Well the problem is broadcast consoles are incredibly heavy, and thus expensive to ship and package properly. The older consoles are especially heavy, my BE8S250 clocks in at over 50 pounds!
Unless for personal reasons you 'want" a "broadcast mixer" and I get it, use a consumer grade for zillions less. ($100 - 200) You will have all the inputs you need and you can find them with TT inputs. Save your money. The results will be the same and your listeners cannot hear the difference on a Part 15 signal. Also, be creative. Find an old amp or tuner at a yard sale and use the phono in and tape out to drive your mixer. Hope this helps.
I'm using a Behringer XENYX 1204 at the LPFM and an old Mackie VLZ1204 on my Part 15. They both sound OK, support 4 XLR mic/line with Phantom power for condenser mics and 2 stereo line inputs in addition to 2 stereo aux circuits.
Cost; about $150 new.
Doesn't have the same flexibility as a broadcast mixer but works for me.
There's some pretty good DJ software out there. Why not use a computer as the studio mixer?
Okay, my station uses many different types of equipment, CD decks, reel to reel, cassette tape decks, 2 8 track decks and two turntables.
The mixer has to be able to accommodate all that equipment without wire/cable switching.
I prefer a mixer that includes microphone pre-amps so the microphone goes out the same output as the music mix.
Most mixers use channels 1 and 2 as the LEFT---RIGHT stereo inputs. I hate that setup, because a 5 channel mixer then becomes a two channel mixer with a microphone input as channel 5 or channels 4 and 5.
Broadcast mixers have cards, in some cases ONE slider controls both LEFT--RIGHT stereo input, not tying up two channels for one source.
Nightclub DJ equipment does not always work well with broadcasting, it is intended to be hooked up to large powered speaker systems that fill a nightclub with loud music.
Most consumer transmitters use LINE LEVEL audio, RCA jacks, therefore, the source should be LINE LEVEL also.
Some mixers, like Yamaha are best suited for live recordings in a recording studio or used in a live concert setting hooked up to stadium sound systems or a night club's amplified loud speaker system and JBL speakers, not broadcasting.
I have a very large vinyl record collection, without counting them all, I have roughly 6,500 vynyl LPs and roughly 6,000 45's at some point I have to take the time to count them, but my collection builds each week rather quickly and I can't find the time to do a count of how many I actually have in my library.
Right now, my radio shack mixer is hooked up to two turntables, channels 3 and 4, the first two inputs are microphone LEFT and RIGHT, the 5th input I have wired to the stereo/mono switch, which has been rewired as a channel 5/6, the tape monitor RCA jacks are rewired as an input for channel 6, it goes to the former MONO/STEREO swtich which acts as channel 5 or 6 input. There I have the computer's output going to channel 5 and a dual cassette tape deck as channel 6. There is no other inputs for the CD deck or Reel to reel decks, unless I alter the mixer more by adding more RCA jacks and a multi position switch, to which the mixer's chassis, has no room for.
I have considered adding a unit of some sort, that goes before the final recipients that allows several pieces of equipment to input into this device and it mixes the sources into one output without requiring the use of any type of A-B-C-D switching. In other words a unit that allows 5 inputs and feeds it to two or more outputs simultaneously.
Closest I've seen to multible outputs is those old quadraphonic units that allowed for front/back stereo speaker systems of yester year on conventional two channel stereo systems.
Damn I'd build my own console like the old large knob mixers of years gone by, but the toughest part for me would be building the cabinet without a metal machine shop setup handy!
Drilling the round holes for the potentiometers might not be the real challenge, but making square holes for the various VU meters and other assessories would be next to impossible without the proper tools and machine shop metal cutting/etching machinery handy.
Bruce.
Bruce,
That is an incredible set-up you have! I'm impressed. Finding a console for everything must be quite a task. And that record collection! That rivals ANY library of any radio station.
I have an old Signature III S-20 Ten Mixer Stereo in mothballs. I used it on-air for over 10 years. If I recall you can hook up about 25 different inputs into it. It's a nice reminder of the good ole days of large knobs and real VU meters.
The only thing my consumer grade Mackie and Behringer boards lack is a mag phono input with RIAA EQ which a $20 preamp solves.
They don't have the broadcast style cueing but the channel mute buttons double as a send to an aux bus which I used for cueing.
Channels 1 through 4 are mic/line inputs and the rest are stereo/mono line inputs.
Fortunately the stereo/mono line inputs are single fader and will operate either stereo or mono depending on how you plug into the channel. Using only the left input provides a mono output to left/right. Using both left and right inputs gives stereo output. And, there is an input level selection for +4/-10 depending upon what you are plugging in.
Now if I could figure out a way to hook up a "tally" light output without tearing into the board that would be nice. It could switch on/off the "on-air" light and mute/unmute the studio monitor. Maybe a photo sensor over the LED mute indicator...
I have seen mixing board that have cue buttons on them, you press the button and a turntable will activate and spin up. Also, circuits for when the micrphone is activated, an ON-AIR light will light up in the studio, to warn people the microphone is on and keep the noise down.
There has been times, even though my VMX1000 has an mic on LED it is rather small and there has been times I've unknowingly left the mic on, and you can guess the rest of the story.
My Behringer VMX1000 (NON-USB VERSION) seemed to fit the bill for my setup, but, I really can't put my finger on it, but to me, it lacked something in audio quality, not sure if that BPM (Beats Per Minute) circutry had anything to do with the audio quality or not. There is no way of turning it off, it either displays a BPM number on the LCD or it dosen't, also depends on if the buttons are tapped a few times to activate the display.
To be truthful, those BPM circuits are really above the scope of my knowledge, meaning I am not exactly sure what the hell they are good for. I never really noticed anything different in the rhythm or timing of the music. So that feature has me a bit confused as to what it's purpose is really there for.
Yes I have a very large vinyl record collection, when I have time, I'll have to count down my list and see how many I have, 22 new record albums just arrived via postal delivery as I am typing this, so add another 22 to the ever growing list of 33 1/3 RPM vinyl records.
Bruce.
you can't beat the quality and i want to simiulate a real full power station down to every last possible detail. i graduated CIE Broadcast Engineering course and i am a budding engineer trying to get a job with a real station.
I was going to mention Behringer or Mackie to Mr. Bruce, as they have broadcast quality specs with xenyx preamps, but it looks like you're at a higher level than those at this point.
One thing that's come with the LPFM revolution of the past few years are mixers and other studio equipment intended for these small stations. Arrakis is a popular name in consoles for LPFM and downsizing commercial stations as well, and you might want to look into them Mr. Bruce.
I know the dilemma, sliders for left and right, faders next to each other, too many effects to trip over... My perfect mixer for radio would have always been something with just a row of line level stereo inputs with single faders, with trimmers to adjust the levels between sources. You could throw in a couple of microphone or stereo line inputs, maybe a few mag phono inputs, with 8 faders, that would be great.
There's a carrier current station that was started by the students and they brought old audio equipment from home to assemble their studio.
Join the Initiative to bring spelll chcek to Part15.us! I should put that in as a signature!