can definitely hear a difference. The Yamaha mixer wins in this contest, in my opinion. Sounds more open, separated and colorful.

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

I find that Yamaha gear always seems to have a nice warm sound and this one is no exception. It's also extremely reliable.

You really have a great collection of vintage gear by now. It makes me a bit jealous ^^

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Not everything in the videos is mine. I have people who loan me gear to test out and make videos about. I've had the Yamaha awhile now but it's not mine. The Topaz is mine and I have an old Allen & Heath I've made some videos about. Some of my stuff doesn't work right also. I borrow and collect old audio gear I guess. I like messing with audio gear and I like to have cool interesting things to film for KZread. I love making videos about the old stuff nobody thinks about enough. Thanks again for watching!

@atomicstructure4973

3 жыл бұрын

Your attitude towards old equipment is really admirable! Since I am a small collector myself, I came across your channel in the first place. Here in Germany it's much more difficult to get such gear (i think so), which makes me even more happy to look over your shoulder :) If you should have the time and the desire to do so, I would be very happy about a small video about your personal favorite equipment and some buying recommendations. Until then, I will have a look through all your old videos. I am really happy to have discovered your channel!

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’ve made a lot of videos and I’m always working on more!

Apples vs oranges idk lets listen now 👌🏾 cool video man I just got one tryna figure out how to use it

@TwinCreekAudio

Жыл бұрын

These are kind of strange to use. I put screen shots of the entire manual at the end of the main Yamaha RM804 video though. They do sound pretty good too.

Hi! It sounds very good! I have the same Yamaha RM804, tell me how to connect and configure the DAW? If there is a video specifically about setting up and connecting - it would be just awesome!

@TwinCreekAudio

10 ай бұрын

I don't think I made one of how to set up the RM 804 in particular but I have several that cover similar consoles. Check out the setup video for the Fostex 450 I made recently. That is probably the closest. Really all you need is an interface with multiple outputs(8 for the 8 channels of the RM804. Connect those to the tape inputs and switch the channels to tape. Then you should be able to mix through the console. The setup for each interface is different so you will need to know how to assign individual tracks to individual outputs in your DAW with your particular interface. Here is the video with the Fostex 450. It has almost the same connections as the RM804. kzread.info/dash/bejne/g6iH3KutidTWpMo.html The RM804 monitor section is the strange part of that console and you don't need those orange knobs that say Stereo for summing. Also, definitely check the manual for more specifics. I sold my RM804 last year after owning it for almost 10 years. The manual went with it but there are screenshots at the end of my video on the RM804 if you can't get it elsewhere online.

@Musicmaxoon

9 ай бұрын

@@TwinCreekAudio OK. Thanks for the advice! I will definitely watch the video!

The yamaha sounds smoother and more laid back. I think the repear summing sounds too perfect in my opinion, too many frequencies poking through at the same time.

@TwinCreekAudio

Ай бұрын

I agree. That seems to be the case with any of the consoles I've tested. The Yamaha does sound really good though.

Great song! Yamaha have a fatter 3D sound the computer sounds wider but also more 2 dimensional. Ty for uploading. ✌🏽

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

I've always been a fan of Yamaha gear. The RM804 sounds really good just like all Yamaha gear. Thanks so much for your comment!

The Yamaha has more weight to the sound if that makes sense. When the bass comes in on the Yamaha at the beginning it sounds great! I personally think most real pieces of hardware sound better than anything software generated.

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

I agree with you. The little Yamaha definitely adds some nice flavor to the sound and their gear is reliable too. This one was made in 1987 and is still 100% functional and still sounds great! I've noticed hardware sounding better for a awhile. It seems like plugin compressors sort of later the compressed sound on top of the dry signal and don't really compress like hardware. EQ is kind of the same way. I definitely agree you get something with hardware that plugins don't deliver.

What is your opinion on different models from the series, like PM 700?

@TwinCreekAudio

2 жыл бұрын

The RM804 and 1604 etc are 80s IC based mixers while the PM700 is a transformer balanced console with much older opamps and a lot less features. The RM804 is designed for a home or small studio while the PM700 was deigned for live sound. The PM700s sound really good and have a darker vintage kind of sound. Great on drums but maybe too noisy for delicate instruments. The RM804 sounds good but it's a bit noisy too though the noise appears to be the monitor section and doesn't affect what's being recorded. As a DAW front end, the PM700 would be my pick as they are full of transformers and are easy to mod. Stock, you could really only get 4 outputs from a PM700 while the RM804 has direct outs on all channels. You can mod a PM700 but it will never have the studio features of the RM mixers. I should also point out that in my experience, the RM804 sounds fairly warm even though it doesn't have transformers. The EQ on both is pretty minimal but the PM700 EQ is a little smoother sounding. Yamaha consoles all tend to sound very good. The later Yamaha consoles like the RM have more features but don't features transformers anywhere in the signal path. All the Yamaha consoles sound really good so the choice is probably more based on how you want to use it and how it integrated with your setup. If you need more routing and features, the RM would be better but if it's more the vintage sound, the PM 700 might be better. The RM series is much more affordable these days. I guess due to the transformers and hype surrounding the PM1000, the prices for PM models tend to be much much higher than an RM series. I had a PM700 for a few years and sold it for $75! That was probably dumb. Now you're not likely to find one for less than $700. The RM804, I got for $50 in perfect working order with the manual and an original brochure. Pretty sweet little board that has worked great for me. The PM700 worked great too. It was just a bit too limited for my use. I've only had those 2 Yamahas and used a couple of others so I'm not sure about all the consoles they made or how to compare them other than to say that everything Yamaha has made that I've used has sounded good to great! Mostly great.

what other 8 channel mixers from the 70's/80's that would be good for this, and cheap also?

