Behringer Xenyx X1204USB Premium 12-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer with USB/Audio Interface, Black

I've been using my Behringer XENYX 802 for about ten years as a DJ setup with no problems, and I recently upgraded to the X1204-S. USB. It's important to note that I used the word UPDATED rather than UPGRADED. The sound quality is the same as my 802, but there are four unbalanced and two balanced inputs, as well as aux send/rtns and other features. USB can be used to record live streams or events. The free DAW that comes with the package is included. Overall, and despite the excessive number of negative reviews, this is a GREAT PRODUCT in terms of affordable mixing. br>br>The sound quality is exactly what a $179 mixer SHOULD be. This isn't studio quality, but I've had no problems with noise. br>br>To put it another way, if you know what you're doing, this is a good value. BUT. If all you're doing with it is streaming, etc. , and you don't have any experience with audio mixing, you'll either A) need to invest the time to learn how to use it properly, or B) you'll need to consider purchasing something simpler. Reading through many of the negative reviews, it's clear that most reviewers could have used some help with gain structure and mixer routing, among other things. GO TO YOUTUBE AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND. This is ideal for event production (weddings, corporate events, etc. ), Karaoke, SMALL bands, and DJs (bars, nightclubs, and so on). SMALL PA systems, in other words. If you need a mixer for your home recording studio or a larger system, look no further. I'd suggest spending a little more money and getting a better mixer, as this one is more of an entry-level model. Finally, Behringer produces high-quality, low-cost products. br>br>Finally, Behringer produces high-quality, low-cost products. It isn't perfect, but people should do their homework before writing negative reviews. It is not the fault of Behringers that you do not understand how to use their product; however, the vast majority of their customers do.

Laylah Richardson

| Aug 12, 2021

I recently received the Behringer Xenyx X1204USB mixer and am very pleased with it. The knobs, faders, and switches all felt solid (the compressor pots, however, are flimsy), but there is one button on channel 7/8 that has become stuck in the engaged position. It's the Pre fader button, which surprised me because every other one works perfectly (knock on wood), and the one that's now broken worked perfectly the first time I tried it. It wouldn't disengage even if I pressed down hard enough (these are similar to ball point pen buttons that latch when pressed down). br>br>For $200, I expect a product that holds up to a simple test (engage/disengage). Is it worthwhile to go back for another? To be honest, I'm undecided on this, but here's the problem. If I get a replacement that is worse, half of the buttons might stick in the engaged position, or I might have other problems like bad faders, POTS, or whatever. Even though one switch isn't the end of the world, it stinks. br>br>One thing to keep in mind before purchasing the X1204USB (or any other member of the Xenyx family) is that, despite being USB, it WILL NOT (repeat, WILL NOT) multitrack record for you. Unlike a Presonus Studio Live mixer, which can record multiple tracks into a DAW, the XENYX can only record in two tracks stereo into your DAW. This isn't something you'd want in your home studio. Even with four mic outs and an instrument (line in), you must send everything to two tracks when podcasting. It's difficult to isolate the audio for a good mix down when this is the case. br>br>Overall, this is a good entry-level mixer, but don't expect it to do everything. Even with all of this, it's still a very basic device. I've been recording for years and playing music for even longer. Based on my experience, this mixer is adequate, but there are better mixers available if you spend a little more.

