Really great review! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. Here's a table of contents which might help other people zero in on a particularly area of interest: 0:50 > physical inputs outputs (back of the unit) 10:20 > Meet the X Air software -Note: Aux button = for USB plug-in 11:47 > Snap shots 14:15 > starts talking about channels in general 15:20 > mute groups 16:32 > channels little more in depth (noise gait, EQ, compressor, aux sends) 18:21 > Aux Bus & Effect Sends (basic review) 21:00 > Input Tab Review 23:21 > Gate tab Review 24:50 > EQ tab - review and demo 27:10 > Compression tab 28:40 > Sends Tab (for auxiliary/ “bus” sends & FX sends) -where you can send the channel into the aux/bus sends (e.g., monitors). Can also send effects into monitors here too. 30:50 > main output tab 31:28 > back to channel setting. Stereo settings explained. 33:08 > Meter Tab explained 34:44 > *FX tab explained. (Remember to hit the insert button to assign to selected track) 38:30 > right side menu explanations started 38:32 > set up tab explained 39:30 > AP button (wifi access point) explained. Set password here if you want. 40:55 > WLAN button explained. 41:25 > LAN button explained 42:06 > audio midi tab explained 43:36> monitor tab explained (for headphone jack) 44:27 > GUI Prefs tab explained 44:58 > up and down arrows button explained (assign channels to buses; auxiliary outputs are assigned & mains) 47:34 > utility tab explained 48:10 > save/load/copy/paste 48:28 > snapshot tab talked about again 48:56: recorder tab explained. (Stick music in USB. Can play from here. USB must be fat 32. Comes into Aux channel). 52:19: main LR (output) tab: (has 6 band parametric or graphic EQ & compressor). Goes over EQ’s a little. 54:22: *going to talk about the right lower corner buttons: (bus/monitor buttons) (sends on Fader): you can add gait, compression, EQ to monitor outs from here. 57:38: FX buttons (lower right): sends on Fader for effects. (Confusing) short
Behringer should be paying you for this tutorial it is better that what they have for people to learn. I have a the XR12 and the XR18 this really helped me to learn more about these mixer. Thank you for taking the time and doing this video. I will try to join your channel.
Thanks heaps Matt. I bought one of these mixers and could only use it at a very basic level. Being a guitar player and not an audio guy I don't have any background in mixing. You have raised my level of knowledge exponentially. Really great overview. Thanks, John from Australia.
That was a truly great and informative video. Had mine for a few years for open mic nights, now finished. Now, including into my main set up. You’ve really helped me get to know this unit better and why I’ve never used it before was more down to Wi-Fi drop out. Now connected via Ethernet to Mac rather than iPad makes this a studio quality rig 👍
This is beyond awesome. Way better job and a 100 times better than the Behringer videos out there. Thank you so much. Received my unit a while back but have not set up as yet but I did download the app to my IPad today and think I can figure out the rest based on the knowledge you shared here. Thank you so much.
Excellent overview, actually decided to buy this digimix for our group. Only thing "missing" for us is integral feedback suppression, but we have an external rack-mount one that works well so we'll keep that. Thanks!
I watched a lot of xr videos and this is the very best so far. I will have to watch many times, and insert time markers for stuff I have a hard time with.
Although limited in I/O, the price for the I/O AND processing is a very good value. I use it for weddings, meetings, banquets, etc. The automix and also the ducking features that can be set come in very handy for that sort of usage.
Just as a mention, that xlr output cable you are using is a polarised cable but connected the other way round. In a real life setup i know for sure you keep track of those details. Big thumbs up for the review! For me it did help making a decision about buying this little toy. 👍
Great thorough review! And I absolutely agree that this a great little mixer especially for musicians out there, the Midas preamps are fantastic! I've been a fan of Behringer for a long time now for my live mixers. I'm a vocalist and a trombone player and I've owned and tried Allen & Heath, Peavey and Mackie boards. Most recently I tried Mackie's version of the X-Air series and it was a vast improvement over Mackie Pro-FX mixers but I still prefer the XR-12. For years I ran a little Behringer 4 channel and sold a Pro-fx 12 because it required too much tweaking to get sort of close but not good enough. Now that Behringer bought Midas, their preamps are even better! Thanks for the in depth review, great job!!
Thank you for making this video! A small feature request? Time stamps of your outline included in the description for this video would be amazing! (especially since it's an hour long). Nonetheless, thank you thank you thank you!
THANKS! This is not a rough overview as you called it - man, it's absolutely great stuff. This helped me make the purchase decision. And it' better than Behringer's own tutorials.
thanks for the wonderful review. I wanted to ask if you used an audio interface to record the audio of the video and how you connected it to the mixer. Aslight background noise is heard under the voice. is it due to the mixer preamps? thanks!!
Every DJ/Vocalist/Solo Artist/Small band needs this mixer... it’s one hell of a tool box and will last you a lot longer and is a lot cheaper than analog equivalents... no faders means no noisy channels, no broken eq Pots... compressor gate and limiting on all channels, full parametric eq on all channels, 31 band stereo eq, compression and limiting in the master, 4 fx units and a 2 track stereo recorder... if you buy the cheapest outboard and mixer to run all that outboard it will cost around £€$ 2k+... this mixer is a “no brainer” 🖖🤓👍
Great job. Very thorough. One question/comment, when you said that the bus sub-mixes were not used on this unit; Would they be available to mix up a separate output to the USB recorder? Another potential use would be as a sub mix for drums, in case you wanted to compress the drum sub-mix and reintroduce that compressed sound along with the normal drum mix to give it some punch? I appreciate the demo of channels 13 etc still being available to be fed from one of the 1-12 inputs. I actually use that flexibility to allow mixing a dry and wet signal on an acoustic guitar. It sounds better and is easier to grab in a pinch. Very good presentation. I have an MR-18, which I picked up after selling my XR18, but my buddy just got an XR-12 for an open mic that he does every week. We are giving it a test run this weekend at a little party at Fullerton Airport. Good to see that the operating system is basically the same as the XR18 and MR18 (except for the usb recorder and different channel count).
