URL: http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/products/mixers/mg16_12/index.html
Price: Froogle
Out Of The Box
The initial thing to strike me when I picked up the box was the unexpected weight of the item. There was clearly something substantial inside. Opening the box and removing the mixer from the secure packaging confirmed that thought. The mixer has an entirely metal construction and is of a decent size for a compact mixer. The layout is standard and exactly as one would expect with no nasty surprises. The top of the mixer is also angled which is a nice touch for people who will be using this mixer on a desktop. The faders are short (only 60mm) but adequate in their task and the knobs exhibit a little flexing, but nothing like the flexing certain other manufacturers’ designs exhibit.
Making The Connection
At the studio where I spend most of my time, there are often points of debate. Questions such as which was the most influential Radiohead album are discussed alongside traditional points of contention like analogue vs digital, Kirk vs. Picard (Picard clearly winning there) and Pret a Manger vs Costa coffee. But the one issue, that has gripped audio professionals the world over concerns whether the connectors of a mixer should be on the top or on the back. Having them on the top, allows the easy (un)plugging of cables and provides a clear visual indication, but can create a messy cable setup and problems with cable strain. Connectors on the back however, place the cabling neatly out of the way where they don’t cause a nuisance. It does however make emergency (un)plugging of cables more problematic. Of course only a sad fool would base their purchasing decision on whether the connectors are top-side or back-side, so it ‘ought to be sufficient to say, the connectors on the Yamaha MG12/4 are on the back.
All of the connectors are surprisingly solid for a unit in this price range, with all metal jacks that are bolted to the chassis. The headphone output is located on the top right of the unit and has survived a lot of (un)plugging by me without incident. If you need a mixer which can stand up to some heavy usage, this might be it. I’ve dropped this mixer a few times now (It’s not light!) and it’s survived without a scratch. I find that quite remarkable for a mixer that cost 100 notes.
The Grand Tour
This mixer features six microphone inputs and four stereo channels (two of which feature a microphone preamp). Line inputs are on balanced jacks and the final two stereo inputs also feature RCA inputs. The microphone inputs have a high pass filter operating at 80Hz and the first four mono channels also feature an insert point. Every channel has a 3 band fixed EQ with frequencies at 100Hz (shelving), 2.5kHz (peaking) and 10kHz(shelving). Unfortunately there’s no EQ bypass button. Beneath that, two auxiliary sends are available, the first of which is individually switchable pre/post fade. To have anything individually switchable on a mixer for this money is impressive (though possibly overkill?). I would have preferred an EQ bypass button to inidividual pre/post switches.
Each channel has the obligatory pan or balance control and a lovely big ON button which illuminates bright yellow and has a nice positive action. Finally there’s a PFL button with integrated LED and a Group 1-2 button; more of which later.
The master section is as you might expect. with level knobs for the mono auxiliary sends and stereo auxiliary returns. There’s also level control for the 2-track input, easily viewable meters and a combined control room/headphones level knob. A useful feature is the ability to route the 1-2 group to the main mix buss and to route the 2-track input to either the 1-2 group or main mix.
Was it good for you?
Having six microphone inputs gave me the chance to mic up a few different sources and judge how the mixer handled the signals coming in, and then mixing them down to a stereo pair for recording. I sourced a selection of microphones that I thought would represent the kind of mics that users of a mixer like this would have. Mics from Rode, Oktava and sE Electronics were used on vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion.
I found the preamps to be reasonably uncoloured and quiet enough to be used effectively in close miking situations. These pres are not geared up for long range mic’ing of an orchestra, but that’s clearly not what this mixer’s designed for! The EQ section is as simple as it gets, with three bands all at fixed frequencies. This does limit the EQ’s usefulness and I generally stay away from it. The overall sound of this mixer is OK, if unspectacular. I think the sound is more than adequate for the kind of person who would buy this product, perfectly acceptable for live and home studio duties.
A feature of this mixer which was quite impressive given the price at its launch, but is now more common, is the addition of a separate group output buss. Each mixer channel has a button to send the signal through to a stereo group 1-2 buss, which has its own ouput on balanced jacks. This immediately elevates this mixer above much of its competition by allowing the group output to be serve a record/audio interface input, whilst the main mix is kept separate. The inclusion of only a single stereo group is a touch limiting, but this still enables extra flexibility for various applications.
The Bottom Line
On balance, this is a fine little mixer – built like a tank with solid features and a workman like quality that inspires confidence. This mixer has always represented great value and manages to distinguish itself well from the competition. Since buying this mixer in 2004, I’ve had nothing but good service from it despite my rough handling of it. It’s coped well as both a mixer for synths and outboard, as well as handling microphones of all types. I’ve always had great respect for Yamaha’s range of higher end digital mixers, and it seems they’ve brought that experience and skill down to a budget price range.
Meet The Family
The Yamaha MG 12/4 I’ve reviewed here was one of the first in the family to be launched a few years ago. Since then Yamaha’s range of compact mixers has increased considerably to encompass mixers with many new features such as USB connectivity, bullt-in effects and dynamics processors. Judging by the MG 12/4, these new Yamaha mixers are well placed to suit a wide variety of uses. If the features and price are right, I’d quite happily recommend this range of mixers to any potential purchaser.
Pros
- Good quality/price ratio
- Separate stereo buss
- Built like a brick outhouse
Cons
- No EQ bypass
Summary
A quality offering from Yamaha with added flexibility, great build quality and loads of bang for your buck.
