Studiomaster Pro 3 16.3 Mixer

[Jarrell Campbell]

Justwant to show you something new - Studiomaster digiLivE 16 . Finally a great digital mixer with 16 inputs/ 8 analog outputs (*digital outputs also available) and the most important thing is the power supply - 12 volt DC !!! So no need of any additional power convertors. Also the size is really good. 100mm faders and HD touch Screen. The price is more than good -

Well, that looks pretty terrific in terms of inputs, outputs, features and functions (and of course the DC power!) but it does look rather cheap construction. Watching a video, they state that it is definitely a LIVE mixing panel, there is no "multi-track output" (I'm assuming he means no discrete iso track routing) so that may be a deal beaker to use for production sound recording. Certainly worth checking out.

Yes it's now the kind of 'standard' DC in for MI market rack units powered by wall-warts, and some products have cable-hooks for these, but i wouldn't trust the power to stay in securely on this in a temporary location setup.

Basically this is just another case of moving the mains part of the PSU outside the case ( not least as it allows cheaper regionalisation of plugs and volts ) for something intended to be operated from its own supplied PSU anyway, rather than it being something actually designed for 'optional battery powering'. I'm not saying you couldn't run it from 12V batts, but i doubt the current draw would be at all frugal.

To be honest its really strange that we can't find any manuals or full specifications of this mixer. I was attracted by the size and the 12Dc power option. Can't find anywhere info about the weight ? This 20kg info is not possible at all. I think you can get 8 iso outputs from the 8 XLR outputs on the back. Its a question of rooting. Also I really hope that all the inputs can be switched between mic amps. or line level inputs. Don't know also for the digital output options. Probably we should wait for some more info to be available.

I just purchased a "version" of this mixer. It's the SKP D-Touch 20. Unlike the Studiomaster the D-Touch has recallable mic pres. I don't think I would use this for serious location recording, however I do see a place for it in doing a small PA set up or webcast. And yes it does run off of 12VDC.

I've only had it a few days, but my initial impressions (given it's size and price) are positive. I will likely use it for small corporate events and small webcasts. It has 12 mic inputs, with 4 of them being combo 1/4" & XLR, 2 stereo inputs on L/R 1/4", as well as SPDIF in/out and AES out. In addition the unit will playback and record to a thumb drive. They have an ipad app as well, which seems to work well, howbeit the range is somewhat limited using the included "dongle".

Somebody somewhere is mixing a lowbudg movie with this thing. I hope the iPad deal doesn't bag them (network, update, thermal etc issues) and that the headroom is ok. A movie done on one of these would be a good lesson in why higher-end gear is the way it is and costs what it costs. In the posts above there were a few digs @ QSC re TouchMix mixers. I have to say that their support has been great given such a cheap device (they answer their phone, for starters), they keep working on the firmware and show up on their Facebook group to answer questions. As a mixer to do a real active mix on it blows (one fader at a time on an onboard screen, with outboard tablets+phones too if you want), but as a utility mixer for a band, for AV etc etc it's pretty great. Good sound, very deep routing, good FX, scene memory, can record full MT spread @ full bandwidth to a USB stick, no bigger or heavier than a normal laptop. And CHEAP.

And yet people do use Mackie mixers and Zoom recorders. Personally, I have a hard time taking anyone seriously who would show up to a gig expecting a pro rate and to be treated like a pro and using pro-summer gear, but I am a hard critic when it comes to gear.

Ok guys. I can't understand your problem. I thought this forum is about talking and sharing not just hating! Both of you have never seen this mixer neither to use it somehow? So just to make some possible judgments is not really cool. I know you don't like it but we are just discussing. For example Yamaha 01V96i is noisy and AC powered but many people in the States use it and like it. Never seen a bad word about it. So why we can try to find some proper alternative= 12volt powered, good pre-amps, enough outputs and small size ? That's the point.