Quick question on set up for DJ set. We use 2 controllers and use 4 channels. I know you use channel 5 & 6 according to your video, but was wondering if I can also use channels 1, 2, 3, & 4 instead and would it make a difference as oppose to 5,6,7, & 8. What do you suggest? Pro and cons? Please let me know. I know you explained some on that here but just wanted to double check. Thanks again.
There is another minor issue, channels 11 & 12 have high impedence inputs design for use with plugging an instrument like a guitar directly into the mixer. So the correct answer to your question will be "what type of inputs are you putting into the specific channels?"
Just to note that even on the "smaller" mixers, the XR12 and XR16 (which I have), those "unused" 4 or 2 "AUX" busses can be used as subgroups (which is how they default on the routing tab), which you could use as inputs to FX units, or as traditional analogue-mxer-like subgroups instead of DCAs. You did mention this very briefly near the end. Nothing is wasted on these mixers, even on the little guys!
Are the headphone functions also audible on the jack on your tablet/PC? Ie does it copy the headphone jack output stream over WIFI / LAN to the device your are using as your controller so that you can walk around the room with your tablet and still here PFL, AFL, solo, etc.?
Fantastic review thanks. We are also considering for a church but would be keen to understand for weekdays if it could be switched on and use the last settings without booting up the computer ?
Yes. It retains all settings between power cycles. Unless you have it set to “mute on power up”, then everything stays exactly as it was when it lost power.
Hi Matt, so glad I found this!... your the only one out there that has brought this to a level of hands-on understanding!! I purchased the xr18 over a year ago but keep finding myself goin back to my 8ch analogue console! Simply because I cannot get close to the sound I want on my XR18 as I do on the analogue!! Not close!! Especially on vocals!! The presence and punch on my analogue far beyond the xr18 and I’m 20 years with analogue! It’s just that I’m trying to change over to digital but getting no where!! Also... you mention dj’ing in certain venues or music... but I find my eyes constantly tweeting the eq on every song!! Whereas the analogue I set and that’s it! But the digital xr18 is constantly adjusting frequencies because each song is different!! Is there some sort of fx built in that could possibly be set to automatically set the levels so this is not constantly hand on!! It’s impossible to enjoy a gig like this!! Thnx again matt and sorry for the long message! But I’m sure others will find help in this too... Anthony
I have the same issue setting up the vocals for Karaoke. Can't set mid - lows perfectly as analogue. Was there any luck for you setting it up? Can you share some tips if you figured it out? Thanks so much.
I just got this mixer it is a bit overwhelming I glad I came across your video it is very informative and helpful but I was wondering if you could explain how you set this up when you use it to DJ with any help you can give would very appreciated
Excellent job! I am still a bit confused over snapshots vs scenes. It seems that snapshots are only saved on the X-AIR and that scenes can exist on the device and the PC using X AIR edit. Are scenes and snapshots any different in their content?
Yeah, they both do the same thing, but the snapshots are saved on the xair itself. That way any device can recall them, rather than only one specific device.
Hi - Great video - A lot to take in but its just like anything new it's a learning curve. I am looking to upgrade my analogue Yamaha MG10XU USB desk. I use it mainly as an audio source for when making Zoom calls. I can use channels 1-8 to send and stereo 9-10 for the the USB return. There is a dedicated USB switch between line/USB on channels 9-10. Adjust the fader for volume. Simple. So, looking to upgrade to one of the smaller Behringer x-air mixers, where does the other persons audio return to? Is there a specific stereo return or would I create one? - Your help would be very much appreciated. Thanks - Subscribed to you today. Peter.
Bravo. Nicely reviewed. I'm considering this mixer and your tutorial is very helpful. What are the biggest shortcomings of this mixer, in your opinion?
The biggest downfall to me is the lack of physical control surface! If you let your computer or iPad go to sleep, it can take up to 15-20 seconds to make a very quick adjustment. Some discipline in keeping an interface live and active mitigates that, but a physical knob or faders are nice
Hi, Is it possible to send the audio to the hardware external effects (for example guitar effects, vocal processors) and then return signal back to the mixer ?
Woah, so you can record a stereo mix to the USB port? I thought I read a few places that you couldn't do it on the XR12? This could be a game-changer for me!
Thanks for the video. When I select the SOLO, the volume of the channel I selected increased significantly going out of my main LR. Any ideas why that's happening to me? Thanks!
I’ll need to look, but there is a setting for the solo, whether it’s an “in place “ solo, or “solo monitor” I think is what it’s called. I’ll try and look later for that setting. One of them truly solos it into the main mix, the other just solos it into the headphone output.
