Is there any place where I can commission a custom mixer?
MostlyToast wrote:there really isn't a cheap, small, active mixer available
3-4 stereo inputs (1/8 in. jacks) with volume control into a metal enclosure that is about the size of a gameboy.
have you seen the ART stuff? they do a lot of small utility thingies
heres a cheap small active mixer with 3 stereo inputs & volume control in a metal enclosure that is about the size of a gameboy
http://www.thomann.de/gb/art_powermix_i a3306c4d1b
anyway cool idea justwanted to save you from potentially reinventing the wheel
At $90 it's twice the price he is proposing his project will cost. @mostlytoast have you thought about offering DIY kits as well? After building a few bleep labs kits and a shruthi I enjoy building kits and the nice prices DIY entails.
Yeah, not sure if I'll do faders and whutnot. The cost to make these would go up quite a bit and I would rather keep the design simple and have one less thing that could fail. Maybe if this project goes well I'll add more things in the future but I'd rather focus on the now. I was mainly looking for how many inputs would be needed and whether people prefer dc in or 9v batteries. I do plan to build at least one for myself but whether I sell this design is another story. The first one should be finished in January if everything goes well.
@kineticturtle: Thanks for the great ideas however, balanced XLR outputs and aux sends feel overkill for this project. I may add this but don't count on it.
@sandneil: That ART mixer looks really similar to what my goal for this project was.
@sxe_weekend: I suppose diy kits would be possible but I would have to have PCBs printed, otherwise I would just be sending out bags of parts. Not sure if I can afford that at the moment because most places that print PCBs require you order them in large quantities.
Thanks everyone for showing interest in this.
@mostlytoast it will take me a bit but I can give you a link to a place that does small run PCB production for a decent price. A lot of the peeps creating DIY stuff on the Mutable Instruments forum use them. I believe you can order batches of 15.
Someone on Mutable Instruments ordered 30 monotribe midi boards for $40.
Alleybeach and I prototyped 3 Arduinoboy boards for $5 with shipping. oshpark is da best
Feature creep IS bad, it's true!
I just feel that the main weakness of most li'l mixers out there is that they only have one output, and I think even just an aux out would really make this special and unique, and more useful for a lot of chip people. Three stereo ins and two stereo outs would perfectly fit the very common "two gameboys and a kaoss pad" setup, with only 8 knobs!
Anyway, it's your project, and I'm sure it will be rad no matter what! Personally, you put a stereo aux out on it, and I'd buy one. Four stereo inputs and an aux out, and I'd flip!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TM31Q mdp_mobile
Alto Professional ZMX52 5-Channel 2-Bus Mixer with Zephyr Mic Preamps
I'm using one of these for my setup and haven't had any issues yet. It's a nice little mixer for the price. I'm still super interested in this project though!
The Boss BX4s were basically this. Tiny little stereo mixers that run on a 9V battery.
Crazy useful too.
Personally, you put a stereo aux out on it, and I'd buy one. Four stereo inputs and an aux out, and I'd flip!
Word.
The Boss BX4s were basically this. Tiny little stereo mixers that run on a 9V battery.
Crazy useful too.
Boss BX4s are like pop tarts crazy good!
something like a korg nanocontrol, but 4 stereo / 8 mono + master fader would be awesome.
vertically paired 1/4inch inputs on the back for each channel, mono switch for L only
a trim knob. maybe 2 inches x 4 inches x 8 inches. hmmm,