MG12 XU : Another winner for Yamaha

I have owned the Yamaha MG series mixers ever since the first model series, and I have always loved them for their no-nonsense, clear and intuitive designs, very good connectivity for a mixer it's size and overall great quality, and the new MG series is by far the best. Virtually every complaint I had about the previous models has been addressed in this one.

Handling is very good, easy to use, clear and simple outline. Not too heavy, not too light. Faders feel nice, knobs give good feedback. And they finally built the PSU inside the mixer! That was my biggest complaint to Yamaha for the previous ones, and also the weakest link as I have had to replace quite a few PSU-s over the years.

The features are plentiful: you get compression, effects, digital interface and a good sounding analogue EQ on a single 12-channel board. A few other mixers offer the one-knob compression, but I have not seen one that sounds so good. The effects are useable. Routing options are quite ample for aa mixer this size. The EQ sounds very nice, however it would be perfect if they would have added a sweepable mid band like on its bigger brothers. Setting up the digital interface with my iPad was effortless and only took a driver installation to work perfectly on a Win7 PC.

The new preamps sound definately better than the old ones. Also, the built-in DAC seems to be a quality one. Overall, the board sounds very good. Period.

As is customary for Yamaha, the build quality is immaculate. The chassis is metal again, although the sides are still plastic. Still, it looks sturdy and a good compromise between weight and durability. As with the previous models, I have no doubt that it will serve for a long time.

All in all, highly recommended and very versatile board.