Cheap Small Dante-enabled Mixer?

[WFair]

My entire sound ecosystem is running over Dante and I am trying to find a cheap small mixer to add to the network just to pull out maybe around 12 channels for recording. I have looked at the Audinate website but they list hundreds of mixers and no pricing or details so I am turning to you. Any suggestions? My primary FOH console is a Yamaha QL5 and a Yamaha QL1 for monitors and/or smaller venue. I just need something really small and cheap that speaks Dante and has some faders. Thanks!

 

[MNicolai]

A TF1 with a Dante card would probably be about as inexpensive at it gets and would play well in your existing ecosystem. I'd probably only go that route if you plan on having someone operate the mixer during a show. Otherwise I'd set up a mix on the QL5 and record to USB, or use Dante Virtual Soundcard and record directly off of the preamps over Dante to a laptop using Nuendo Live. Nuendo Live should've been bundled with your QL consoles, though if you record multitrack you would need to mix it down afterwards.

 

[WFair]

Yes...I will have someone mixing on this console in a (somewhat) sound-isolated space removed from the primary venue. We are trying to get a pretty good live mix rather than producing one from multi-track after the fact...but a significant portion of the (live) sound in our venue is not reinforced in the mix from the console through to the PA, so recording the FOH mix is not as well balanced as what I am trying to achieve. Thanks for the tip about the Yamaha TF1. I will check it out. Anyone else have some suggestions? Thanks!

 

[MNicolai]

If that's that case, you'll need to be mindful during sound checks to give enough gain on the head amps to support the recording mix. If your FOH operator only runs the gain up as high as they need it for the live mix, it could leave your sources for the recording mix too quiet. Like with mixing monitor, your recording device will be sharing the head amps with the monitor and FOH consoles so just something to be prepared for.

 

[MRW Lights]

The TF1 is a pretty good solution and will work well with the QL for spitting out direct outs and remixing for record. This is actually a significant portion of my day to day in the studio.... we capture productions for rebroadcast syndication. If you want some other options you could look at the X32 series, the A&H SQ's. You're still capturing ISO's prefader right? Do you need a console or a control surface for a DAW? Some of these console solutions will also provide that interoperability.

Let us know what you go with and what works/doesn't work.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Audinate does make AVIO dongles that enable 2 channels of balanced analog audio to be networked. I think they're like $150 a pop, if you're only doing 12 ch that might be a cheaper route to go since you could then mix it on literally anything you have.

Aside from that, another vote for Dante Virtual Soundcard. That software is amazing and remarkably inexpensive for what it does.

 

[themuzicman]

Aside from that, another vote for Dante Virtual Soundcard. That software is amazing and remarkably inexpensive for what it does.

I was going to point out DVS isn't a console but honestly if they just need a no-frills recording setup then why not just take it into a DAW directly and grab a cheap DAW controller. Why pay for a ton of console when you just need the faders?

Dumb question of the day, I wonder if anyone is using SAC still, and if so if they are thinking about using it with DVS and a TIO1608-D + R-Remote. I can't figure out if SAC is still being developed. I remember being pretty adamantly against it back in the day, but this seems like a fun use-case for it.

 

[MRW Lights]

I was going to point out DVS isn't a console but honestly if they just need a no-frills recording setup then why not just take it into a DAW directly and grab a cheap DAW controller. Why pay for a ton of console when you just need the faders?

Dumb question of the day, I wonder if anyone is using SAC still, and if so if they are thinking about using it with DVS and a TIO1608-D + R-Remote. I can't figure out if SAC is still being developed. I remember being pretty adamantly against it back in the day, but this seems like a fun use-case for it.

I don't know about SAC anymore either, but I think if it were me at relatively the same price I'd go with Reaper.

You do make a valid point about a controller and DAW. Though I'm not a huge fan of mixing in the box with a midi controller. There's something about the granular response and the fader latency of some lower end midi controllers that's not the same as a mixer. As they're looking to get a good live mix might as well push that budget a little to get a decent mixing console that can also be a control surface. At 2kish for most of the options listed you're getting a lot more than a run of the mill usb midi controller for a couple hundred bucks... you also get the added benefit of a safety channel downstream of your "direct out" yeah it's Dante and digital audio and yadayadayada, give me a chance to catch a mistake before my record head and I'm a happy camper. You also get a dedicated "physical" DSP board and you get a real time interaction with your channel flow without zipping around with the mouse.

I say all of this... being at an educational institution we have... 8 different?.... control surface capable mixers in line at all times throughout the facility and I still have a favorite which is an analog hybrid HUI ethernet midi controller.... and at the moment I'm stuck at home mixing from the touch screen on my tablet and ipad.... all that's to say is there really a right answer?

 

[jlevene]

Yamaha TF1 all the way.