TSV REVIEWS: The Soundcraft EPM8

I ran into a friend of mine the other day who plays in a local band. We talked for a bit about upcoming projects and shows for a bit, just shooting the breeze, and before long, the conversation turned to gear. These guys provide their own sound at a lot of shows, and, like most local bands, have a system that has been patched together over several years. Unfortunately, their nice, solid boat anchor of a mixer had recently bitten the dust, so they were thinking about buying a new one.

So long, Peavey Mark III.

We talked options for a little while, kicked around analog vs. digital, mused about on-board effects, British, American and Japanese, when finally I asked him that most important of questions: what is your budget?

“Oh, probably around $250.”

Ah. Two hundred and fifty bucks. All of a sudden that Peavey is starting to look a little better. I mean, how much mixer can you really get for under three hundred dollars?

The Soundcraft EPM8

It turns out, when you go with the Soundcraft EPM series, quite a bit. We settled on the Soundcraft EPM8, which offers eight real XLR channels, plus two stereo channels, tape in, and two aux returns. Behringer would be marketing this as a 16 channel mixer at least, so we appreciate Soundcraft’s honesty. In fact, the EPM series retains a number of pro features that I really appreciate, including:

• Inserts on every XLR channel, and on the main outputs
• Sweepable mids on the EQs for each XLR channel
• Pre/Post switches for both auxes (individually)
• Peak lights for each channel (no signal present lights, but then again, I guess you can’t have it all!)
• A dual 10 LED meter with automatic solo-to-meter functionality
• Real mute and solo buttons for each channel
• Dig up another 50 bucks, and you can buy the EFX8, which has a full digital effects processor.

All of these features are really nice, and the board sounds great, too. But, honestly, those things have nothing to do with why I think this is the right mixer for my friend. The EPM8 is better than every other console in its price range for one reason: durability. Pull this mixer out of the box, and the second you turn a knob or move a fader, you’ll realize what I’m talking about. It just feels like a solid, professional board. It’s not 90% plastic like some others, and the faders and pots have a weighted, high quality feel.

Ahhhh....Metal.

When you’re on a budget, the last thing that you want to do is buy a board that is going to break, or be a constant problem. The EPM’s solid construction makes it a smart buy, but it’s professional features make it an absolute bargain.

 

So, if you too are looking for a new, entry-level mixer on a budget, we give Soundcraft’s EPM8 our TSV Seal 0f Approval!  So go check it out!

TSV

 

St. Louis Audio

 

 

A TSV COMPARISON: POWERED-SPEAKERS!

We decided to do a little side-by-side-by-side comparison of the three main types of powered speakers that we rely on for our audio rentals and sound system rentals: The Harbinger APS112, The Samson Live L612 and The JBL PRX615, the speaker we reviewed earlier this month.

Here are some quick specs of these speaks:
The Harbinger APS112


The Samson Live L612


The JBL PRX615

But we know that specs are booooorrrrrriiiinnnnnngggg! So we decided to make this little video for you to really hear the differences between these three speakers!

As always, keep it here at TSVblog for great gear news and reviews from your favorite in all things audio/visual,
TSV

ON THE JOB WITH TSV TUESDAY: TSV AND EXTREME INSTITUTE BY NELLY

Last week we were honored to provide audio feed for the press conference and the unveiling of Vatterot College’s new Ex’treme Institute by Nelly! Collin and Joel were there during the whole opening ceremony and we can say, WHAT A STUDIO! Top-of-the-line gear, amazing live rooms, a beautiful piano and an amazing team including Grammy Award-Winning Producer Carl Nappa! And yes, Nelly was there…Joel even managed to get a photo with “The Lou’s” own!

Here’s a little video clip of Nelly speaking about this exciting new collaboration:

We would like to thank Nelly, Vatterott College and Carl Nappa for this great opportunity to work with this wonderful facility. Thank you!

Until next time,
TSV
St. Louis Audio

Mic’ing with ONE Microphone?!

We here at TSV take mic’ing seriously. Whether it be guitar amps, drums, trombones, whatever! If it makes sound and people need to hear it, it’s gotta be mic’ed up! And while a whole drum kit often requires a whole locker of microphones to sound right, sometimes, just sometimes, it’s fun to see just how good something can sound with the bare minimum. So Joel decided to do just that! Here’s a video of him playing along with a backing track, with drums and bass recorded with just one microphone! The particular mic in this video is a Shure Beta58 which is generally used as a vocal mic. But here, Joel makes it sound pretty good! We here at TSV have a TON of microphones at your disposal…so to Joel, next time think of US, duh!

Check it out:

St. Louis Meeting A/V
St. Louis Conference Audio
St. Louis Audio Visual Rental

In The Shop with TSV

Here at Tower Sound & Vision, our business is St. Louis sound system rentals. Now, we do a lot of other things, from projector rentals, to stage rental, but St. Louis audio is what really floats our boat. Consequently, we are constantly beefing up our system with new gear, and this post is the first in a series to keep you in the loop on our new acquisitions.

Recently we became aware of the need to have a selection of lighter, more compact monitors for small to medium shows. Not everybody wants a 15″ wedge with a 2″ horn, and we aim to please. So we went out and purchased 10 JBL MRX512M’s. These 1×12 cabs might seem small, but they really pack a punch!  These guys are capable of handling 800W of program power and, at just 33 lbs., are super light weight!  We cranked these bad boys up in the shop just yesterday and were really impressed with the volume and clarity that they delivered.  Now, TSV has always been a fan of JBL products, but these MRX’s have only further cemented our love for JBL! We think that these are going to be great wedges for guitarists, keyboardists and the like. And in a stereo pair for a lead vocalist? Oh yeah.

For these photos, we thought we’d create an impressive “Wall of Sound,” so check these things out!

P.S. Of course we couldn’t resist have a little fashion photo shoot of our own in front of our new stack!