Half decent small mixer with MIDI I/O

The Audient ID44 MKII is also a very interesting option.

While it got 24 out, it doesn't have any busses, so real monitoring is a no-no and just 4 analog inputs, you can't access the mixer either without a PC or laptop.

The Presonus Studiolive 16.0.2 is still a contender, have not written it off yet as it brings some very nice features to the table. I have some time to decide so will definitely scrutinize all the options thoroughly.

The shortest shortlist is now:
Presonus Studiolive 16.0.2
Audient EVO 16 + some DAW controller of sorts
Audient ID44 + some DAW controller of sorts

As a DAW the Behringer X touch extender seems to me to have a quite analog feeling while still being versatile/flexible enough. It's not cheap though. Or the Behringer X-Touch Compact.

A mixer I've previously skipped was the Tascam Model 12, Downside: No MIDI and 'only' 48kHz/24bit, only 10 (12) input channels. Upside: Fully functional mixer, fully analog feeling, no menus or button changes. Haven't seen or heard it in RL though.

Nice feel and expansion possibilities: Icon V1 X. Very expensive though.

I don't like the Presonus Faderport btw., it got motor faders but the mini-displays at the top are very hard to read and no knobs per channel. Very expensive too.

It will take a bit more for me to seriously consider the Behringer X32 and the Yamaha DM3S, the cost is much higher than the difference in features.

I'd rather vote for the Presonus and if you are really not satisfied with the preamps, just build a few boards with external preamps instead then, that's not very expensive and you can enjoy the tons of features and possibillities.
 
A mixer I've previously skipped was the Tascam Model 12
Litterally the first one I mentioned and in the first post even.
So far it seems the Tascam Model 12 may be my best option, but with my limited knowledge in this particular field there might be some other good contenders that I have no idea about.

I dont like the Presonus Faderport that much either, but it seems to be a more flexible solution that is more likely to work with what I use than the Behringer stuff.
And I do not think you can have the Extender without the X-Touch, it is called extender for a reason.
Looked at the Icon V1 X too...

The ID-44 has some things going for it, but I agree that it is not really what I'm asking for.

Nevertheless, if the Tascam 12 is back in the list then I am looking at:

Presonus 16.0.2
Tascam Model 12 (or 16)
Audient EVO 16

The biggest PRO for the Presonus 16.0.2 is being able to use it for mixing in a DAW even though you'd have to go through a process of manually pushing the faders to the right places first.

Presonus 16.0.2 and Tascam Model 12 advantages: knobs for compressors and 3 band EQ, manual faders.

EVO 16 advantages: Automatic adjustment to the input signals to get in the right ballpark quickly, Configurable digital outputs with option for ADAT!

I am slowly leaning towards the EVO 16 now, it is cheaper and easily rack mountable. The missing faders could potentially be remedied by purchasing a DAW controller with motor faders and running loopback to get whatever DSP is desireable through a lightweight DAW even for live mixing.

It is a slightly more complex solution, but I would probably feel safer having all the vulnerable gear in a rack so that if someone manages to spill something over my desk all the vital components are still protected.

Edit:
The ID44 does seem to have bus routing similar to the EVO 16 when looking at the manual, and it has the same 2 x ADAT I/O so...
Benefit: Signal quality.
Downside: On my desk...
 
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I dont like the Presonus Faderport that much either, but it seems to be a more flexible solution that is more likely to work with what I use than the Behringer stuff.

I don't think so because the Faderport is a DAW ONLY!

The ID44 does seem to have bus routing similar to the EVO 16 when looking at the manual, and it has the same 2 x ADAT I/O so...
Benefit: Signal quality.

Don't forget you need several software packages to get to the functionality of other mixers, like limiter and compressor. And you need a DAW too. And how does ADAT give you any benefit in signal quality?! If you want more than 48kHz then the number of channels will be halved and halved again (96kHz, 4 ch/192kHz, 2ch). That's rather a downgrade in quality.

EVO 16 advantages: Automatic adjustment to the input signals to get in the right ballpark quickly, Configurable digital outputs with option for ADAT!

The Behringer X32 has AUTOGAIN and limiters. And ADAT is so outdated, I can't fathom you'd want that. Why do you want to fall back on mechanical tapes? With any higher samplerate than 48 the number of possible recorded channels is halved. You need one optical out for each stereo channel under ADAT. Do you still have any devices with ADAT? I don't know if you knew that but ADAT was developed in 1991. That's 33 years ago.
And the EVO 16 is also another piece on your desk.

