Everything you need in a mixer for a small venue
The Yamaha MG12XU mixer has an extremely well thought out layout.The designers appear to have carefully considered how small venues would use a small mixer.
* The first four channels are ideal for voice, with compression via a single-knob that adjusts the ratio from 1:1 to 4:1 (attack, release, etc. preset at typical vocal settings).
* Channels 5/6 and 7/8 are stereo channels, but double as two extra mono mic channels. The EQ section is good, but I wish it had EQ bypass for when you want the simplest signal path possible.
* Channels 9/10 and 11/12 are stereo line level ins, and 11/12 can be switched to instead manage the input from the USB digital input.
The effects section has several decent-sounding reverbs. Probably because Yamaha felt compelled to use everything the chip set provides, it also has modulation effects, distortion, and pitch shifting—not the most useful effects for a PA, or even for recording, but they don't get in the way. Signal routing is excellent--a main stereo buss and secondary group, two aux busses, monitor out and headphone out. Aux 2 doubles as a send to the internal effects.
It has PFL (pre fader listen), an excellent feature that lets you listen to only the pre-fader signal from one or more selected channels. I wish the channels had 'solo' buttons, which let the user hear a single channel with all its EQ and effects. I also wish that PFL affected the main output, not just the headphone out. On all these wishes, however, I get that Yamaha was striving for a balance—wanting to provide pro-level features while not overwhelming casual users.
I like that it is made in Indonesia—that nation has its problems, but isn't a repressive, exploitative state like China.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned