Looking for a low-cost yet versatile compact mixer? Derek Johnson believes he's found one.

No doubt about it, we've come a long way — never has so much synthesizing power been so affordable by so many. The result of this democratisation is that many of us have two, three, four or more synths, samplers and/or sound modules, all with outputs that need to be accommodated by mixers that seem to grow smaller and smaller. How completely unlike the early Eighties, when, all we could afford was one, maybe two, commercially manufactured instruments, each with one output — at the time, a six-channel stereo mixer seemed to be equipped with a wealth of inputs.

Not so today: apart from an increase in synthesis power, modern off-the-shelf synths, samplers and drum machines have at least two and often up to eight outputs to accommodate. Luckily, mixer design has grown up and mixer prices have come down (to a certain extent) alongside the explosion in synth technology over the last decade or so. Although the truly budget desk offering quality sound is still relatively rare, there is hope from companies such as Phonic, whose rack-mounting PMX1600A stereo mixer offers 16 channels in a mere 5U of rack space (26.5cm or 10.5" high) for less than £700.

Physically, the whole package is very tidy, and the mixer is well designed ergonomically. While the PMX is slightly heavy and a bit deep, Phonic have provided its rack ears with three mounting holes a side, so there should be little trouble stowing the mixer in any rack unit, even a perfectly upright one.

That's put my cards on the table: the mixer begins to look like a good bet even before it's plugged in. But what about the details? Each input channel is very well specified with:

• Three-band EQ (the mid band is swept).
• Three auxiliary sends.
• PFL (pre fade listen) and mute switches.
• A wide gain range.

Truly compact mixers tend to utilise pots for overall level control, yet the PMX1600A provides real faders; just about 2U could have been chopped off the bottom of the mixer if Phonic had compromised and simply used pots. I'm glad they didn't, since faders are a much better idea. All 16 channels have balanced and unbalanced inputs, with channels 1-8 offering XLR connectors and 48V phantom power — useful if you need a condenser mic (or eight). Equally useful is the inclusion of insert points on all channels as well as on the master stereo outputs.

Several refinements give this compact mixer flexibility beyond its price and size, although the usefulness of these refinements depends very much on whether you'll find yourself doing more than recording direct to stereo. For example, the insert points on the inputs of the PMX (as is the case for virtually any desk which has them) can be used as direct outputs for feeding tape tracks if need be, by inserting a jack plug halfway into the socket. In addition, auxiliary three is switchable between post- and pre-fader operation, which means that it can be used either as an auxiliary send (for effects processing) or as a monitor send (for setting up an independent monitor mix). Used as a monitor send, Aux 3 also behaves much like a single subgroup, in that several input channels can be routed to the Aux 3 output, which could be connected to one track of a multitrack tape recorder.

One other enhancement that stretches the PMX1600A's application beyond merely mixing of keyboards and synth modules is the fact that the eight balanced XLR inputs are equipped with phantom power in pairs. This allows you to simply power up a stereo pair of condensers or to freely mix balanced condenser and unbalanced dynamic mics.

Although there are three aux sends — quite sufficient, really — the PMX is equipped with four returns; return four has a switchable input level (-20dB and +4dB) and is particularly useful as a stereo tape return, or as an extra stereo input for a synth or backing tape. When using it as a stereo tape return, just remember to turn return four's level control down during recording, since it's connected to the stereo master buss and will create a feedback loop. The last notable feature is the inclusion of a scribble strip on the input channels. It may be quite small, but it's still a welcome and useful feature.

STUDIO USE

The PMX is logically laid out, and easy to use. The colour coding on the knobs gives a good visual reference point when glancing at the mixer, and even though many of the knobs (EQ and auxiliary sends, for example) are quite small, there is enough room to manipulate them comfortably [unless you're Frank Bruno! - Ed.]. Metering on the master section is very clear, and applause to Phonic for supplying peak LEDs on the input channels — they flash within 3dB of clipping. In practice, the mixer is quite happy to have the LED just flashing on and off occasionally. That means the signal is hot and that the electronics are working reasonably efficiently.

Any criticisms I might have about the sound of the PMX are to some extent mitigated by the price, but I should say that it can be a little prone to overload distortion, and its EQ, while pleasant and musical in moderation, can be on occasion coarse. The former problem can be addressed by carefully setting the input gain (that's what the PFL is there for — use it!), and the EQ is most effective when used sparingly, but this is true of EQ in any situation. Using the PMX for studio multitracking on a session presented few problems that couldn't be worked around; using Aux 3 as a subgroup overcomes, to some extent, the PMX's lack of conventional subgroups and makes it perfectly feasible for 4/8-track recording, though a patchbay would make life even easier. Naturally, for direct to stereo work, the PMX is ideal.

CONCLUSION

The PMX1600A is a compact and very reasonably priced mixer, especially considering the range of facilities on offer. Had it been simply a means of mixing line inputs, it would have made the grade, but the addition of eight phantom powered, balanced mic inputs places it in a different league altogether. Look on them as a freebie; they may well come in handy some day if you don't yet utilise mics in your recording setup. I can even think of a couple of classic old synths (Roland's Jupiter 8, and Yamaha's much-underrated CS40M, for example) that have balanced outputs on XLRs, as does the new Akai S3000 sampler, which could feed directly into the Phonic (without the phantom power switched in, obviously). And you never know when you might be working with a guitarist — the phantom power can be used to power up DI boxes as well.

The multitude of insert points is a very welcome addition to the spec of a mixer in this price range and is a facility that makes the addition of MIDI muting or fader automation a relatively simple task, since a suitable unit can be easily patched into the mixer through the inserts.

Gigging musicians will welcome the compactness of this mixer. Stick a PMX in your gig rack, and the whole band can be mixed at one central location, including the vocalist and any drum mics. Transportable racks are available at quite reasonable cost these days, and the mixer, power amps and effects processors could all be racked up together.

Although the market for rackmount mixers is growing relatively crowded, there is still room for any model that's cheaper and as good as (if not better) than the rest. This is where the Phonic PMX1600A comes in, and at just under £700 it shaves a couple of hundred quid off the price of its immediate competition. If both size and money are at a premium, you'll have to go a long way to find a mixer to compete on features with the PMX 1600A.

Further information

£699 inc VAT.

Audio Awareness, (Contact Details).