Active speaker with which mixer digital or analogue?

[rocky11]

Hello to all
I am new here.
I have Yamaha DXR12 MKII Active PA Speaker
YAMAHA DXR15 MKII 1100W POWERED 1X15" PA SPEAKER
Yamaha Powered PA Subwoofer

Now I need mixer..

But I am confused I need Digital or Analogue mixer?
Which one is best compatible with active speaker?

Dynacord digital Powermate 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk
Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk

Please reply
Thanks

[Mike Stranks]

Welcome rocky!

There is no simple answer to your question... both analogue and digital mixers will be compatible with the equipment you already have.

What do you want to connect to the mixer? How many microphones and other sources?

Have you any experience of mixing? Have you used a mixer before so that you're familiar with what all the controls - knobs and faders - do?

Answers to these questions will help us advise you.

[Wonks]

I would ask why you have two sizes of PA speaker. Have you got two 12" and two 15" speakers, or one 12" and one 15" speaker?

And which Yamaha sub have you got?

If you want to use them for a stereo rig with speaker each side of the stage, then you really want the same size speaker otherwise the sound will be unbalanced.

If you have two 15" speakers for the main FOH (front of House) speakers and some 12" as monitors, then fine.

But with a sub, the benefits of more bass from the 15" speaker are cancelled out, as the sub takes care of the bass, and you are carrying around much larger and heavier speakers than you need.

The "Dynacord Powermate 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk" is a powered mixing desk, meaning it has amplifiers built in. You'd use that with unpowered/passive speakers You are paying more for having the amplifier over an unpowered desk. You don't want that with your Yamaha speakers.

I can't find a digital version of either the Powermate or the CMS-1000 desk on the Dynacord web site. All their mixers, powered or unpowered are analogue designs with a digital effects section.

As Mike says, what do you want to use the mixer with? How many mics and how many line inputs from keyboards etc?

How many monitor mixes do you need? Do you have any monitors at the moment?

[rocky11]

Thank you
I never used mixer. I have no idea.
What is the difference between digital and analogue ??

Pro ans cons?

If I buy analogue mixer I need to buy separate power amplifier?

[Bob Bickerton]

You do NOT need a power amplifier because the speakers you have already have amplifiers built into them.

You need a mixer to connect your sources (microphones and instrument/DIs) and then balance them relative to each other before sending the signal from the mixer to your speakers.

Mixers also ‘process’ the signals - adjusts the individual sources with EQ and Compression and can also add effects like reverb.

Most analogue and digital mixers will do this.

You need to determine how many sources you have - channels on the mixer - in order to know how big a mixer you need.

Digital is far more powerful, but can be harder to learn to begin with. I’ll often recommend starting with analogue if you haven’t used a mixer before.

But it’s more complicated than that!

Bob

[Mike Stranks]

Rocky:

Tell us what mics, guitars, keyboards etc. you want to connect to the system you want to build, and then we can advise you.

Is this for just you, or is it for a band. If so, how many members?

and - very importantly - how much money do you have to spend?

[rocky11]

I would ask why you have two sizes of PA speaker. Have you got two 12" and two 15" speakers, or one 12" and one 15" speaker?

And which Yamaha sub have you got?

If you want to use them for a stereo rig with speaker each side of the stage, then you really want the same size speaker otherwise the sound will be unbalanced.

If you have two 15" speakers for the main FOH (front of House) speakers and some 12" as monitors, then fine.

But with a sub, the benefits of more bass from the 15" speaker are cancelled out, as the sub takes care of the bass, and you are carrying around much larger and heavier speakers than you need.

The "Dynacord Powermate 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk" is a powered mixing desk, meaning it has amplifiers built in. You'd use that with unpowered/passive speakers You are paying more for having the amplifier over an unpowered desk. You don't want that with your Yamaha speakers.

I can't find a digital version of either the Powermate or the CMS-1000 desk on the Dynacord web site. All their mixers, powered or unpowered are analogue designs with a digital effects section.

As Mike says, what do you want to use the mixer with? How many mics and how many line inputs from keyboards etc?

How many monitor mixes do you need? Do you have any monitors at the moment?

Hi I have all pair speakers

Yamaha DXR15mk1 -two speakers
Yamaha DXR12mk11 - two speakers
Yamaha DXS15mk1 - two Subwoofers

I don't have any monitors

In large show I can use dxr15" front speaker and dxr12" as a monitor.

We have band.
3 singers
2 Keyboard
1 Drum
1 Tabla
1 Guitar

10 channel mixer is enough.

[AlecSp]

But I am confused I need Digital or Analogue mixer?
Which one is best compatible with active speaker?

Dynacord digital Powermate 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk
Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk

As others have said, you can use analogue or digital mixers with active speakers.

