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I'm still getting used to this device. It has a few quirks but does all I need it to do and at the price I paid I'm extremely happy with it. There is a sister model without the digital parts -- for me the effects unit is almost completely superfluous but the professional-quality USB codec is absolutely vital. Be aware, there is no USB cable in the box. It needs the old kind with the big square-ish plug, most of us have those laying around. Also, there's a fairly hefty external power supply -- this thing does NOT run off USB power. The hardest thing about using it well is navigating the maze of software. There is a dedicated Yamaha driver plus some enormous audio editing application that you get an activation code for in the package. Those aren't really the problem. The problem is getting the Windows audio routing and your video recording app all lined up. I'm routing the operating system's default sound output to the mixer via USB, mixing that and my voiceover microphones back into a USB stream plus my monitor headset, and then back over USB to be taken as the input signal by the video recording application (usually OBS Studio). It works well but it's a snarling pain in the tails to visit all the little control panels to set it up and then go back to normal settings when I'm done. That's on Windows though, not Yamaha. A couple of other points to know about. The VU meter LEDs are fed from the final output amplifiers, not directly from the bus, so they do not tell you what is going into the codec. To set an input level using the mixer's VU meter you have to make sure the final output pot is at the normal position, get the input leveled, and then put the final output back where you wanted it. Also, phantom power is available only on the XLR interface of the first two channels -- my old condenser mic with the 1/4" plug isn't getting juice. Setting the sampling rate in the Yamaha driver's control panel is really important, I spent like 20 minute trying to figure out why I wasn't getting a sound track last night and that was it, something in the chain just wasn't coping with a 96kHz sample rate. The printed documentation that comes with it is pretty limited. My old eyes need strong direct light to get anything at all out of the block diagram. Bottom line though, at about $200 this thing beats a $140-ish 2 to 4 channel USB audio interface box hands down as a desktop control center for computer voiceover recording. One more limitation -- the monitor channel is derived from the main mix, with the option of adding channels 9 and 10 directly or via the main mix. The 9/10 pair is either the USB virtual "line out" from the computer OR a physical line-level input, your choice, and you can chose between routing it into the mix or adding it into the monitor output. Level controls in the latter case are not independent, they are chained. Bottom line, you can't set up a monitor mix independent of the main mix. What you can do, though, is digitally capture "new material" from physical inputs on the main bus while playing a mixture of the main bus and a reference source output by the computer to the virtual line out stereo pair, without the reference source being in the recorded mix. Confused? It's a bit confusing. And the controls are not consistently laid out in signal-flow sequence. It's a very nice piece of gear and I'm glad I own it, it does what I needed it to do for solo recording of voiceovers. But it's quirky. One thing I miss -- there's no "plug-in-power" 3.5mm jack for PC mics, condenser lav mic direct connect, and the like. It's all old-school physical interfaces, except the USB. Addition of some flexible 1/8" jacks would be an easy and valuable update, and a lot easier than fixing the fundamental flaws around monitor composition.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
After months of moving a heavy 16 channel powered mixing board for a variety music quartet using only three microphones and two keyboard inputs, I purchased this small mixer with onboard digital effects to use with two small powered speakers. We used it for the first time and received rave reviews from the crowd and establishment on our “new sound.” The only minor issue I have with it is the external power transformer, but that is what allows the mixer to have such a small footprint that is easy to use on crowded stages or transport in a computer bag. Highly recommended for small groups with limited mixing requirements.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Ease of use is key and it has plenty of inputs for what I need! Bought this to replace my audio interface and it is 10x better than what I had. Highly recommend!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I have been able to adjust mic. levels without any problems. I use an adapter cable to plugged into the monitor ports connect this to my computer for Zoom church services. I have not noticed any background hum coming from using the monitor ports or anything else.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Compact mixer with USB2 interface. No problems here. Records great. Use a USB2 printer cable with ferrites. It makes a huge difference between the USB cables with no ferrites. More guts as in bass and volume. Very noticeable. Yamaha makes great products. Totally satisfied and I am having fun recording.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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