Desk choice.

[frpcraig]

Can someone recommend a small mixer/desk please?
Ideally something with 8 xlr inputs for instruments/vocals and possibly micing up the drums.
Having read that I might need more than 8 inputs.?
I don't think I want loads of facilities just something basic.
Also I'm more than happy to buy second hand as cost is an issue.
Cheers
Craig

[byacey]

Check out Soundcraft:
http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=148

They make some nice little mixers that work well.

[BrentEvans]

If you want to mic drums, you need dynamics processing (gates and comps) on those channels. Current products that do this well are a bit expensive, but a used Yamaha 01V or Behringer DDX3216 would do the trick, and they're typically priced pretty well. The new ipad only consoles from Mackie, Presonus, or Behringer are also viable low(er) cost options if you already have the ipad.

[kekani]

Check out Soundcraft:
http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=148

They make some nice little mixers that work well.

I was looking for exactly what you were, except I don't need to mic drums. Through my research and deciding features, cost, size, etc, & that I had a Soundcraft Gigrac 1000, I got the Soundcraft Mfxi 8. Nice that this is a "true" 8 channel board, with 8 mic input PLUS 2 stereo channels. The Yamaha MG12 claims 12 channels, but only 4 are "mic" inputs (6 are actually xlr), and the other 4 sliders are "stereo" inputs counted as 8 channels.

Not saying that Yamaha is being tricky, just that you need to know what you're looking at as most boards market themselves in the same way. Mackie's Profx12 has 6 mic inputs, but claims 12 channels.

But, if you need on board compression, the Mfxi doesn't have it. The si Expression 1 has that, and more. But at that price you're in Presonus range. . .

[byacey]

If you have a good drummer, you can get by without gates and comps. I just finished up a 3 day jazz accordion fest with Michael Bridge and Alicia Baker, and the drummer for the event was great. RE20 on kick, a 57 on the snare, one C451 on hat and another for overhead. Drums sat in the mix picture perfect.

By the way, the musicians all loved the WH8s, and I literally shook the hall with the T48s. There's a huge amount of LF content coming off these Roland FR-7 digital accordions.

[Bruce Weldy]

If you have a good drummer, you can get by without gates and comps.

If by good, you mean he knows how to tune his drums properly - then yeah, I'd agree. If you mean one who plays well.......that's not a good enough criteria - I know a lot of good drummers who don't have a clue how to tune, and making 'em sound good without gates is damn near impossible.

Comps, I can go either way.....but gates have been my lifesaver the last few years. Takes 20 seconds to fix a crappy tom that used to take 20 minutes of taping and arguing and .....well....you get the picture.

[dswpro]

I'm fond of the Yamaha MG series of mixers with the "yellow knob" built in compression.
Not as nice as a real compressor/gate, or a digital board, but I use them a lot for small gigs and like the compression on vocal channels. You can often find a used on on Craigslist and Ebay.

[frpcraig]

Thanks everyone.
I really have little experience tbh and will have to research what 'gates and comps' do with regard to micing the drums.
For the last party I borrowed a friends old desk (I'll find the model and put it on here).
That worked really well considering we don't know what we are doing!
For micing the drums we had a mic inside the bass drum and 2 overhead mics plugged into spare channels on the desk. That seemed to work ok.
And we had mics in front of the bass and guitar amps so they would play through the Titans and tops. To our untrained ears it sounded great!
The drummer is shit hot and been at it for 30 years but the desk and mic set up for drums isn't something he has got involved with.
I'll get the info on the desk I used last year and see if it compares to the ones you guys have mentioned on here.
Thanks.
C:

[frpcraig]

This is the one.

studio master club 2000 102 Hi z plus.