However, you seem a little confused about the two Dynacord mixers you mention. Both are analogue mixers. The Powermate 1000 is a powered mixer, which means that it has a power amplifier built in - you don't need this, as you have powered speakers.

So, if you like that mixer, then it'd be fine. You would be using the full input count, so there's little room for growth. Dynacord is a quality brand. You could pay a lot less and still get a digital mixer with much more functionality, but the choice is yours.

[Mike Stranks]

Analogue: https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/signature-16

Hybrid Analogue/Digital: https://www.presonus.com/products/StudioLive-16.0.2-USB

Digital: https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0AWQ
or: https://www.allen-heath.com/qu-series/qu-16

[rocky11]

But I am confused I need Digital or Analogue mixer?
Which one is best compatible with active speaker?

Dynacord digital Powermate 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk
Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk

As others have said, you can use analogue or digital mixers with active speakers.

However, you seem a little confused about the two Dynacord mixers you mention. Both are analogue mixers. The Powermate 1000 is a powered mixer, which means that it has a power amplifier built in - you don't need this, as you have powered speakers.

So, if you like that mixer, then it'd be fine. You would be using the full input count, so there's little room for growth. Dynacord is a quality brand. You could pay a lot less and still get a digital mixer with much more functionality, but the choice is yours.

Ok thanks so I don't need powered mixer.

So i will go for Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk model.

[rocky11]

Analogue: https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/signature-16

Hybrid Analogue/Digital: https://www.presonus.com/products/StudioLive-16.0.2-USB

Digital: https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0AWQ
or: https://www.allen-heath.com/qu-series/qu-16

Thanks but I want to buy dynacord only.
I think I will go for Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk

[rocky11]

You do NOT need a power amplifier because the speakers you have already have amplifiers built into them.

You need a mixer to connect your sources (microphones and instrument/DIs) and then balance them relative to each other before sending the signal from the mixer to your speakers.

Mixers also ‘process’ the signals - adjusts the individual sources with EQ and Compression and can also add effects like reverb.

Most analogue and digital mixers will do this.

You need to determine how many sources you have - channels on the mixer - in order to know how big a mixer you need.

Digital is far more powerful, but can be harder to learn to begin with. I’ll often recommend starting with analogue if you haven’t used a mixer before.

But it’s more complicated than that!

Bob

Thanks I will go for Dynacord analogue CMS 1000 Mark 3 Mixing Desk

[shufflebeat]

I’m a big fan of Dynacord, as is well documented on these pages and they have a fine track record in the genre of music I’m mostly involved with (Irish trad and Celtic rock).

I’ve used various versions of the Powermate series, my own and those of my friends and they do the job very well.

We used to use the CMS-1000 along with the passive Dynacord A series speakers. When the band decided to switch to powered speakers (more Dynacords) we used the old mixer without the power amp section, as suggested above.

It was useless dead weight which couldn’t even be justified as a “spare” amp because there was no way to patch it into the powered speakers. Eventually we rationalised the situation by buying an Allen & Heath Qu-Pac (digital) mixer.

A&H do a great selection of both analogue and digital mixers and, I would suggest, are the closest in feel, sound and workflow to Dynacord.

Obviously the choice is yours but, in my humble opinion, carrying round that big lump of iron without good reason is a bit mad.

[Bob Bickerton]

Given the basic question being asked originally, which indicates perhaps a lack of experience, it’s worth exploring this some more.

10 mic inputs will be tight for the band set-up you suggest. Things change and you don’t want to end up with a mixer which has insufficient channels in a short period of time, especially given you’re looking at premium pricing. I would say go for 16 mic channels as a minimum.

Next question - who will be operating the system? Are they experienced? And are they a member of the band or separate sound engineer?

You originally asked about analogue versus digital. Yes, analogue may be easier for a beginner, but digital is much more powerful. That’s a fair few channels to be managing, so either way you’ll have a big learning curve.

A digital desk costing much less than the Dynacord would give you the ability to save settings, including ‘scenes’, would give you the equivalent of a van-load of outboard equivalent gear like compression, parametric EQ and comprehensive front of house and monitoring processing and would be future proofed in terms of additional monitor sends should that be required and the ability for individual artists to manage their own monitor sends.

So you may wish to explore the analogue versus digital question more before making a purchase decision.

Best of all spend some time with or engage a professional sound engineer to more fully understand the options.

Bob

[rocky11]

I’m a big fan of Dynacord, as is well documented on these pages and they have a fine track record in the genre of music I’m mostly involved with (Irish trad and Celtic rock).

I’ve used various versions of the Powermate series, my own and those of my friends and they do the job very well.

We used to use the CMS-1000 along with the passive Dynacord A series speakers. When the band decided to switch to powered speakers (more Dynacords) we used the old mixer without the power amp section, as suggested above.

