PA Mixers

Regardless of if you order a large or small PA mixer, you can begin to expand your sonic capabilities and push the limits of your system even further. PA Mixers are the perfect companion to live musicians and studio engineers everywhere allowing total, independent control of each sound you have linked. PA mixing desks can be used by sound engineers too, allowing them to take control of a touring band to help them deliver a strong setlist to fans and other gig-goers.

Buy PA Mixers

The mixer is a mainstay that has been used in live music venues, clubs and pubs for many years. The technological advancements within the mixers have proven to be the saving grace of many live band set-lists and solo performances in the last two decades. Equalising signals while boosting their volumes enough to sit well within a live mix, for the enjoyment of ticket holders and the satisfaction of the performing band.

We have many mixers to choose from each with their own set of features to assist users in their work. Mixers help to tame erratic musical signals into a cohesive and warm sounding final output, they range from full-size multi-channel systems to modest, personal units for solo acts or duos.

PA Mixing Desks

Once you're in a position that requires multiple audio inputs to exit your sound system, a mixer's job is to take those feeds, balance and filter them. The most obvious explanation of this is for a live music band, where you may have 3 or 4 microphones for singing, and several microphones on the drum kit, and maybe a direct line feed from the bass player. This is 7 or 8 signals of varying strengths and frequencies that all need to be levelled out, as to not overpower each other, or to damage your speakers.

A PA Mixing Desk will allow you to equalise each input, add or remove gain and frequencies, and will often feature built-in compression to remove spikes in the sound from microphones. Many mixers also have a 48V phantom power on several channels which is used for the active circuitry found in condenser microphones. Effects sections are usually included to allow echo, delay and reverb to be added for better stage presence, and the main output will feature a master graphic equaliser section for final mix adjustments. Many newer units also include a USB input and MP3 direct playback for background music.

Outputs from a standard PA mixing desk will be available as both unbalanced jack sockets and balanced XLR connections for taking to a suitable amplifier, be it a separate power amp or an active speaker set. These will also be joined with auxiliary or dedicated monitor outputs which provide a straight-through signal for fold-back floor monitors used in performance so you can properly hear yourself. Larger units are also available with built-in amplifiers, which is convenient for locations where passive speakers may be pre-fitted to walls such as schools and churches.

Small PA Mixers

For performers and bands that prefer a passive speaker rig but want to minimise connections, small PA mixers are the ideal option. These small devices are a handy backup to have in case your trusted old amplifier gives up on you during a set. You will find many of the mixers available look identical across the respective range, and most are. This means you get the same features at all the price points, and the difference then just becomes how many channels it has available.

For PA mixers, anything from 2 channels up to 16 is the norm. Larger than 16 and you're into studio production units which are a different product altogether, but it would be unusual for the average user to require anything like that, with 8 or 12 channels normally being ample. The small PA mixer market has advanced significantly from its basic PA origins in the last decade. It has split into three very distinct segments depending on budget and features.

The basic mixer, also referred to as a scratch or bedroom mixer is where it all began, and is still popular for its physical size, low cost, and simplicity of function. At its core, it is usually a two or three-channel design, with a crossfader, and some form of basic EQ control. Switchable inputs from line or turntable, and a headphone monitoring output is all that's required for playing and mixing from two sources, and this simple approach is just as popular now as ever for the budding DJ.

Features of a PA Mixer

While features vary depending on price and brand, but all will at least have three or four channels available, with most now including some form of a full-band equaliser, either in control knob or slider format. They will often feature dual master outputs or booth outputs for club use, direct recording outputs, channel assignable crossfaders, microphone inputs with talk-over, and many include effects sections. The increase in cost also means greater component and circuit quality, which means better input signal sensitivity, lower noise being introduced to your output, and also the longevity and trouble-free use that is required for a life on the road.

At the high end of the market, things once again split into a wide selection, with each being specifically designed to cater for usage-related requirements. An installation mixer, catering for a multi-input and multi-output club or bar system. Each has very different features than that of a studio or professional mobile DJ mixer, or competition based mixer, designed to provide the best quality and ease of use for that specific task, which is why most manufacturers offer a whole range of what seem on the surface to be similar looking units. Again the component quality will be higher, and the overall components and materials will be nicer to the touch and built to last.

Small PA Mixers also drift into the media player arena now, with many, if not all new MIDI-based controller systems featuring the mixer as an inbuilt part of the unit, along with turntable style control platters, midi triggers, system EQ, effects, and the ability to control, cue and mix from four channels at the same time using a separate monitor or inbuilt displays. These inbuilt mixers also allow exterior inputs, so cd players or even turntables can be connected to work alongside your newer digital library.