Sound Mixer & DJ Mixer Outlet Store

American Musical Supply is excited to be your stop for audio mixers of all types – including digital mixers, analog stereo mixers, analog 4-bus mixers, powered mixers, and a wide range of specialty mixers! We offer True 0% interest payment plans - applying is easy. Use your own debit or credit card, enjoy fast and free shipping, and add an audio mixer to your creative setup.

We make buying an audio mixer quick and easy - in-stock items that are ordered before 5PM will ship out the same day! (see our Shipping Information Page for more details) Do you have questions about mixers and want to know which one would be best for you? Give us a call at 800-319-9043 - our experts are standing by.

When it comes to controlling the volume of vocals, instruments, and devices as well as directing audio traffic to speakers and monitors throughout a venue, the audio mixer (or ‘mixing console’) is the true nerve center of any setup. American Musical Supply carries the most popular mixer brands in the world, including Mackie, PreSonus, Allen & Heath, Soundcraft, Yamaha, and many more!

Mixers (or mixing consoles) are the foundations of live performance audio and recording setups. Microphones for vocals and acoustic instruments, electronic instruments, and audio playback from devices are connected to a mixer with cables and are then individually managed (‘mixed’) by adjusting volume, frequency, and tonal characteristics to achieve a proper balance. Then the combined signal can either be directed to PA Speakers for the audience, Stage Monitors for the performers, sent to an external recording device, or - in the case of a digital mixer – sync up with a computer and DAW (digital audio workstation) software for multitrack recording.

Mixers come in all different sizes, types, and configurations with varying features. There are two main types to choose from – analog mixers and digital mixers. There are also many ‘hybrid’ models that are a combination of the two types.

So… when it comes to choosing a mixer, where do you start? Well, you first need to ask yourself a couple of important questions:

“What are your musical goals and what do you want your mixer to be able to do?”

Do you have your eyes on a foundation piece that will be used in your home studio or a professional recording space? Are you running the live sound for a venue? Does that venue primarily feature smaller acts like singer-songwriters, duos, trios, live karaoke, and bar trivia? Or do you need something that can address the needs of a large band and their huge collection of instruments on a daily basis? Are you in need of a touring mixer that has to handle the demands of an immersive live show? Or maybe, you are ready for the ultimate mixer packed with all of the features so you can do everything!

American Musical Supply is stocked with powerful mixers for any situation and this handy guide will help you get started with the basics. You can always reach out to us for more information – give us a call at 800-319-9043, our gear experts will help you find the right mixer.

First stop on our journey… analog mixers!

Modern analog mixers are built using the same tried-and-true technology that has been the foundation of the music world for well over fifty years. Based on physical point-to-point electronic connections, the mixer takes audio signal from an input and runs it through a series of internal potentiometers, allowing the engineer to manage and mix it. These ‘pots,’ found in adjustable knob or slider (‘fader’) form, are used to control the volume, attune frequencies, and adjust other characteristics of audio signal. There are also a number of switches that can be used to open or close circuits throughout the unit, necessary for isolating, muting, and sending signal from various sources to alternate locations. Then, the finalized signal is sent out to an output source (PA speakers, monitoring systems, headphones). Much like instrument amplifiers, the earliest mixing consoles operated with the use of vacuum tubes. Solid-state electronics began to replace tubes in the 1960s and mixers have continued to evolve to this very day. While modern analog mixers are almost exclusively solid-state, there are still many separate standalone audio units that use tubes and can be routed into your mixer setup. We’ll discuss how those particular gear pieces can be used to add highly in-demand vintage tube sounds to your recordings and performances a bit later in this guide.

Stereo Mixers are the most basic of analog mixers, and they refer to models where the output from all of your signals is summed into a final stereo mix. Larger mixers often have groups (also known as ‘busses’) in addition to the standard stereo output. With one of these devices, you can assign channels to specific groups. This increases the amount of mixing, monitoring, and routing options available to you. The number of busses refers to the number of groups you have available to assign, i.e., a 4-Bus Mixer has four groups. If you have (or are thinking of running) Unpowered PA Speakers (passive), you might want to look at our selection of Powered Mixers. In addition to their primary function as a mixer, they also provide power to passive speakers, so you won’t need to include a power amplifier in your setup. Be sure to check the power ratings of the speakers you plan on using and make sure that they match the output from the powered mixer.

USB Audio Mixers are equipped with, you guessed it, a USB port that allows you to interface with a laptop or desktop computer. This way, you will be able to send the resulting stereo mixdown into your DAW (digital audio workstation) software. Each brand and model of this type also offers additional digital touches and features that can be incorporated into your performance and production through USB.

What are the major selling points of analog mixers? The first is the price. Analog consoles are less expensive and there are more models to choose from, particularly for beginners and those looking for smaller models with just a few channels. Next is simplicity. Analog mixers are standalone devices, in that you don’t need to regularly manage computer settings, consistently update device firmware and associated software, and be dependent on wireless network connections in order to access many of the features. As long as you have power, all of the necessary cables, and speakers or other output sources, you’re good to go! And lastly is that they are more straightforward to use right out of the box. All of the controls are right in front of you and the layouts have been designed to maintain a sense of familiarity based on the traditional look and feel of past mixers over the years.

There are a few limitations you should be aware of when considering an analog mixer. The most common is that they are primarily for live sound management and can’t be used for multitrack recording. As we just mentioned, many models do have a USB output that can send your final stereo mix to your computer and DAW, but not all of the separate isolated tracks. Since analog mixers are wired with more electrical components, the larger models are a bit heavier and more cumbersome to transport than their digital counterparts. Their stability, while offering many benefits, can also mean that operations end up being a bit more rigid and inflexible. Smaller analog mixers don’t offer as many routing options, so if you’re looking to scale your music performance operation to accommodate bigger bands and more instruments, you will need a larger mixer and lots more physical connections to direct signal around the stage. When you run sound from the vantage point of an audience member (‘front-of-house’), then you’ll definitely need an Audio Snake. This is a stage box with input and output jacks that has all of the cabling bundled together into one long cord - think fifty feet or more – that can run back to the mixer. This cuts down on-stage clutter and means you won’t have to use a large number of extremely long individual cables.

As a rule of thumb, the more features you add to an analog mixer means that the unit itself will need to be bigger and heavier to accommodate the extra housing for all of the electronic components, wiring, and controls. If you need more channels, more AUX sends, additional output connections (such as additional direct outputs on channels) and grouping capabilities (a stereo mixer versus a 4-Bus or 8-Bus mixer), it’s also going to be more expensive.

There is a newer class of console called a ‘hybrid mixer,’ one that combines elements of both the analog and digital. These models work mostly like standard analog mixers, but also include a number of digital touches, including multi-effects, Bluetooth, and multitrack recording to an external source (like an SD card) through its own internal AD/DA convertors.

Digital mixers are designed to look, feel, and operate like analog models, but instead employ the use of AD/DA convertors to take the analog signal from input sources and convert it to a digital signal. Once in that form, it can be routed into a computer for DAW multitrack recording through a USB or Thunderbolt cable. The output signal is converted back to analog when going to speakers and other sources.

While an analog mixer needs every knob, fader, and switch visible and accessible for each function, digital mixers have many of their production and routing features stored inside a software operating system that is accessed through a display screen. You will still see a variety of physical controls laid out like a channel strip, such as inputs, gain, solo/mute, and volume faders, but in many ways they are much more minimal when compared to a analog mixer of similar channel count. Models from different brands each have their own design, so it will definitely require you to dedicate time to learn how to access all of the menus, incorporate all of features, and use the mixer quickly and efficiently.

Since digital mixers run on software, there are more possibilities for routing and managing signal on stage and in the studio. Once you set all of your sound levels, effects, and parameters for a group of performers, you can save those settings to the internal memory. It you are running sound for multiple ensembles during a show, it is easy to recall those settings and switch between them quickly.

These consoles are packed with a suite of digital effects – including compressors, parametric EQs, reverbs, delays, noise gates, and much more. With the help of the display screen, you’ll also be able to visualize how each effect is operating and can fine-tune the details much more easily than an analog mixer. Digital mixers can also work wirelessly through a network connection (audio over ethernet, Dante, and more), syncing up with stageboxes instead of needing the traditional wired audio snake. Overall, digital mixers require less cables and can run a complete setup with less stage and studio clutter due to those wireless capabilities.

A limitation in digital mixers to take into consideration is the presence of latency. Latency is the slightest amount of delay (measured in milliseconds) that occurs during the process of converting analog and digital signal. The more plug-ins, effects, and number of tracks you use with custom parameter automation translates to more digital data that has be processed by the mixer, which in turn can lead to longer latency times. These digital mixers are ready to be pushed to explore new creative frontiers – just make sure when operating one that you look regularly at how much memory is being used. That way you can manage your workflow in order to achieve maximum efficiency and performance.

In this next section, we will give a brief overview of the layout of a mixer and the major features that are commonly found on many models:

Mixers are arranged in channel strips, vertical sections that house the entire pathway for one signal source. The number of controls on each channel strip depends on the model. Like a free-flowing highway road, audio signal travels from top to bottom, adding in the effects from tone and frequency-shaping knobs during the journey before reaching the volume control faders at the bottom. There are a number of points along the way where the signal can be routed elsewhere, much like highway off-ramps.

It all starts with the XLR (balanced mic level) and 1/4” (balanced or unbalanced line level) inputs that are located either at the top of each channel strip or on the back side of the mixer. Mixers may also have RCA inputs (used most commonly with certain kinds of consumer audio devices) and 3.5mm stereo inputs (found on many laptops, phones, and tablets) as well. A 16-channel mixer means that there are 16 inputs – a mono input counts as one and a stereo input (with its separate signals for right and left) counts as two.

Mixers have built-in PREAMPLIFIERS (more commonly known as preamps) for their mic inputs that automatically take the mic signal and boost it up to line level without distortion. If you’re wanting to build a professional studio, external preamps can change up the sound coloration for vocals, instruments, and even your entire mix! AMS carries solid state and tube Mic Preamps that can be integrated into your mixer’s operation, incorporating their own blends of specialized hardware, as well as models that are specifically known for capturing the tonal essence of vintage pres found in legendary recordings dating back decades.

Condenser microphones need external power in order for their diaphragm and internal amp to operate, as well as to polarize the transducer element. Mixers with 48V PHANTOM POWER either have switches for each specific channel or a general switch that powers all of the inputs on the entire board simultaneously. Modern dynamic microphones – which include popular models like the Shure SM58, SM57, and SM7B – do not require any phantom power and are unaffected when the channel is powered. If you do plan on using sensitive ribbon microphones and certain vintage microphones with your mixer, it is a rule of thumb that you should NOT use phantom power. Be sure to check the operating manual and do research to ensure that your gear stays safe.

The GAIN control is often the first knob you’ll see at the top of the channel strip. This controls the amount of the signal from a source instrument or device that is coming into the mixer. There is most commonly an LED next to this knob that will light up when the incoming signal is distorting (known commonly as ‘peaking’ or ‘clipping’) from coming in too hot.

INSERTS are next, and they are located next to the channel inputs that are either on the front or back of the console. Not all mixers will have inserts, and some may only have them on a few channels. As you move up to larger consoles, there will usually be inserts on every channel. These 1/4" jacks are the first ramps heading off the main signal highway that go someplace else. The main purpose of an insert is to send the signal to an external effects unit or device such as an Audio Equalizer, Audio Compressor, reverb unit, noise gate, de-esser, or instrument amplifier setup using an Insert Cable. When inserts are used on a channel, think of the signal as travelling in a loop. It starts by going out from the mixer into the connected effect unit, having that effect applied to the audio signal, and then returning to same point of the mixer so it can continue its journey down the channel strip. Inserts can sometimes be found on the group outputs and main outputs of larger 4-bus and 8-bus mixers, which allows you to incorporate the effect from the connected device to a customized group of channels, such as an entire drum set, group of vocal microphones, a horn section, or even the entire main stereo mix itself!

Some mixer models include channels equipped with one-knob COMPRESSORS. Compression is an important tool used to reduce dynamic range between the softest and loudest sounds from an instrument or device. Even when the gain on a channel is properly set, sound from punchy kick drums, low-frequency synth patches, percussive bass, and heavy beats from drum machines can put out large amounts of signal that suddenly slam your mix with distorted sound. Applying compression will lessen the gap between the extremes – that way you can dial in your gain more accurately without the large peaks and valleys. With a simple turn of the knob, you can apply more compression to that channel. While these one-knob compressors are incredibly convenient, they are also a bit limited and locked into their combined built-in parameters. If you want to be able to control specific individual parameters like the threshold, ratio, attack, release, and make-up gain, American Musical Supply also sells external rackmount solid state and tube Audio Compressors that have their own tone color characteristics and can be tailored to suit the needs of specific vocals and instruments.

EQUALIZATION (or EQ for short) comes next. These knobs boost or lower the gain of various frequency ‘bands’, allowing you to emphasize or limit how much low, mid, and high frequency is applied to each channel. The normal range of human hearing is between 20 – 20,000 hertz (Hz) and you’ll see the different figures listed on each knob. Small entry-level mixers usually have two knobs for each channel (a low and high), medium mid-level mixers often have three (a low, mid, and high), and your largest mixers have four (low, low-mid, high-mid, and high, with the ability to customize the mid-range). There are also master EQ controls that adjust frequency for the complete main output mix and certain mixers also have additional EQ knobs that can be used to customize sound on additional group and AUX outputs (we’ll talk about these shortly…). Looking to fine tune your mixes in incredible detail? We also sell external rackmount Audio Equalizers that offer you many, many more frequency bands that can also be connected to your mixer and routed into your signal chain.

So, everything for your performance is connected to inputs and the PA speakers for the audience are connected to the main outputs. The next big question is, how will the musicians hear themselves on stage? Well, that is what AUX SEND outputs are for! Using either 1/4” or XLR connectors, an AUX SEND directs the signal to a Stage Monitor speaker or wireless In-Ear Monitor System. The corresponding knob on the mixer is then used to adjust the gain for each channel, so you can customize a monitor mix tailored specifically to the performer. The smallest mixers don’t have any AUX sends, instead only offering a secondary CONTROL ROOM or simple MONITOR output alternative with much more limited individual controls. As you move up to larger models, the number of AUX SENDS can go from one or two all the way to eight or more, giving you the option of having multiple customized mixes for different members of the band. AUX SENDS can also be used with external effects – an example would be to connect a rack reverb unit so you can add varying amounts of reverb to different channels. Similarly, if a mixer has its own built-in effects module, then you will also see an FX knob on the console. This controls how much of the selected internal effect is applied to each channel.

Lastly, the sliding FADERS serve as your volume control for each channel. By bringing in the maximum amount of signal without clipping using the GAIN knob, you’ll then be able to adjust volume most accurately. There are also faders for groups, other output sources, and the main mix. On certain mixers, there are a number of switches located next to the faders that can send the signal from that channel to other output groups.

We hope this information has helped you get an understanding of the different types of mixers and which type would work best for you in preparation for your new musical journey. Don’t forget, you can always give our gear experts a call at 800-319-9043 for even more assistance. American Musical Supply offers 0% interest payment plans as well as fast and free 2-day shipping on practically everything we sell. Order today and in-stock mixers will ship right out - you will be able to get started creating and performing new music right away!