Milena Yang

| Jun 10, 2021

br>br>As you use the faders, some of them crackle, and some of the mute/unmute buttons keep a channel (left/right) muted until you bump it - However, this is due to the fact that I have not cleaned or lubricated it. This is a problem with ALL mixers; if you want to go down that rabbit hole, look up "fader cleaner. " I haven't cleaned it because it serves my purpose perfectly, which is to use it as an XLR to USB interface for conference calls at the moment. (as well as the fact that I'm a slug)br>- br>br>This mixing board is fantastic, and the price is also very reasonable. It astounds me that someone would spend nearly the same amount on a USB interface as they did on this entire mixing board, which also connects via USB. Regardless, the reason for my review is actually a warningbr>br>********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** DO NOT INSTALL THE BEHRINGER WINDOWS 7 DRIVERSbr>br>Reason: While troubleshooting a hissing sound in my audio (which turned out to be a capture card. . ), I came across this. I decided to install the "official" Behringer drivers on the advice of a random person on Google (still isolating the issue, but it's not related to drivers). THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA. I immediately noticed a significant decrease in the number of USB recording and playback modes, but after some time, I realized my system had become extremely unstable. I disabled my onboard sound in the BIOS because I thought there was a problem with it, but it turned out the problem was caused by the drivers I had installed (mind you, the "default" Windows 7 drivers worked perfectly fine). After a series of blue screens and audio cuts in and out, I switched to using the inputs and outputs on my sound card instead of using USB. The USB interface appeared to be a major selling point, which seemed a little silly. Despite uninstalling the drivers and everything related to them that I could find, I was unable to completely remove them from my computer. The device wouldn't install at all at one point, but it was still recognized as "BEHRINGER blah blah. " This indicated that Windows, in its infinite wisdom, was still identifying the device differently than it had previously (the default Windows driver assigned to the device labels the device as "2-"). "USB Audio CODEC" is an acronym that stands for "Universal Serial Bus Audio Code Finally, I searched my entire hard drive and registry for "behringer" "busb2902" and "busbwdm" (while uninstalling and unplugging the sound board). I removed every single reference I could find (warning: this is a lengthy process). This is very clean, but I was planning to reformat my computer anyway because I plan to do so soon). I then rebooted into safe mode and repeated the process to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Finally, after I re-booted, I had success! I've reverted to the default "2-" setting. I've installed the "USB Audio CODEC" drivers and am no longer having any of the issues I was having as a result of the erroneous drivers. br>br>Now, you might think that others haven't had the same issues with the drivers as you have. This may be true, but there are two reasons why I recommend sticking with the default drivers: br>1) The default drivers are perfectly adequate, so why take the risk of installing the Behringer drivers? br>2) Oddly enough, the default drivers have a lot more configuration options and recording modes than the ones provided by Behringer. br>******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Comments on the USB interface: br>br> br>The USB input is unusual and difficult to manipulate. The only thing you can do with it is bus it into your headphone monitoring and then back out to the master. There are no volume controls, EQ, or fx/aux on it. If you're using ALT 3, make sure you're using the right one. You won't be able to send it to that submix if you use 4 as a submix. It's a pain to use and frustrating. When it comes to USB out, Behringer's drivers only offer 44 as an option. It has a 1K or 48K output and is connected to the main bus. There isn't any kind of volume control. If you need to use both the main mix out and the USB output at the same time, this can be a real pain. This effectively makes mixing them so that they are both at optimal volume impossible. You'll almost certainly be stuck with mixing one correctly, then dealing with the other being too loud or too quiet - On that note, it appears to be a little hot when you put it in. Within windows, you can adjust the recording volume, but this isn't ideal, and riding levels isn't an option. Would it have been so difficult to create a button that piped the USB into channel 7/8 so that we could control it? Last but not least, this is a device for prosumers. Why is it that the USB bus can't support 96kHz? Is that too much of a request? br>br>On the board itself, comments: br>This board's preamps are better than expected. Like most preamps, they get a lot of gnarly noise in the last ten minutes of use. You can get a 20db boost from them, but you shouldn't go that far. Even with my naturally quiet shotgun mic, the preamps provide enough headroom that I don't need to boost the gain all the way up to achieve unity gain. However, the preamps on this board appear to color the audio and add a lot of warmth (as is typical of tube-based preamps). preamps in the style of) I really like it, but be warned if it's not what you were expecting (again, this is typical of tube style preamps, so you won't notice if that's what you're used to). br>br>The built-in compressors performed exactly as I expected - It's fine for live events, but it's best to leave them off for recordings because post-processing allows for more precise and controlled compression. Nonetheless, this feature is fantastic and performs admirably. The EQ is adequate for a board at this price point; however, I would have preferred a mid-range board. I would have paid more for features like sweep or more EQ positions, but I'm not sure I would have paid the price. br>br>The AUX channel is fantastic, but it's attached to the master mix, which is disappointing. For example, if something is muted or turned down on the master mix, turning it up in the aux channel will not send any audio through (even if the pre selector is enabled, which I thought would solve the problem). As a result, I was unable to use the AUX channel in the manner in which I had hoped, which has been a real disappointment because I now require a solution to the problem. I find the fact that it's mono out stereo in a little strange, but I suppose it makes sense when used with external sound processing. br>br>The FX channel is also fantastic, and all of the onboard sound effects are excellent. Everything I'd expect to find on any sound board I've ever used, from multiple reverb settings to a pitch shifter, your basic FX are all present. For such a low-cost board, I thought they went above and beyond, and I was impressed (though I don't have a need for the FX). The FX channel, I believe, does not behave like the AUX channel in that it sends regardless of which mix it's in (pre-production or post-production). (You could call it a fader. ) I haven't confirmed this yet, but I'm looking into it as a possible alternative to using AUX because I don't require the digital FX, as nice as they are. br>br>The panning is going swimmingly. panning. However, I am glad that it exists on this basic sound board because the phones mix has an amazing amount of power, and I usually keep it below 25%. This is a flaw in some boards, so I was relieved. There's nothing more irritating than mixing for a band/concert and being unable to hear your monitoring headphones over the mains. This board has a lot of volume, so I don't think that will ever be an issue. Granted, I won't be using the board for this purpose, but I'm confident it would perform admirably if you did. The fact that the main mix and alt 3-mix have two sliders irritates me. 4 as I've always been, but I see why it's divided that way (couldn't we have a panner knob for the main and alt 3-?) Instead of individual sliders, why not have four of them? I can't really blame them for it because I've seen it on so many sound boards. Surely, somewhere in the world, there is a good reason for this - However, in my experience, I have never encountered it. br>br>One of the most appealing features of this board was the ability to mute and use pre-recorded audio. Listen to the fader to make sure my levels are correct. This could be the most affordable board with those features. Finally, I wish the mains had a 1/4" output option. Although it is standard on boards to use XLR for mains, I would have preferred it. br>br>Final Conclusion: br>This board is excellent value for money! The features are really nice, and while I do have a few complaints about the board, they're all minor so far. The USB interface is a clear selling point, and while I had hoped for a lot more, it suffices. From single knob compressors to channel EQs and AUX/FX sends with a decent onboard FX processor, the amount of features on this board is truly incredible. At this price point, I am completely satisfied. However, if I had paid more than $300 for this board, I would have expected more and been dissatisfied. This makes me wonder why people pay so much for USB preamps and other peripherals when you can get this entire board with far more features than a simple preamp for only a few dollars more.

Iyla Kaufman

| Aug 10, 2021