Really nice overview! I am getting used to looking at the iPad app while thinking about buying one but that Laptop screen looks OVERWHELMING complex. 😬
I work with an Xair 12 mixer. I would like to bring my laptop to work, and backup all of my scenes. Do you know the procedure for doing this? I was planning on using a Cat5 cable, between my laptop & router. I have the router password, but are there other problems I'll encounter? Like, when it asks me for port numbers or something? Is there a preferred way of doing this? Thanks in advance! :)
Yeah the snapshot holds everything in the mixer, eq’s levels, everything. You can select with each snapshot what parameters it saves, so say you don’t want it to store the EQ’s, that’s possible too.
If I wanted in ears would I have them download the app on their phone and they can create a monitor mix for themselves? (Because the built in router would create lag with many users, I can add on a separate router to have that optimized connection for everyone)
Hi, I want to send main output and an additional mic of an operator to Aux 1 headphones. I’m not able to do it. I see the aux levels but nothing reaches the headphones. Can you give me a hint?
For dj controller is it best to use the XLR out into this? Would you click combine the Stereo button 3/4! Would it be better to use this as the usb audio?
My band needs to input 4 vocal mics and 3 drum mics. Is it better to use a separate mixer for the drum mics and input that to one of the line in's or is there a better way?
Great review, you have a very good demeanor for teaching, and very knowledgeable, with real world experience. I’m a noob looking on how to use a mixer properly and what all the functions are for. If your interested “mixer 101” course would be a cool addition to your channel. 🤓
Hello, can you help me ? On last show y made sound operation to some friends of mine .. when i put microphone volume so high all volume (instruments too ) went into low volume and then when vocal finished singing volume came again to it normal volume.. do you know why that happened ? Thank you for any helpping ..
Matt, awesome review. Thanks so much for taking time out to make this video. I have a question regarding output from the XR-12 to speakers. Our band currently uses 4 passive speakers (2 main 15s and 2 monitor 12s) with a Mackie powered mixer. But we want something much more portable and not so bulky. We're looking at getting the XR-12, and I had an audio engineer recommend this along with the Behringer iNuke 3000 to give us enough wattage to push the 4 speakers. If we were to go that route, is there a channel configuration you could think of that would give us 2 customized monitors alongside the main L and R? It looks like the iNuke 3000 only has two inputs and two outputs, so I'm not really sure what the audio engineer had in mind, although I'm sure he knows way more than I do. Thanks again for the vid!
Hey! So the only way I can think to pull that off, would be to chain the two main speakers off one of the main outputs of the xr12, and use one of the monitor outputs on the xr12, to drive the other channel on the amp, which would in turn drive the two monitors.
Okay, I thought about that as well, but are there any issues with ohm balancing on the MAIN L and R since the main 15s ( let's say they're on L) pull more ohms than the monitor 12s (those being on R)?
So keep in mind impedance on speakers is a bit confusing, but if you have two 8 ohm speakers, “chained” together, that makes a 4 ohm load on an amplifier. As long as your amp is rated for a minimum of 4 ohms, your fine!
@@davidstanley1451 Two 8 ohm speakers in parallel will yield 4 ohms. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in series will yield 16 ohms. A 4 ohm and an 8 ohm speaker in parallel will probably be around 6 ohms, in series around 12 ohms. Are you running in stereo? What I think you meant to ask was "Can I run the house mix and still get two independent monitor mixes from the XR12?" The answer is yes. There are two AUX sends which can each be mixed separately from the main mix. The main mix is stereo. The auxes can be stereo or two separate mono mixes.
very rich content brother!! thank you for the videos, I was wondering how to make a video about IFB communication to be able to talk to talents on stage, like in tv you know.
I don’t, I’ve found the auto mix sometimes isn’t the fastest, and with just two mics, sometimes both are good to have active for better pickup of everyone.
Hi Matt, just bought one of these (waiting for it to arrive), but wondering if I can run it to a power amp to run my unpowered JBL speakers? And would I do that through the Main outs or Aux outs? Thanks in advance.
Hi, Just one question. In our church we have three microphones. One for the pastor, one in the organ, and one environment mic. We want the pastor to mute as soon as the organ starts playing.
I’m not sure if the “automix” feature would help out on that, I haven’t messed with it much, but basically it automatically lowers the volume on any of the non-active mics, it was designed to be used in a conference panel situation, so whomever was talking has the highest volume, then it automatically mixes in the other people based on who is talking. That might work for your situation
I'm curious to what view that is since I can't seem to find that view on my iPad or my Android tablet? It seems a lot more detailed than what I have access to. Or maybe I'm just missing something? I like the whole digital concept of this mixer but I'm finding it very difficult to use. I want to go USB out from the computer to send karaoke music to the Behringer X air and it seems like the only way you can do that is through the headphone jack which is kind of strange. Anybody have any ideas how to use the USB port?
So my settings are pretty basic. I make sure to low cut every mic (so I don’t get any real low pops or booms) , then just adjust any high end to compensate for any of my mic losses. After that, I just have a music input, and a couple mics, and that’s it! I try and keep it simple for me, and it usually works out well. Just don’t try and over complicate it with compression and gates and such.
I watched the whole video to get a grasp of this. I do have a question. Can this replace a desk mixer. Reason for asking, we have a small church and extremely limited income. I would love 6 aux for the worship team. How reliable is the wifi and how much range can you get "out of the box"? How responsive is it for making quick changes to the volume level? Geez.. so many questions! Thanks again for such a detailed review! Would love to set this on the stage and work from the back from a laptop. It would "cut" a lot of wires.
