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Peavey XR1212


now ubiquitous Peavey ‘Feedback Ferret’ started life as a stand-alone rack- mounted product before it was quickly integrated into Peavey’s powered XR series) and the XR 1212 duly includes this very useful feature on both of its power amp output stages.


Combi-jack outputs are a welcome feature.


Input stage The clean looking control layout thoughtfully includes colour coded knobs that adjust input gain, EQ, monitor levels and FX levels for each channel, with useful corresponding faders on the mixer master section. The rotary EQ controls for each channel include an 80Hz hi-pass filter that Peavey claims is there to help eliminate the nasty hollow-sounding low-end rumble that can sometimes occur when your microphone stand inadvertently transmits low-end frequencies from floor level – boxy- sounding hollow stages, for example – directly up to your mic. Standard treble and bass EQ controls are augmented with two controls for the midrange frequencies: Hi-Mid Morph and Low Mid.


High Mid Morph is essentially two tone controls in one. Cranked anti-clockwise it is designed to reduce frequencies around 2.5kHz, a bandwidth that can sound a bit uncomfortable (when badly EQ’d pre- recorded music is played back at pain threshold volume during breaks between sets, for example!) Alternatively, increasing the Hi-Mid Morph control boosts frequencies around 4 kHz, which adds a powerful presence lift, useful whenever an underpowered vocal needs an extra leg-up without having to increase said channel’s overall volume level. The Low Mid control isn’t a common feature on a mixer at this price point, but its presence on the XR 1212’s control layout still makes sense, especially considering the often cramped environment faced by most gigging bands. The Low Mid control is there to help reduce or mask an abundance of low mid that can occur whenever a microphone is placed too close to its source. This is where some basic EQ’ing skills come into play; imagine you want to reduce that harsh-sounding low mid on a mic’d up bass drum or vocal, so what do you do? Turning down the low end won’t work because reducing the low frequencies only enhances the low mid overload that is the root of the problem. The only sure answer is to reduce or mask the offending low mid frequencies and the XR 1212’s Low Mid control scoops out those


problem frequencies without robbing all of the necessary low end punch your live sound needs to sound powerful and full. Individual level controls for two separate monitors on each channel makes it pretty easy to set up a flexible way of controlling individual monitor mixes. This negates the need for a full band mix to pump through a monitor that may only require a


from feedback, it’s a fact of life, but whilst out of control feedback is ruinous for a live performance, once the causes of feedback are understood and harnessed, feedback can even be used as a tool for helping you PA sound at its best. The XR 1212’s built-in Feedback Ferret is a simplified version of Peavey’s original rack-mounted version and similarly uses a system of filters that


the filters lock on to the offending frequencies and the feedback is history. If you are not necessarily au fait with the intricacies of a graphic EQ then the Feedback Ferret is a god send! One common misconception with graphic equalizers is that they are basically fancy tone controls but when dealing with PA a graphic EQ should ideally be used to tune the system to match your playing environment. Unless you are an expert on frequencies and experienced at using a graphic EQ this can sometimes create confusion when certain frequencies get boosted whilst others are needlessly cut – hence you’ll often see semi-pro bands setting their EQ with the so- called ‘smiley face’ graphic EQ curve, usually because they have been wrongly advised that this is a default setting that guarantees a perfect sound every time. The XR 1212’s twin graphic EQs


The rack-mountable design feels rugged and professional…


touch of backing vocals and some guitar. XR 1212’s flexibility here is impressive but this is only half the story, the serious stuff really starts when we look at the mixer’s output stage and the EQ section in particular.


Graphic EQ


Feedback is the bane of every working musician. Every PA suffers


automatically locate and eliminate the offending frequencies. The XR 1212’s Feedback Ferret doesn’t store presets like its rack mounted counterpart but it nevertheless still feels like a fast and efficient way of nailing unwanted feedback. It works by effectively ‘reading’ the room when the PA is turned up to a normal performance volume level. As feedback occurs


SHOULD I BUY ONE?


This belt and braces approach to solving one of the biggest dilemma’s affecting gigging musicians – and putting this solution within reach of the ordinary everyday muso who maybe doesn’t possess a degree in sound engineering – is a very convincing point in the XR 1212’s favour. The overall attention to detail is pretty mind-blowing but we can vouch you don’t need to be a professor to use it, just a bit of time spent learning the ropes is all it takes. The price requires a degree of commitment too, but for any serious working band that can justify the initial outlay we’d suggest that the investment will quickly pay off.


are each assigned to one of the mixer’s twin 600 watt power amps and these graphics are ‘constant Q’, which means that they designed to help dial-in the PA to match the room, rather than being used to change the actual EQ of the material played through the PA. The graphic is a much- misunderstood piece of gear but a basic grasp of the XR 1212’s different EQ settings can save a lot of time and grief. Both graphics for Amp 1 and Amp 2 have an Auto EQ switch that works in conjunction with the RTA (Real Time Analysis) XLR input on the control surface. Auto EQ tells the onboard DSP to analyse audio data fed into the desk from an ordinary dynamic microphone connected to the RTA input and the DSP then automatically filters out any offending frequencies that are likely to cause feedback problems later on. This is pretty advanced stuff but the actual process only takes a few minutes thanks to the rapid adjustments made by the DSP, it just requires setting up a dynamic mic on a stand roughly 10’ in front of the left and right front of house speakers with the PA set at your normal onstage volume and the Auto EQ mode will get on with the job processing the EQ. It really does seem to work, although to be honest you’d probably only need to use Auto EQ when you are really struggling, for example playing a larger venue than normal or maybe working in one of those odd-shaped rooms that seem to bounce the frequencies all over the place and makes getting a balanced sound a real nightmare. PM


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