The PFL (Pre-Fade Listen) option gives you the signal just after it's passed through the channel EQ, while the Solo option monitors the signal after the fader and pan controls. The top solos the channel in the monitor outputs and on the LED meters in one of two ways, depending on the setting of a Solo Mode switch in the console's master section. Each has a simple rotary fader for level control.īelow each channel's Pan/Balance control are two buttons. A pair of balanced stereo aux returns are provided on TRS jack sockets, and any signal plugged into the second of these replaces that from the internal effects. The first of these can be switched on a per-channel basis for pre- or post-fader operation, while the second is fixed post-fader and fed by default to the internal effects processor.
A simple three-band EQ offers low shelf, mid peak and high shelf at sensible fixed frequencies of 80Hz, 2.5kHz, and 12kHz, and although there's no bypass switch the clear control detents allow you to zero the EQ easily - an important consideration, because the direct channel outputs are post-EQ.Īll the analogue connections are on the top panel, leaving the rear of the MultiMix 16 USB 2.0 - and hopefully your work surface - nicely uncluttered.Two mono aux sends feed TRS output sockets for foldback and effects-send purposes. The remaining channel facilities are common to both types of channel. The stereo channels offer a simple pair of TRS jacks, without any gain control, and if you plug into just the left input the channel simply operates in mono. I also felt that Alesis might have considered including a high-impedance input on one of the channels for DI'ing electric guitars, which would have saved the home studio owner the expense of a separate DI box. And before you say 'most people will use plug-ins for that', let me ask you why Alesis have then bothered including EQ. It's a bit of a shame that there are no insert points on these channels, as this means that there's no easy way to compress mic signals before they reach your recorder. Phantom power is switched globally from the rear panel, so if you're planning to use dynamic or ribbon mics alongside your condensers, you'll need to check that their design allows them to be subjected to phantom power without being damaged. The mic/line channels differ from the stereo line channels only in the input section, the former providing an XLR connector for mics, a balanced TRS jack socket for line signals, a preamp with up to 60dB gain, and an 18dB/octave, 75Hz high-pass filter. This compact mixer's 14 60mm faders control eight mono mic/line channels, four stereo line-only channels, and two stereo output busses.
#Alesis multimix 4 usb compact mixer for mac os x#
Both models come with bundled Steinberg Cubase LE4 installers for Mac OS X and Windows XP. The smaller MultiMix 8 gives roughly half the horsepower: eight channels, four preamps, and 10-in/two-out audio interfacing. Two frame sizes are available in the range, of which the MultiMix 16 USB 2.0 under review here is the larger, offering 16 channels, eight mic preamps, built-in digital multi-effects, and 18-in/two-out interfacing.
#Alesis multimix 4 usb compact mixer drivers#
The requisite drivers are provided for both Mac OS 10.4 and Windows XP SP2 (WDM and ASIO). The USB 2.0 range provides similar 24-bit multi-channel audio interfacing as on the Firewire models, but adds 88.1kHz and 96kHz sampling rates to their 44.1kHz and 48kHz rates. Alesis have already been responsible for a small posy on their own, starting with their original MultiMix USB range (offering stereo I/O) and expanding into their MultiMix Firewire range (with direct inputs to the computer from every mixer channel). Is it too good to be true?įor the last few years, mixer manufacturers have been waking up to the fact that more and more recording musicians are working with computer-based studio systems, and have sought to simplify the interfacing between mixer and recorder to claim a share of this market - so USB- and Firewire-equipped mixers have been popping up like daisies. Under the hood of this affordable new Alesis compact mixer lurks an 18-in/two-out audio interface.
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