Anyway, it gets repetetiv, I've tried to help you to the best of my abilities but it seems I can't explain the dis-/advantages well enough or we might have a basic problem understanding each other, I don't know. I don't want you to convince you to x or y, I don't gain anything if you follow my suggestions or not. The main problem I have right now is seeing the disadvantages you might underestimate and spending the money and get yourself a new shiny tool/toy which isn't what you really need or want. I'm not angry, I just feel disappointed in myself because I expected from myself I could be more helpful.
 
While you may feel that the discussion is not progressing, it is still valuable to me to have someone responding because it forces me to think about things in different ways.
Thanks to your involvement I have been able to shift my focus away from the Yamaha MG12XU (Which I think is a great unit, but not really what I need/want), and with the comment you made about controlling things using a tablet you made me rethink what exactly it is I want to do and look at other options to achieve the same thing. Resulting in me looking at other products that I like from a different perspective, insert the Audient stuff.

Perhaps I was not clear on this, but having to rely on a DAW is not really a downside for me, because I will be using one anyway.
The various DSP functions a DAW bring to the table combined with internal loopback functions, admittedly with some yet very low delay, of the Audient solutions provide near infinite number of alternatives and improvements over any basic knob with a fixed function, that said the benefit of having a knob with a fixed function is exactly that.

So that part of the discussion is also valuable to me, because a reminder that I am loosing a fixed and defined function when I am gaining infinite flexibility is also an important aspect.

The most interesting thing about the spdif/ADAT I/O of the Audient stuff is that it has 2 major benefits:
1. Potentially avoid one DA/AD conversion for my signal processing (DSP management for my soundsystem).
2. Being optical it will be a natural barrier that can potentially prevent a few noise issues.

Neither the Yamaha MG12XU, Tascam Model 12 nor the Presonus has digital out, this is a feature generally reserved for more expensive gear for some reason I do not understand.
ADAT is NOT outdated, it is mostly used for expanding interfaces, like for instance the EVO SP8 which is dirt cheap compared to most competitors.

The Behringer X32 is around 4 times the price of the EVO16, I would say that is one gigantic disadvantage, and the X32 is actually one of the cheaper options!

At any rate, thank you very much for your participation in this thread, it has been very valuable to me up to this point and I did get what I wanted:
I figured out why it can be nice to break out different functions to different boxes.
I was forced to rethink what it is I want to do and how I would like to do it.
I was forced to look at problems that can arise if I depend on 1 unit to fill many different roles.
I got valuable input that made me reconsider the options I had discovered myself originally.

That is a lot of me & myself, normally do not like to write so much about I/me/my, but in sum it is because of YOUR contributions @Randy Bassinga and @ICG had such great value to me so that I was able to shift my perspective.
Which is EXACTLY what I needed.

There is enough information here to make a purchase, and I have the money ready for when a decision has been made in the (VERY) near future.

Thank you.

Edit:
I think 96kHz is a great advantage when you need signal processing, but I am completely unable to tell the difference between a 48kHz and a 96kHz sound and I really think that anyone saying they can hear an actual difference is a blatantly lying. For keeping various effects of signal processing out of the hearable frequency spectrum 96kHz is great, but for a pure transfer of digital audio it makes no difference to me compared to 48kHz.
 
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Neither the Yamaha MG12XU, Tascam Model 12 nor the Presonus has digital out, this is a feature generally reserved for more expensive gear for some reason I do not understand.

That's not true. The Presonus has 18 digital sends and 16 digital returns. It just goes over USB.

Screenshot_2024-09-13-13-08-49-720_com.google.android.apps.docs.jpg
 
The Presonus is not out of the match just yet, but it does not have any physical interface for digital I/O which is the important aspect.
If I want to have a digital out to connect to system management with DSP I need to get some kind of interface for it, seems like they have done a sort of USB version of ADAT expansion.

With the Audient gear I can have a digital out using spdif on one port and use the other port to expand to an SP8 to get more analog I/O.
 
