Behringer X16 / XR18 / X18 [Digital Mixers / Soundcard / Ableton / Studio]

[Críoch]

Hi guys,

Anybody here have one?

My soundcard is cool ATM.. but seeing the amount of connectivity with this thing & for the price, I'm wondering if this will be my next soundcard. Buying from Thomann would also give a 3 year warranty.

Seen some people talk positively about it online.

Would be nice to have stuff perma-plugged in.

I'm on PC. Heard that Behringer don't have their own drivers for pc. Mac is ok afaik. Was checking out some other s.cards on & off, earlier in the year when I was trying to chase down some audio gremlins & seen the Behringer UMC1820. Again, positive reviews.. only gripe seemed to be around the pc drivers.

Would appreciate hearing any experiences.

[speen]

I’ve got the umc1820, and it works fine.

I’m not doing anything fancy with but never had issues. And it’s pretty affordable.

Edit: I’m on Mac though

[Críoch]

That's good to hear man. Yeah.. was impressed by the spec & feedback about that one in particular. It is indeed a serious contender for 'my next soundcard..'

Just greedy looking at the x18 input count, especially with all the FX / additional features.

[kronk]

are those X yokes not focused on ipad integration.... is that something youre interested in?

[Críoch]

Afaik.. there's a bit of software that you can use in your computer & you don't need a tablet. Must double check that incase I've got the wrong end of the stick, just being excited.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.soundo ... xr18%3famp

^^
Was originally reading this SOS article. I think you can just run it on a Mac or PC, as a kinda big piece of mixer software, with all Routing & FX available.

[Críoch]

Sonic state vid.

youtu.be/jmhQSiQuvXw

[kronk]

ah, i was thinking of a different one that the ipad sortof sits into.

looks not bad.. 6 auxes is v nice.

[Críoch]

Aye.. hence why I was slightly even unsure with the title of this thread. There does look to be some variants

[Patientrichard]

I have one, and it's great.

Routing options for days, internal fx that are better than just OK, works online or offline.

It's a digital mixer, and the faders are controlled via an app, or using your mouse. I have an old midi controller set up to control it myself.

For the money you'll be hard pressed to find a better alternative

[Críoch]

Hey Richard, that's interesting. Which model do you have? I'm looking towards the x16.. unless there is a good reason not too

Are you using it with Ableton or DAW.. getting the usb tracks into corresponding channels?

I'm half thinking of getting one to evaluate. Would be really nice to have everything plugged in 24/7 & live the dream.

There is little about these online regarding DAW usage. Seen one vid about logic, another about traction (??).. but fk all about Ableton.. and even less about people using them on forums etc..

Really need to try one out & see if it does what it appears to promise.

[Críoch]

This is a good vid. Chap gives a good overview.

X18 & XR18 is where it's at.

Usb only records / spits out the l+r master on the xr12&16.

X18 & XR18 allow you to route all through a daw.. full 18 track multi recording.

youtu.be/5sck2bDtGb0

[Críoch]

Ok.. well, I've ordered a X18. The one with the Tablet cradle on the top.

My logic for this was that I could:

A. Probably use an old tablet here as a control surface. They can also be used without a tablet.. via the computer.

B. Have 1/4 Jacks on the Aux outs, rather than XLR (which are on the XR series). Save buying new cables / messing around.

C. Cheaper than the XR18 & pretty much exactly the same spec, apart from the RCA input/output. 16 dual 1/4 / XLR inputs.. 2 RCA inputs.. 6 1/4 aux outputs (XLR only on the XR series).

Got a B-stock from Thomann for 369€.. so happy enough to try it out anyway.

I've a few questions / concerns regarding sending midi out (will I need to keep my Motu ultralight somewhere in the mix?).. and I'm still somewhat confused about getting sounds back out of the computer. Im not sure if I'll need to keep the Motu & switch between it & the x18 / switch between different profiles/ snapshots in the behringer software, allowing me to play the output of the Motu through the x18's inputs, as if it was an external instrument of some kind.

Ahhhh.. lots to think about & discover. Tbh.. there's fuck all about this specifically online. The manual is quite light. Vids are a breadcrumb trail at best, but it's difficult to make out exactly what is there.

Finally, I've had a lot of audio gremlins over the last year or so & I'm wondering if this unit might help. Not expecting a miracle, but time will tell

Will chart my (please God, please God ) progress in here.

[Críoch]

Very active group on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/behring ... ?ref=share

Lots of knowledge there.

[Críoch]

Finally got a 'better' version of the manual. One I've been working off had more pictures than anything.

Looks promising re: midi.

Should be getting delivered on Monday.

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[timc3]

I have heard of people buying them just to use as FX boxes..

Let us know how you get on with it!

[Críoch]

Arrived today..

[Críoch]

Still have a bit of setting up to do.. but first impressions:

Decent quality. Great size. Slim enough to fit away somewhere or have out on a desk.

Tablet cradle is rubberised.. I'm sure it's that sort of type that goes weird & sticky after a few years. The jogwheels on the Behringer BCD2000 (DJ Mixer) go like that.