Hey! So first off, the WiFi that is built in is not the greatest, I recommend using an external WiFi router (even a cheap one off amazon is better) and hooking it to the xair via cat5. After that, it’s very responsive! Plus with snapshots, you could automate a good bit of changes within a church. It has replaced a desk mixer for me a lot, and if you pair it with a touchscreen computer or laptop, it makes it feel a lot like a desk.
@@Code_mov Thank you very much for your reply! Now, I'll just have to wrap my head around the interface. Not so easy at my advanced age! Again, thank you for your in depth review which I will be referring to a lot more when I get this mixer. I did download the software and have it on my desktop computer to see how responsive it is.
@@Code_mov Thanks for the reply! Since you have actual experience with this mixer, what do you personally use to interface with it. Would a table laptop (with USB to Ethernet adapter) work? Still looking for a cost effective interface besides a costly laptop. Right now, we have a 24 channel analog mixer. Easy for me to use. We also have a compressor to keep things from getting too loud in our highly reflective chapel. All hard surfaces. Also basically need to set up the aux send mixes, add compression to drums and singers who have no idea of handling a mic thinking it's like eating ice cream while the scream at the top of their lungs, and be able to adjust volume when we have guest speakers that need translation, in addition to recording everything with Audacity. Minor EQ to the stage monitors (really want to go in ear) and slight EQ to the house speakers. My needs have been basically satisfied with the analog (no FX used) except we only have 2 AUX sends. You know what that means with 4-5 singers, 2 guitars, electric drums, 2 keyboards and 1 bass.... I bring aspirin with me all the time.
So the xair application is very lightweight. I use an old laptop, and a usb/vga touchscreen to run it typically. I also use a raspberry pi hooked to a hdmi touchscreen as well.
Awesome overview!! One question I can’t seem to get my usb to work? I have several flash drives formatted fat32 and none work? The light on the usb dose not blink or do anything? I have tried a 9g a 32g and 128g from different manufacturers? What did you use that worked ?
Mine is a Sandisk, 64gb. I have it formatted fat32. I used Rufus (windows program) to format it. If I remember correctly, I couldn’t format it with windows, it just wouldn’t work, I had to use that other program. I remember that it only worked with fat32, and no other formats from what I tried. I record quite a bit with it, and it seems ok.
Really great review! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. Here's a table of contents which might help other people zero in on a particularly area of interest:
0:50 > physical inputs outputs (back of the unit)
10:20 > Meet the X Air software
-Note: Aux button = for USB plug-in
11:47 > Snap shots
14:15 > starts talking about channels in general
15:20 > mute groups
16:32 > channels little more in depth (noise gait, EQ, compressor, aux sends)
18:21 > Aux Bus & Effect Sends (basic review)
21:00 > Input Tab Review
23:21 > Gate tab Review
24:50 > EQ tab - review and demo
27:10 > Compression tab
28:40 > Sends Tab (for auxiliary/ “bus” sends & FX sends)
-where you can send the channel into the aux/bus sends (e.g., monitors). Can also send effects into monitors here too.
30:50 > main output tab
31:28 > back to channel setting. Stereo settings explained.
33:08 > Meter Tab explained
34:44 > *FX tab explained. (Remember to hit the insert button to assign to selected track)
38:30 > right side menu explanations started
38:32 > set up tab explained
39:30 > AP button (wifi access point) explained. Set password here if you want.
40:55 > WLAN button explained.
41:25 > LAN button explained
42:06 > audio midi tab explained
43:36> monitor tab explained (for headphone jack)
44:27 > GUI Prefs tab explained
44:58 > up and down arrows button explained (assign channels to buses; auxiliary outputs are assigned & mains)
47:34 > utility tab explained
48:10 > save/load/copy/paste
48:28 > snapshot tab talked about again
48:56: recorder tab explained. (Stick music in USB. Can play from here. USB must be fat 32. Comes into Aux channel).
52:19: main LR (output) tab: (has 6 band parametric or graphic EQ & compressor). Goes over EQ’s a little.
54:22: *going to talk about the right lower corner buttons: (bus/monitor buttons) (sends on Fader): you can add gait, compression, EQ to monitor outs from here.
57:38: FX buttons (lower right): sends on Fader for effects. (Confusing) short
Wow, thanks for taking the time to do this. Much appreciated!
Thanks Douglas!
That was the best overview of the X Air 12 system out there. Great Job Matt!
Behringer should be paying you for this tutorial it is better that what they have for people to learn. I have a the XR12 and the XR18 this really
helped me to learn more about these mixer. Thank you for taking the time and doing this video. I will try to join your channel.
Just bought an Air x12! You have answered most of my questions. Thanks for the detailed overview, it is greatly appreciated,!
Thanks heaps Matt. I bought one of these mixers and could only use it at a very basic level. Being a guitar player and not an audio guy I don't have any background in mixing. You have raised my level of knowledge exponentially. Really great overview. Thanks, John from Australia.
That was a truly great and informative video. Had mine for a few years for open mic nights, now finished. Now, including into my main set up. You’ve really helped me get to know this unit better and why I’ve never used it before was more down to Wi-Fi drop out. Now connected via Ethernet to Mac rather than iPad makes this a studio quality rig 👍
This is beyond awesome. Way better job and a 100 times better than the Behringer videos out there. Thank you so much. Received my unit a while back but have not set up as yet but I did download the app to my IPad today and think I can figure out the rest based on the knowledge you shared here. Thank you so much.