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Hey man, do you not feel that Tascam is a bit 'broadcast'. I played with them a few times, and it just feels like driving a white Camry. I just cant be inspired by the brand

I don't mind the PC as the hardware, DAW as the interface and DAW controller idea. But these controllers can be limited to scrolling channel strips and 'multipurpose' knobs on top of having to activate the section of the DAW to be controlled from the usually limited controllers

Don't know if you noticed, but I have a current marine audio project. It's a very wet boat, so no place for controllers and such. Instead, I am going to use a fanless type of mini PC in a waterproof system together with two or more touch screens as the controls. This way I retain knob per function. Serato DJ on one screen and FL Studio on another. Possibly a third larger screen for karaoke and music videos

You haven't mentioned the type of PC but if you are creating a DAW based cave then consider at a minimum a Gen11 Intel i5 or a new Mac would be even better. This would be the logical first upgrade to give the DAW based system a good chance

Don't worry too much about motorised faders. Just set the gain stage to the LED indicators for the faders and encoders, for continuing or loading an existing project. A controller with endless type encoders and a lit LED ring is best. Takes moments to gain stage from scratch in a cave anyway

Again a vote for the Roland machines such as a used MX-1. Just contains all that you want in an interface and DAW control surface to perform live. Its faders and encoders aren't automated, but hasn't slowed down any one man show

Or

Just a decent touch screen flat on the desk as the DAW controller. Let the PC do everything and insert mics using your audio interface
 
Hahah!
Yeah, I guess we share some of the same impressions about the Tascam, then again sometimes a white camry is exactly what you need.

A touch screen could indeed be one possible solution, though I do have some reservations, wet hands and touchscreen do not mix well, pun intended.
The biggest benefit of the touchscreen is also it's biggest downfall, IE if you get water on it or have wet fingers it can become a real hassle.

My stationary is more than adequate for my needs.
I do need a new laptop, but I am waiting for something particular, then again I might actually just as well build something into the rack permanently, hmmmmm... Then there would be no need to worry about all the plugging in/out stuff and everything has a fixed place no matter where I go, hook up two things only: power and the speakers then EVERYTHING is ALL set.
Some pondering required...

Hear what you are saying about the MX-1, and I am not ignoring it, have a slight preference towards current production gear.
 
For the touchscreen - you can just take a micro fibre cloth and keep your hands dry. But a laptop/PC keyboard needs to stay dry too, not only a tablet or touchscreen. Actually, a keyboard is much more sensitive to liquids than a touchscreen. Not in usability but in point of 'still working but just glitching' vs. just being defective. Physical faders, motor fader and pots, switches and sockets/plugs are equally affected, it just differs in severety of the issue and the time until the failure happens.

Okay, let's change the point of view. There's a reason why I am strongly opposed to a multitude of different digital boxes/devices and I am sorry I didn't talk about that yet and only had that in my mind when thinking about devices. Every digital one adds latency. Within the same device the latency is usually lower than different boxes because every one of it has to keep a buffer. A world clock does not prevent that, it can only sync the latency. If your devices add up to a too high latency, the live playing or playing to pre-recorded tracks will become really frustrating to almost unbearable. I don't know where your tolerance or accomodation levels are, that's up to the individual person. Look at the manuals or what hands on reviews say, add up the latencies and then decide if that combination is - features aside - still vaiable. I haven't calculated the whole latency since I don't know what's acceptable for you and since the chain is vague but if you have a complete setup in mind, that's something you need to check before you decide on what to buy.
 
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Very valid point.
It is not a problem if I ditch MIDI and decide to do everything using controllers in the DAW.
MIDI and a few hw synths could be a backup thing for when shtf or if there's some collaboration thing happening.

Ever had a few drops of light drizzle on your phone? Does not take a lot of moisture to mess things up, a classic super cheap dome keyboard can and will survive a respectable amount of liquid. A tiny drop or two will not make any difference to the average knob on some gear but it does make a big difference on a touchscreen. Not talking about hosing it down, being surprised by a light drizzle that is being blown about by a sudden gust of wind is enough.

Nevertheless I take note of your point and I will have another think about which solution to go for.
 
Ever had a few drops of light drizzle on your phone? Does not take a lot of moisture to mess things up, [...]

Yes, it's highly annoying. It doesn't affect its functionality once the drops are removed.

[..] a classic super cheap dome keyboard can and will survive a respectable amount of liquid.

