In the world of small 24-32-channel audio mixers, it would appear that analog is getting overrun by digital. While analog mixers maintain low price points and relative ease of use, the next generation of digital is opening up vast new feature sets at prices that were unthinkable just a few years ago.
Yamaha practically invented the small digital mixer back in the late ‘90s, and now launching an exciting new line into the DMZ [demilitarized zone] between the analog and digital fronts.
The MGP24X and MGP32X were announced at the Musikmesse 2013 show in Frankfurt, Germany a few months back. Expanding on the previous 12- and 16-channel versions, the 24X and 32X offer an intriguing hybrid of analog and digital technologies. As you would expect they offer 24- and 32-input channels, respectively. However, not all of those are mic inputs. The MGP24X offers 16 mic/line mono inputs plus four stereo line input channels. The 32X adds eight more mono mic/line inputs. Both mixers feature four groups, six auxes and two built-in effects busses and processors. FX 1 is based on Yamaha's respected Rev-X effects, while FX 2 is based on the well-known SPX processors.
The new mic preamps are claimed to be studio-grade Class-A with what the company called “stunning high-resolution sound.” We've not heard them yet, so that claim will have to wait for further validation.
The one-knob compressor feature may either be a boon to inexperienced operators or maddening to pros.
Yamaha has worked up a new EQ for this series as well. Based on the VCM (Virtual Circuit Modeling) technology, they say the EQ recreates a classic analog frequency response, and redefines the role EQ plays in the sound-shaping process. That's kind of a bold claim, and again, we'll have to wait until we can hear it to see how accurate it is. In any case, the EQ is a standard three-band, mid-swept style with the mid being sweepable from 250 – 5,000 Hz.
Each of the mono channels also includes a one-knob compressor. According to the manual, as you turn the knob to the right, the compression ratio goes up while output gain is adjusted automatically. Getting a compressor set up correctly can be tricky so this feature may either be a boon to inexperienced operators or maddening to pros.
One of the more unique features of the new consoles is the “Stereo Hybrid Channel.” Yamaha have included three bits of DSP on each of the stereo channels; a ducker, stereo image control and a leveler. I suppose the ducker might be useful to someone singing to or talking over tracks.
The stereo image control will take a stereo signal and either make it mono, blended or stereo. Mono and stereo are self-explanatory, but blended is interesting. The manual indicates that the channels are “mixed at a certain percentage for a more natural stereo image.” I'm not sure what that means, so I guess we'll have to again wait until we hear it.
The leveler might actually be useful, especially for playing walk-in tracks. It claims to adjust the volume of incoming tracks to a certain level. You have control over both the ducker and leveler settings in the master control section, so it's not as dumbed down as the single on/off switch might initially appear.
Also included on the desk are two USB ports for music playback/recording and an iPhone connection. The playback/recording section includes full transport control for play/record as well as previous and next track. Running a walk-in or walk-out playlist or recording a board mix has never been easier.
The master bus section also includes some digital niceties. A 31-band GEQ [graphic EQ] is pretty much what you would expect. What we don't normally see is a compressor on the stereo bus; especially one that can be single- or multi-band. Sometimes you need a little two-bus compression to help glue the mix together, so it will be interesting to see how this sounds.
To control all the DSP, you can either use the built-in display with it's six mode selection buttons and two encoders or—and this will probably be much preferred—the iOS app. Setting up a compressor or SPX effect with two encoders will probably be tedious at best, but the iOS app is actually quite good and offers full access to all DSP features.
The concept of a digital/analog hybrid mixer isn't new. But I have to wonder, if you want a bunch of DSP on your input and output channels, why not just buy a digital mixer? Perhaps the MGP24X or 32X will be more familiar to those people coming from a strictly analog console, which may make the transition easier. Certainly the interface is similar. And, if it sounds as good as they claim, this line may offer a great value proposition.