Thanks for taking the time to run through setting up the mixer, it's made a massive difference to my understanding of the XR12
Excellent overview, actually decided to buy this digimix for our group.
Only thing "missing" for us is integral feedback suppression, but we have an external rack-mount one that works well so we'll keep that.
Thanks!
I watched a lot of xr videos and this is the very best so far. I will have to watch many times, and insert time markers for stuff I have a hard time with.
Although limited in I/O, the price for the I/O AND processing is a very good value. I use it for weddings, meetings, banquets, etc. The automix and also the ducking features that can be set come in very handy for that sort of usage.
Damn I agree best review of the X Air12 , thank you for taking your time.
Just as a mention, that xlr output cable you are using is a polarised cable but connected the other way round. In a real life setup i know for sure you keep track of those details. Big thumbs up for the review! For me it did help making a decision about buying this little toy. 👍
Great thorough review! And I absolutely agree that this a great little mixer especially for musicians out there, the Midas preamps are fantastic! I've been a fan of Behringer for a long time now for my live mixers. I'm a vocalist and a trombone player and I've owned and tried Allen & Heath, Peavey and Mackie boards. Most recently I tried Mackie's version of the X-Air series and it was a vast improvement over Mackie Pro-FX mixers but I still prefer the XR-12. For years I ran a little Behringer 4 channel and sold a Pro-fx 12 because it required too much tweaking to get sort of close but not good enough. Now that Behringer bought Midas, their preamps are even better! Thanks for the in depth review, great job!!
Thank you for making this video! A small feature request? Time stamps of your outline included in the description for this video would be amazing! (especially since it's an hour long). Nonetheless, thank you thank you thank you!
Such a great walkthrough on the XR12! This really got me up to speed quickly, thanks!!
Man, you are a legend for doing such a fantastic review! Thank you 1000 times, it's beyond helpful!
What a GREAT REVIEW. So informative. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for the video, I'm thinking to buy an analog behringer but after this video definitely I want this mixer!
THANKS! This is not a rough overview as you called it - man, it's absolutely great stuff. This helped me make the purchase decision. And it' better than Behringer's own tutorials.
Awesome job explaining all the features. Getting one this week to digitize old cassette and VHS audio.
thanks for the wonderful review.
I wanted to ask if you used an audio interface to record the audio of the video and how you connected it to the mixer.
Aslight background noise is heard under the voice. is it due to the mixer preamps?
thanks!!
Fantastic review.
Was thinking of making a review myself, but now I see that it would be a waste of time since you are spot on with this great overview/review!
THANK YOU........ This was the best detailed overview given of this mixer. EXCELLENT Job....!!! Keep up the Great work...... Thx Again : )
Thanks for a very informative video. I own one XR12 myself. This really helped me a lot.
Great review and so informative. Thank you lots
Every DJ/Vocalist/Solo Artist/Small band needs this mixer... it’s one hell of a tool box and will last you a lot longer and is a lot cheaper than analog equivalents... no faders means no noisy channels, no broken eq Pots... compressor gate and limiting on all channels, full parametric eq on all channels, 31 band stereo eq, compression and limiting in the master, 4 fx units and a 2 track stereo recorder... if you buy the cheapest outboard and mixer to run all that outboard it will cost around £€$ 2k+... this mixer is a “no brainer”
🖖🤓👍
Excellent overview...thanks for all the great info on this unit.
Great job. Very thorough. One question/comment, when you said that the bus sub-mixes were not used on this unit; Would they be available to mix up a separate output to the USB recorder? Another potential use would be as a sub mix for drums, in case you wanted to compress the drum sub-mix and reintroduce that compressed sound along with the normal drum mix to give it some punch? I appreciate the demo of channels 13 etc still being available to be fed from one of the 1-12 inputs. I actually use that flexibility to allow mixing a dry and wet signal on an acoustic guitar. It sounds better and is easier to grab in a pinch. Very good presentation. I have an MR-18, which I picked up after selling my XR18, but my buddy just got an XR-12 for an open mic that he does every week. We are giving it a test run this weekend at a little party at Fullerton Airport. Good to see that the operating system is basically the same as the XR18 and MR18 (except for the usb recorder and different channel count).
Is there a video to explain the side chaining and uses in the x air 18? Thatd be sweet
Excellent overview of the mixer! Thanks
Quick question on set up for DJ set. We use 2 controllers and use 4 channels. I know you use channel 5 & 6 according to your video, but was wondering if I can also use channels 1, 2, 3, & 4 instead and would it make a difference as oppose to 5,6,7, & 8. What do you suggest? Pro and cons? Please let me know. I know you explained some on that here but just wanted to double check. Thanks again.
I have the same exact question lol
You can use any channel but the reason Matt use 5,6 is to use the the combo Jack's for his mic (channels 1,2,3 n 4)
There is another minor issue, channels 11 & 12 have high impedence inputs design for use with plugging an instrument like a guitar directly into the mixer. So the correct answer to your question will be "what type of inputs are you putting into the specific channels?"
Brilliant. Thoroughly watchable and informative. Good pace, good technical level. Thanks!
Just to note that even on the "smaller" mixers, the XR12 and XR16 (which I have), those "unused" 4 or 2 "AUX" busses can be used as subgroups (which is how they default on the routing tab), which you could use as inputs to FX units, or as traditional analogue-mxer-like subgroups instead of DCAs. You did mention this very briefly near the end. Nothing is wasted on these mixers, even on the little guys!
