XENYX X1222USB 16-Channel Mixer with USB Audio Interface - Analog Mixer

Agreat but of kit for a small synth studio like my own.

I've used this a bit and can give a considered review.The Behringer X1832USB is a very capable mixer. The features I like most are:1) The compressors on the mic channels.2) The subgroup (which allows a very easy way to send a clean feed to Zoom, Teams etc.).3) The graphic equaliser which allows me to tame feedback on (for example, some rather "middleish" Behringer 205 active loudspeakers).The only negatives are1) The line inputs don't have a gain control just a switch.2) The USB in/out isn't as much use as it might be as the "out" is tied to Main (post fader) and the "in" (if switched that way) goes directly to the main.The USB "in" is more use as a source to headphones to monitor something happening on a PC but a better sound card isn't much to add if you want to use a PC with this mixer in a more complex setup.The mixer is designed to cover a multiplicity of use cases and in many ways is better than either the larger or smaller mixers in this range. The Mon Send and FX/Aux2 Ret faders are good and although I haven't had occasion to use it, for music the built in reverb would be a bonus.Finally, I wanted a good flight case and Swan offer a custom case. In that box I suspect the Behringer will last longer than I do!

I bought this mixer with a view to starting out with some simple podcasting - there are smaller versions available, but I deliberately bought the extra capacity for when my projects develop and become larger and more complex.I've read reviews where people have slated these mixers for not having the stated number of channels, or such. It is a bit misleading. This has 4 mono inputs - XLR or balanced / unbalanced jack. Each of these gets 48V phantom power if you switch it on. There are then 5 stereo inputs (2 channels each) and a stereo subgroup. 4 + 10 + 2 = 16.Each of the channel strips is well specified with gain and compression on the mono strips, 4 band EQ AUX / FX Send - mute, solo, sub.Although you can send signals to off board effects processors, there is also an onboard unit with quite a range of effects.Strictly, i suppose it's a PA mixer or for recording single take performances.I use mine with GarageBand and the output from the mixer comes into GB as a single stereo source. I record music and voice over separately on different GB tracks. A benefit of this mixer for me is that I can customise channel strips and leave them set, even though I might not be using them.Any music tech student or home recording musician would do well to look at Behringer kit - you'll get great quality at a great price.Don't be tempted though by the software package - much of the stuff is freeware and you probably have far better DAW / podcasting software already. If you use Mac OS X Lion, much of the free stuff won't work anyway. The proprietary DAW package works well, but Macs have GarageBand which is far superior. Windows people, you're also bound to have your favourite package also.

I've been using a Behringer 1202FX mixer with a 3-piece band for years, and I wanted something a little larger for those times when I wanted a couple of extra microphones. I wasn't too fussed about the USB connectivity, but having a few more inputs and outputs was the main reason for getting the X2222USB.And I'm not disappointed! There is so much packed into the mixer, you get a lot for your money. Each of the 8 mic inputs has three band EQ with sweepable mid range, and a basic compressor (useful if your vocalist occasionally belts out a high note). All channels can send to the built in FX unit which is basic (but what do you expect built into a mixer that costs less than £200?) but provides usable reverb options (which is what you're probably going to use most of the time). There are a pair of other aux output (first one is pre-fade, the second is switchable pre/post). The USB has actually turned out to be fairly useful, as I now don't need to plug the master output into an audio interface - I can plug directly into my laptop. As a bonus, the X2222 can also be used as a USB audio output, and the output can be routed to either control room or main mix (which might be of limited use, but if you're using this to mix a small band into a Zoom call, having the return audio routed to control room/monitor is actually useful). Don't get me wrong, this is not a digital mixer at all, the USB connectivity is just for main mix output and a limited audio return, you can't send USB audio to individual channels, nor can you record individual channels via USB - this is not for multi-tracking.I've run into a couple of negative points. There are no gain controls (beyond the travel of the faders) for the stereo inputs - an omission I can't really understand. Also, there's no way to route the FX output to the other 2 aux output - I ended up using a stereo jack to twin mono jack splitter cable, and plugging the FX send into one of the stereo channels, mixing the FX into the main mix that way rather than the knob for that purpose, so that I could then also add the FX signal to the other aux sends (that I'm using to drive in ear monitors - vocalists like being able to hear some reverb). The mute switches on the channels appear to be connected after the pre-fade tap, so when you mute a channel, you can still hear it through any pre-fade aux sends. These aren't show stopping problems, but something to be aware of, and why I've only given 4 stars.If you've outgrown a 1202FX, the X2222USB is a worthy candidate for your next step, and has the added bonus of being 8U rack mountable (so you can store and transport it in a standard mixer flight case - the mounting wings are included, you just need to remove the side trims and loosen the case screws on the sides to fit them).