Signature 12MTK : Great little mixer/interface

My application:

Using as a studio 'patch bay' and interface. Like most people in a home studio, I'm tracking only one or two tracks at a time, but I like to have lots of instruments/inputs setup permanently. I mix all my source channels through the aux bus to one stereo out. In my daw I just have to arm the track. Very convenient when you're in the flow and continuously reaching for the next instrument.

Pros:

Superb sounding and quiet preamps and really musical, easy to use EQ.

Easy routing.

Hiz inputs can be handy.

Built in limiter is useful for some no doubt. But I doubt I'll find a use.

The built in FX are really nice sounding. Shame I won't use them much.

Ability to multi-track so many inputs at this price, with this quality is very impressive.

Stable, easy to install and use software.

Cons:

At this price there are some compromises...

No inserts

USB out is pre EQ and not switchable. As I've said, for how I use it, it's not a problem as I patch all the inputs through the AUX to 1 stereo out, so I can feed EQ to the output that way. If you want to track a drum kit with on board EQ, then you have a problem.

No off switch.

Bus metering is difficult to see at an angle.

Although sounding nice FX introduce a high noise floor To the board whentherwise this is pretty good on such a cheap unit.

I should also say for this price you have some compromise on the build also. The pots, faders etc are cheap, mounted on a single board etc. So I will just be careful with it. However the main case is sturdy enough.

Phantom power is universal. This is not the problem people sometimes think it is though. I won't give OP advice on this here directly though.. ;-)

All in all, Soundcraft have made an incredibly cost effective home studio/live mixer, with great sound quality and a useful feature set. I understand some people may gripe about the less good things here, but then you're looking at a much more expensive unit. I have an Allen and Heath Zed R16, and it IS AWESOME, but it's mostly in the way as I never lived that dream of mixing OOTB all the time and it's a big hunk of desk space in my world and I think I might prefer the sound of the Soundcraft preamps. I now match this little mixer with a presonus faderport and I have the best of both worlds... almost. Great inputs with hands on routing and tactile ITB mixing.