Amazing walkthrough. Behringer should pay you for this!
Are the headphone functions also audible on the jack on your tablet/PC? Ie does it copy the headphone jack output stream over WIFI / LAN to the device your are using as your controller so that you can walk around the room with your tablet and still here PFL, AFL, solo, etc.?
Can you assign different effects to each channel ?
best overview of the X Air 12 system
Fantastic review thanks. We are also considering for a church but would be keen to understand for weekdays if it could be switched on and use the last settings without booting up the computer ?
Yes. It retains all settings between power cycles. Unless you have it set to “mute on power up”, then everything stays exactly as it was when it lost power.
Terrifyingly complex, but you made it much less scary for a beginner like me. Thanks!
Looks good. Do you know if you can hook up a midi controller keyboard to the XR12 to play software instruments in your DAW?
Hi Matt, so glad I found this!... your the only one out there that has brought this to a level of hands-on understanding!! I purchased the xr18 over a year ago but keep finding myself goin back to my 8ch analogue console! Simply because I cannot get close to the sound I want on my XR18 as I do on the analogue!! Not close!! Especially on vocals!! The presence and punch on my analogue far beyond the xr18 and I’m 20 years with analogue! It’s just that I’m trying to change over to digital but getting no where!! Also... you mention dj’ing in certain venues or music... but I find my eyes constantly tweeting the eq on every song!! Whereas the analogue I set and that’s it! But the digital xr18 is constantly adjusting frequencies because each song is different!! Is there some sort of fx built in that could possibly be set to automatically set the levels so this is not constantly hand on!! It’s impossible to enjoy a gig like this!! Thnx again matt and sorry for the long message! But I’m sure others will find help in this too...
Anthony
I have the same issue setting up the vocals for Karaoke. Can't set mid - lows perfectly as analogue. Was there any luck for you setting it up? Can you share some tips if you figured it out? Thanks so much.
@@jayceeamm yes i fine tuned it.. takes time tweaking but you’ll get it… I can send you my scene if you like so you can tweak it to your liking
@@gobrad I did email you my request, kindly share the file when have a moment. Thx again.
Anyway, wanted to ask: what's with all that noise on the mic? Are the preamps THAT noisy?
Cool! Can you set limiter on a microphone input?
Excellent and thorough - thank you!
best review of all times thank you load buddy 👍
Question?what are you using this vid.? Lap top ?thanks for the great vid,
I just got this mixer it is a bit overwhelming I glad I came across your video it is very informative and helpful but I was wondering if you could explain how you set this up when you use it to DJ with any help you can give would very appreciated
Yep. I watch this video 3 times. Great job
Excellent job! I am still a bit confused over snapshots vs scenes. It seems that snapshots are only saved on the X-AIR and that scenes can exist on the device and the PC using X AIR edit. Are scenes and snapshots any different in their content?
Yeah, they both do the same thing, but the snapshots are saved on the xair itself. That way any device can recall them, rather than only one specific device.
How do you channel to your DAW?
This is very very good, I am purchasing this now you are a blessing thank you thank you thank you
Great review. Wondering... Can I replace all my rack modules (Focusrite preamp, DEQ2496, V-Verb Pro) with just this XR12 ? Thank you
If I were to pan the tracks, do you think that I could get 4 unique outputs out of this? Trying to get this to practice for IEMs
Thanks for tutorial. Excellent one.
Hi - Great video - A lot to take in but its just like anything new it's a learning curve. I am looking to upgrade my analogue Yamaha MG10XU USB desk. I use it mainly as an audio source for when making Zoom calls. I can use channels 1-8 to send and stereo 9-10 for the the USB return. There is a dedicated USB switch between line/USB on channels 9-10. Adjust the fader for volume. Simple.
So, looking to upgrade to one of the smaller Behringer x-air mixers, where does the other persons audio return to? Is there a specific stereo return or would I create one? - Your help would be very much appreciated. Thanks - Subscribed to you today. Peter.
Thanks for this, much appreciated !!!
Can the 2 High-Z inputs on the Xr12 (11 & 12) can be configured to be used as the other inputs.
Bravo. Nicely reviewed. I'm considering this mixer and your tutorial is very helpful. What are the biggest shortcomings of this mixer, in your opinion?
The biggest downfall to me is the lack of physical control surface! If you let your computer or iPad go to sleep, it can take up to 15-20 seconds to make a very quick adjustment. Some discipline in keeping an interface live and active mitigates that, but a physical knob or faders are nice
Code Good to know. Isn't there a way to keep the app from sleeping though?
Best Review! Thanks man!
Hi, Is it possible to send the audio to the hardware external effects (for example guitar effects, vocal processors) and then return signal back to the mixer ?
Yes, You can use one of the aux out's as a send, and then return back into any other channel.
great review. thanks
can x-air xr12 use for karaoke application ??
What is the difference between a Snapshot and Save/Load file?
Woah, so you can record a stereo mix to the USB port? I thought I read a few places that you couldn't do it on the XR12? This could be a game-changer for me!
Yep! I plug in a flash drive into mine all the time and record!
@@Code_mov Sweeeeeet, thank you!!!
Thanks for sharing. I want to get all the 12 channels in to my daw (Logic) not just a stereo signal how do I do that?
Thanks for the video. When I select the SOLO, the volume of the channel I selected increased significantly going out of my main LR. Any ideas why that's happening to me? Thanks!
