Very much agree!! The Mackie DFX-12 is probably the best (and toughest) portable mixer I have found yet. I started with a Behringer, one of the XLR's crapped out in a month...brought it back and got a brand new one...that one lasted about 6 months with the same problem. Considering I do 5 shows a week, it couldn't handle the up and down every night. Bought the DFX over 1 1/2 years ago and it is ROCK(on) SOLID! Come on, any company that shows a tank driving over their equipment stating "Built Tank Tough" has got my hard earned $$. As for the rest of my system, it consists of (4) MTX P215-H Dual 15's {not produced anymorechbigelow wrote: For a mixer, I run the Mackie DFX-12, which at $250 gives you great pre-amps and decent effects. I also like that it has faders rather than dials. For the price-to-quality ratio, this product has some of the best value I've seen. (I use 3 mono and 2 stereo channels at karaoke gigs... but it's nice to have the flexibility to do rudimentary live sound... say if I'm DJ'ing a wedding and someone brings an acoustic-electric guitar and a banjo; I still have enough channels to handle it without trouble.
What everyone said about the Shure 58's is true. You can get comparable mics for less, but they'll break way easier. In the end you save money and have better sound with the 58's. (I like the switchable Shure PG-58 for my own mic though...)
}, (2) MTX ThunderPro TP2400 Dual 12's, (2) SoundTech ST15, QSC RMX2450, Carvin DCM1204, Carvin DCM1000, (2) SM58 Wired Mics (why a PG58 "chbigelow"? Use the mute button on your DFX), (2) Audio-Technica 5000 Wireless Series Mics, and of course the all important MacBook Pro 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo 4gb ram 1.5 TB WD MyBook and Hercules Console RMX. As for the cables, I too must say that buy quality cables or get a soldering iron and learn fast on cables that will get shorter and shorter. The other thing with cables is....NEVER LET ANYONE WRAP THEM! (Ok I may be a little anal with this but I have seen the horror) Wrap cords properly, all cable has a natural "curve" to them, don't force them to do anything different. The "wrap the cord over palm and around elbow" is the fastest way to ruin even a really expensive cable, and when a $50 15 foot mic cable breaks in the middle internally you might as well just throw it away or have 2 seven foot shorties. I even do this with my extension cords, money spent is money spent. I think I have actually scared people when they want to "help" by wrapping up my cords...
But with all that said, take your time and invest your money well, buy the best you can with the money you have. Theres nothing like having to buy to replace something you bought cheaply. If you buy the best you can once you will spend less in the long run and make more on quality and longevity.
