The perfect companion for a gigging musician or home studio
The Behringer Xenyx 802 Mixer is a very lightweight compact mixer that’s easy to use and easy on the budget!
Overview
At only 2.2lb (1kg) it’s an ultra-portable mixer that is perfect for a solo musician or even a small band. Channel 1 and 2 feature two high-quality mic preamps with XLR inputs for vocal or instrument mics, or an alternative balanced or unbalanced line input. There are two additional stereo channels (Line in 3/4 and Line in 5/6) which are perfect for guitars, keyboards, an MP3 player or backing tracks from a laptop. Each channel has a 3 band ‘British EQ’ with high, mid and low-frequency controls. There is a pan/balance control and an FX send on each channel so you can send your signal out to an external effects processor. There’s an additional stereo aux return which can bring the signal back in from an outboard effects unit, or you can use this as yet another stereo input. A separate control room mix doubles as the headphone mix. There’s a dedicated stereo headphone output (stereo 1/4″ jack) and left and right control room outputs (2 mono 1/4″ jacks). The main output features left and right balanced outputs on high quality 1/4″ jacks.
The new XENYX Mic Preamp matches the sound quality, transparency, headroom and even the dynamic range of boutique-style, stand-alone mic preamps. The “British EQ” brings back the musicality and warmth of those 60s and 70s mega-console desks that made music history. These mic preamps even have +48V phantom power so you can run condenser microphones if you need to.
There is also an effective, extremely musical 3-band EQ on all channels. The Behringer Xenyx 802 is well-suited for use with audio and video installations as well as keyboards, samplers and computer recording.
How to use the Behringer Xenyx 802 for running backing tracks
I’ve personally used the Behringer Xenyx 802 for gigging all over the world. As a touring drummer, I found it perfect for managing the click track and backing tracks for the band as well as my own headphone mix. I would run a stereo output from my laptop with backing tracks panned left and click panned right into a couple of the line inputs. I’d then send the backing track and loops out the FX send to a DI and on to the front of house desk. I’d then get my monitor mix from the house engineer and plug that into one of the other inputs on the Xenyx 802 so I could mix that into the click track. I’d run my in-ears from the headphone output and, voila, – my own custom headphone mix!
Depending on the venue (or if I didn’t trust the house engineer) I’d sometimes set up a room mic near the drum kit or even a kick drum mic so I could get a feel for what I was playing while using in-ear monitors.
How to use the Behringer Xenyx 802 in a home studio
These days I’m not playing live as much (young family and all), but I still create music in my home studio. The Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer is at the core of my setup and sits on my desk in pride of place. I run my KRK Rokit 5 monitor speakers directly from the Control Room output which means I can control them independently. I then run a 4 channel Headphone amplifier from the Main Outputs so I’ve got independent control of the headphones. My audio interfaces run into the stereo inputs on the Xenyx 802 and I can quickly patch other instruments or devices in if I need to.
Reviews
The Behringer Xenyx 802 has 951 ratings on Amazon.com and an average score of 4.5 out of 5. Users are commenting on the sturdy and robust build quality, and the great selection of features built into the very compact space.
A couple of users commented that the unit’s power connector is a bit loose, but this doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem. Overall the unit has very positive reviews and is a popular compact mixer.
Read all Customer reviews on Amazon.com
Behringer Xenyx 802 Mixer Features
- 130 dB dynamic range for plenty of headroom
- Frequency range from 10 Hz to over 200 kHz
- Low-noise, distortion-free circuitry for a transparent signal
- Perfect for most any mic, with up to 60 dB of gain
- +48 volt phantom power supply
- 2 INVISIBLE MIC PREAMPs (IMPs),
- 6 balanced high-headroom line inputs,
- 1 post fader FX send per channel for external FX devices
- 1 stereo aux return for FX applications or as separate stereo input.
Technical Specifications
| Type | Analog |
|---|---|
| Channels | 4 |
| Inputs – Mic Preamps | 2 x XLR |
| Inputs – Line | 6 x TRS |
| Inputs – Other | 2 x RCA |
| Outputs – Main | 4 x TRS |
| Outputs – Other | 2 x RCA |
| Headphones | 1 x 1/4″ |
| Send/Return I/O | 1 x TRS, 2 x TRS (Stereo Return) |
| Phantom Power | 2 |
| EQ Bands | 3-band |
| Aux Sends | 1 x Post |
| Height | 1.9″ |
| Width | 7.4″ |
| Depth | 8.7″ |
| Weight | 2.2 lbs. |
Want to own one of these versatile mixers for yourself – buy directly from Amazon.