any thoughts about a very simple mixer kit?

[hollywood_steve]

I'm thinking something like 8x2, line level only with just a rotary fader and panpot per channel (and mute switch). Passive summing with your choice of your existing preamps for make up gain.

All of these great preamps out there have to get summed down to stereo somehow (ignoring surround for a moment) and a very straightforward, high quality 8x2 mixer would be a great tool to have around. And it would be an interesting kit, instead of yet another preamp.

Any interest at all?

[tele_player]

What would you want to use it for? Live mixing?

[hollywood_steve]

What would you want to use it for? Live mixing?

A couple of things:

1. I do location work exclusively, and I occasionally need to sum down to stereo on location for "live to 2" recording.

2. More frequently, I will record multi-track on location (up to 8ch) and will then need to mix down to stereo back at my small edit bay / control room. I do NOT use a DAW, so those "summing boxes" that provide neither fader nor pan pot are of no use for me. I need those two basic controls, but nothing else, other than the master fader.

3. because outboard monitor controls (with and without meters) have become so popular recently, I see no need to replicate those features in a mixer. BUT, at least two or three pair of high quality line level outputs are a requirement: stereo record output, monitor feed, meter feed, etc. They can all be controlled by the master fader, or the monitor feed can be pre-fade, as it will then hit the control room fader (someplace).

So I'm just looking for the most high quality, passive summing, 8x2 line mixer with only input channel fader and pan pot and master fader controls. XLR inputs and two or THREE sets of XLR outputs.

My final wish list request - Do NOT try to cram everything in to 1RU. I'm a location guy, so I have as much concern for size and weight as any one who sits in a studio all day. But I'd rather carry around a 3RU box with controls that fit adult sized hands and legends that can be read from 5ft away. Stop this crazy rush to shrinking all gear down to walkman size.

Thanks.

[soundtrack2life]

Would this do it for you?

http://www.forsselltech.com/summing_buss_schematics.htm

Joe

[hollywood_steve]

If there was some way to combine the pan and fader version with the balanced I/O version yes. For some reason, those are shown as two separate designs; a balanced version with no controls, or an unbalanced design with fader and pan pots. I need all of that in one.

[tele_player]

I'm not sure you can even purchase ganged pots which track precisely enough to do what you're describing. I'd do it unbalanced, then balance the output.

[hollywood_steve]

Yeah, if you use transformers at both the inputs and outputs, you would unbalance the input signal and re-balance at the output. I've been told that is how most good quality mixers handle balanced signals. Any online schematics for that type of mixer?

[PRR]

> rotary fader and panpot per channel.... Passive summing

There's some guys at the Lab who talk about and do this stuff. Lot of traffic there: do a Search and read-up before starting yet another passive mixer thread.

Main problem is: when you demand balanced and pan and reasonable source loading, you are really pushing the limits of passive mixing. Add one more feature (like a pre-fade monitor with negligible crosstalk) and you end up needing buffers or an active mixer.