BEHRINGER S32 I/O Interface

Operating in a medium sized church replacing an old 14/16 input Behringer Xenyx 2442. Initial setup is a little daunting to someone like me who is used to a manual board (always remember to press SELECT on the channel you want to EQ etc!) but there is excellent help online (particularly look up Drew Brashler on YouTube to cover a good 90% of the functionality of the X32). Currently being used in conjunction with a Behringer SD16 16in/8out stagebox for the praise group. All existing inputs in the church are assigned to the first page group 1-16 and all the inputs from the SD16 are assigned to the second page group 17-32. The digital customisable scribble strip means no need for masking tape and markers and the ability to save a load state onto a memory pen means no matter who makes a mess of the settings, it can always be fixed by switching off and on again. Can also be controlled remotely via wifi with the X32 app on a tablet or phone (phone not ideal, bigger tablet screen recommended.) Well worth the money. Has USB interface as standard for using with a DAW or multi track recording on a PC. However for me, also worth purchasing is the X-Live SD expansion card for multi track recording stored on the X32; it’s an extra £300 including SD card but it means you will be able to record all 32 channels simultaneously for a “virtual sound check” at another time, this will give the inexperienced users a chance to practice mixing and for the more experienced users to fine tune signal processing like EQ, noise gates, compressors, effects, the list is endless - all without requiring an external computer loaded with software. There are much more capable boards out there but this one is bang on the money for price vs functionality. Would recommend to any house of worship for live use or even a small time band looking to produce their own demos. Also if you’re on a limited budget there is the smaller version for a few hundred less, the X32 Compact which has all the same functionality except for having 4 pages of 8 input groups rather than 2 pages of 16 like this model, or the rack mounted X32 Producer which is designed to be controlled using the app. Personally I like having as many inputs accessible at once as possible so this X32 is my preferred choice, probably a hangover from my years using manual boards. Comes with a flimsy cover bag but if you’re using it on the road I recommend getting a solid flightcase for it, or if you’re installing it permanently on a media table I recommend looking up the hard plastic cover from Decksaver, big money for moulded plastic but worth it (just note if you do use the Decksaver lid that you will need a low profile USB stick to fit underneath it if you are using a load state.) not much else I can tell you other than buy one and give it a whirl!

The price of this, less than £2000.00 for a fully digital sound console, means that if you are looking to add the convenience, control and ease of use that digital mixers offer, give this one a very long look!Yes, there is a very steep learning curve if, as I was, you are coming "new" to digital having previously only experienced using an analogue mixer; the modus operandi of a digital desk is fundamentally the same as an analogue, but with a much greater level of control of the sound. (For new users, there are a number of excellent YouTube videos explaining, often in considerable detail, how to operate specific features of the desk.)My purchase was for a church, where its assignability and multiple outputs, including the Ultranet connection for using Behringer P16m personal monitor mixers, have meant that all the different inputs and outputs are now much easier to control and the "sound" in the church is very much improved, a fact acknowledged even by those who were unsure whether spending money on the system was "really worth it".I won't begin to try and list all the facilities this desk offers the live sound engineer, but will highlight three that are especially useful to a church: the number of independent outputs, 16, which means that all the different feeds and mixes that may be needed can be easily created; the ability to create up to 6 "Mute Groups", which allow any combination of inputs to be instantly muted/unmuted; the facility to create complete snapshots of all the settings on the desk (including fader positions) so that one or more "standard set-ups" can be created and instantly recalled at the touch of a button.

I use the Wing in my studio and for live work and it is excellent used to have the X32 and the stage boxes so the transition was painless. The inboard processing having a variation of emulation compresses,Gates,EQ’s on every channel is amazing then two additional inserts of a host of powerful FXs. Is crazy. And it DAW Integration is perfectly.You get 48 channels via usb and if you install the Dante card you get 64 channels. Plus it come with an x live recording card and you can record 64 track live uncompressed audio to capture your live show or rehearsal session. I’m old school and this technology is the stuff I dreamed of when I was younger. I’m just glad I got to witness and use this technology to be able to create some amazing music. It kind of scares me of what come next.

Flipping incredible piece of engineering. Absolute credit to behringer even if they had a wobbly past this console absolutely pulls them out of the dirt and puts them back into the market of affordable digital gear. I use this for contract work around England and it’s amazing, rugged, fairly lightweight and along with a flight case it is brilliant to move around easily. I got the compact hoping that features weren’t compromised and I was absolutely correct. Brilliant piece of kit. My one and only complaint however is that there is a tiny dead pixel on the lcd screen towards the top right hand side and although isn’t a problem i would just suggest that maybe Behringer’s quality control should maybe be slightly tighter.