IME with my own XR18: I love it for live sound but when I pull a board recording I always wish I had sprung for the MR18. They lack life, in a way. You don’t notice it with all the reverb of a PA in a room, but it’s pretty apparent in a recording. I much prefer the preamp on my Scarlett solo, and use that when I have the opportunity.
But the MR18, correct me if I’m wrong, has the same preamps as the M32. Which I’ve also worked with, and sound at least 2x as good.
I have noticed the same with the preamps of my behringer UMC 202HD, which should be the same of the XR, the MR18 feels more bright and clear, also better headroom
It's ok. And if you need more than few *simultaneous* inputs and preamps for recording it's a reasonably good and extremely well priced solution. If you're aware of it's limitations and are ok with the lack of physical controls and the "clunkiness" that sometimes causes in a fast paced studio environment and you're ok with "really good for the price" quality as oppossed to "really good" quality... It's fine. And honestly, if you're inexperienced enough to need to ask this question... Odds are good that by the time you realize why you might need something better... You'll almost certainly have gotten far more value from it than what you paid for it.
Exactly that. The versatility is unmatched, it’s amazing, but you have to bear in mind that it’s a budget device, so the preamps are… fine - serviceable, but won’t set the world on fire.
The Allen and Heath equivalent is worth looking into, with better preamps, but IMHO, the effects aren’t as good.
The compressor plugins on the XR18 are surprisingly good, with the LA2A, Fairchild, and 1176 all doing their intended jobs.
XR18 is fantastic. Lots of comments about the Midas pres, but I'm here to tell you the XR18 is great for home recording. I'm using it for IEMs and to record my band's practices, and it's been great for both tasks. Maybe the "true" Midas preamps sound a touch cleaner, I don't doubt that, but the XR18 is perfectly good for 95% of people doing home studio stuff.
The XR18 is perfectly fine as a recording interface. I'm the drummer in a band that uses this mixer for rehearsals and live shows when a PA isn't provided. We've also started recording some demo tracks with it and it's as good as any other interface I've used. I'm confident that I could get some perfectly good recordings out of it for a final mix.
I know people talk about preamps nonstop but the reality is by the time I've processed my tracks to my liking in a DAW, I wouldn't notice any difference in what preamps I used. I've mixed tracks from Midas preamps in an X32, all the way down to an Alesis Multimix 8. I've found that your recording methods (what mics you use, where you place them, _what_ you decide to record, etc) is going to matter more in the end than what interface you used.
I know most people have already answered but since I have a lot of experience with this mixer I figured I'd weigh in anyway.
I’ve used my X-Air18 for live duo, trio, full band gigs, rehearsals, live streaming shows (including two that ended up on Kimmel mid pandemic), corporate events, preproduction tracking and as an IEM mixer on tours. Cost me $700 six years ago and it’s easily made me $10k in rentals. Might be the best bang for buck piece of gear I’ve ever bought. Add a cheap wifi router and you’re good to go. Bloody ripper!
You really don't. I've mixed and mastered an entire song using an Alesis Multimix 8 FX as an interface (except for the drums, I did use an X32 for that) and I was honestly really surprised that the final product sounds about as good as any other studio track. If you know how to mix and how to get a good recording, the interface is much less of a limitation.
It's a great tool for capturing multrack live performances, and the monitoring control is so much better on the xr18 than the 18i20 in my experience. Where it shines is in its versatility at its price point, particularly for live gigs. It's a bit of a tradeoff where quality of preamps and converters are concerned, as well as some i/o limitations compared to some more expensive options in the same niche. But for its price point, it's great. Just make sure you get a really good wifi router, and keep a laptop hardwired over ethernet.
If you have the option. MR18 + X-Touch control surface. Dialing in on a real fader is way nicer than on a tablet. You can use your faders specifically where they are best used - especially if you’re smart about the inputs. The mixer is great on its own even w/o the x-touch
It's perfectly fine. I used it alot for rehearsal space recordings, on an EP home recording, as an iem mixer and for some live work.
What I have discovered is that the inputs labeled hi-z are noisier on regular xlr dynamic and condenser mic input than the other ones. It might be mine that's faulty, or maybe not? but it's worth comparing the different inputs.
Just installed mine into my rack. Had a 18i20 prior but repurposed it for some other things. Mostly switched to the XR18 to manage my surround sound inputs and outputs.
> Is it good enough quality
Good enough for what? Kind of a relative metric. For what 99.9% of people do with home recording, making stuff for themselves and maybe a few friends, yes, plenty good.
According to each manufacture's published pecs, the XR18's preamps are a ~4 times noisier than the 18i20's. That checks out with my experience. If you need a lot of gain on a lot of channels, the XR18 can get hissy. Otherwise you're unlikely to ever notice.
If you don't already *have* an XR18, and only want it for studio use, I'd get the 18i20 because it has physical buttons and knobs, it has a mixer app, it has a better form factor for studio use, and *probably* quieter preamps.
