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Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?

64.151.38.109
Posted on November 12, 2011 at 23:03:02
Chris Williams


 
I shoot concert video. I have a kind of unique model - I do a multicam shoot with only myself and one other operator - fixed wide shot, medium and close-up by myself and a 4th camera with the second operator. And I carry every bit of equipment in a single backpack. So I'm constantly working at trimming the weight and bulk of my equipment. I've managed to get it down to less than 50 lbs. This has meant swapping RG-59 video cables to RG-174, or regular mic cables for lighter ones like Canare L-2E5.

So, the next thing I'm looking to trim is my mixer. Right now I have a Tapco/Mackie 6306. It has the feature set I need, but the steel case and the external power supply is too heavy. And honestly, I don't use all the features. I only really need:

2 XLR inputs with trim and phantom voltage
Headphone monitor (preferably with substantial gain - I'm shooting concerts)
TRS out and hi-Z out

And before anyone suggests it, a Sound Devices USBPre 2 is lovely, but way out of my ballpark. I just need to pad down board outputs and monitor them, and occasionally use the same input for a pair of mics.

What haven't I looked out that is *light*. An aluminum case, switching power supply - anything to trim a piece that is currently more than five pounds down to something a lot more reasonable.

Any suggestions?

 

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RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 22, 2011 at 20:33:41
Bubba


 
Browsing at Markertek turns up the Azden FMX-20 2-Channel Portable Mixer. And other things. Or maybe the cheaper ART Promix will do the job.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 16, 2011 at 06:28:55
Pro Sound Guy


 
Looks right to me and its British to boot

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on February 13, 2012 at 07:48:03
Drumhead
Audiophile

Posts: 181
Location: Atl, GA
Joined: May 24, 2009
 If you go with the Soundcraft, wait for the price to drop. I got one at Xmas and love it but only paid $99 vs. $179 it`s listed at now. Check Amazon.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 13, 2011 at 04:46:16
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 3209
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 I was going to suggest the Audio Developments AD071 but it costs about the same as the Sound Devices you mentioned. It weighs 400gr or just under a pound so you can wear it on a belt or mount on the camera though.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 13, 2011 at 07:39:54
Chris Williams


 
Pretty much anything intended for film recording is going to be way out of my budget. But I see all sorts of 2 mic in boxes for recording to laptops. Do any of them have decent headphone monitoring circuits? Do they have an analog line out?

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 13, 2011 at 14:03:36
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 3209
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 Have a look at Echo Audio, they make cheap&cheerful (as opposed to cheap&nasty) interfaces.
Sound quality is about as good as Apogee, never heard a bad thing about or coming out of an Echo unit.

May be they have something you can make to work for you (GinaG3?), especially if you use a laptop on site anyway as the mixer part could prove a problem in hardware.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 13, 2011 at 16:31:18
Chris Williams


 
Looks cool, though I think their AudioFire 4 might be a better fit, with a separate power supply. I'd hate to be locked to the laptop, which is busy recording HD video from my big camera.

Is the M-Audio Fast Track Pro decent? It seems to have more physical switches, better in a situation where the laptop may be busy. For some reason, they don't have a weight on their web site or in their manual.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 24, 2011 at 00:15:05
mike1127
Audiophile

Posts: 264
Joined: June 3, 2009
 My FastTrack Pro weighs 583 grams (not counting cables or power supply).

---
"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me."
High-end headphone system with photos.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 14, 2011 at 03:01:57
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 3209
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 Admittedly I am not fully au fait with the M-Audio Fast Track so I can't say much about its quality, be it sound or build.

You could join gearslutz.com and ask there, 'nuff members with experience of all sorts of recording equipment and techniques. Just don't ask in the High End section!

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 14, 2011 at 09:25:03
Chris Williams


 
I'll check it out, thanks.

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 14, 2011 at 22:28:53
Chris Williams


 
I found a piece by Rolls, the MX34C. Is it total crap, or passable?

 

RE: Lightweight two mic input mixer with headphone monitoring?, posted on November 15, 2011 at 05:52:07
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 3209
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 At $100 I'd give it a go.
If its unusable for you you can always sell it and I'd be more inclined to try this than any possible Behringer jobs.

 

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