Reddit reviews BEHRINGER, UFX1204 Premium 12-Input 4-Bus Mixer with 16X4 Firewire Interface 16-Track USB Recorder Black
We found 3 Reddit comments about BEHRINGER, UFX1204 Premium 12-Input 4-Bus Mixer with 16X4 Firewire Interface 16-Track USB Recorder Black. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Premium ultra-low noise, high headroom analog mixer with integrated 24-Bit/96 kHz USB/FireWire* interface and 16-track USB recorderBuilt-in 16x4 interface connects directly to your computer and supports Mac* OS X* and Windows XP* or higherIntegrated 16-track USB recorder allows for instant recordings of your studio or live sessions4 state-of-the-art XENYX Mic Preamps comparable to stand-alone boutique preamps with individual Phantom Power switches4 studio-grade Compressors with super-easy "one-knob" functionality and control LED for professional vocal and instrumental sound
You were asking for the cheapest starter hardware, right?
Now, many people are fine with the Behringer stuff. I've heard many people complain about the quality of the preamps which is why I spent 160% more and got a Mackie. I have a rack mount Behringer dynamic processor on my rig and a couple USB to RCA interfaces.
I've never had an issue. Others disagree. One presumes that you are testing the waters and seeing if you will get past the beginner stage.
Having said all that, I'm looking at the Behringer UFX1204. I here the preamps gain knobs are a little finicky at the very very top but at $400 for a multitrack USB recording mixer? Yeah, I need to justify this somehow....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E87ONWC/
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With a $500 to $700 budget I might suggest the following. Steer clear of the "packaged podcast stuff". And others will have their own opinions and thoughts but here are mine.
Recorder: Zoom H4nPro $230. Portable, flexible, will accept up to 4 inputs. Records on a SD Card.
Software: Audacity. It is free and allows you to manipulate and put together a cohesive product.
Mics: 2 of the ATR 2100 USB $150. Again, flexible and a decent beginner mic.
Accessories needed. 2 wind screen/pop filters for mics ($20), 2 mic stands ($20), 2 XLR cables for mics ($25)
Headphones: Sony MDR7560 $80 2 might be nice, but 1 required.
That is about $550 to $600 at this point.
If you wanted a studio mic, a decent starter mic is the MXL 990 at $100/ea. But beware that this is a condenser mic and it will pick up a ton of ambient sound especially in a non-treated room.
You may want to add a mixer into the mix at some point. I have a Behringer Xenyx 1204USB $139, but wish I had known more when I bought it and I would have bought the Behringer UFX1204 with the difference being that the one I have sends out a single stereo track to the recorder, but the latter has the ability to send separate tracks. Woudl be very handy if your guest is VERY soft spoken, there is a lot of talk over one another, etc.
> The reason i suggest this is that many mixers create alot of latency and typically do not have the same level of converters as a standalone interface
This is untrue. An true analog desk has no latency. (Only the very small phase shift introduced by the equalizer and/or compressor on the channel strip).
Have a look at the Behringer UFX-1204. In addition to being an analog unit, every channel strip has a digital insert loop (firewire+USB) that works nicely with different DAWs.