The heart of a radio station is the Audio Mixer, the control hub for switching and combining audio input and output lines.
For live radio stations a hardware audio mixer is the most immediate way to have control over programming.
For a large radio studio operation the best audio mixer on the market is this one by Henry Engineering.
For a small-scale minimalist radio station the best audio mixer on the market is the RU-MX4 from RDL (Radio Design Labs).
These opinions from KDX Worldround Radio follow a search of all audio mixers presently manufactured.
Experience and other opinions from part 15 radio stations are invited.
Respectfully, I consider the Mackie 802VLZ4 to be superior to the RDL small-scale mixer.
While the RDL mixer comes with switchable mic phantom power and has its own internal compressor, the Mackie product accommodates two/three mics, two/three stereo inputs, has an Aux send (to connect a phone hybrid) and Mute buttons. And at $199 vs. $300 for the RDL, the Mackie leaves enough money left over to purchase a rackmount compressor if one is truly desired.
The Mackie also comes with a power supply included, unlike the RDL.
At $99, the Behringer Xenix Q1202 offers 4 mics and 4 stereos, as well as a compressor on each mic channel, but I prefer the reliability and pedigree of Mackie products.
To each his own. Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you Darsen III, I just took a tour of both mixers you mentioned and they both look like perfect choices for many radio stations who want all the goodies at a fair price.
My picky picky preference following past experience is to keep a mixer as such... exclusively and only a mixer. The EQ knobs would never be used (by me), as I do any EQing during the editing session, and those knobs have a way of getting set in the wrong position, thus ruining a recording session or air sound.
Of course, having known many recordists, I realize probably the majority of mixer owners prefer to have the bells and whistles.
Therefore on any list of mixer recommendations I will include ALL FOUR of our mixers, Darsen III.
Can anyone beat this offer?
Henry Engineering makes some fantastic gear. We use their audio matchers at the full power and at my part 15.
The Arrakis stuff is OK but they have a pretty bad bleedover issue when audio sources get too loud. Doesn't seem to affect the main channel but there is constant bleed over into the audition and peak chirping issues on the cue channel.
I love the look, design, and operation of their ARC-16 despite the bleedover issues. If it wasn't for that, these would be my favorite boards.
Mighty 1650 shared: "they (Arrakas mixers) have a pretty bad bleedover issue when audio sources get too loud."
That reminds me of a Ramko Audio Console from the 1970s...
The volume controls varied a voltage rather than direct audio, thus adjusting VCAs (Voltage Controlled Amplifiers), but the problem was they did not fade audio to infinity. When the pots were fully CCW (counter-clockwise) audio could be heard leaking through in the background.
Talking to the factory about it I was told "We know about the problem and we're working on it". Finally their solution was to go out of business.
The Arrakis will not be mentioned on our Recommended List.
Agreed, Carl, that the Arrakis ARC-8 is amazing for the money. And they can occasionally be found online used for under $600.
The issues plaguing Arrakis consoles have long been resolved on their newer models. The only time you are going to find one that leaks over adjacent busses is if you seek out a console designed well before 1995. If they didn't get it fixed, they would have vanished like LPB or absorbed like AudioArts.
A more valid concern on those older Arrakis mixers is the failure of SSM-brand VCA chips no longer manufactured. If you know what you are doing and can work a little soldering magic, you can substitute the THAT 2162 chip. But be ready to work at it.
I have no connection to the company, I just think the Arrakis prejudice has run its course. Judgment is being passed by way of an issue now 20+ years out of relevance. If you really want to get a mixer that FEELS like a radio mixer, see what Radio Systems in New Jersey is offering these days.
Tell that to the Arrakis ARC-15 I use everyday that has all the issues I described.
I've spent the last 28 years of my life, 5-6 days a week, 4-6 hours a day, behind an Arrakis board. In installed a Turbo SC500 back in 1988 at the commercial AM I work for. It was in use full time, live on the air, 24-7 until two years ago. NEVER had a bleed problem. We ran the hell out of that board. Finally replaced it with a new MARC-15 because we needed more inputs and flexibility (the third stereo output buss especially). I've sat behind that one for the past two years with no issues. I'll be on it tomorrow morning, and the morning after that, and the morning after that....
