Behringer XENYX X1222USB Premium 16-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer with XENYX Mic Preamps and Compressors, British EQ, 24-Bit Multi-FX Processor and USB/Audio Interface

My friend and I started a podcast (called Oh Honey, coming out February 14th everywhere),and we had no idea what we were doing. I've never done anything with audio recording before, and I had to do a lot of research on exactly what we would need. We knew we wanted to be able to have guests, so we needed a mixer that would support at least 4 mics, and this was the most affordable and reasonable option that worked for us. IT COMES WITH everything you need to plug it into your computer and plug it into the wall for power. The USB cord is a few feet long, and so is the power cord. Both are standard and look high quality to me. The manual, which I read cover-to-cover, is very easy to read and understand. It's only probably 20 pages, and half of them are diagrams showing where to plug in different components. THE MACHINE ITSELF is very user friendly, especially considering that I've never done anything with audio before. Because we needed guests to be able to hear themselves as well, I purchased a Behringer 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp, and that works really well for us. The knobs and controls are also high quality. I love having this thing on my desk because it looks SO legit. Within probably a half hour of unboxing, someone with no experience whatsoever with audio had everything plugged in and set up and working correctly. If I can do it, you can too. Overall, this product gave us everything we needed. It's easy to use, isn't too big or small, and works great!

I’ve read people giving Behringer a a bad rap, and maybe some of their products aren’t as good as others, but this product has more than met my expectations especially for the price point. I love the 5 band EQ, and the anti-feedback feature works amazingly well. The voice cancelling feature isn’t really that great, but it does knock down the vocals enough for karaoke on some songs. I guess it depends on how the songs were recorded. Other than that, it really is a nice board. The knobs don’t feel cheap, and they have a nice feel when you twiddle them. There is a nice resistance to them rather than some boards that are so loose you can’t peg them accurately. Digital readout for the FX is nice. I don’t use the FX , but they are not too shabby. Has many input options, more than other boards in this price range. My only regret is that for $50 more, I could have got the one with 6 gain channels. I’m still happy with this one though. For $200, this one is a winner in my book!

Apparently Joe Rogan uses this one, not something I knew at time of purchase, but that list of products he uses seems dated and also has some cheap $90 headphones on there. The only REAL issue I have with these is that this only does TWO LINE ins to the PC, meaning you have to do all the levels and mixing for mic users 3+ LIVE and on the fly. Where as some mixers (even from the same company, since I stepped up to them) allow for EVERY TRACK to be digitally represented. NOW, each has their set of benefits and disadvantages. PERSONALLY, I would rather do everything DIGITALLY, or go with MULTIPLE 2x2 devices and add them when I need to add people. I would say this is a pass, may be great for podcasting and at $250 you're not breaking the bank with it, and getting quality at the same time. But since I'm not doing my stuff live and would have 4 guests on, I would rather be able to MIX all of those tracks individually for that added flexibility. HENCE why for double the price, I went with the X-AIR 18 and that has all the fun toys; 18 outputs to pc, all nice XLR quarter inch combo jacks and other creature comforts. Also Behringer does make a more pocket and podcast friendly option that is a 4x4 USB product, and I think that's cheaper than this. SO... if you don't mind mixing live and have a good enough ear to do that, the go with this, this will definitely offer better control and response time for leveling since it's all analog, but if you're like me and have a crap ear for that stuff that can't do it live, and needs to sit with the tracks and study them, then I'd recommend something with at least 4x4 output, so you can isolate everyone on an individual track in post.

This mixer is just what I wanted. The sound is clean and with the built in effects it sounds pretty darn cool. The only problem I have is I wish it had two more aux ports, but other than that it is a solid piece of machinery. Thank you Behringer.

This is the one! After using the 1202 (rotary channel knobs, 4 stereo channels) and then changing to the 1204 (channel sliders, but only 2 stereo channels), I am really liking the 1222. It has the sliders, 4 stereo channels, AND 2 sliders controlling monitor and effects send right down with the rest of them where they should be, not some hidden knob hard to get to on the fly, AND a slider for the 2-track return too! FINALLY I can balance all my inputs on the mixer and not fuss with volumes/gains on the computer/phone/cd player I'm sending from. All the channels are in a vertical row, much easier to keep track of the inputs as opposed to the stacked channels on the 1202. This does not have a PFL button BUT I think the separate level setting yellow LEDs up by the gain knobs are better for my mobile DJ use...maybe not as accurate as using PFL on the main meter but they are a constant visual aide to keep the input gain levels hot but not too hot. You simply keep them dialed to where the input occasionally flashes them. I would prefer the main XLR outs to be on the back like they are on the 1204 and I might miss the Solo buttons that the 1204 has too but I'll swap mixers if a gig needs that. All in all the 1222 has a great mix of features. I like the onboard graphic equalizer with feedback detect, stereo expand feature, and a great FX section. Good job Behringer!

Good stuff

Frankly, the mixer seems like a decent product; it just may not have been compatible with our 1000 watt EV powered PA speakers. Volume could not be raised high enough for vocals; even with the feedback supressor on, we still got constant feedback. We repositioned the speakers and reduced their volume. The EQ seemed right, but no luck. We need something much more user friendly. We can't have ear-piercing feedback at our gig venues. Again, it could be us and not the unit. Using it might be above our learning curve. We've had more luck with our 4-channel Yamaha board; we just wanted more vocal inputs, and the Yamaha board that would give us additional inputs was a bit too pricey right now.

I am very happy with my new Behringer mixer. It is light enough that it can be carried in a small backpack but big enough to manage all of "my" micing needs. The Phantom Power makes it easily possible to use my condenser microphones. The built-in effects makes it possible to add reverb, chorus and delay (and more) to selected channels. Having a single knob compressor is wonderful. The unit is quiet and well built. I have not yet used the mixer as an interface so I cannot speak to that feature.