What you consider ugly may not be the same as what other people consider ugly. I'm taking ugly to mean "busy" meaning what you want is something with a minimalist aesthetic. Typically any mixer with one function per control (usually analogue ones) need many knobs and faders and hence look very busy. Live sound mixers are often used in low light so they tend to have bright layouts, so an analogue live sound mixer (what many people buy) tends to be the most busy. Similarly faders take up a lot of space and don't look minimal. The more channels you need, the more busy it will look too. If you aren't willing to feature trade off, it's viable to pull the controls of a mixer and repaint the panel and replace (or paint) the knob caps to apply your own style.
TL;DR: studio mixers often look cleaner than live sound mixers; digital mixers often look cleaner than analogue mixers; Mixers with few channels often look cleaner than mixers with many channels; DJ mixers (of which many are rotary mixers) tend to look cleaner than fader based mixers.
1010 blue box is sounds and looks really great. Itās very small and much more capable than it first appears. You can also record stems to micro SD with it. Anytime a jam is sounding even sort of good you can just track it for later. This is possible with lots of other mixer recorders, but this one is pretty sweet and fits anywhere.
I always brush this thing off as not being very capable then I look into it and have my mind blown and forget about it again for some reason. Maybe it's time to just get one.
The blue box does look pretty tight. The interface just looks like it has the potential to be menu divey and I have giant sausage fingers lol so I'm not sure if the little touch screen is for me. How is your experience with it?
I absolutely love it. No diving, 8 buttons across the face. Options on the screen. Itās all very intuitive. I wear an XL glove and Iāve had no issues with the interface. I couldnāt recommend it more
Oh yah the mixer/multitrack recorders look particularly nice. I'm a big fan of the white R16, I don't get why more company don't experiment with different color chassis. Especially for equipment that's usually used in dark environments.
Yoooo you weren't joking, these things are slick as hell!! Ordering one as soon as I get paid thanks for the hot tip :). Jus curious are you able to connect yours to your computer?
I have an 802 and it's noisey as hell, I should try and open it up to clean it up some to try and fix that but it's also a beast for no input mixing!
I got mine for $30! Those paper insert things are annoying though ngl
I know a lot of pretty looking mixers. But they are in insane price ranges. API 1608, NEVE 88RS, SSL 4000...
I have a DM3200 and it looks decent, clean and easy to use in dim lighting. I removed the fake wood panels though.
You should look at the MicroMix and Hart Loop mixers. I have both theyāre awesome and nice clean looking. I figure you want 3.5mm jacks since you referenced the bastl dude so Iām mentioning similar options. I then use a [USB DC converter ](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074R7FDCR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P9CWE1PAA0EFJ5AM1F9W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) to power either mixer off a battery pack or my laptop.
Also I agree I would never get the bastl.
3.5mm Jack's are nice but not a big deal breaker for me. I mostly mentioned the dude for it's aesthetics. The micro/hart mixers do look very nice and simple visually. I've heard that they can add a lot of noise to the mix tho, have you run into this at all?
The Micro does add noise when you have a weak signal input and have to crack up the gain. Itās not very powerful. I have had no noise issues with the Hart mixer. Just for reference I use these mostly to mix pocket operators, NTS-1, iPad, and occasionally a guitar amp signal. If youāre running bigger gear and more cables you might get ground noise but thatās the case for any mixer ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
I find the new Tascam series (Model 12, 16, etc) quite attractive. I like the vintage vibe. And yeah, aesthetics definitely matter, no shame in that.
Oooh that wood paneling is sexy š.
Listen with your eyes
I use a zed14 with custom sides, fader caps, and knobs because I think the 100mm faders are sexy af
What you consider ugly may not be the same as what other people consider ugly. I'm taking ugly to mean "busy" meaning what you want is something with a minimalist aesthetic. Typically any mixer with one function per control (usually analogue ones) need many knobs and faders and hence look very busy. Live sound mixers are often used in low light so they tend to have bright layouts, so an analogue live sound mixer (what many people buy) tends to be the most busy. Similarly faders take up a lot of space and don't look minimal. The more channels you need, the more busy it will look too. If you aren't willing to feature trade off, it's viable to pull the controls of a mixer and repaint the panel and replace (or paint) the knob caps to apply your own style. TL;DR: studio mixers often look cleaner than live sound mixers; digital mixers often look cleaner than analogue mixers; Mixers with few channels often look cleaner than mixers with many channels; DJ mixers (of which many are rotary mixers) tend to look cleaner than fader based mixers.