Over in our FM studio, and in 24 hour operation is an ARC10. And we just ordered another for a new studio. This one does have slight bleed through especially noticeable in cue, but ONLY if your input audio is WAY hot. Anything set to a reasonable input level from the source is not an issue, and nothing has ever bled into the program or audition output busses. I use this every day as well. No issues. The old SC500 needed some repair over the years, replacing pots and switching transistors mostly. An occasional A/B switch as well, but over 25+ years of 24 hour a day use that's to be expected. It's still functional, but stored out at the transmitter site now.
As for those rare IC's in the older models, they're readily available on ebay for a few bucks. Yes, Chinese knock off's, but several years ago I put a couple in just to see how they worked, and they were fine until the day we removed the board from service.
If they're all that rare, I've got a couple little drawers full of the original issue IC's that we had for spares. As they're apprarently worth as much as gold, make me an offer 🙂
I'm planning on an ARC-8 for my home station studio soon. I've been making do with a yamaha production style mixing board for several years. I'll still use that for voice over work and production work, but want to go the ARC-8 for on the air and producing the Oompah Hour.
TIB
I think the Arrakis Mixers have gotten a very fair trial in the past several posts, and, given the fact we started out talking about the ARC-8 as being the right fit for a part 15 station, let's put it back on the list of recommended mixers.
It sure is a good looking design.
It could be possible we have a bad egg at the full power, it is easily my favorite board otherwise. I would recommend them ignoring that, I can pretty much echo what Tim said about hot inputs being the major culprit. Our board has consistant bleed through on the audition channel but leaves the pgm feed alone which is good. Story has it the board survived a lightening strike to the studio, so it is possible there is some internal damage.
Ebay offered me a RDL RU-MX4 Mixer with power supply for $49 so I signed on the dotted line and spent the last several days watching the Tracking Information as the mixer left Tracy, California, headed through West Wendover, Nevada, stopped off in Buford, Wyoming, surfaced in Brooklyn, Iowa, and went way over to Champaign, Illinois (which is significantly northwest of here).
But FedEx made a huge U-turn and got the package to Earth City, Missouri. Now it's "In Transit" and could arrive at any moment.
I am carrying on as normal, looking out the door every 5-minutes.
Upon arrival I plan to calmly install the mixer and casually link up to TeamSpeak Open Room for a full-scale long Labor Day Weekend with dancing and swapping of business cards.
Keep your eye on this space if you want to be party to the party and I will be sure to not forget you.
Curently my workhorse, all purpose mixer is a Mackie 1402-VLZ.
This board has plenty of ins and outs for the small station with 6 XLR/Line mono inputs with phantom power, 4 stereo line ins, two separate stereo aux channels, tape in/out, stereo main bus out and stereo 2nd bus out as well as separate control room outs. I use the 2nd stereo bus outs for cueing. It offers plenty of flexibility in a small mixer.
My baby mixer for grab and run simple remotes is a Behringer UB802.
This little guy has two XLR/line mono ins with phantom power, two stereo line ins, 1 stereo aux bus, tape in/out and control room out. Not quite as flexible but does the job.
Our Big Daddy is a Soundcraft Series II 40 channel board.
This has 8 separate bus channels, matrixing, midi capability, 8 aux channels, and more than I can remember or type about here.
All three boards have EQ on each input (Big Daddy's EQ is more involved.)
Big Daddy was used at our in home Project Recording Studio from about 2000 to 2012. Purchased by my son who ran the studio as a business, he moved to Video production and retired Big Daddy. Mostly for show now, I still use it for production work.
Each has its own work environment in which each mixer does the job it's intended for.
Not shown here is a SoundTech 1642. This was my first BIG board. In the 1990's I started the in home Project Recording Studio as my two sons had a band-gave Dad a reason to buy stuf.
The SoundTech is a 16 channel, 4 bus, stereo out mixer. Soloing and EQ for each channel, XLR/line inputs with phantom power, direct channel outs as well as inserts. Also the normal aux bus send/receives, tape in/out and some other features I've apparently forgotten. It's packed away in a road case and I plug it in once in a while for old times sake.