• ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

There's news finally wink

I bought a second-hand Soundcraft Spirit Folio SX on eBay a few hours ago... would have been 240 + 7 EUR shipping but I asked the guy if he would be fine with 230 EUR total and he agreed.

So now I'll soon have a nice mid-sized (12 mono channels + 2 stereo channels) mixer from the 90s, Brian Chinetti also said in another thread that it's a good mixer (it's actually from the same series as the F1) and I'll just see how it will suit my needs. If it's sufficient already, then everything's fine of course, but since it was so cheap I can still buy a better, older (and bigger, 16 or 24 channel) mixer additionally in a few weeks/months/years and use the SX as a live- or sub-mixer smile or sell it again if I don't like it after all (which I don't expect).

Thanks for your helpful hints!

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • From: washington dc
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 515

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

nice ZeHa, congrats on the purchase!

now, when is the follow up to electric winter coming out? smile

worship the potentiometer.

screenvinylimage's Website

  • ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

Hopefully soon big_smile
Depends on the mixer quality  tongue

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

I was just unpacking it wink

So far I like the sound, and the EQs seem to be fine as well!
I compared noise levels, and the Soundcraft actually has less noise than my old Bell! It was a huge difference, I didn't expect that. I'm now almost disappointed of my Bell mixer big_smile

Build quality is not as good as my Bell or the A&H, i.e. you can wiggle the knobs a little bit, but it doesn't feel cheap either. I'd say it's pretty much what I expected - maybe a little less than that actually, but not worrying.

The features are great also, the only thing that I don't like about it is that it has no AUX returns - you have to use some of the channels... on the other hand, I don't really know what to do with the stereo channels, so I'll occupy those, some effects are stereo anyway, so that's not bad.

I've seen a few recently on eBay and other sites, most of the time for about 250 EUR. For that price it seems to be a really cool mixer. Of course I can't really judge since I've been playing with it only for an hour or so big_smile but if it should turn out to be crap, I'll let you know in this thread... wink

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • From: Canada
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 480

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

Yes, congrats ZeHa.  Glad to see you got this sorted out.  I'm looking forward to the next CG album as well.  smile

unicity's Website

  • ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

Hehe I hope to not disappoint you if I tell you that it will sound pretty different from Electric Winter  tongue

Woohoo, just found out that my mixer actually has not only 2, but 4 stereo channels! 2 of them have only Cinch-input and a Level control, but who cares, I think I can use those for my FX returns big_smile

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

Okay guys, forget the new album - it will probably never be recorded...

I just noticed that this mixer has no recording output!
My old mixer had a normal Master out which was dependant on the master faders, and an additional Cinch recording output, which always had the highest possible volume. That way, I was able to listen and record at the same time, no problem.

Now, this mixer only has a Master out, a Monitor out (which is PFL only), Direct outs (which I don't want to use since I don't want to do multitrack recording), Headphones output (I think that's not too good for recording, or?) and a Mono mix output...
...and a Sub-mix L&R out as well. So the only possible way seems to route all channels to Sub and then use "Sub to Mix" so that both the master out and the Sub-mix out should have the same signal. Of course, that way I would eliminate the possibility of using the Sub-mix feature (not sure if I would use that anyway, but well...).

Any other options? Of course I could disconnect my monitors and just connect the recording device, but that would be uncool. Is there any cheap device or cable that lets me split the signal after the Master out (without sacrificing sound quality of course)?

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • rude66
  • robot des duivels
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 1,844

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

do you have a compressor/limiter on your masters? a lot of them have 2 sets of outputs. my d&r has the same, and i route the master outs of the mixer to the c/l (in my case a behringer composer) and the 2 sets of outs from there go to the Studer to record, and to the amp to listen..

34 Reply by ZeHa (edited by ZeHa 2011-01-28 00:33:17)

  • ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 417

Re: Buying a new mixer... Soundcraft EFX 12?

I don't, but I already thought about getting a compressor maybe anyway, so that's a good idea probably.

But I have to say I feel a little dumb now, since I just remembered I have an "SM Pro Audio M-Patch 2" lying around. It's a monitor controller which I used when I was still using my computer for producing. It has two outputs which can be switched on at the same time!
I guess I'll try using that box, should work fine smile but I have a question: This box is a passive unit, so what happens if I use it to drive two outputs? Does it lose volume then? I don't know much about electronics, but I think I read somewhere that if you use those kind of split cables or split adapters, the volume on each output will be lower...


EDIT: Just tried it and it works fine smile output levels seem to be the same as well. Now I only have to get some more cables, as now I'm using lots of adapters to fit my situation big_smile
I hated to have that M-Patch thing lying around anyway. Paid 100 EUR for it once and then I didn't need it anymore... proved wrong, I guess  cool

Ahh now I'm happy again and I can sleep well...

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website