Behringer Xenyx X1832USB Mixer with USB and Effects

I typically don't rate a product until I've had time to use it for a while but this mixer just blew me away the first night. I spent months trying to find the right set up for a home karaoke system. I have a high end Harmon Kardon 7.1 receiver amp and an Onkyo 7.1 receiver amp that I use in 2 different rooms for karaoke purposes. Each amp provides all the HDMI connections, component video connections, L-R RCA audio connections, digital audio connections (optical and coaxial) and of course the speaker connections. Each amp has plenty of RMS wattage to handle the speakers in each room. I actually use just the 5.1 speaker setup (2 front, 2 rear, 1 subwoofer) in each room because for karaoke purposes you actually DON'T want too many speakers because they will then start to ruin your vocals while you're singing depending on where you are standing/sitting in relation to all the speakers.I have purchased several mid to high-priced powered karaoke mixers from the big brands (BMB, VocoPro, etc) over the years to use for karaoke, because I didn't know any better. They are OK for what they were designed to do which is to provide a VERY SIMPLE karaoke setup whereby you plug in something like a DVD player, 2 dynamic microphones, and a pair of speakers. These powered mixers can drive a pair of passive speakers with just normal speaker cables. However I did not use these mixers to output to my speakers since I have the much better Harmon Kardon/Onkyo receiver amps to do that. So I had the powered mixer outputs the sound to a receiver amplifier (either the Harmon Kardon or Onkyo) and from there the amp outputs the sound to the speakers. However, I think because they were powered mixers, they introduced a lot of interference/noise into the sound. I kept getting a static hum/hiss sound even when I was using Shure Beta 57A and SM58 wired dynamic microphones plugged directly into the powered mixers (the mixers had 1/4 inch TRS microphone holes). No matter what I did, I could not get rid of the static/hum noise. I tried adding an equalizer in between the mixer and the amplifier to see if I could eliminate the exact sound channels that was making that noise. Nope, that didn't work. I tried using more expensive microphone cables that had gold-plated 1/4 inch TRS connectors--nope that didn't work. I tried switching one mixer out for another (I had 3 mixers to use), and tried to switch the amplifiers out as well to see if I could come up with a combo of mixer-amp that would work without the darn static/hum noise. Nope, all that work didn't do much to improve the situation. Then I tried plugging all components into the same electrical outlet because I read somewhere that there could be a ground loop causing a hum around 60 Hz. Nope, that didn't work either.Finally, after reading reviews after reviews of various non-powered mixers here on Amazon, I bought this Behringer Xenyx X1832USB. I must admit this is my first real analog mixer and the number of buttons were overwhelming even for a technologically-inclined guy like me (I pride myself on being able to put together very complicated sound system setups involving 8-12 devices). I connected 2 wired microphones to Input 1 and Input 2 using the XLR connections, connected my DVD player to the Inputs (red-white plugs) for 2-track/USB, then connected the 2 main XLR outputs on the back of the mixer to my receiver amp using female XLR-to-male RCA cables. After playing with the various buttons and sliders, I managed to find out that for each Input on the mixer that you want the sound to come out to the main output signal, there is a little black button that says "Main" on that Input channel that you need to press down so the sound of that Input will then be sent to be "mixed" into the overall main output. I also had to adjust the Gain button on Input 1 and Input 2 so that the microphones was loud enough. Voila so I got my microphones working and the karaoke songs were coming from the DVD player, all mixed into the overall main outputs of this Behringer mixer. Now get this, remember that stupid static/hum/hissing noise that I could not get rid of before? Well by plugging my microphones and my audio source into this same Behringer mixer, I have ELIMINATED that nasty static/hum/noise. I could not believe my ears. The sound is crystal clear coming from my microphones and the karaoke music coming from my DVD is also clear. Hallelujah! I have finally fixed the noise problem. I spent the next hour playing around with various settings on this new mixer and all the buttons seem solid and smooth. I sang a couple of songs just to test out the system and it was so sweet to be able to increase the overall volume on my amplifier WITHOUT hearing any static/hum/hiss from the karaoke. I am ecstatic beyond words. I don't know if other non-powered mixers would do the same, but I'm keeping mine right here. I'll probably buy another one for the other room since it works so well. My only complaint is that I had to purchase a bunch of XLR cables of various types (Male to Female, Y adapter, XLR to RCA, etc) because I didn't really know which cables I needed to buy. My advise to others looking to hook this mixer up to a receiver amp like I did: you need at least 2 female XLR-to-male RCA cables so you can connect the main sound output of the mixer to your receiver amp (if your amp only has RCA inputs like mine and no XLR inputs). You should also get a bunch of female RCA-to-male 1/4 inch TRS connectors and regular RCA cables so that you can utilize the inputs Line 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14 to bring in stereo sound from various devices that have L-R RCA outputs (DVD & bluray players, game consoles, etc). If you want to connect your iPod, iPhone, Android devices to the mixer, then get a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch TRS cable (like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000068O36?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) or get a 3.5mm to dual-1/4 inch TS cable like this one for stereo sound: http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP159-Stereo-Breakout-10-Feet/dp/B005HGM1D6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1454750489&sr=8-5&keywords=1+4+inch+to+3.5mm. This mixer has more than you need for a home karaoke setup and that's a good thing. I'm still enjoying the fact that I now have a crystal clear sounding karaoke system with no static/hum/hiss. Love it.