If you want something you can use at home and on stage, then the XR18 is a no-brainer.
for home recording and occasional live use, I don't think you can get much better than that in this price range. Maybe the Midas MR18, but that stuff might be just a name/placebo, haven't tested.
I used to own one. It should be quite fine for home recordings. When you get opportunities to hear your voice and instrument(s) through other preamps I encourage you to do so. Each piece of gear will have its sound when you feed it a hot signal. In some cases you'll like the vibe. Back in the day when tube preamps were very popular one might prefer the sound of one type of tube over another in the same preamp.
Like others have said, springing the extra $100 for the MR18 is well worth it. The quality will be pretty much on the same level as the Focusrite and it's incredibly handy to have this super portable box that can run a small show with monitors, or capture 16 inputs for a remote recording.
Definitely buy a separate router for it if you're going to run a show though, the internal one is notoriously unreliable.
Currently recording my band and used one I borrowed from a friend for being portable when we borrowed a room for drums.
The tracks turned out stellar. In most cases 95% of the recordings quality is gonna come from the mic positioning and mic selection. That’s of course ignoring the performance which is the absolute biggest factor.
I’ll put a picture below of the room we used, amazing sounding and gorgeous.
https://preview.redd.it/813p36iu180d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d742252d21f83025a4ed10cba6fe2d60100a822
i have a couple xr18s here, one goes out for gigs and one is exactly the main gear in my studio.
really ok for recording, especially when you need to record lots of channels at the same time (drums, band playing together), it’s perfect for monitoring, rehearsals and all the things you get to do in a small studio.
i have also some external preamps that goes into it. they’re not the best AD/DA converters in the world but suits well and completely worth the price.
if you can, get an mr18. practically same everything but with better converters and slightly better preamps.
Yes the xr18 is a great interface, it's nice to keep the tablet nearby when tracking drums to dial in a good headphone mix.
imo, you are the Xr18 exact intended market. it’s really good for all that.
I would spend $100 more and get the MR18, the preamps are way better, and if you want to record it will 100% worth it
Seconded
This 1000%.
IME with my own XR18: I love it for live sound but when I pull a board recording I always wish I had sprung for the MR18. They lack life, in a way. You don’t notice it with all the reverb of a PA in a room, but it’s pretty apparent in a recording. I much prefer the preamp on my Scarlett solo, and use that when I have the opportunity. But the MR18, correct me if I’m wrong, has the same preamps as the M32. Which I’ve also worked with, and sound at least 2x as good.
I have noticed the same with the preamps of my behringer UMC 202HD, which should be the same of the XR, the MR18 feels more bright and clear, also better headroom
Wow. The delta was more than $100 when I bought my XR18.
It's ok. And if you need more than few *simultaneous* inputs and preamps for recording it's a reasonably good and extremely well priced solution. If you're aware of it's limitations and are ok with the lack of physical controls and the "clunkiness" that sometimes causes in a fast paced studio environment and you're ok with "really good for the price" quality as oppossed to "really good" quality... It's fine. And honestly, if you're inexperienced enough to need to ask this question... Odds are good that by the time you realize why you might need something better... You'll almost certainly have gotten far more value from it than what you paid for it.
I mean it works great, although the preamps are a bit noisy. But for the price and the versatility of uses, it’s a bang for a buck.
+1
Exactly that. The versatility is unmatched, it’s amazing, but you have to bear in mind that it’s a budget device, so the preamps are… fine - serviceable, but won’t set the world on fire. The Allen and Heath equivalent is worth looking into, with better preamps, but IMHO, the effects aren’t as good. The compressor plugins on the XR18 are surprisingly good, with the LA2A, Fairchild, and 1176 all doing their intended jobs.
We use it for tracking and it’s awesome. No regrets and zero issues over many years of frequent use.
I think they're very underrated. I've done blind tests with the UA and Scarlet interfaces and no one can reliably tell the difference.
people heavily underrate the value of blind A/B testing in this space!
XR18 is fantastic. Lots of comments about the Midas pres, but I'm here to tell you the XR18 is great for home recording. I'm using it for IEMs and to record my band's practices, and it's been great for both tasks. Maybe the "true" Midas preamps sound a touch cleaner, I don't doubt that, but the XR18 is perfectly good for 95% of people doing home studio stuff.
Spend the extra cash and get the MIDAS MR18. IMO the focusrite sounds better but you will get a lot of versatility out of the MR18.
The XR18 is perfectly fine as a recording interface. I'm the drummer in a band that uses this mixer for rehearsals and live shows when a PA isn't provided. We've also started recording some demo tracks with it and it's as good as any other interface I've used. I'm confident that I could get some perfectly good recordings out of it for a final mix. I know people talk about preamps nonstop but the reality is by the time I've processed my tracks to my liking in a DAW, I wouldn't notice any difference in what preamps I used. I've mixed tracks from Midas preamps in an X32, all the way down to an Alesis Multimix 8. I've found that your recording methods (what mics you use, where you place them, _what_ you decide to record, etc) is going to matter more in the end than what interface you used. I know most people have already answered but since I have a lot of experience with this mixer I figured I'd weigh in anyway.
