BehringerXENYX X1622USB Premium 16-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer with XENYX Mic Preamps and Compressors, British EQ, 24-Bit Multi-FX Processor and USB/Audio Interface

I bought this mixer with a view to starting out with some simple podcasting - there are smaller versions available, but I deliberately bought the extra capacity for when my projects develop and become larger and more complex.I've read reviews where people have slated these mixers for not having the stated number of channels, or such. It is a bit misleading. This has 4 mono inputs - XLR or balanced / unbalanced jack. Each of these gets 48V phantom power if you switch it on. There are then 5 stereo inputs (2 channels each) and a stereo subgroup. 4 + 10 + 2 = 16.Each of the channel strips is well specified with gain and compression on the mono strips, 4 band EQ AUX / FX Send - mute, solo, sub.Although you can send signals to off board effects processors, there is also an onboard unit with quite a range of effects.Strictly, i suppose it's a PA mixer or for recording single take performances.I use mine with GarageBand and the output from the mixer comes into GB as a single stereo source. I record music and voice over separately on different GB tracks. A benefit of this mixer for me is that I can customise channel strips and leave them set, even though I might not be using them.Any music tech student or home recording musician would do well to look at Behringer kit - you'll get great quality at a great price.Don't be tempted though by the software package - much of the stuff is freeware and you probably have far better DAW / podcasting software already. If you use Mac OS X Lion, much of the free stuff won't work anyway. The proprietary DAW package works well, but Macs have GarageBand which is far superior. Windows people, you're also bound to have your favourite package also.

I think this is a great mixer. It's my second Behringer mixer. My previous one, a UB1204FX was used almost daily for 10 years. It's still going strong, but is just a bit too small for the needs of our band. I use the X2442USB for recording and as a live desk for my band. It's a great design and offers all that I need from a mixer. The thing with gear like Behringer is that it has to be judged in the context of it's target application. Affordable stuff like this just didn't exist a few years ago, so for gigs we would all be plugged into some massive 4 channel Peavey or HH PA heads which might have a spring reverb if you were lucky. Home recording was on a cassette porta-studio if you could afford it. Now with gear like this we can get pro-quality functional gear at a very affordable price. I am an ex sound engineer who spent many years in recording studios in the 80's and 90's. In those days only huge SSL desks had compressors on every channel, and many of the 'pro' digital reverbs we had didn't sound as good as the effects on the X2442USB. The effects are a little noisy, but quite useable if driven hard enough, more than good enough for live applications. I really like the compressors, not much control, but the settings are a good compromise of attack and compression ratio. EQ is functional and adequate. I tend to use plug-ins on my DAW for recording anyway. Direct channel outs are a great addition, and 4 aux sends is a luxury. It's just a really well designed desk which covers everything I need t for. Sure it's no Neve, it's not as quiet and has more crosstalk than the real pro stuff, but really, in the pubs and clubs we play, or on the MP3 recordings we make streamed online, i defy anyone to tell the difference.

I've used this a bit and can give a considered review.The Behringer X1832USB is a very capable mixer. The features I like most are:1) The compressors on the mic channels.2) The subgroup (which allows a very easy way to send a clean feed to Zoom, Teams etc.).3) The graphic equaliser which allows me to tame feedback on (for example, some rather "middleish" Behringer 205 active loudspeakers).The only negatives are1) The line inputs don't have a gain control just a switch.2) The USB in/out isn't as much use as it might be as the "out" is tied to Main (post fader) and the "in" (if switched that way) goes directly to the main.The USB "in" is more use as a source to headphones to monitor something happening on a PC but a better sound card isn't much to add if you want to use a PC with this mixer in a more complex setup.The mixer is designed to cover a multiplicity of use cases and in many ways is better than either the larger or smaller mixers in this range. The Mon Send and FX/Aux2 Ret faders are good and although I haven't had occasion to use it, for music the built in reverb would be a bonus.Finally, I wanted a good flight case and Swan offer a custom case. In that box I suspect the Behringer will last longer than I do!