Yes, it does. But then it dies at a random time later.
 
I honestly admire your positivity, trust and confidence!

Have you thought about getting a DAW and a 'simple' audio interface like the Focusrite Scarlett or
Behringer UMC1820 or
Behringer UMC404HD? Ofc there are also others but these are renowned for the mic amps and reliability. They all got MIDI. 😉

BTW, I use the
Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD but ofc because of completely different reasons than you. It got MIDI too. I've also got two Tascam US-144 MK II but I only use them when the circumstances might indicate I'd probably lose or destroy it in the location or enviroment. Yes, the difference is that great and you'll realize the at the very first touch of the device even before having heard it.
 
sometimes a white camry is exactly what you need.
Maybe for metrosapien Daisy. As a street level worker (Taxi) I would choose the equal priced rear-wheel drive Commodore for driving flair, able to apply different reaction forces from either end of the vehicle at the same time. Both are solid and reliable, and swapped status as the top-selling here when the Commodore was ended a few years back. I took a rear-wheel drive Ford Falcon to a million kilometres on the streets of Sydney, while my personal back then was a v8 Commodore special edition with a Nissan GTR type mostly rear biased AWD (bad boat ramps)

I liken the MX-1 to my old Lexus GT400 built to GT3 spec by Mines back in the 90s. It held its own against Italy's best GT3 cars of more recent vintage on the roads here. A lucky buy from someone extremely motivated by law and court fees. Specifically built to take on Bathurst, a long distance road-based racetrack with a mountain climb and some of the fastest and longest straights, allowing excess of 300kph. Going down the mountain switchbacks as if on rails and total confidence against faltering. Redlining, 10000rpm on a 4L v8. Btw, that track is an international GT3 venue. Just a regular country road when not closed for racing

Things like bricked hardware and poor performance areas and such are not usually on the mind when considering Roland. These issues have never really been a part of the Roland type of experience. In fact, not only other brands, but Roland themselves keep building emulations over and over of Roland gear gone by. Did you take a very close look at the MC-707? This unit can work your DAW and take a lot of load off your PC by providing libraries of hardware effects and sounds over its 8 channel multitracker. Go deep into the manuals and see how all the knobs and faders are mapped to MIDI and what you can do with it. A desk would be an MC 707, a PC, MIDI keys

Regarding the touchscreen
Firstly how much wet use do you guys see or is this a lot of speculation, be forthright as my Raymarine Axiom 9 is fully touch only! Let's try to place some value on hard experience. The universe might be larger than what exists in your minds. There is no drama, no need to speculate. These things are already sorted and solved by some of us who are already well into it
Touchscreen use on a wet boat
Prep the screen with a cheap tempered glass protector. You can't cut these, but usually can find a close size on Ali
Store a small squeegee on a strap attached to the console
A simple comfy bamboo or cotton fabric glove cut like this item below
https://coastalfishing.com.au/products/owner-casting-finger-guard

Squeegee any puddles off the screen and lick a covered finger to use the touch. Works better than a dry finger guys

A sad fact is that I am lucky to not have encountered your speculation years ago, as I might not have then gone on to experiment

Secondly, suggestion and recommendations carry heads ups in an effort to not rewrite essays. A lot of the having the screen flat on the desk is to not have the DJ decks and console visuals missing from the overall ambience. I expect you to extrapolate things like that in the hands of the savvy, a condom enclosed wireless mouse would be the ultimate knob per function access for actual use as the primary input device with a mouse being already an extension of the body. Also, you are aware, there are levels of methods and the madness attached to them

So let's expand on my particular madness that I expect anyone who has read some of what I write to extrapolate. I didn't expect you to imagine both hands on the touchscreen but rather just as regular use, one hand on the mouse and one on the touchscreen

Now to my mousing, I was an IT pro for 10yrs, formally qualified in MS Office as well as self-taught graphics arts and engineering enthusiast. The mouse is really an extension of my body. I hope at some stage over the past couple of years that you may have found a fav saying of mine remarkable, that "the mouse is a handplane not very well understood"

For as long as I can remember, I only use the mouse series stream with the ball bearing loaded scroll wheel and a dog latch button. This thing is a true tool through all its generations. Currently, I have the M270. They are made by Logitech