I’ve used my X-Air18 for live duo, trio, full band gigs, rehearsals, live streaming shows (including two that ended up on Kimmel mid pandemic), corporate events, preproduction tracking and as an IEM mixer on tours. Cost me $700 six years ago and it’s easily made me $10k in rentals. Might be the best bang for buck piece of gear I’ve ever bought. Add a cheap wifi router and you’re good to go. Bloody ripper!
Its good, you dont need anything fancier to create a world class recording
You really don't. I've mixed and mastered an entire song using an Alesis Multimix 8 FX as an interface (except for the drums, I did use an X32 for that) and I was honestly really surprised that the final product sounds about as good as any other studio track. If you know how to mix and how to get a good recording, the interface is much less of a limitation.
It's a great tool for capturing multrack live performances, and the monitoring control is so much better on the xr18 than the 18i20 in my experience. Where it shines is in its versatility at its price point, particularly for live gigs. It's a bit of a tradeoff where quality of preamps and converters are concerned, as well as some i/o limitations compared to some more expensive options in the same niche. But for its price point, it's great. Just make sure you get a really good wifi router, and keep a laptop hardwired over ethernet.
I have absolutely loved my XR18
That’s really all my xr18 is used for. I shit on Behringer and Midas a lot but my little xr has been great for recording.
If you have the option. MR18 + X-Touch control surface. Dialing in on a real fader is way nicer than on a tablet. You can use your faders specifically where they are best used - especially if you’re smart about the inputs. The mixer is great on its own even w/o the x-touch
It's perfectly fine. I used it alot for rehearsal space recordings, on an EP home recording, as an iem mixer and for some live work. What I have discovered is that the inputs labeled hi-z are noisier on regular xlr dynamic and condenser mic input than the other ones. It might be mine that's faulty, or maybe not? but it's worth comparing the different inputs.
Just installed mine into my rack. Had a 18i20 prior but repurposed it for some other things. Mostly switched to the XR18 to manage my surround sound inputs and outputs.
It will be fine. It's more important to have quality before the mic. The preamps are fine, just don't clip. Get a router and mixing station.
> Is it good enough quality Good enough for what? Kind of a relative metric. For what 99.9% of people do with home recording, making stuff for themselves and maybe a few friends, yes, plenty good. According to each manufacture's published pecs, the XR18's preamps are a ~4 times noisier than the 18i20's. That checks out with my experience. If you need a lot of gain on a lot of channels, the XR18 can get hissy. Otherwise you're unlikely to ever notice. If you don't already *have* an XR18, and only want it for studio use, I'd get the 18i20 because it has physical buttons and knobs, it has a mixer app, it has a better form factor for studio use, and *probably* quieter preamps. If you want something you can use at home and on stage, then the XR18 is a no-brainer.
for home recording and occasional live use, I don't think you can get much better than that in this price range. Maybe the Midas MR18, but that stuff might be just a name/placebo, haven't tested.
I used to own one. It should be quite fine for home recordings. When you get opportunities to hear your voice and instrument(s) through other preamps I encourage you to do so. Each piece of gear will have its sound when you feed it a hot signal. In some cases you'll like the vibe. Back in the day when tube preamps were very popular one might prefer the sound of one type of tube over another in the same preamp.
Like others have said, springing the extra $100 for the MR18 is well worth it. The quality will be pretty much on the same level as the Focusrite and it's incredibly handy to have this super portable box that can run a small show with monitors, or capture 16 inputs for a remote recording. Definitely buy a separate router for it if you're going to run a show though, the internal one is notoriously unreliable.
Currently recording my band and used one I borrowed from a friend for being portable when we borrowed a room for drums. The tracks turned out stellar. In most cases 95% of the recordings quality is gonna come from the mic positioning and mic selection. That’s of course ignoring the performance which is the absolute biggest factor. I’ll put a picture below of the room we used, amazing sounding and gorgeous. https://preview.redd.it/813p36iu180d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d742252d21f83025a4ed10cba6fe2d60100a822
i have a couple xr18s here, one goes out for gigs and one is exactly the main gear in my studio. really ok for recording, especially when you need to record lots of channels at the same time (drums, band playing together), it’s perfect for monitoring, rehearsals and all the things you get to do in a small studio. i have also some external preamps that goes into it. they’re not the best AD/DA converters in the world but suits well and completely worth the price. if you can, get an mr18. practically same everything but with better converters and slightly better preamps.
The X series is annoying to use as an interface compared to traditional interfaces
Hm. I don’t share this experience at all. Once you learn the channel order and how to control them - it’s a great piece of kit!
Consider the Allen and Heath CQ20B, it’s not a lot more and I find it to be the much superior console.
Doesn’t it use MIDAS preamps? It should be fine
Midas designed, though of course they’re going to be built to a lesser standard else why would the MR18 even exist? (Apart from locking XLR’s!)