Audio Mixer for Home Videos?
 

I have seen some recommendations for the Behringer XENYX 1002B. First is the 'B' worth twice as much? I can get he 1002 for $65, the 1002B is $120. Second I will just be capturing home videos, the standard birthday parties, xmas, vacations etc. Would an audio mixer really be of much use?

Whether or not you need a mixer will depend on a number of factors including how many separate audio inputs (sources such as microphones, guitar amps, CD players, etc. you have), will they need to have their levels individually managed and queued in/out, and will you have time to manage a mixer as well as video or have a sound-person to mange it for you. With two inputs and a good prosumer camcorder you can probably manage levels in the camcorder and adjust the mix in post.

If you are editing using current NLEs or digital audio editors such as Audtion or Sound Forge to do simple projects you may not need a mixer because you can add adjust, and mix audio tracks while editing. The mixer you list is arguably more appropriate to doing live mixes for events, small meetings, perhaps small church services or maybe garage-band recording.

I believe that most people shooting family birthday parties, vacations, and similar events on a non-professional basis would find little benefit adding a mixer. Of course if this is a serious hobby, there may not be a business case for a mixer, but it migh be fun to have one. And for use with a camcorder out side of a studio-like environment a portable field mixer would be more appropriate. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/new...ieldMixers.jsp

Sorry I wasn't specific enough. This would be used for transferring VHS to digital (personal project). Thanks for your detailed reply though.

For VHS transfer a mixer can be helpful as a level control to optimize the audio signal sent to your digitizer, and perhaps provide some basic equalization (tone control). Whether or not you need it depends on your playback VCR and digitizer audio capabilities. Most sound sweetening should be done in a good audio editing program after capture.

The mixer you showed is a bit over kill for VHS capture purposes (all those mic inputs) unless the price is right or yuo have other uses for it as well. Something like a Mackie 402VLZ or perhaps a Berringer 502 or 802 could serve adequately for your stated need, but $65 is cheap for almost anything.

Quality wise, VHS audio, especially linear track audio, it not all that great, and either should be more than adequate if they are in good working order.

The mixer is good to pre-process audio. We use one most of the time, both to reduce hiss (EQ) and adjust input levels. But it's only pre-process. We still pull it into an audio editor. We restore most audio for clients, and I do it for my personal hobby work as well.

As stated, it really depends on how good/bad the source is.

There's several good Behringer units: http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=U...YIPLKQAKZVLCSY

What you need is (1) at least 3 EQs, (2) RCA audio input on a channel that allows EQ. The 1002B did that.

So from what I can tell the 1002 (non-b) and 802 also do that and for a lot less. Am I correct? If so is there any benefit of the 1002B for my needs compared to those mentioned?


Thanks

I believe so. Yes.