Usually when I write about Yamaha at NAMM, I’ll talk about new guitars or keyboards, but today the company introduced a new mixer it said was designed specifically for webcasting, podcasting, gaming and music production.
The AG03 and AG06 feature high-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) audio recording and playback, iOS compatibility and battery operation. Mixers for some people can seem complicated—and some are—but Yamaha went to great lengths to make these as simple as possible for people to use.
I had a chance to play around with one yesterday before it was released and it seems very hard to make a mistake setting it up. The inputs and outputs are all labelled with pictures, so you know exactly what goes where. It’s really easy to use on iOS or Mac.
A key feature of the AG Series is the intuitive TO PC switch that allows users to select which inputs get routed back to a desktop or iOS device. Selecting Dry CH 1-2 allows computer or iOS recording of inputs 1 and 2, while the INPUT MIX switch routes all inputs to the computer or iOS device via USB for standard music production applications. The LOOPBACK function in the TO PC section, which is perfect for podcasters, routes all inputs to the stereo USB output, along with the USB input from the computer. This makes mixing mics and instruments with music beds, sound effects or the audio from computers and iOS devices a breeze.
Gamers are also able to adjust their sound in real-time with the included headset interface and hardware controls, removing the need to open a software control panel. The AG is the perfect tool for creating videos on sites like Twitch.tv.
Both mixers feature Yamaha D-PRE microphone preamps and onboard DSP effects, along with an AUX input for a music player and foot switch jack to control effects.
The AG06 features six channels: a main input optimized for vocals with a D-PRE studio-quality mic preamp, a second channel for another mic or a guitar and two stereo inputs for keyboards or other line level sources. The second channel features 1-TOUCH AMP SIM DSP for guitar tone at the touch of a button.
The three-channel AG03 features a single 60mm fader for the main input with D-PRE mic preamp and a Hi-Z input that allows direct connection for guitars and basses.
The Yamaha AG03 ($199) and AG06 ($269) mixers will ship in April 2015.
This looks great, I really like it.
“Yamaha went to great lengths to make these as simple as possible for people to use.”
Smells like marketing BS to me. Look at the Steinberg UR22 (made by Yamaha!), and tell me how this is simpler than that. I bet the UR22 has high quality build/components too.
Look at how much they’ve crammed on the face of this mixer. It’s a mess. It’s pandering to the checkbox-ticking featuritis that plagues the computer industry. Why are monitor outs on the top and not the back?! What’s with the random USB logo in the middle and the switch that you’ll hardly ever need to change?! I don’t know, maybe that stuff works on the young/teen techy-gamer market they’re going for, but I’d get a UR22 or a Scarlett 2i2 over this in a heartbeat.
It is nice to see the compression button. About 95% of what is wrong with Podcast audio is no compression.
No, that is not true.
You are assuming some kind of post-production, which most Podcasts simply do not have. Same as a lot of just-in-time or live broadcast situations. It is much better to plug in to a mixer like this and make the sound great before you record it, and then the recording process becomes a really, really simple matter of just capturing the already-good-sounding audio to disk. You don’t have to worry about levels, you don’t have to worry about how it sounds. If you are engineering your own Podcast, that enables you to focus on what you’re saying without focusing on the technology or the recording.
The most important thing for voice material is dynamics compression. The dynamic range of a digital audio recorder is setup for music, and it is greater than what is needed for classical music. If you are recording a couple of voices you need to really compress them, or else in many cases the listener won’t even hear what you are saying, or they will have to ride their volume control as they go through a playlist of Podcast episodes, each with a wildly different subjective volume.
If you listen to voices on the radio, they are highly, highly compressed. The person who is talking can whisper or scream into the microphone and it basically comes out the same volume. That is what you want for voice material. If you listen to most Podcasts, you don’t hear that. You hear people talking in a non-treated boomy room, sitting too far away from the microphone, speaking at varying volume levels, and no compression on there to help with all that. It’s a giant pain in the ass for the listener and it really detracts from the quality of the spoken content.
So the compressor in this mixer would enable the Podcaster to create a great sound just once, and then every episode is as easy to make as a new spreadsheet. You’re just writing that good sound down to disk.
Love this revolution of power into the hands of the people! Now if the masses can move beyond making mash-ups of Hollywood crap and create their own awesome videos, talkshows and movies a true cultural revolution will take place.
I love this thing. Gonna buy one. I’ve been looking for such a thing for a long time. A battery powered mixer (I do wedding music, most times in parks and beaches—-that’s the norm here in South Florida) with effects is a dream come true for musicians and singers.
This is sweet. I only need a 4 channels and was looking at buying a decent sound card/interface box but might get this instead.
i’ve been looking for years for a portable mixer, battery powered and with effects. It’s a dream for performers. I perform outdoors most times. Gonna get one as soon as I can
So for you, a nice 2 channel mixer would work for you. I need 4 inputs, monitor headphones to listed to the studio talking to me, and headphones to hear the guests on the line when I do a remote, live radio broadcast. USB Powered and interface with an iPad means we’re not lugging around laptops and generators.
Sometimes 30 year veterans have a need for all those switches and plugs that novices don’t understand how to use, and allow us multiple options in different environments.
Thanks for the review.
I am comparing two models to use it with my voice over and podcast projects in my home for just one person all the time.
Yamaha AG06 and steinberg UR22 … may you please tell me which one to buy?