When I started looking for a mixer that would suffice with the little amount of room I currently have, the right price range, and still did a sufficient job of transferring live sound to my laptop, I was skeptical to say the least. I walked into Guitar Center (of all places) one day just to kill time. My wife was there, and was over in the keys/piano section while I was browsing. I noticed a small table that had a sign – “Discounted.” Of course, I took a look.
I’m usually very wary of buying used electronics; ESPECIALLY sound equipment. However, sitting on the table for $179.00 was a Mackie ProFX8. The only thing missing was a power supply (I already had an extra one lying around not being used), and it didn’t have a box. I quickly asked my wife if it was cool with her, and she (being the most awesome wife in the world) let me buy it. I didn’t realize what a solid little product it would turn out to be.
The mixer is about 1′ long x 9″ width x 3″ tall. It has 8 channels (7 and 8 you have to share, mono for each), 4 being XLR and 1/4″ while the remaining channels being on 1/4″. The cool thing about this mixer is that it can easily double as a live mixing board for smaller gigs. It has built effects that, amazingly enough, are quite satisfactory. Each channel has 3 EQ knobs (High, Mid, Low), as well as monitor and effects volume knobs. In addition, you can completely bypass all effects at any time. The strongest selling point for this mixer is the price (for what you get) and the compact size. I highly recommend this for those of you who need something cheap, small, and most importantly EFFECTIVE.
Price: $179.99 – $229.99
Specs: 8 channels, 4 XLR & 1/4″ jacks, built in effects, individual EQ as well as general EQ
Pros: Compact, cheap, very effective, good effects, can easily be used as a live mixing board
Cons: Limited XLR jacks, can easily be outgrown, limited adjustments with individual EQ
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