Behringer X32 automix question

Ben Lawrence

Senior
Mar 2, 2011
1,184
29
48
Vermont
vtaudiovisual.com
I am looking to have 20 or so panelist mics setup. Typically I would run a gate on channels and or manually adjust volume on the current speaker. Is the automix feature what I need to look at to make my job easier? Obviously having 20 mics hot in a room is going to be a tough battle with gain before feedback. Will the automix function help keep me safe? Would a gate be used in conjunction or does the automix handle it on its own. I will have limited time in the actual venue but have a good chunk of time to experiment before arriving.
 
Dugan automakers are marvelous things. The Behringer ripoff, err emulation is a bit less clever but it's functional. X32 has only eight channels of auto mix function though while the XR18 has 16 channels. Current Yamaha consoles have a real Dugan emulation with 16 channels in the DSP and another a16 available with a card slot ( although they cannot be linked ) Automixers ( done right ) are not gates, they simply apportion the gain where it's needed, reducing the gain of unused channels. This is a big part of why they are inserted post fader so that the gain evaluation isn't based on channels that are down or lower in level