I’ll need to look, but there is a setting for the solo, whether it’s an “in place “ solo, or “solo monitor” I think is what it’s called. I’ll try and look later for that setting. One of them truly solos it into the main mix, the other just solos it into the headphone output.
@@Code_mov Cool thanks for helping. I almost gave up ... hope you'll find it.
thanks for the review. Just starting out and this helped alot
Very thorough !
Thank You
Really nice overview!
I am getting used to looking at the iPad app while thinking about buying one but that Laptop screen looks OVERWHELMING complex. 😬
Nah, just take your time with it, and it will all make sense!
absolute TOP! thank you.
I work with an Xair 12 mixer.
I would like to bring my laptop to work, and backup all of my scenes.
Do you know the procedure for doing this?
I was planning on using a Cat5 cable, between my laptop & router.
I have the router password, but are there other problems I'll encounter?
Like, when it asks me for port numbers or something?
Is there a preferred way of doing this?
Thanks in advance! :)
Do you snapshot each tab? or do you only snap shot the main mixer screen after eq-ing, and it holds everything you edited?
Yeah the snapshot holds everything in the mixer, eq’s levels, everything. You can select with each snapshot what parameters it saves, so say you don’t want it to store the EQ’s, that’s possible too.
@@Code_mov Oh, that's right. You said that in the video, too. Thanks!
Where's that XLR main out going...to an interface? Just wondering what you used to capture the audio.
Exactly, I took the main audio out, and ran it into another computer to record the audio through a behringer interface.
If I wanted in ears would I have them download the app on their phone and they can create a monitor mix for themselves? (Because the built in router would create lag with many users, I can add on a separate router to have that optimized connection for everyone)
hi,thanks for the video,do you experience latency when using the xr 12? thanks
Hi, I want to send main output and an additional mic of an operator to Aux 1 headphones. I’m not able to do it. I see the aux levels but nothing reaches the headphones. Can you give me a hint?
Try and solo those and they should go to the headphone.
Can I hook up a touch tunes jukebox, and what do I need
For dj controller is it best to use the XLR out into this? Would you click combine the Stereo button 3/4! Would it be better to use this as the usb audio?
So i always recommend the XLR out because it is a balanced signal using modern cabling for it.
My band needs to input 4 vocal mics and 3 drum mics. Is it better to use a separate mixer for the drum mics and input that to one of the line in's or is there a better way?
So they make larger versions of this, the XR16 and the XR18. It’s usually easier to avoid a submixer for drums, so it can all be mixed in one place.
Thanks. As we've already got the XR12 I'll have a play around and see if the line in channels will work with drum mics. Nice review. Helped a lot.
Great review, you have a very good demeanor for teaching, and very knowledgeable, with real world experience. I’m a noob looking on how to use a mixer properly and what all the functions are for. If your interested “mixer 101” course would be a cool addition to your channel. 🤓
Hello, can you help me ? On last show y made sound operation to some friends of mine .. when i put microphone volume so high all volume (instruments too ) went into low volume and then when vocal finished singing volume came again to it normal volume.. do you know why that happened ? Thank you for any helpping ..
To set up network connections, I find it easier to connect it AND your pc directly to a router.
Agreed, their internal router sucks honestly.
Matt, awesome review. Thanks so much for taking time out to make this video.
I have a question regarding output from the XR-12 to speakers. Our band currently uses 4 passive speakers (2 main 15s and 2 monitor 12s) with a Mackie powered mixer. But we want something much more portable and not so bulky. We're looking at getting the XR-12, and I had an audio engineer recommend this along with the Behringer iNuke 3000 to give us enough wattage to push the 4 speakers. If we were to go that route, is there a channel configuration you could think of that would give us 2 customized monitors alongside the main L and R? It looks like the iNuke 3000 only has two inputs and two outputs, so I'm not really sure what the audio engineer had in mind, although I'm sure he knows way more than I do. Thanks again for the vid!
Hey! So the only way I can think to pull that off, would be to chain the two main speakers off one of the main outputs of the xr12, and use one of the monitor outputs on the xr12, to drive the other channel on the amp, which would in turn drive the two monitors.
Okay, I thought about that as well, but are there any issues with ohm balancing on the MAIN L and R since the main 15s ( let's say they're on L) pull more ohms than the monitor 12s (those being on R)?
So keep in mind impedance on speakers is a bit confusing, but if you have two 8 ohm speakers, “chained” together, that makes a 4 ohm load on an amplifier. As long as your amp is rated for a minimum of 4 ohms, your fine!
Okay, so if you had 4 ohms being pulled on the main L and 8 being pulled on the main R, there's no issue there?
@@davidstanley1451 Two 8 ohm speakers in parallel will yield 4 ohms. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in series will yield 16 ohms. A 4 ohm and an 8 ohm speaker in parallel will probably be around 6 ohms, in series around 12 ohms. Are you running in stereo?
What I think you meant to ask was "Can I run the house mix and still get two independent monitor mixes from the XR12?" The answer is yes. There are two AUX sends which can each be mixed separately from the main mix. The main mix is stereo. The auxes can be stereo or two separate mono mixes.
I got the Midas version to this unit. I dont have the record function enabled. how do i enable? the icon is not even on the software screen.
Thank you for this. Great overview and review of real-life experience
Very nice job. Thanks
5 stars bro. Great job
very rich content brother!! thank you for the videos, I was wondering how to make a video about IFB communication to be able to talk to talents on stage, like in tv you know.
Do you use automix on the minister and groom?
