New mixer recommendation

[Gracetech]

If it where me i would go with the Zed. The only reason i would go with it is because it has dual sweepable mid range eq and it has direct outs on it's mono channels. I've got a GL that is 4 years old that is totally recked right now and while they aren't bad boards they aren't awe inspiring by any means. I would recommend the Yamaha easily over the GL.

crt

[prochlea]

Originally Posted by Gracetech

If it where me i would go with the Zed. The only reason i would go with it is because it has dual sweepable mid range eq and it has direct outs on it's mono channels. I've got a GL that is 4 years old that is totally recked right now and while they aren't bad boards they aren't awe inspiring by any means. I would recommend the Yamaha easily over the GL.

crt

Really... I am very surprised to hear that. This is the first negative thing I've heard about the GL. While I don't consider them awe inspiring - it has always been my go-to analog board. It has everything you generally need, built well, and its' a good price. Is there any reason you like the Yamaha better - besides your bad experience with your GL?

[Gracetech]

It's more to the fact that in the past 4 years i've replace more A&H consoles than any other brand. To a lesser degree i don't really like the sound that comes out of the consoles either. The sound with out eq is pretty lifeless. You always have to add highs to get good clarity out of the consoles.

I have seen the quality improving in the A&H consoles and i'm hoping that it really shows in the ZED consoles and the other refreshes. I tend to be very picky but if i install a console it should last a minimum of 8 years.

If you can, setup a GL next to a MG running into the same sound system and then plug in some 58's and A/B them. You will find that the MG has better top end extension and just has a lively feel. I'm not saying the MG is perfect but considering the nice extras like the built in compressors and fx(which are decent) and the price tag which is less than half it makes it a pretty easy choice to me.

Case in point: I actually just replaced two consoles. One was a GL2200 and the other a GA32/12. The GL was 4 years old and is completely wrecked while the GA is in perfect working order after 6 years.

crt

[rschultz]

The GL and ZED series are very similar, share the exact same EQ's. Different pre-amps, but I would be surprised if they didn't sound exactly the same.
Obviously the Yamaha will sound different. Compression isn't available on the MG32 and MG24... only the smaller boards. You are right, they are a tremendous value. The phantom power in 8 chan blocks is concerning, and it only has 3 band EQ and 1 sweepable mid compared to 4 band EQ 2 sweepable mids on the GL and ZED.
It's not that I don't believe you, but you are probably the first person who has ever had anything negative to say about the GL series.

[waynehoskins]

Originally Posted by Gracetech

It's more to the fact that in the past 4 years i've replace more A&H consoles than any other brand. To a lesser degree i don't really like the sound that comes out of the consoles either. The sound with out eq is pretty lifeless. You always have to add highs to get good clarity out of the consoles.

I have seen the quality improving in the A&H consoles and i'm hoping that it really shows in the ZED consoles and the other refreshes. I tend to be very picky but if i install a console it should last a minimum of 8 years.

If you can, setup a GL next to a MG running into the same sound system and then plug in some 58's and A/B them. You will find that the MG has better top end extension and just has a lively feel. I'm not saying the MG is perfect but considering the nice extras like the built in compressors and fx(which are decent) and the price tag which is less than half it makes it a pretty easy choice to me.

Case in point: I actually just replaced two consoles. One was a GL2200 and the other a GA32/12. The GL was 4 years old and is completely wrecked while the GA is in perfect working order after 6 years.

crt

I don't get it either. Our GL2200 is over 4 years old (we got it used/B-stock three years ago) and it still works great and sounds great. Pantego's GL4K is still working great (or it was, at least) at now over ten years of age. Goodness, I personally have a GL4 that, with the exception of two minor things, works perfectly. Les has a GL3 that's the same age and is our go-to small-format console. I don't know anyone else who dislikes GL series consoles, especially in preference to Yam's MG, which just feels cheap to me.

Old Yamahas are good too. Les and I have a GA32 that saw regular production-co duty from ten years ago, and another GA32 that saw band duty and is about the same age. They also work plenty fine.

[Gracetech]

Ok guys you are reading to much in to this.

I'm not saying i dislike the GL. I'm saying i prefer the natural sound of the MG over the GL. I'm saying i'm concerned about the build quality of the past A&H consoles. If you have a old A&H and it's still going strong feel good about your investment. I've had some bad expereinces with A&H Recently and it seems to be a trend that they are getting better. That's all i'm saying. I'm not dogging A&H since i actually own one of there consoles which is 14 years old and still works like a champ(though it's built like a lead anchor).

I'm giving a observation and opinion, take it or leave it it's up to you.

crt

[kbob]

14 years of experience with A&H consoles myself, and they're uniformly good experiences. I prefer the clarity of the A&H consoles versus the Yamaha sound. Don't get me wrong, the Yamaha consoles are also solidly built, and quite musical in the sound they have.

Our church currently has a GL 2400 in a 32 Channel frame, and the first one I ever used was an old 32 channel g-3, also in a native (not an add on expansion kit). Another friend has had an A&H Sigma console for years, one of their really old recording console decks.

[rschultz]

Thanks guys for ALL the help. I met with the worship leader last night, he and I are going to push for the GL2400-32... A&H has $100 rebates on that before the end of the year. Hopefully the elder/deacon board will approve this mid-next week. Of course, I might be interested in a used one if I found it.

[rschultz]

GL2400-32 arrived last week. Haven't used it yet, but is looks cool. Thanks for all the help with this issue.