It was useless dead weight which couldn’t even be justified as a “spare” amp because there was no way to patch it into the powered speakers. Eventually we rationalised the situation by buying an Allen & Heath Qu-Pac (digital) mixer.

A&H do a great selection of both analogue and digital mixers and, I would suggest, are the closest in feel, sound and workflow to Dynacord.

Obviously the choice is yours but, in my humble opinion, carrying round that big lump of iron without good reason is a bit mad.

Thank you.
What about qsc touch mixer 16?

[resistorman]

Touchmix is good, and has useful presets for novices.

[rocky11]

Touchmix is good, and has useful presets for novices.

Oh really ?? I think presets help me.
Thanks

[Wonks]

It's always a good idea to use monitors if you are using a PA. It makes it a lot easier to hear each other unless the PA is really quiet. If you are playing in a large room or hall, the reflected sound from the walls will normally come back a lot louder than the sound you are making on stage, and it's delayed by the time it takes for the sound to travel there and back (roughly 1 millisecond per foot or 3 milliseconds per metre). This can make it difficult to keep the timing tight, so having the sound come from monitors just a few feet away from you really helps.

It is not a good idea to use more than one set of main speakers pointing forwards. So whether you use the 15" or the 12" speakers with the subs, don't use the 15" and the 12" speakers together. You don't get much extra volume and because you have two tweeters on either side a distance apart, you get comb filtering as the high frequencies interact and the sound quality suffers.

The only time you might want to use the 12" and the 15" speakers together is if they are pointing in different directions e.g. if you are playing in the centre of a room which has significant width either side of the stage, and you have audience sitting to the sides. Then you'd use one set of speakers pointing forwards and the other set is used to cover the sides, with one pointing out to each side.

If using the 12" as monitors, set the preset EQ switch on the back to the monitor setting. This cuts out a lot of the low-end, which you'll get coming back from the main speaker and subs. This helps keep the sound on stage clearer, with less low frequency noise to cause feedback.

[Bob Bickerton]

Touchmix is good, and has useful presets for novices.

Oh really ?? I think presets help me.
Thanks

The TouchMix is a really good sounding mixer with lots of processing BUT an important factor is how you want to use it! Its user interface is poor compared to alternative digital mixers. It has no per-channel faders and its touchscreen is poor compared to what you’d find on an iPad.

For the inexperienced, I’d recommend a digital desk that follows a more traditional format, with physical faders per channel.

Check out the Allen and Heath QU-16, Behringer X32 it Presonus Studiolive 32.

Bob

[Mike Stranks]

As a former TouchMix owner, I agree with everything Bob has said...

In fact I got rid of my TouchMix, because I couldn't really get to grips with the user interface and the onboard screen.

But I'm now on the point of 'going digital' again because the UI on an iPad for the mixer I'm contemplating is a much better experience than that I experienced with the TouchMix.

[Bob Bickerton]

I’d go as far to say an iPad would be an essential component for competent Touchmix operation.

Interesting that the Touchmix has been around for quite some years now and, as far I know, they haven’t yet upgraded the touch screen.

But it is a lovely piece of kit. I once recorded a live concert on the Touchmix (nice mics and neutral acoustics) which I was amplifying. The band reckoned the recording was better than the studio recording they’d just made which has cost them a fortune. Maybe it was something to do with the operator too though……..

Bob

[rocky11]

It's always a good idea to use monitors if you are using a PA. It makes it a lot easier to hear each other unless the PA is really quiet. If you are playing in a large room or hall, the reflected sound from the walls will normally come back a lot louder than the sound you are making on stage, and it's delayed by the time it takes for the sound to travel there and back (roughly 1 millisecond per foot or 3 milliseconds per metre). This can make it difficult to keep the timing tight, so having the sound come from monitors just a few feet away from you really helps.

It is not a good idea to use more than one set of main speakers pointing forwards. So whether you use the 15" or the 12" speakers with the subs, don't use the 15" and the 12" speakers together. You don't get much extra volume and because you have two tweeters on either side a distance apart, you get comb filtering as the high frequencies interact and the sound quality suffers.

The only time you might want to use the 12" and the 15" speakers together is if they are pointing in different directions e.g. if you are playing in the centre of a room which has significant width either side of the stage, and you have audience sitting to the sides. Then you'd use one set of speakers pointing forwards and the other set is used to cover the sides, with one pointing out to each side.

If using the 12" as monitors, set the preset EQ switch on the back to the monitor setting. This cuts out a lot of the low-end, which you'll get coming back from the main speaker and subs. This helps keep the sound on stage clearer, with less low frequency noise to cause feedback.

Thank you for information

[shufflebeat]

Maybe it was something to do with the operator too though……..

Bob

Always the #1 vital ingredient in my not-so-humble opinion.

[rocky11]

YAMAHA MG16X MIXER this one good ?
https://www.andertons.co.uk/yamaha-mg16x-mixer