Behringer X32 Rack

I'm building personal monitoring Rack for band and X32Rack was the only choice. Friend of mine uses Soundcraft Ui24R but I really didn't like it's remote web interface. Since I used normal X32 previously and I knew it already it was very easy to set it up.

All 16 inputs with additional Auxes can be very useful for personal IEMs, since it's possible to get 16 mics into "board" and additional keyboards or anything which gives me at most 22 channels without using any additional digital snake (like S16). And well… 8 XLR outputs + 6 Aux outputs gives me possibility of making 7 stereo IEMs for band members which is very great!

Well… it could contain inbuild Wi-Fi at least, but hey - Mikrotik doesn't cost much and since I'm IT guy normally this is not much problem for me cause I can use that for more things like connecting also X-Touch to this - or - maybe even doing with Dante in future.

I'm writing this comment few days after Firmware 4.0 release and it works without any problems so far. I'm Glad that Behringer's still updates this consoles, they are very good for their price and fully featured.

This is a great quality mixer with a very good price.

Pros: Full digital suite of channel effects & processing (EQ, compressors, delay, verb, etc.), small footprint, control interface on unit if wireless is not working, easy to learn and use software.

Cons: Preamps are good but not great, front control is a bit clunky.

Overall: This is a great little mixer for the price. It has an interface on the front so it can be controlled if there are any Wi-Fi issues. The back only has 16 XLR channels so you will need to buy a digital snake to realize the entire 32 channels but that is probably also a way to keep the cost at such a level. The preamps seem to me to be better than the standard Behringer pre-amps and may be slightly better than what one would expect for the price. The interface software is pretty easy to learn and gives you a full suite of effects and processing. Like all the digital boards I've dealt with, the best part is the ability to save a file and bring it back up when you work with that band again. I've seen these things thrown in kits during tours as a very inexpensive backup in case all else fails. It will get the job done (as long as it's 32-channels or less) and it's been a workhorse for us. Highly recommend.

Mixing without faders is absolutely possible, but it might be not for everyone. I have a SAC and recording studio background, so I?m used to do sound with Mouse and Keyboard only. The nice thing with the X32 gear is, that you can mix bigger shows simultaneously with the X- and the XiControl. This speeds up the workflow and it is quite safe too. If the laptop or the iPad fails, you have always one interface left. During my days with the X32 Rack I mixed sets solely on the XControl or the XiControl. Both is doable, but you have to embrace the software or at least learn to love it. Ok, I won?t do a festival with it, but for smaller set ups or repetitive events (same band) it works really well in the present development status in my eyes. In addition, I?m quite sure, that there is more to come from Behringer, which will enhance this topic a bit further. I would be nice, if someday you could hook up one Behringer BCF 2000 faderpack to the XControl and lock it to the eight virtual DCA faders. Than even bigger show won?t be a problem. But this whole topic is quite subjective ? you better check this out for yourself.

I have been looking at digital mixers for a long while now, trying to weigh up all the options and price points.

Like a lot of weekend warriors I have to mix from the stage, so I wanted something that would allow me to use an iPad or smartphone to do sound checks out in the audience. This seems to be a 'standard' option for most digital mixers, but some manufacturers implement it better than others.

When the X32 Rack was introduced it seemed that it's most obvious competitors were the other 16 channel mixers that rely on the iPad for their primary control surface, but, for just a couple of hundred pounds more, the X32 gives me far more expandability, twice as many channels, more auxes, much more flexible routing, 32 band graphics inserts on each output channel, parametric eq on each channel and far better recording possibilities (with the ability to record 32 channels instead of 2), virtual sound checks...the list goes on.

Great value for money, and with the forthcoming V2 firmware there will be additional RTA options to fine tune your rig to the venue.

The form factor has also made it possible to build it straight into the rack, and thanks to all the on-board capabilities, I've been able to ditch 6U of outboard equipment, and wire it straight into the power amps. With the addition of a 10/2 channel snake to stage rear and a 6 channel snake to stage front I now have a rig that is as simple and quick to set up as a mixer amp, with all the power and features of a pro level rig.

I was slightly concerned about spending what is still a good chunk of money on a Behringer product because of their reputation for 'budget' equipment. I'm not a Behringer hater, I already have a DEQ2496, an FBQ6200 and an FBQ1000 but nothing (until the X32) that was 'mission critical', if any of this stuff failed on a gig I would have been able to get around it, but with the X32 this needs to be rock solid. I need not have worried, from the moment I opened the box the whole thing felt like a real quality piece of kit. Behringer have really upped their game on this one!

Highly recommended!