Mixers

Once you have considered the microphones, amplification, cabling, speaker and monitoring, you will find that you need some way of controlling all of it.

This is where the mixer comes in. The mixer allows you to take each amplified sound from a live performance and control various aspects of the sound. Such control extends to mixing the levels in terms of volume. As well as the equalisation from each input.

There are a lot of mixers on the market and choosing the right one, no matter your level of experience, can be a daunting and challenging task. Here are some things to consider when buying a mixer for live:

The Number Of channels: This is quite a crucial consideration. Because having too few channels can limit what you’re able to achieve. Therefore knowing what your requirements are beforehand can help guide your purchase. How big is the band you need sound for? For example, a 4 piece band typically needs anywhere from 6-10 channels. Whereas a larger band will require even more channels.

Onboard Effects: Some mixers come with built in on board effects. However, this is not always the case. Consider before buying if you need effects or if you’d prefer to make use of an external effects processor instead.

Digital Vs. Analog: Mixers come in two main types. These two include digital and analog mixers. Analog mixers were the first to be designed. However, many modern day mixers are digital due to the advantages they provide.