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Hello,

Here is the situation: I have a electronic drumkit and an electric guitar. I am looking for a mixer that will allow me to play with my flatmate without bothering our neighboors. All I need is essencially to send in the two signals from the guitar and the drumkit and have two headphones outputs (or one that I can split).

Any suggestion about what I should buy?

Thank you

Comments

Boswell Wed, 02/13/2013 - 09:59

There isn't an obvious cheap mixer with two headphone outputs that would do what you want, but you may find that something like the [="http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/402VLZ3/"]Mackie 402-VLZ3[/]="http://www.sweetwat…"]Mackie 402-VLZ3[/] plus a [[url=http://="http://www.sweetwat…"]headphone splitter[/]="http://www.sweetwat…"]headphone splitter[/] adaptor will work for you. The Mackie would allow you to plug the guitar into one of the main mono inputs at the same time as accept a stereo output from the drum kit and keep it as stereo through to the headphones.

RemyRAD Fri, 02/15/2013 - 23:44

I think only once in my life have I ever seen a piece of professional audio equipment, with two headphone outputs. That's why God created headphone amplifiers. One input. Four individually adjustable, headphone outputs. And they're cheap. There's a bunch out there with some starting around $100 US. Not sure what that is on your side of the pond?

Just like Boswell indicated that Mackie would be a very nice choice for you. They sound good. They're rugged. They last a good long while. Even though they are made in China. Everything is made in China today unless it says made in Germany or made in Austria, made in the US. And that's the expensive stuff. The really good stuff. But for what you're doing that Mackie will provide for you excellent quality and performance. I actually did a shootout with that and a $600 single channel API microphone preamp. The difference was miniscule but at the same time perceptible. But like I said, the difference was very small. And that rather impressed me where not much impresses me. I actually split the microphone signal of the SM 81 condenser microphone to both the Mackie and the API. They both said separate tracks on the digital multitrack machine. Upon playback, I was flipping back and forth and no one could discern much of a difference at all. I could but as I said it was miniscule. And you can't ask for much better than that.

A lot of folks have gone for the ultra affordable Behringer products. I've had to use those also and I still get decent recordings but I have found them noisier. Enough so that it made me question them at times. Not the same problem with a Mackie. And the Mackie also has " goof proof ", microphone preamps. Meaning no pad switch necessary. Which also can have mixed blessings of its own but not something that would bother you any. I like the old school microphone preamp designs of which the Behringer attempts to somewhat re-create/imitate. And that's why they are noisier. But you also get the pad switch. And which I'll use even when I don't need the Pad. But that's a different discussion that doesn't really pertain here. Boswell will certainly not lead you wrong. And he's one of those few guys that truly impresses me with his knowledge and experience. He's just more specific about model numbers than I am LOL. Because he also truly deals with sound on an industrial level. And not just studio stuff. Everything else will be underwhelming in comparison to his suggestions. And I'm with Boswell on this.

You're going to love that set up.
Mx. Remy Ann David