I don’t, I’ve found the auto mix sometimes isn’t the fastest, and with just two mics, sometimes both are good to have active for better pickup of everyone.
Hi Matt, just bought one of these (waiting for it to arrive), but wondering if I can run it to a power amp to run my unpowered JBL speakers? And would I do that through the Main outs or Aux outs? Thanks in advance.
Main outs should work just fine!
Is the mixer able to send out 12 independent tracks outputs to be recorded simultaneously on an external DAW via USB?
No, not the XR12, the only X-Air model that can send independent tracks to a computer is the XR18
@@Code_mov thanks for confirming.
No
Hi,
Just one question.
In our church we have three microphones.
One for the pastor, one in the organ, and one environment mic. We want the pastor to mute as soon as the organ starts playing.
I’m not sure if the “automix” feature would help out on that, I haven’t messed with it much, but basically it automatically lowers the volume on any of the non-active mics, it was designed to be used in a conference panel situation, so whomever was talking has the highest volume, then it automatically mixes in the other people based on who is talking. That might work for your situation
@@Code_mov I would then make the mic close to the organ the primary phone. But some experience from others would be nice before we buy the mixer.
I'm curious to what view that is since I can't seem to find that view on my iPad or my Android tablet? It seems a lot more detailed than what I have access to. Or maybe I'm just missing something? I like the whole digital concept of this mixer but I'm finding it very difficult to use. I want to go USB out from the computer to send karaoke music to the Behringer X air and it seems like the only way you can do that is through the headphone jack which is kind of strange. Anybody have any ideas how to use the USB port?
I can use it as interface? To record 12 chanel
Could I get a copy of your settings for DJ and Ceremony and then tweak from there? I have no idea where to start
So my settings are pretty basic. I make sure to low cut every mic (so I don’t get any real low pops or booms) , then just adjust any high end to compensate for any of my mic losses. After that, I just have a music input, and a couple mics, and that’s it! I try and keep it simple for me, and it usually works out well. Just don’t try and over complicate it with compression and gates and such.
I watched the whole video to get a grasp of this. I do have a question. Can this replace a desk mixer. Reason for asking, we have a small church and extremely limited income. I would love 6 aux for the worship team. How reliable is the wifi and how much range can you get "out of the box"? How responsive is it for making quick changes to the volume level? Geez.. so many questions! Thanks again for such a detailed review! Would love to set this on the stage and work from the back from a laptop. It would "cut" a lot of wires.
Hey! So first off, the WiFi that is built in is not the greatest, I recommend using an external WiFi router (even a cheap one off amazon is better) and hooking it to the xair via cat5. After that, it’s very responsive! Plus with snapshots, you could automate a good bit of changes within a church. It has replaced a desk mixer for me a lot, and if you pair it with a touchscreen computer or laptop, it makes it feel a lot like a desk.
@@Code_mov Thank you very much for your reply! Now, I'll just have to wrap my head around the interface. Not so easy at my advanced age! Again, thank you for your in depth review which I will be referring to a lot more when I get this mixer. I did download the software and have it on my desktop computer to see how responsive it is.
@@Code_mov Thanks for the reply! Since you have actual experience with this mixer, what do you personally use to interface with it. Would a table laptop (with USB to Ethernet adapter) work? Still looking for a cost effective interface besides a costly laptop. Right now, we have a 24 channel analog mixer. Easy for me to use. We also have a compressor to keep things from getting too loud in our highly reflective chapel. All hard surfaces. Also basically need to set up the aux send mixes, add compression to drums and singers who have no idea of handling a mic thinking it's like eating ice cream while the scream at the top of their lungs, and be able to adjust volume when we have guest speakers that need translation, in addition to recording everything with Audacity. Minor EQ to the stage monitors (really want to go in ear) and slight EQ to the house speakers.
My needs have been basically satisfied with the analog (no FX used) except we only have 2 AUX sends. You know what that means with 4-5 singers, 2 guitars, electric drums, 2 keyboards and 1 bass.... I bring aspirin with me all the time.
So the xair application is very lightweight. I use an old laptop, and a usb/vga touchscreen to run it typically. I also use a raspberry pi hooked to a hdmi touchscreen as well.
Great review.... Can I play audio files from a source other than the usb? Audio player or computer?
Sadly not on this model, the usb is a female meant for interfacing with a flash drive. It will play wav files off a usb flash drive though.
So how do you use insert 5/6 for your DJ setup?
I just plug my controller directly into 5/6
@@Code_mov ah..Thanks for all you do
someone knows how the "Mackie MCU Pro" hardware-mixer can be mapped to the software-mixer of the "Behringer XR12" to control it?
Thanks! Very helpful.
Awesome overview!! One question I can’t seem to get my usb to work? I have several flash drives formatted fat32 and none work? The light on the usb dose not blink or do anything? I have tried a 9g a 32g and 128g from different manufacturers? What did you use that worked ?
Mine is a Sandisk, 64gb. I have it formatted fat32. I used Rufus (windows program) to format it. If I remember correctly, I couldn’t format it with windows, it just wouldn’t work, I had to use that other program. I remember that it only worked with fat32, and no other formats from what I tried. I record quite a bit with it, and it seems ok.
Code when it didn’t work did your usb led do anything? Mine does nothing, and I’m wondering now if it’s faulty.
So I think the light only lights up when it’s recording. I will try and pull mine out soon and see.
New scan disk 64 gig worked like a bute!! Thanks again!