Inexpensive Field Mixers
 

Hello All,
I looked for quite a while but found no adequate previous threads. I am looking for a battery powered field mixer, w/2 channels, & a tone generator...a limiting system would be nice as well. Most of the ones that I have seen w/ these features are at least $800-$1000. Are there any for say <$500 that can be recommended? My brother does sound on feature films & tells me that I can't live without it. Does everybody out there use the tone generators? Does it really give you consistent levels as he argues? Thanks in advance.

Edward Croteau
Red Quill Productions

I'm not aware of anything for $500.00 that give you a tone gen, but I don't use a tone gen on a mixer anyway, so I'm not good to give response.

In fact, I use a very low end mixer in the field if I need battery power, I use the Samson Mixpad 4 if I need batteries. It gives me 2 XLR and 2 lines for wireless' or other inputs if I need them. Surprisingly, it's very, very quiet and runs all day on 3 9vol batts.

The SoundDevices MixPre is around $665 and will meet your requirements.
If you want a tone generator to go with a cheaper mixer, the Behringer cable tester and tone generator is very handy and costs only $50.

You may want to consider a used Shure M267. This mixer is battery powered, has tone, levels and four inputs. It's an older model that was recently discontinued, but is relatively economical.You could probably find one for under $200.

All of those things you said about the M267 are true, but it's not a very quiet mixer compared to the MixPre. It is quieter running on batteries than AC. I chopped the power cord out of mine...
Plus it would be easy to run into one that was going on 30 years old. Mine is over 21 years old. At least they seem to run forever, but I'd still put my money into a newer mixer if I had it available.

Edward,

Rolls introduced a new 4-channel mixer MX422 (due out in about 2 weeks) that seems to have the features you are looking for. It is not yet posted on their site. However, if it is ok with you I will email you all the info, images, manual etc.

Sounds great, e-mail away!

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. They are much appreciated.

--Edward Croteau
Red Quill Productions

I have a Rolls ProMix IV (MX124). I don’t like it, it is noisy and came out of the box with a fader that crackles.

Steve

Marty
 

Hey marty - email me the info on the new mixer if you dont mind?
sobitemybum@yahoo.co.nz

Thanx

In fact, I use a very low end mixer in the field if I need battery power, I use the Samson Mixpad 4 if I need batteries. It gives me 2 XLR and 2 lines for wireless' or other inputs if I need them. Surprisingly, it's very, very quiet and runs all day on 3 9vol batts. -->>>

Douglass, at one time I was looking at the Mixpad
for a low-cost field mixer, but I thought I heard
it wasn't too quiet. But in your experience
it's decently quiet when run on batteries?

I was using a Korg D12, for about $1000. It had 12 channels, 2 or 4 xlr / 1/4" inputs, several more 1/4' in, mixer, AND a 20 gig hard drive. The downside was no battery. Now, if you could figure out how to hook it up to a battery, you would be set.