A really nice product. Layout and design is easy to navigate and comfortable. Chassis is solid and feels strong.Built-in EQ is effective in the audible range. Channel gain is notable and SNR is high. Low hiss at low volumesFaders are smoothe and volume increments are well spaced. Lights/LEDS are bright. EQ LEDs are driven by signal strength.Wishlist: web interface/streaming. More mail outputs.

This is a GREAT mixer but the user's manual that comes with the mixer is practically useless. I found the following documents are NECESSARY to get all the great features to work. It's silly to have to chase all these files down to use this product effectively but that is Behringer for you. Great products - lousy documentation.If you want to even get close to using the mixer's potential you need to download the better user's manual from:behringer.com/assets/X1622USB_X1832USB_X2222USB_X2442USB_M_EN.pdfIf you want a block diagram showing how signals are routed within the mixer (VERY useful), download the Xenyx 1832FX Technical Specifications Manual:behringer.com/assets/1832FX_P0556_S_EN.pdfEffects:The old version of this mixer had 100 selectable effects but this new mixer has 16 ADJUSTABLE effects, making this much more useful. Unfortunately, instructions for ADJUSTING the effects is absent from the manual and confusing. Once understood, the adjustments are simple but not obvious. To get the ONLY document that lists the Multi-FX Preset Chart (page 4) download the web brochure:behringer.com/assets/1204USB_X1204USB_X1222USB_X1622USB_X1832USB_X2222USB_X2442USB_WebBrochure.pdfTo get instructions for controlling the digital effects you MUST go to Behringer's FAQs. To save you the time and frustration, here is what the FAQ says:Here are a couple examples of how to use the FX processor on the XENYX series of mixers:1. The first example will be for the HALL PRESET 01. With this particular preset, pressing the TAP button will turn on, or off, the BRILLIANCE parameter. Now, if we press the PROGRAM/ PARAMETER knob this will bring up the REVERB TIME parameter. There should be a little blinking dot in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. When this dot is blinking, it means that you can turn the PROGRAM/ PARAMETER knob to adjust the REVERB TIME for this preset. Turning this knob to the left will decrease the REVERB TIME and turning this knob to the right will increase the REVERB TIME. After setting the desired REVERB TIME for the HALL REVERB preset, the blinking dot at the bottom right hand corner of the screen will blink 10 more times. Then the screen will go back to "home", displaying the selected preset number, which was 01.2. Now, let's try using a different preset. Select preset 08, which will be a DELAY. The TAP button at this point will be used to "tap" out the speed of the delay that you would like to hear. So, if you tap the TAP button rapidly a few times, the delay will sound very short. Now, press the PROGRAM/ PARAMETER knob. This will bring up the NUMBER OF REPETITIONS parameter. The same blinking dot in the bottom right hand corner of the screen will been seen to show that you are currently in this particular parameter setting. Turning the knob to the left will decrease the number of repetitions, and turning the knob to the right will increase the number of repetitions. After setting the desired repetition time, wait for the dot to blink ten times and then you will be brought back to the "home" screen, showing the DELAY preset number, which was 08.You can only use one set of effects at a time. You CAN assign different LEVELS of an effect to multiple channels but you CAN'T assign DIFFERENT or MULTIPLE effects to DIFFERENT channels.Compression:The biggest attraction for me to this mixer is the built in compression per channel but is seems many people are mis-adjusting compression. It too is not described well in the manuals. Turn the compression adjustment so that the LED lights ONLY on loud peaks! That is how is should be set. If it is lit all the time, you are squishing all your sound. When set properly it works GREAT.How to record multitrack from this mixer:If you use the X1832 standard USB connection you only get two channels (left/right) equal to the main output left/right. If you are clever and have a little more hardware you can record up to six tracks at a time using the mixer's channel inserts. The following trick works with ANY mixer with channel inserts.Here's how:First, you need to get Seismic Audio - SAST-8-16-5 - 8 Channel 1/4" TRS Insert Snake Cable to 16 1/4" TS - 5 Feet. Plug one TRS end into each insert plug per channel on the mixer. Plug the TS ends (left/right) into BOTH input/link plugs on an 8 channel Behringer DI800 Professional Mains/Phantom Powered 8-Channel DI-Box. By plugging the TS ends into both link ports you are feeding the out signal back into the mixer so the mixer channel is not interrupted. Then use an 8 channel Seismic Audio - 8 Channel XLR Snake Cable - 10 Feet Long - Pro Audio Snake for Live Live, Recording, Studios, and Gigs - Patch, Amp, Mixer, Audio Interface 10'. Plug one end into each output channel on the DI800 (8 channels) and connect the other XLR ends to a Tascam US-800 8 Input USB 2.0 Computer Audio Interface (The US-800 only has 6 channels max) or equivalent. Set all your levels and record all six Tascam tracks simultaneously through the Tascam USB output to your computer into Audacity or other DAW software.Like magic - 6 tracks (or more depending on hardware) recorded perfectly from ANY mixer with channel inserts!Now that you are armed with the necessary information, I think you will agree that this is a GREAT mixer at a GREAT price.