Mixers

I’m restoring an old Soundcraft 600 mixer and discovered it doesn't use dedicated line amps and pads the mic amp signal.

Back in the pre‑computer days, manufacturers saw the need for straightforward and affordable mixers to handle the stack of electronics and bring it all down to a simple stereo pair, or even just a mono output.

I’m trying to drive my Rupert Neve Designs 5057 Orbit summing mixer for some transformer saturation warmth, but I run into digital distortion before the levels are anywhere near to clipping the Orbit. What am I getting wrong?

I recently rewired my studio and patched a compressor and an effects unit into my mixer’s master inserts. Both processors were set to work with +4dB signals but the levels from the processors seemed low, so I switched them to their ‑10dB positions and the levels seem healthier. Have I done the right thing?

One input on my Peavey PV10BT mixer is running hot and clipping. Yet, when I hit the Solo button it sounds perfect on the headphones. What is going on?

I have a very nice domestic CD player with line outs on unbalanced phono connectors, and I want to connect it to the balanced line input of a mixer...

I've been wondering whether my Soundcraft Signature MTK 12 was a defective unit, because it has the aux outputs polarity inverted with respect to the main output section. What is the purpose of such a design choice?

Engineer Matt Wiggins has worked with everyone who's anyone — and knows that he needs to be prepared for anything!

How should I pan my drum recordings in the mix? For instance, should the hi-hat be on the left or on the right?

Dave Cobb's approach to recording is simple — but as artists like Chris Stapleton, Rival Sons and Jason Isbell have found, it's very effective.

Catherine Marks trained in one of the world's most demanding professions — then gave it all up to make tea in a studio...

Prog-rock wunderkind Steven Wilson is using his studio skills to give legendary rock albums a new lease of life.

What is the best tape to use for sticking to mixers and writing down what each channel is being used for?

Talent and hard work have taken Marta Salogni from dive bars in Italy to working with A-list mixing and production clients in the UK in less than a decade.

There are many jobs involved in large-scale touring — and established front-of-house mixer Bryony October has pretty much done them all.

My Soundcraft EFX12 mixer is pretty new, but when I try and use a channel with a microphone, and an insert cable running to an effects loop with various Moog pedals, I get almost no level from the mic. Can you help?

I have a slight level mismatch that I don’t know how best to resolve. I want to patch the Dangerous Music Compressor through the inserts on two of an Allen & Heath GL2400 mixer’s input channels. The problem is that the send signal from the mixer is a tad weak for hitting the compressor where it works best...

Go-to producer for Taylor Swift, Lorde and St. Vincent, Jack Antonoff has the rare ability to translate wild experimentation into record sales.

German producer Zedd has become a star by bringing musicality to electronic dance music.

Will the audio quality from an Allen & Heath XB-10 paired with a JK Audio Innkeeper telephone hybrid be better than the Allen & Heath ZED-10, also paired with an Innkeeper?

Star producer Ariel Rechtshaid inhabits many different musical worlds at once. No wonder he’s busy...