@TwinCreekAudio

Жыл бұрын

The Tascam mixers from the 70s and early 80s would be similar and some have transformer balanced mic inputs. Allen&Heath System 8 and other vintage A&H consoles sound good. As with anything vintage or over 20 years old, condition is everything. Make sure to find something that's in good condition and works well. Summing on a mixer that is noisy or otherwise not well maintained would probably do more harm to the audio than good. I have a lot of different mixer videos on my channel so check some of those out as well. I've made videos about several different models such as the Tascam M35 and the Stevenson Interface electronics series 100. Hill Audio and Studiomsster also made good mixing consoles in that era Don't discount 1990s mixers either. Things like the Soundcraft Ghost and Soundtracs Topaz are personal favorites There are a lot of options out there on the used market and I have only seen a small amount of them personally. I'm sure you will be able to find something that works well for you. Thanks for your comment! I enjoy discussing audio gear and always happy to help!

@xisotopex

Жыл бұрын

@@TwinCreekAudio thanks for the reply... its interesting that the 'color' that we use these mixers for, back in the day was not considered desirable... I got good results ITB but I got an old 4 track, and I dont know what it is, but tracks recorded on that sound.... different, and in a good way... decided that I want to try an old mixer to sum and add some saturation to tracks... computer audio obviously has in theory everything you would want, clarity, no coloration, low nose, etc... but there is something going on outside of the computer that no plugin can completely replicate

@TwinCreekAudio

Жыл бұрын

@@xisotopex that is true. When you are combining sounds in the box, you are combining a bunch of different files down to one file so some parts of the original audio files are not making it through the conversion the same after they are mixed together. I'm not a scientist but I have worked in audio engineering for a very long time and there is definitely a difference.

Great! These are better than the Yamaha MR series?

@TwinCreekAudio

2 жыл бұрын

I am not sure if it's better or not. I would assume the MR series and later models like the RM800 may have better specs so I guess it depends on the sound you want. The RM804, RM1608 etc are older IC based designs but they have a warm vintage sound. The RM 800 is similar in sound but with less noise. I have no direct experience with the MR series but I used similar era Yamaha consoles for running sound at a big club and they worked and sounded great.

How do you do your routing to your interface? Unbalanced RCA to TS?

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

Yes I used RCA to TS for from the interface outputs to the tape input RCA on the RM804. Most interfaces have switchable line level from +4 to -10 so I set mine to -10 to match the RM804.

@mixmachineanalog

3 жыл бұрын

@@TwinCreekAudio Thank you so much!!! I have the same mixer and will connect to my RME :)

@TwinCreekAudio

3 жыл бұрын

The RM804 sounds great! The mic pre amps are really nice and it works well for summing too.

@mixmachineanalog

3 жыл бұрын

@@TwinCreekAudio Yeah will try the summing :)

Thanks for the Videos on this Mixer. I watched this Video because i found this one on eBay for 280 bucks. I actually have No Idea If this is a good price or not, Can you Tell me what you think?

@TwinCreekAudio

Жыл бұрын

I think it's a good sounding mixer although the monitoring side on mine is pretty noisy. I only paid $50 for mine with the original manual and the original Yamaha sales brochure. I bought mine in 2014 so I'm unsure of what the current value should be. Just an educated guess would be between $100-$200 at most in 2023. It's also best if you can test it for proper sound and function though the Yamaha gear is usually really reliable. I guess it also depends on how you want to use it. As summing mixer, it's not that great though the mic pres seem to sound really good. The RM804 does not have phantom power so you'll only be able to use dynamic mics without an external phantom power supply. Hope that helps and let me know how it goes for you.

@retrohale_

Жыл бұрын

@@TwinCreekAudio thank you for the answer! Im still in the process to get information about different old Mixers. Hopefully i will figure out what to get soon haha... Im a bit worried about the noisy Outputs on this one. Also i'm thinking about getting a tascam maybe.

@TwinCreekAudio

Жыл бұрын

@@retrohale_ it depends on what you're connecting it to. A lot of the vintage Tascams have -10 unbalanced IO though some had extra packages that could be installed to make them balanced. With shorter cable runs, unbalanced connection should be fine and most modern audio interfaces have switchable levels.

damn the yamaha really does sound better lol

@TwinCreekAudio

11 ай бұрын

It's a really nice mixer. The preamps sound good and it definitely sounds better than straight digital. I made a lot of good recordings with mine.

Why is the noise floor so crazy in this video?

@TwinCreekAudio

2 жыл бұрын

It's a really old video and I haven't watched it in awhile. I think this might have been when the AC went out and I was using a noisy portable unit for awhile. This was probably before I started syncing the video to separately recorded audio from a studio mic. The voice track should be only place there's an issue. The RM804 is only noisy on the monitor side.

The Reaper mix sounds far better to me. Punchier, clearer...better.

@TwinCreekAudio

5 ай бұрын

It all depends on personal preference. The RM804 has a nice analog sound but it's not really a high end studio console in the first place. People seem to be really into more lo fi type sounds these days as well. I sold the RM804 several years ago. My favorite thing about it were the preamps.