I understand how you feel, but the guts of a mixer like the one being discussed here are in many mixers of different shapes and brands and come from the same factories in China. So if you have some familiarity with a few you probably know the drill with many more. I've seen plenty of bad words about 01v96 consoles, but the good outweighed the bad for most professional users needing that deep a box, going back many years now. Many of us who have been doing location work for a long time understand how difficult it is to make a high-fidelity, versatile, rugged, relatively small mixer that will work on DC, let alone only 12VDC, so we are a little skeptical. If you decide to get one of these and do some work with it please report back. It would be good for everyone if it turned out to be a great box.

I would love to use the QU-16, but I need to run it on 12V, what's the nominal power consumption of this table? Max. power usage is 82W, which means it can run for only 2 hours on my carts heavy battery, but maybe it doesn't need that power with 'normal' use?

I bought the SoundKing DM20 board as an intermediate board to get the cart going on 12V before installing a full AC/DC/Inverter system and board later on. This board will transition to be a playback or backup system.

Sound quality is good, I would say above average for this tier of product, but you will notice on a Nomad or 788T that you get what you pay for. The high end recorders and mixers we use sound better. This sounds good enough, but don't expect best sound from this unit.

I'm working on a Digilive 16 for a school and have a couple of problems. There is no output from the two TRS monitor outputs. I can't get L&R Mix into busses 5 & 6 that I need for a second set of powered speakers. Any suggestions as to what process to follow or someone to guide me through it? Thanks. Ed Williams

Updated from the legendary CLUB range of mixers, the new CLUB XS+ takes affordable small format analogue mixers to new height and is the perfect mixer for any live performance and home recording situation.

The best of both worlds, the DigiLive 16RS offers a hybrid system for mixing. Full tablet control of your mix is backed up with a Hands On option. This is the perfect mix of compactness and functionality. 16 input, 16 busses and all the features expected of a professional mixing solution.

The C3 range of mixers comprises two models, both offering you a total of 12 inputs in a compact 1U 19 rack mountable package. This C3X model also includes the Studiomaster custom DSP effects processor. All the professional features you need for quality sound that defies it's size.

Well, I found a few simular consols made by them on Ebay. Most of its worn out live PA mixers. Depending on the quality, you could use it for some kind of recording application I suppose like mixing drums or something, but alot of junk made back then was pretty piss poor for quality. It may harm your stuff more than help. You also have possible issues with worn pots, weak channels, hum from old power supply caps, etc etc.

I had a Studiomaster Mixdown 16-8 for a while back in the day... must have been late 80s or early 90s. It wasn't a bad board - at least not at first. Not for the day anyway... but the EQ is a bit limited, and the noise specs are not that great by today's standards. Most troubling though, was a tendency for the knobs to "freeze" and "grab". If you didn't move them regularly, the knobs would practically lock up and require quite a bit of force to get them rotating again. I've noticed that on several Studiomaster boards over the years.

"Most troubling though, was a tendency for the knobs to "freeze" and "grab". If you didn't move them regularly, the knobs would practically lock up and require quite a bit of force to get them rotating again".

Old Tapcos had the same issue, I got a few of those too I've restored. They used to pack the pots and sliders with conductive grease to give the sliders a plush feel vs using a dry pot/slider. If someone tries to clean those things with alcohol based cleaner it will lock them up like you explained. They used to make stuff called wep that made them work for awhile, but by that time they were usually history. To fix the smooth sliding issue properly you need to re-liquify the grease in there with a light petroleum machine oil or mineral oil. Sometimes it makes it fairly functional again. If not you need to soak them and completely remove all the old grease then repack them with conductive grease. A nasty job with questionable results. If the carbon contacts are worn its useless, replacing all the pots is the only option. (In the case of the tapcos, the pot shafts were plastic and snapped off when trying to remove the knobs, another great product from the 70s that didnt age well) This is why I give cautious advice about buying older stuff. Besides battel damage, some of the parts are difficult to find too. I'm an electronic tech by trade and I'm able to do the repairs myself including taking the pots appart to clean. Some mixers will cost more for the pot replacement these days than the things worth. I would say for new sliders your talking about $510 each, and a couple of hundred to replace them all, if they are not PC mounted. If they are PC mounted I wouldnt touch it for at least $400. Its an easy 8 hour job with no short cutting. If you're going to do it, you need to do them all. One may be bad to start but the others are sure to follow.

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