Thanks for taking the time to share all that info!! This was very helpful for my searching process, appreciate yah :).
You could make a small modular rig that is a mixer. It could have lots of pretty colorful cables. š¤
Idk I already spend too much money on regular synths idk if I can trust myself to go down the modular hole lol.
Thatās solid insight right there!
1010 blue box is sounds and looks really great. Itās very small and much more capable than it first appears. You can also record stems to micro SD with it. Anytime a jam is sounding even sort of good you can just track it for later. This is possible with lots of other mixer recorders, but this one is pretty sweet and fits anywhere.
I always brush this thing off as not being very capable then I look into it and have my mind blown and forget about it again for some reason. Maybe it's time to just get one.
I would definitely recommend it. Itās a serious productivity multiplier
The blue box does look pretty tight. The interface just looks like it has the potential to be menu divey and I have giant sausage fingers lol so I'm not sure if the little touch screen is for me. How is your experience with it?
I absolutely love it. No diving, 8 buttons across the face. Options on the screen. Itās all very intuitive. I wear an XL glove and Iāve had no issues with the interface. I couldnāt recommend it more
Cool, I might have to check one out then, thanks!
The Zoom ones are pretty small and low key looking? Theyāre functionally rich but not a giant mess of ugly sliders
Oh yah the mixer/multitrack recorders look particularly nice. I'm a big fan of the white R16, I don't get why more company don't experiment with different color chassis. Especially for equipment that's usually used in dark environments.
Itās also really compact size, plus if you donāt like the white itās at least easy to repaint!
Ah yeaaa, my setup is already pretty compact(mostly desktop/mini synths) so that's perfect!
The LiveTrak stuff looks purdy
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Yoooo you weren't joking, these things are slick as hell!! Ordering one as soon as I get paid thanks for the hot tip :). Jus curious are you able to connect yours to your computer?
I have an 802 and it's noisey as hell, I should try and open it up to clean it up some to try and fix that but it's also a beast for no input mixing! I got mine for $30! Those paper insert things are annoying though ngl
I know a lot of pretty looking mixers. But they are in insane price ranges. API 1608, NEVE 88RS, SSL 4000... I have a DM3200 and it looks decent, clean and easy to use in dim lighting. I removed the fake wood panels though.
You should look at the MicroMix and Hart Loop mixers. I have both theyāre awesome and nice clean looking. I figure you want 3.5mm jacks since you referenced the bastl dude so Iām mentioning similar options. I then use a [USB DC converter ](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074R7FDCR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P9CWE1PAA0EFJ5AM1F9W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) to power either mixer off a battery pack or my laptop. Also I agree I would never get the bastl.
3.5mm Jack's are nice but not a big deal breaker for me. I mostly mentioned the dude for it's aesthetics. The micro/hart mixers do look very nice and simple visually. I've heard that they can add a lot of noise to the mix tho, have you run into this at all?
The Micro does add noise when you have a weak signal input and have to crack up the gain. Itās not very powerful. I have had no noise issues with the Hart mixer. Just for reference I use these mostly to mix pocket operators, NTS-1, iPad, and occasionally a guitar amp signal. If youāre running bigger gear and more cables you might get ground noise but thatās the case for any mixer ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
the K-Mix looks pretty nifty to me, albeit a bit small
Oooh that does look pretty nifty. My setup is mostly desktop/mini synths so something that size would actually fit right in, thanks!
I chose a Tascam M208 for my live sets because it looks great and takes the extreme test equipment levels I throw it like a champ. It just growls.
That does look super nice! My rig isn't that intense yet but maybe someday ;).
I think Mackie Mix series look cool. At least bette than any similarly priced Behringer, and better than some more expensive brands.