OK, let's talk small mixers that also act as an audio interface.

[DirtDog]

So this is what I'm looking at. Any thoughts? I'm thinking it will be fun to record some stuff for myself.

Also, it crossed my mind that one experiment might be fun. One of the uses for this mixer will be my own monitor mix. A full monitor mix in one channel and just my bass in another. How cool would it be to record every show to the SD card with my monitor and bass mix? I can think of no better way to analyze my playing than to listen to it out front bit in context after every show. It will be the musician equivalent of a football team watching video of the last game.

Plus I keep set list playlists on my phone. Being able to use Bluetooth and practice with one less cable might be nice. I have been offered a sale price of $314 and free shipping. It's a little more than I was initially thinking but the extra features may put me over the top.
PreSonus StudioLive AR8 8-Channel Hybrid Digital/Analog Performance Mixer SLMAR8

View attachment 2881212

It'll do what you want it to do! I own a bunch of Presonus stuff (mixers, control surfaces) and they've always worked well. I almost bought the AR16 for my band, but went with the Mackie DL1608 (for the remote control).

You won't regret the multitrack abilities of this and if you pair it with StudioOne, even better (but not mandatory). Just throwing it out here: at some point you're going to want more channels.

 

[DirtDog]

I've played in bands with a Presonus StudioLive board. I haven't run sound, so I'm not entirely clear on how it works; I can attest to the notion that it actually does work, and does so exceptionally well. I've hovered during sound check a couple of times. The nested menus are likely to present a moderately steep learning curve, but I've been assured that once the concept is grasped and the location of various features is noted, you will find a use for a large number of features you haven't considered terribly important.

One of the bands I'm in uses a Presonus StudioLive 16 at gigs. I think you'll find this board amazingly useful.

These AR series mixers are a digital-analog hybrid - kinda like the StudioLive series but without the FAT channel. As such, the learning curve on the AR is pretty flat.

 

[two fingers]

It'll do what you want it to do! I own a bunch of Presonus stuff (mixers, control surfaces) and they've always worked well. I almost bought the AR16 for my band, but went with the Mackie DL1608 (for the remote control).

You won't regret the multitrack abilities of this and if you pair it with StudioOne, even better (but not mandatory). Just throwing it out here: at some point you're going to want more channels.

I see your point about channels. However, I am not responsible for the PA or recording of any band. So this is just for me at first. I will use it for practice at home. I may record some quick and dirty tracks to post here upon request to demo gear. I will use it as an IEM mixer at church and gigs with small stages. At present I can't even fathom a scenario where I will even mic a drum kit through the thing, much less a whole band. If I like the mixer and decide I want to run live sound and/or record a whole band, I will consider making the AR8 my personal toy and picking up a 16 or more. (the whole line seems really affordable for what it does.)

 

[two fingers]

I pulled the trigger on that Presonus AR8. Hopefully I will have a review up soon.....maybe even some quick and dirty bass tracks. This thing should be fun. Should be here middle of next week.

Thanks for the conversation guys!

 

[lakefx]

One you don't mention is the Behringer X series. I picked up an X18 a couple years ago to be both a live mixer and multitrack DAW interface and I love it. I haven't used any of the boards that you're looking at, but I've been very impressed with the quality of the Behringer in general and I'm quite familiar with the lack of quality their products used to have. The software only interface scares off some people, but it's also awesome to be able to control it from your phone from across the room and to have a lot of good built in effects. I got mine for less than $400 with one of guitar center's 15% off coupons.

If you want to hear a few recordings we made with the X18 as an interface for Reaper, you can find them at Link Removed

 

[Ben B]

@two fingers - do you need simultaneous multi tracking capability? If so, the smaller "USB ready" mixers generally only send/receive a stereo signal (2x2, in audio interface speak). The Alesis MultiMix 8 is a prime example of this.

That's correct. I was recently looking into small mixers for utility purposes like cable testing or playback of recorded music. And for times when I'm just to lazy to move a larger mixer. I noticed that some of the small, inexpensive mixers were USB enabled, but as @DirtDog mentioned they are 2x2. They also have a 16 bit interface. To get a mixer with a 24 bit interface and multi-channel, you're going to need a much larger and more expensive mixer.

Since I already had a 2x2 24 bit interface, I just bought a small, cheap mixer without USB.

 

[monsterthompson]

Not small, but interesting. Zoom Live Track 12.
Zoom LiveTrak L-12 Digital Mixer

 

[monsterthompson]

One you don't mention is the Behringer X series. I picked up an X18 a couple years ago to be both a live mixer and multitrack DAW interface and I love it. I haven't used any of the boards that you're looking at, but I've been very impressed with the quality of the Behringer in general and I'm quite familiar with the lack of quality their products used to have. The software only interface scares off some people, but it's also awesome to be able to control it from your phone from across the room and to have a lot of good built in effects. I got mine for less than $400 with one of guitar center's 15% off coupons.

If you want to hear a few recordings we made with the X18 as an interface for Reaper, you can find them at Link Removed

I just found the X18 tablet. It's pretty interesting.
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