Recent upgrades in power amp technology have allowed the emergence of a dizzying array of self-powered equipment. Powered speakers are rapidly becoming commonplace in churches of all sizes, as the bulky, heavy amps of the past are finding themselves relegated to storage rooms and Ebay listings. As the trend intensifies, powered mixers are also making their mark, with the promise of user-friendly, all-in-one units becoming available at increasingly affordable price points.
UNIT FEATURES
Enter the TMX200DFX from Alto Professional. The 20-channel TMX200 is the top-of-the-line offering in Alto's TMX series of smaller powered mixers, which also includes 16-, 12- and eight-channel versions. The TMX series of mixers are specifically designed for live performance applications, and have the various bells and whistles necessary to make them contenders in the small to mid level range of mixers.
The TMX200DFX boasts 38 total inputs divided between 16 XLR jacks (phantom powered) and 20 line jacks.
Speaker outputs are located on the rear panel, as are the power switch and “power in” connection port. The rear panel also houses a voltage selector to allow switching between U.S. end European power standards. Speaker outputs are grouped A-B and C-D, with each pairing switchable between main, sub (for stage monitors), or “bridge” mode for powering a single, two-channel cabinet. Power is rated at 2 x 750 W and 2 x 500 W at 4-ohms, or 1,500 W and 1,000 W, at 8-ohms, bridged.
The TMX200DFX includes 16 different built-in digital effects, including echo, flanger, chorus and a variety of reverbs and various combination effects. Analog/digital and digital/analog conversion is 24-bit. Tone control is provided nine-band graphic EQ (63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 16 kHz), high/mid/low controllers on every channel, a low-cut filter, and a mid-frequency selector. Stereo RCA connections are also provided for external audio gear hookup.
IN ACTION
We tested the mixer in action as part of our church's normal workflow. Excellence in media and production value is a critical and expected part of our week-to-week services, with high demands being made on the gear that we use. Northview [Church, Carmel, Ind.] is a large (4,000+) church, so the unit was too small to act as our primary weekend service mixer. However, we did use the mixer in a variety of applications, including as a key piece of equipment in support of our 2011 Christmas Concert.
RESULTS
As we put the unit through its paces, we found that the TMX200DFX lived up to its hype by providing a comparatively compact all-in-one mixing solution. First, the power: the unit's two built-in amps gives the sound person the ability to run both mains and monitors directly from the console, without the need (or the weight) of individually powered mains or monitors. The high-wattage output makes it loud, and the 48v phantom power gives condenser microphones used with the XLR channels everything that they need. A helpful LED light indicates when the phantom power is on. The built-in, nine-band EQ for mains and monitors helped greatly in getting the perfect tone for both the house and musicians.
The layout is fairly standard, logical and self-explanatory, which makes it a good fit for use by volunteers. In a large church environment, we have events going on all the time, and there's simply too much happening for the tech staff to cover everything. The inclusion of easy-to-use digital effects is also very helpful—the included effects are those most likely to be used on a day-to-day basis. The quality of the reverbs is good, and the chorus and flanger effects can help to thicken up guitar and drum/cymbal sounds. Staying with the basics here is a good move—too many options, especially when those options include more esoteric effects, can easily become overwhelming and intimidating for volunteers.
The actual mixing surface functions well and, as stated previously, provides an easy-to-understand signal flow. That being said, there is a significant amount of versatility and option built in to allow the unit to be used in a number of non-standard configurations. For example, we turned the main internal power amps off and used the line level outputs to sub mix instruments for our previously mentioned Christmas Concert. The preamps sounded quite nice, and the flexibility in the unit's audio routing created some good results for us.
Best of all, the unit weighs just 35 pounds, so it's easy to transport and to move around to all of the various venues and applications within the church that would fit it. Construction, for the most part, felt durable. The faders operated smoothly, and [the unit overall] seems as if it would stand up to the rigors of a church environment. The various functions are clearly marked and easy to read, and there are lights where lights make sense.
As with anything, no unit is perfect. The speaker output knobs on the TMX felt less hardy than might be desired, and are somewhat difficult to turn. It seemed a bit strange that they weren't located on the back panel, next to the outputs themselves, to avoid accidental adjustment, and to keep the “speaker output” sections of the board together. It was our opinion that the knobs would be better located on the back of the unit than on the top, for safety, flexibility and ease of use.
BOTTOM LINE
With a wide variety of audio needs across a multi-building campus, we would feel quite happy giving the TMX200DFX a home. In our case, it would work very well as a general “workhorse” mixer for smaller and mid-sized events, or as the primary mixer for our chapel. Bang for the buck is good, and the design, layout and functions make sense—a must for an environment where volunteers are often called on to make things happen.
