New mixer. Studiolive or New line 6 Stagescape?

[Schuyler Lane]

Okay,

I am looking at getting a new mixer for my band. I dont know much about running live sound. Our pa currently consists of 2 EV 15" livex mains and 2 12" monitors with an allen and heath mixwizard3. We have no outboard gear at all, and it sounds okay..... I know we can get better with out board gear and such, i just dont know live sound well enough to run all that stuff. We dont have money to hire a sound guy, we are a weekend warrior cover band.

This is why i am looking at these 2 boards. I am very interested in the line 6 cause its kind of idoit proof in the way when you plug in the mic's and it sets up all the compressors and such, then you can deep edit it.

Ive looked at the studiolives and feel like i could run them pretty well but again i only know a little about live sound.

Thoughts?

[franksguitar]

Technology means little and is only as good as your ears make it.

[Trego]

Dare I say it? Why not hold out for the Behringer X32?

**ducks behind the couch!**

[mixwiz]

If it sounds okay now, you'd make a larger improvement with a crossover and sub as opposed to a new board. Unless you have a sound person, all those gates, compression, verbs and delays aren't going to be very useful. It's cool stuff for sure but not really 'set it and forget it'.

[strangec]

I went form a Mackie 1604 to a StudioLive. I too looked at buying some effects, compressors, gates, EQ etc and get how minimal understanding of these tools can get one in trouble. That said selling the Mackie and getting the StudioLive made for a simple and fairly cost effective setup vs adding all that stuff to the Mackie.

I like how you can load in preset parameters with the StudioLive that get you 90% there i.e. 'male vocal 1' or 'electric guitar 2.' There are a few options for each so you can get the basic setup going. Add a Driverack (crossover, eq, compressor/limiter, feedback eliminator) and you've stepped up from the basic board-into-speakers setup without creating too complex of a setup.

Im no live sound expert, but it works for me.

[Strat]

YOur A&H is still probably the better mixer for havng only a smattering of experience ( I have one ) but the Presonus 16.0.2 does some things very well ( I USE that one ) but might casue you some problems if you don't already know quite a bit of FOH tech.

[JZG]

Originally Posted by mixwiz

If it sounds okay now, you'd make a larger improvement with a crossover and sub as opposed to a new board. Unless you have a sound person, all those gates, compression, verbs and delays aren't going to be very useful. It's cool stuff for sure but not really 'set it and forget it'.

+1. This would be a better way to spend your money right now. Maybe throw in an eq too. The fx on the Mixwiz ain't any great shakes but they'll do the job for the "weekend warrior" band.

[rokpunk]

forget the new board...the one you have is fine. as others have said, invest in subs, a 31 band stereo graph, and a crossover...it'll make much more of a difference than a new console will.

[rokpunk]

and another thing......line 6 is not exactly known for quality digital gear. i wouldn't spend my money on a line 6 console.

[vicenzajay]

Originally Posted by rokpunk

forget the new board...the one you have is fine. as others have said, invest in subs, a 31 band stereo graph, and a crossover...it'll make much more of a difference than a new console will.

This, this ^^^^

The MixWizard is really a nice board. IMO better pre's than the Studiolive or the Line6, and the EQ is nice and actually sounds good (as well as having a nice analog heftiness available if needed).

EQ/Crossover/Subs (which will probably require at least one new amplifier as well) are a solid upgrade path for your PA.

[pater familias]

I did exactly what the OP is considering. I run a StudioLive 16.4.2 with two QSC K12 mains for my acoustic duet (sometimes 1-2 additonal players), and it sounds great just purely using the SL presets.

I had a MixWiz3 that sounded very good, but had no outboard gear nor a great desire to buy it and learn to run it, especially since we're our own "soundman" on stage. The gigs we play where we live just don't economically justify it.

I'm not sure unless you're running a bass through your mains that a subwoofer is going to do you much good. If, like us, it's primarily vocals, a variety of acoustic instruments, occasionally keys, I think even in a full blown rock band you wouldn't need a sub if the bassist is using an amp.

I've been curious myself about the Line 6 mixer for the same reasons as you OP not to mention it's smaller. But now that I've gotten an Ipad for lyrics, I'm seriously looking at the upcoming Mackie DL1608.

So, to sum up, for my purposes in the past our sound quality was very good compared to most other live acts around our area with the MixWiz3. But now we sound VERY, VERY GOOD now with just my StudioLive using presets with a handful of tweaks depending on venue going through my QSC K12 mains. We use a small monitor as well which the SL plays well with every gig. Could we be even better with good dedicated outboard gear and someone who knew how to really use it all to run sound while we played? Probably, but I honestly don't think 95% of the audience or even most musicians could actually appreciate the difference unless they A-B'ed them side-by-side and back-to-back.

[walterw]

i dunno, for little clubs and bars i think i'd rather have a 6-channel mixer head and a powered sub than a nice board without one!

it's not a matter of volume, but subs just make the sound big and full, and allow you to take lows out of the tops, making them louder and clearer.

i guess for an acoustic band you can get by without subs, but once a kick drum enters the picture it just sounds better.

[TimmyP]

The problem I have with the Line Six (besides my having to wait months for simple parts such as pots and switches) is the same I have for the new Mackie and Behringer: If your iPad fails or walks out the door, you are SOL (or perhaps in the case of the Line6, you at least have to change your methods a lot).