FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Behringer Digital Mixer

Question:
I'm toying with the idea of investing in some new kit. In particular I feel drawn to a Digital Mixer ... maybe a Yamaha 01V or a Behringer DX3216. I like the idea of saving the settings and instant recall of various different setups. I particularly like having a compressor on every channel and EQ assignable to various outputs. Most of all I like that I could lose 6 rack units and a whole bunch of leads. I'm a little concerned about multi-function buttons & knobs in a live setting - particularly since I'm playing an instrument at the same time as making any adjustments. However, most of the time I'm only tweaking the volumes.

Answer:
Currently I use compression on 5 channels ... but that's 5 insert cables and 3U of gear to contend with. The 2 channels which give us the most feedback problems are for acoustic instruments, Scottish Small Pipes and Low Whistle. I wouldn't be compressing these at all for the reason you state. I have a fair bit of compression on the bass guitar and lead vocals plus a bit to tame the acoustic guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. The compressors I'm using are all Behringer ones. Was it purely sound / feedback that put you off or was it a usability thing in a live environment?