Old 05-21-2022, 02:26 PM   #1
Liborius
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Default Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK

Does anyone out there have a Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK mixer?


After lurking around, point 3 aside, it seems the best match for my needs:

1- Good number of channels with analog inputs and decent preamps for drums/voice/amps miking
2- Multitrack recording/playback (via PC)
3- Analog inserts/returns on each input channel
4- No need for a built in recorder
5- internal FX appreciated but not needed.
6- Budget: Preferably < €1000

I'm considering getting one after I relocate to a more music friendly place later this year because of the multitrack recording capabilities. Unfortunately it doesn't have analog inserts, which makes the use with a patchbay problematic.

Also probably a stupid question for studio experts here, but anyway, can the Mic and Line inputs be switched, for example by plugging in a line jack that disconnects the Mic input, or everything coming from both inputs goes to the channel input and one has to physically pull the unused connector?
Logic would dictate that the Line input plug wins and disconnects the Mic, but unless I missed something the manual isn't clear about this.

Any recommendations for a different brand/model welcome!
Thanks!
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Old 05-25-2022, 04:34 AM   #2
garanimals
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I liked the 22 MTK from a feature/performance perspective.

I went through two of them, though... the USB boards crapped out on both.

Hopefully others have had better reliability from them.
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Old 05-25-2022, 10:01 AM   #3
Philbo King
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There was a lengthy thread on gearspace.com about MTKs.

The bottom line:
Excellent features, but flawed reliability.
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Old 05-25-2022, 10:16 AM   #4
bjohn
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I think ever since Soundcraft was acquired by Harman things have gone downhill. I had a Soundcraft Ui12 as a live sound mixer and it was complete garbage; I actually took a sledgehammer to it after a few frustrating years because I didn't want to sell it and have someone else live with its many problems (the Ui24 is much better).

In your price range you could check out the Zoom Livetrak series; they get surprisingly great reviews, given Zoom's generally mid-range reputation.
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Old 05-26-2022, 12:24 AM   #5
Tubeguy
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I was very close to buying 22 MTK, than I found out that apparently once you setup your EQs and FX on the mixer, you can't record the processed tracks back to PC unless you record only Stereo master. If that is so, it makes it pretty much useless for home studio for me since I can just as well do mixing in a DAW. I wanted to upgrade from my Notepad 12FX which I love (if you get one that doesn't smoke) but it seems that the MTK is same thing only instead of 4in and 4 out it has more channels. It's a pity, I was pretty excited when it came out.
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Old 05-26-2022, 09:35 AM   #6
serr
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I had a gig 3 years ago that needed very light sound reinforcement live. I wanted to record the groups at the same time for no budget. The club couldn't afford to hire me + gear. The MTK22 was the solution I came up with at the time. It was between the MTK22 for $600 (+ a couple analog graphic eq's for pennies) and a X32 Rack for $700 (+ a tablet for $200).

A caveat was the owner needed to be able to walk up to the board and push a fader up to make feedback and ruin everyone's night when I wasn't there. This was his "thing". It would not have been possible to train him with an iPad controlled system. In hindsight this is a moot point and would have been an upgraded feature.

The recordings I brought home were good. Better than I expected from the preamps and built in AD converters. The live mixing ability is exceptionally poor. The eq's are crude. The onboard compression is nearly useless. The onboard fx are truly useless. No one that ever ran live sound (or any kind of sound) was apparently ever consulted. Just landing the fx return on a channel with the same crude eq section as the rest of the channels would have made them at least workable in a pinch live.

Note that you need to see "MTK" in the name to get multitrack output. They make a "22" with no MTK in the name that only has a 2 channel USB interface. That's the one that can only send the stereo output or two aux outputs.

As an audio interface its baseline latency is high. You'd be setting a block size half of what you're used to with even modest older USB interfaces to hit a live sound required latency. You will NOT be running live sound with this as an interface with a DAW. The DAW inserts are probably intended for a virtual soundcheck and nothing more. The DAW send is in fact pre fader, pre channel strip on all channels though.

Spend a couple hundred dollars more + a tablet and get an X32 Rack instead. Expand it to 22 mic preamps via the balanced aux inputs with their Midas 8 channel preamp unit for another $200 if needed. Have what you actually need for live sound under your fingers and bring home better recordings.

Last edited by serr; 05-28-2022 at 07:11 PM.
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Old 05-26-2022, 01:21 PM   #7
garanimals
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I ended up replacing mine with StudioLive ARc12

I'm not very happy with that either - the device just disappears on occasion.

It could be my computer, so I haven't wanted to dis the product.

I have other usb devices that don't drop out on me, though.



I'm thinking about replacing it with a Motu Ultralite mk5 when they are available. I don't have live sound needs any longer and it seems to get good reviews at a reasonable price.
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Old 05-28-2022, 04:52 PM   #8
Liborius
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Thanks to all for the replies. Reliability is what concerns me more about the 22MTK as I don't plan to use the internal EQ/FX for recording. My space (and money) constraints force me to buy something that I can use either when rehearsing with friends to mix a few mics live to a couple amplified PA speakers (where I would make use of internal EQ and FX), or when recording more channels to the PC such as acoustic drums and guitars, voice etc. In other words I don't plan to use the USB insert function at all, hopefully latency won't be so high that the drummer can't play along a previously recorded track or a click coming from the PC.
I've considered other consoles such as the more expensive Tascam Model 24 but wasn't aware of the Zoom Livetrak L20; I used for years a Zoom H2N to record my previous band and was very very happy with the results. Now I'll have to download and study another manual
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Old 05-28-2022, 07:17 PM   #9
serr
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The Behringer XR-18 is the "budget" X32. 16 mic inputs, 2 line inputs, 8 line outputs. No expansion. They go as low as $500 on ebay.

You'd be running your rehearsal monitoring. (Everyone could use their phones for their personal monitor channel if you wanted.). You could run live sound. Studio recording of course. And recording multitrack in all of the above.
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