No usb cable in box. Plug is the round 2 pin type. Boo.

Comes with a small printed installation manual

Only have one speaker set up right now as I need to make up a 2nd male / female XLR. If anyone gets one, make sure you have 2 male / female XLR cables.. or 2 male XLR to 1/4 Jack.. depending on your monitors. Easy to overlook

Was awkward to set up initially. Latest driver did not do the biz.. and I only got it up & running with the previous one. Seen some info from users on FB recommending the previous drivers for other reasons, as BEHR had implemented some changes. Set up right away after that. W10 recognised it as a soundcard. And Ableton - 18 fucking inputs!

X Air Software needs routing of main outputs changed to USB 1+2.

ITS LOUD AF. The volume control on the behr X series unit is for headphones only.. which is a pain. I've got Abletons master right down until I figure out the easiest workflow way of controlling it. I'm sure the is some way in the x air software. I've just spent today listening to Ableton through it & setting up a few hw synths & recording stuff.

Midi out from Ableton, midi clips , though the behr to hw synths work perfectly. Sounds good through the external instrument plugin. Was getting some megajitter for some reason using straight out midi on an Ableton channel, then audio back in on an Ableton audio channel. Strange.

Have been messing about on a small loop all afternoon & it's sounding 100%. Haven't had any glitchy-ness, crashes or otherwise.

I've been experiencing a lot of audio gremlins the last year or so with my new pc & early indications would suggest that my monitors through this x18 might be a better match. These X series are probably designed for live sound use & powered amplification in mind. Might be better suited to electronic imbalances. Dunno. Early days.

Initial impressions - fucking mighty. 18 inputs. Have a bit more testing to do before I start ripping the place apart & setting everything up again.

[Críoch]

Ok.. breakthrough.

Computer sounds & Ableton L & R mains come out on USB 1+2.

You can route usb 1+2 to a fader called AUX.. Which is used to play audio, such as mp3's during a break in a set / backing tracks etc..

If you route usb 1+2 to AUX, you can raise the channel fader & then raise the master fader out.

There are probably other ways of going about this.. creating a headphone mix or using some of the 6x 1/4 aux outs on the back for your monitors, instead of the main out XLRS.. But this seems the most straightforward so far. Big bonus is that Ableton & the computers main outs are put on a fader that isn't required by the physical inputs & outputs.

Still, there is no physical master volume control on the unit. Best solution I reckon is having the x air edit mixer page open & adjust at will.. or hooking it up to a tablet. Have it in front of you. Bit of a luxury though. I have an old tablet, which would be cool.. but I can imagine being stuck if it wasn't charged. There is a X air mixer app for Android & iPhone which allows you to connect etc.. I can imagine that I will end up using the phone as a mini touchscreen , pretty much just for the physical x18 main outs fader.

Still only rocking one speaker, but really happy with the sound & functionality of the x18. Been messing about with Ableton today & the app works seamlessly in the background. Haven't noticed any glitches or performance issues with the computer. Audio system is silent, insofar as i seem to have lost all the interference & household electrical interaction in my speakers.

So far so good.

Aim to make up some proper cables for my monitors over the next few days & will go about hooking stuff up etc..

So, if anyone is considering getting one, or looking for more inputs; I'd recommend giving it a try. It's pretty straightforward so far , from what I've experienced. It sends out midi & is great fucking value.

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[borg]

looks like a winner, then! I'm looking for a small analogue mixer in the same price range, but it's practically impossible to find a real decent one at that price. Most of these small mixers don't even have returns for fx (not even a 1500€ Dynacord), having to sacrifice at least 2 channels if you wanna use your own gear, not a fan of most built in fx (often just one tweakable parameter if lucky).
My Push1 is starting to show the sticky rubber syndrome now too.

Picked up my ULI-101 from the post office yesterday, just in time for the remembrance of yet another year added to the counter. First impressions: pretty solid (just wondering how long the scale switch/knob is gonna last. been jammin' and twistin' that know like crazy) , love the sound! no presets, but synths don't come much simpler as an SH-101, so not a real problem. Now, for about 6 and a half MS-101 synths I could have bought this beauty as centre piece of any room in the house... http://apparatus.su/
come on Uli! I know you can make one for under 400€!

Funny, just saw they also have the MR-18. Looks exactly the same as the XR-18, but with a Midas logo, @ 700€ (didn't investigate differences).

[PERIAL]

looks like a winner, then! I'm looking for a small analogue mixer in the same price range, but it's practically impossible to find a real decent one at that price. Most of these small mixers don't even have returns for fx (not even a 1500€ Dynacord), having to sacrifice at least 2 channels if you wanna use your own gear, not a fan of most built in fx (often just one tweakable parameter if lucky).

Yamaha MGP series has returns for fx. Also internal fxs are surprisingly really nice, they can be also tweaked via the app. I have MGP16X and pretty love it for live performances, it's kind of like a Swiss army knife.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-MGP12 ... 3601467215
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-MGP-2 ... 4802678190 not the small though but its literally total bargain