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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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All. re SOUNDCRAFT EPM RANGE OF MIXERS. heres the situation. for some people useing multi input usb sound devices with low gain mic pre's ; sometimes useing low efficiency dynamic mics can be a problem. ie gotta crank up the gain a lot. to solve this problem some people use in line preamp boosters. OR another possibility is hook up ones dynamic mics to a budget mixer with good clean pre gain and then direct outs or inserts to line inputs of the usb multi input sound device. ie useing the budget mixer to boost the micro volt mic signal. BUT THERES A PROBLEM. a lot of manufacturers seem to have dropped direct outs/inserts on their budget lines. at the budget end of mixers one of the few ive found is the soundcraft epm range. (6 or 8 or 12 mic pre's.) for example the epm 6 with 6 mic pre's is not much more than one booster that can cost 200 buks or more. but one is getting apparently 6 good mic pre's. heres the soundcraft epm 6 for example. 250 bucks ! AND IT HAS THE INSERTS for feeding other devices eg a tape machine or a multi input usb sound device. https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/epm6as i said little more than one in line mic pre booster cost. and the user is getting lots of extra facilities. so my question is. has anyone first hand operational knowledge of this epm range from soundcraft. from reviews ive read the GB30 mic pre design is good with lots of gain. i wish there was switcheable 48 v on each channel. but i guess at this price point its expecting too much. (let me add yes i'm aware of usb mixers with multi channel usb capabilities. but it can be a rather expensive alternative. also maybe a user doesnt want to disrupt his/her existing rig as it works well and just needs added mic preamp boosting.) thus my feeling is, in conclusion, it might be a nice solution assuming the epm range mic pre's are nice. ie epm feeding a budget usb multi input sound device. am i wrong with this concept ? or am i out to lunch ? lol. anyone used an epm ?? anyone know of budget mixer alternatives with DIRECT OUTS AND/OR INSERT POINTS ? (note when useing an insert one inserts to the first clik. inserting all the way is for send/return to/from external outboard devices eg fx /compressors etc etc etc.) all comments appreciated. best oldsmuso
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/04/21 03:06 PM.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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I have two Soundcraft mixers. The pre-amps alone are worth the cost of the mixer.
Regards,
Bob
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Bob.
thanks for your reply.
what model are your soundcraft mixers ?
epm ? efx ? mtk ?
i'm trying to figure out how good the gb30 pre's are
compared to the old ghost pre's in the older mixers.
best
oldmuso
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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I have an M12, which has the Ghost pres, an EFX 8, which has the newer pres. The Ghosts are quieter, but the differences are negligible. I would prefer the M12, though. It's a fine mixer with smooth 100mm faders and flexible routing.
Regards,
Bob
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Bob.
thanks soooo much !
best
oldmuso
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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PG Music Staff
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I've personally used some of these "inline preamp boosters" and have even built a few of my own. While they usually sound good, rarely are they less noisy than just having a good preamp would be. That's why I keep around my banks of mic preamps for my studio - got an old Focusrite Voicemaster channel strip that was very nice for the price of 40 bucks, a Digidesign Pre (8 channel, VERY quiet, nearly 70db gain!), an old Altec mixer I converted to 6 preamps (transformer input, low noise op amps), and a bunch of preamps of my own design, which I managed to squeeze out 70db of gain with less noise than an API or SSL. I've personally never had to actually USE a booster with any of those, though I have with my RME's built in preamps.
I work here
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simon.
wow impressed with your diy skills.
for me given the price of that soundcraft epm mixer its hardly worth me doing op amp diy like i used to sometimes.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MISS ?
what happened to the REALLY LOUD in loudspeakers ?
cant find these days it seems a pair of "bring the walls down lol" stereo loudspeakers. klipschorns are fabulous but i cant afford the big speaker money.
i heard a pair of khorns once WOWSER ! nothing quite as glorious as hearing heavy rock through a pair of khorns. (or even big cerwins).
speakers are sooo "wimpy" these days by comparison.
i wanna play my geetar playing along with and in the middle of a hi power set of speakers playing back david lyndleys mercury blues (and lots of other rock) cranked all the way to the moon lol.
if you know any affordeable powered speakers that will shake the walls i'm all ears.
i think its time for a house reno lol.
i might have to get a pair of used under 500 buk alto pa speakers.
ive also been looking at rockville brand.
everything is sooo wimpy.
best
oldmuso
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
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Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
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A few excerpts:
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If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
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Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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