In this video, I review the Behringer X32 after 8 years of weekly use. There are three things I love and three things I hate about the X32.
Would I buy it again? Should you buy an X32 in 2023? Find out in this video.
The Behringer X32 made its debut in 2012. As I post this video, it’s been out for just over a decade and is still going strong. Believe it or not, it’s the most successful digital mixing console in history!
It took me two years to work up the nerve to buy one. I was quite skeptical. It is a Behringer product after all. But eight years ago, I reluctantly purchased an X32. And guess what?
I fell in love and I still love her today. She even works as well today as the day I pulled her out of the box. If you were wondering about the longevity of the X32, there you have it. Eight years later and still going strong.
The biggest challenge I had with the X32 was transitioning my mind from analog to digital mixing. Once I got that figured out, I created a course called X32 Mastery to save everyone else the headache.
I released my course in 2016. Then I refreshed the course in 2021 with version 4 firmware. And now, there are over four thousand sound techs enrolled in X32 Mastery.
X32 Mastery is the quickest way to master the X32. If that is something you are interested in, I’ll include a link in the description where you can get lifetime access.
So, not only have I extensively used the X32 for eight years, but I’ve been in contact with thousands of people who also use the X32. Out of all of that, I could count on one hand the number of people who have encountered some kind of hardware issue or bug from an aging X32.
I just want you to know, it’s not like they sent me the golden X32. I bought one from the store just like everyone else. These things are a workhorse that holds up well over time.
Will a mixer that costs ten times as much sound better? I sure hope so. But for just a few thousand dollars, the sound quality of the X32 is far beyond what you pay for it. I’ve never had issues with it hizzing, buzzing, or popping. It’s always given me a clean sound. It’s shocking, really.
The way things are laid out, the menus, the buttons, it just all makes sense. Every time I bring on a new sound volunteer, they figure out how to use it in no time. Now, I am talking about the main functions you use each time you mix, like EQ, compression, gating, and monitor mixes. All of that is so easy to use.
But the more in-depth functions, like routing, not so easy to use. I’ll talk about that more in the things I hate about the X32.
You can save everything on the mixer. You can save one channel so your rotating musicians have their own preset. You can save specific settings for each channel. You can copy and paste EQ from one channel to another.
I tell you what. This saves a lot of time and headaches. You can let other churches use your mixer. You can let the youth group use your mixer. And then in one click, bring it all back to where it was. I know, most digital mixers do all of this. But the X32 did an incredible job making it easy.
There are lots more I love about the X32, but I don’t want to keep you too long. So let me share three things I hate.
Most everything is user-friendly until you get to the routing screen. Then you feel like you need a master's degree to figure out what is going on.
But you don’t need a master's degree, you just need my X32 Mastery course. Save yourself a routing nightmare and get lifetime access using the link in the description.
Block routing, patch routing, inputs, outputs, AES50, Card, P16, what in the world is going on? It’s a lot. But I simplify it down to two 5-min videos in X32 Mastery.
This is the thing that ages the mixer the most. You can touch the screen. It’s just not going to do anything. You gotta go old school and use those knobs to get things done. Nevertheless, it is easy to use. Especially for those of us who grew up before touchscreens were a thing.
Behringer did come out with a touchscreen mixer called the Wing. I did a comparison between the X32 and the Wing in another video.
This is the only mixer I’ve ever seen with a dedicated spot for your phone. I don’t know whose idea that was, but what’s even more shocking is that it made it to production.
I haven’t had a phone that would fit this thing since I purchased the X32 eight years ago. So this little spot has been useless pretty much since its inception. Yet, it still exists on every X32.
Would I recommend an X32 eight years later? One-hundred percent. It’s a great mixer. It holds up. It’s a workhorse that gets the job done well. You can grab one from Sweetwater and support our channel in the process.
Also be sure to check out X32 Mastery, the fastest way to master the X32.
And hey, if you’d like to watch me create a mix from the ground up using the X32, subscribe to my Inner Circle. You’ll get a whole lot more than just one video. It’s where you get the ongoing support you need to thrive in audio-visual.
