See your other version of this question for my response...

ok it is like this to me the makie is like riding a donkey to meet your girl...and the sound craft is like driving a BMW X5

Mackie or Ghost

What sound does the donkey make?
I like to think that spending more money isn't always the answer. Could I be right?

:wink:

I have to disagree on this one. The soundcraft does have better sounding pre's...but I believe they are only marginally better than the mackie's. If this is your budget range I would opt for the mackie and spend the couple thousand you save and use them for some nice sounding pre's instead. This way you still have enough decent pre's to handle such things as tracking live drums, yet you have at least 2 channels of great pre's for the more important stuff like lead vocals, guitars, bass, etc etc...Bottom line, I think your money is better spend elsewhere. With the money you save you can get things that will help you much more than the Soundcraft.

Re: Mackie or Ghost

stereomaus wrote:
I like to think that spending more money isn't always the answer. Could I be right?

:wink:

When it comes to the mid priced and budget gear ... you are right. Simply throwing money at it is often not a solution. Once you cross the threshold to gear that has discreet construction and large power supplies the quality becomes evident to anyone with ears.

To answer the original post, I would opt for a less expensive mixer than either the 32 8 /Mackie or 32 8 /Soundcraft. Why do you want such a large mixer? A Mackie 1604vlz has good facillities for monitoring while tracking, talkback and multiple headphone sends. I sold one last year for $400 so look around for a deal, they're out there. Take the money that is left over and get some quality pre amps ... it will make a much bigger difference in the end product.

Choosing a mixer

A tip of the hat back at Kurt...
I am farrr from an expert but when you get a little context for your studio decisions, your priorities have a way of becoming clearer. Managing resources for a superior result is a constant goal. Money is a resource we all have to work with but balancing your resources with knowledge will stretch your result. That's why I am reading up here and at other forums.

I bet having 32 channels is more important for someone doing live sound. I am thinking about a new mixer as well. I have used Ebay as a gear resource, but have not seen anything apart from Mackies that looked both affordable and interesting to me. If Kurt or anyone else has a suggestion in the range of $400-900, please drop it on me...

Good luck with your purchases! :wink: