Mini Mixing Desks
A mini mixing desk is a small mixer with 2 to 8 channels that fits on a table and even in a backpack. You plug in a microphone, guitar or keyboard and send the sound to speakers, headphones or a computer. Here you will find 130 mini mixers from Behringer, Yamaha, Mackie, Soundcraft, Allen & Heath, Alto and Revoltage, both analogue and digital. More than half of them have USB, and 72 have built-in effects, such as reverb for vocals.
How many channels should your mixer have?
For a podcast or stream with one or two microphones, a mixer with 2 to 4 channels is enough, for example the Yamaha AG03 MK2 or Behringer Xenyx 302 USB. A singer with a guitar, a duo or a small café gig needs 5 to 6 channels – choose the Yamaha MG06X, Mackie Mix5 or Allen & Heath ZED-6FX, for instance. If you want to connect more microphones and instruments at once, go for an 8-channel desk such as the Behringer Xenyx 802S, Mackie Mix8 or Soundcraft Notepad-8FX. Looking for exactly four channels? Have a look at 4-channel mixers.
Which mini mixer for podcasting and recording?
If you want to record the sound from the mixer onto a computer or stream it, choose a model with USB – the mixer then also works as an audio interface. A condenser microphone needs phantom power, and a headphone output is handy for monitoring; the Yamaha AG06 MK2 and Revoltage MX5-USB, for example, have both. For travelling there are also battery-powered mixers such as the Mackie MobileMix or Teenage Engineering TX-6. Mixers designed specifically for podcasts are in the podcast mixers category, and all mixers with USB are in USB mixers.
Should you choose an analogue or a digital small mixer?
An analogue mini mixer has its own volume and EQ knobs on every channel, so you can use it straight after switching it on, even with no experience. A small digital mixer, such as the Behringer Flow 8 or Bose T8S ToneMatch, adds effects and memories for your settings; the Flow 8 can also be controlled from a phone via Bluetooth. For band rehearsals or your first gigs an analogue mixer is enough, and you will appreciate a digital one when you want your sound settings saved for every performance.
