X32 panel, but the X32 Rack provides you with 32 input channels in a rack-mountable portable form cistron.