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Side by Side: Newsroom Mixers

Side by Side: Newsroom Mixers

Mar 8, 2013 4:59 PM, By Chriss Scherer, editor

Alesis iMultiMix 9RAxia RaqDixon M-250 MKIISAS Rubi-TWheatstone SideBoardChannels/faders7673 to 214 or 8Audio inputs5x mic/line, 2x stereo line, tape in, aux return2x mic, 8x analog line, 1x AES3, 6x Livewire ports 22x mic, 1x mono line (balanced), 2x stereo line (unbalanced), 2 stereo line (balanced), 2x talkback, off-air input32 channel I/O with RioLinkminimum 8 3Input noteIncludes iPod dock 1Livewire ports are bidirectional I/O. One engine can accommodate two Raqs.Front-panel 3.5mm input jackRack mount accepts up to 10 modules because of rack width.Inputs on Blade are RJ-45 and DB9. One Blade can accommodate 2 Sideboards.Channel display-yes-some modulesyesPhantom Power48V48V48V-48V w/ appropriate BladeChannel on/off-yesmics, phone andcomputer inputsyesyesEQ2-band per channelper channel—Cue bus-yesyesyes-Audio outputsstereo main, stereo monitor, 2x aux, Pod video4x analog line, 1x AES3, 6x Livewire ports 2stereo program, mix-minus, sound card interface, monitorfour mix bussesstereo program, stereo audition 3Headphone outyesyesyesyesyesTalkbacknoyesyesyesyesOptions.. USB audio interfaceturret or rackturret or rackSize3RU4RU2RU4RU4RUMeters10-segment LEDOLED bargraph10-segment LED24-segment LED20-segment LEDURLalesis.comaxiaaudio.comdixonsystems.comsasaudio.comwheatstone.com

It seems every station has a need for a compact audio mixing setup, whether it’s in a newsroom, an audio ingest station (we used to call these dub stations) or small production room. They can also be used for co-host positions in an air studio. Calling these newsroom mixers is somewhat limiting given they often have uses outside the newsroom.

But like every mixer discussion today, there are two approaches: the stand-alone console and the audio network control surface. We include both in our search. Obviously, the raw hardware investment for a stand-alone mixer will be less than a surface designed to interface with an audio engine, but there are advantages to both. The control surface will tie to an expandable audio network, and with that comes the flexibility of tying into that network.

Every console manufacturer makes a small-format console of some flavor, but we looked specifically for models that are rack- or turret-mounted. Arrakis, Harris, Logitek and many others provide small mixers that certainly could be used in the newsroom setting. Some could even be mounted in a rack.

But for the purpose-built rack- or turret-mount options, we gathered specs on five models that offer a wide range of features and functions.

Model

1. iPod connector fits iPod 5-7, Mini 1-2, Nano 1-5, Touch 1-2
2. Using QOR.16 engine
3. Specific inputs and outputs depend on audio network.

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