I am a lefty, but I have trained my right to mouse. Instead of a fingertip trying to turn a fader on the touchscreen, Just hover on it and turn the scroll wheel with the dog latched for indents feel. Zoom/scroll long libraries with the dog unlatched

Cover the mouse base with the loop side of Velcro and this will slide on most surface. Place a piece of the hook side somewhere to secure the mouse

These are all already done things
 
positivity
Hah! Not much positivity here, for some reason I usually start smiling when all hell is breaking loose, because that is when I feel like there is a balance in the world. 🙂

This is just trying to identify and assess all the variables, and then getting some feedback from you guys to reduce the noise.

lucky to not have encountered your speculation years ago, as I might not have then gone on to experiment
I am not writing off the touchscreen idea, just prodding the topic a bit because it is important to get the right arguments and solutions out there.

Do not have the luxury of time, which is why I am not so active here these days.
Full time job + 66% studies + a small company doing a bit of consultation and electronics engineering services + a few Boards and Committee work + getting my active daughters to and from practice as well as trying to be part of the family, and if I find the time do some work on the house.
0 free time, calculated that this should be fine for the duration of my studies which is in the final year now, started doing my bachelor degree project which is taking perhaps about 6-8 hours extra time per week in addition to the normal studies.

Any time catching up on the thread here or checking information on devices happens whenever I have a few minutes to spare or like this very minute: between intersections when I am teaching my wife to drive (roundabouts are still hard to understand for some reason) while on our two hours drive to watch my oldest daughter on football cup.

I am thankful that you did the groundwork that allows me to get a more informed opinion on how to solve these things.

When my studies are finished I will have my new sound system up and running and I can pick up that part of my life again.
Checking out the Roland gear, been looking at the Akai stuff as well.
 
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Full time job + 66% studies + a small company doing a bit of consultation and electronics engineering services + a few Boards and Committee work + getting my active daughters to and from practice as well as trying to be part of the family, and if I find the time do some work on the house.
At one time I was running NSW and supporting the rest of the states, working data security scheduling and rotation for just about every big and small biz, law firms, telcos and what not. 1km long secure bunker. At the same time I had a manufacturing biz with fishing tackle and on the board of multiple committees as president or public officer. I gave all that up and got a taxi lease. Asked my then wife for a separation just to focus on getting healthy and after a year of partying and catching up on 15yrs, fall for someone and got married. Since then, the focus has been on bonding, firstly with my new wife. We took a 4yr break from work to live on a lil island and have a honeymoon baby. We set up a crew and did DJ, karaoke and photography
https://www.facebook.com/yaadeinphotos/photos_albums

Had a baby then came back to Australia when my daughter was 3. I went back into taxi but our industry got ubered and collapsed. I had put a lot in so tried to see it through for a while but ultimately had to close 4yrs ago

We moved up to Hervey Bay, my fav bit of oz and are trying to set up a semi retired type small biz. See my Bass shelter thread. We had another baby recently and my wife has returned to being a medical pro. I am taking the turn to be the primary carer this time and using free moments to build up the boats and mess with audio stuff and music making. My daughter is finishing primary school this year and has mastered the double and electric bass per curriculum. I am glad I took a decisive step to make major life changes. In 2008, I was looking down the barrel of obesity, heart disease and such. Now I see a well browned brownie dread working the beach in the sun. Not a bad way to cross into 50 and then get old in style. The committees will keep, some need a shakeup. Some need closing. In my time there, I founded two incorporated fishing clubs and a peak body representing the interests of shore anglers. All will keep and not my problem once I shut the door on them

I have way too much time and no money
The same can be said for the Caribbean ghettos. Look how much yardies have achieved. This term is now used in respect to represent a demographic that uses sheer will power to become worldwide stars. Did you know one such known as King Tubby was the tinkerer inventor behind these console effects that we have been speaking about and taking for granted. These guys worked hard to build record shop booths, sound systems and studios to ultimately lift not only themselves but others around them. This movie should prove inspiring
 
It is just for 3 years, should be well within my capacity and from now until next summer is the final stretch.
Make sure to break it up maybe twice a year to keep sane, my recipe is to get completely wasted followed by dancing for 3-4 hours straight and then chilling the next day like when I was younger = all good for a while.

Will watch the movie maybe tonight, gonna try and get the mrs tipsy with some Riesling from Germany and some Moscato from Oz.
 
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