The Carvin Studio Mate Mixer is designed for the home studio where limited space is a consideration but high performance is not to be compromised. The Studio Mate is also rugged enough to handle many live sound applications. Carvin offers a one year warranty on parts and labor.

Features

The SM 162 has 8 MIC/LlNE input channels with XLR andº" LINE inputs and PATCH insert jacks. There are also 4 STEREO input channels (8 mono) with two 1/4'' LlNE inputs each. The XLR channels (1 through 8) feature input GAIN controls and provide Phantom power for condenser mics There are 3 bands of EQ and 2 post fader effect SENDS on each channel. The master section features 2 SENDS and 2 stereo RETURNS along with RCA tape lN's and OUT's that can be used as a separate stereo channel with it's own level control. A master LEFT/RIGHT level control also feeds a 1/4'' stereo headphone jack with it's own level control. The stereo LED VU metering provides bright, clear visibility of input levels. The SM 162 has a fine-textured finish that is dark gray with white graphics and numbering for the controls....serious looking and attractive.

The "Micro Toroid" power supply in the SM 162 won't be found in any other mixer, according to Carvin, except other Carvin high end products. Carvin says pure DC is generated from this power supply which features precision 7815 and 7915 voltage regulators which hold voltage tolerances to within .001%. The benefit is, you can go anywhere and never have to worry about the mixer giving you the exact output and sound you are accustomed to. Another big feature of this power supply is the precision wound Toroid transformer gives unsurpassed rejection of noise and hum. You can place the SM 162 over sensitive gear and not be concerned about injecting hum or noise into it like a standard transformer might.

Working down channel strips 1 through 8, there's a 1/4'' phone jack designed for unbalanced line and instrument-level inputs or an unbalanced mic or pre-amp output. The line input can be used at the same time the mic input is being used.

Next is an XLR MIC input designed for balanced low impedance mic input signals. The XLR connector is wired per industry standards....pin 2 pos., etc. etc. Phantom power is available on every XLR input jack when the phantom power switch in the master section is on. This feature allows condenser microphones to be run directly from the mixer.

Below the XLR input is a Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) 1/º'' insert jack. The insert point is after the input (MIC-pre) amplifier and before the channel EQ section. When a 1/º'' is fully inserted, it breaks the connection between the mic-pre and the channel EQ. This insert break point allows external equipment, such as a compressor, to be used only on the channel it is inserted into.

The insert jack can also be used as a direct output by inserting a 1/4" mono plug in to the first click of the jack. This results in a direct output signal from that channel that does not disturb the channel's operation. A direct output is typically used to feed a multi-track recorder.

Then there' s the aforementioned GAIN control pot, with a red-topped knob. The gain control adjusts the gain for both the line and mic input jacks. For the mic input, the gain goes from +4dB min to +42dB of gain. For the line input, the gain goes from -7dB min to +29dB of gain.

Carvin has taken great care to be sure that each gain stage is properly designed and balanced to provide more headroom along the entire audio path. This shows up as clean sound throughout the range of adjustment. During use, the sound quality was clean and quiet. . . more on this later.

Below the GAIN control is the EQ section. The SM 162 incorporates three bands of EQ per channel with each EQ control knob having a blue top. 80 Hz is chosen for the LOW frequency EQ (sound familiar?) instead of the usual 100 Hz. The HI EQ controls are set at 11.5 kHz which is slightly higher than the typical 10 kHz treble controls which some feel gives more top end clarity. These are "shelving" type controls which cover the complete frequency band from 80 Hz down to 20 Hz and from 11.5 kHz up to 20 kHz. The MID EQ controls are a "band pass" type which peak at 2.2 kHz for added presence to mid range tones. Carvin uses "active" tone circuits, meaning that you are able to boost or cut tones without losing signal strength in the mixer.

Moving down the channel strip we find the EFFECTS 1 and 2 SENDS with gray-topped control knobs. These controls are identical in function....both adjust the volume of the channel going to the effects send master controls. The only difference, of course, is EFF 1 goes to Send I, and EFF 2 goes to Send 2, but you knew that. Both controls are post channel level. This means adjustments in the channels EQ or level controls will effect the sound and volume of the EFF 1 and EFF 2 sends.

Below EFF 2 is the PAN control. The PAN control. adjusts where the channel is heard in the stereo field.

Finally, the channel level control where the overall final volume of the channel is adjusted before going to the master left and right output.

Channel 9 through 16 are stereo line channels. These LINE inputs are l/47' phone jacks designed for unbalanced line and instrument level inputs. If a mono input is needed, using the left input jack only will sent the signal to both the left and right masters. All the other controls (EQ, EFF 1 & 2, Pan and final level control) downstream of these inputs work like channels 1 through 8.

The Master Controls Section contains the SEND 1 and 2 controls, EFFECTS Return 1 and 2 controls, Headphone level control and tape in control, and of course, the L/R Master Controls. Both the EFFECTS returns and the stereo TAPE IN can be used as just another input to the stereo mix for a keyboard or other stereo or mono gear. Above the Master Control knobs is an array of LEDs ranging from -12 dB to +15 dB for both the Left and Right channels. These LED indicators are for setting levels and to help make you look "technical" to casual passers by.

The Master Connectors Section contain the stereo EFFECTS RETURN l and 2 jacks, the EFFECTS SEND 1 and 2 jacks, the LEFT and RIGHT LlNE OUT jacks, the TAPE IN and TAPE OUT RCA jacks, and Headphone level control.

Below the TAPE IN/TAPE OUT jacks is the phantom power button with an LED to indicate if the phantom power is on.

In Use

Ahh yes, the fun stuff. The first "little" project was to be a recording session. Two songs and a skit (remember early radio?) were to be produced for a promo tape for a church. There were to be 500 tapes to be used as "handouts" to promote a large event. The idea was to keep it simple and do something easy. . . but do it very well. "Live" to two track. . . no mixdown here. Do it right or do it again....simple.

Two directional mics were set up, using the coincident pair method, for recording a quartet. Mono-compatibility was a consideration so this method was the choice. The mics were plugged into channels 1 & 2 of the SM 162 and a tape deck for accompaniment tracks was plugged into channels 7 & 8. I could have used a stereo channel (9-16) but used two mono channels out of habit. Sometimes you want the option to Pan things a bit different and using two mono channels allow that.

A Quadraverb was hooked up to EFF Send 2 and brought back through channel stereo channel 16. I like to bring Effects back through a channel, if I have room, in case I wish to further EQ the signal or send a little reverb to monitors, etc.. another habit.

One thing was clear right away....this board was a "serious player", meaning it has tons of clean headroom, is very easy and intuitive to use (for those of us who read instructions only as a last resort. .. you know who you are!) and had a "personality" or characteristic to it's sound. It had us wanting to take it apart to find it's tubes. Even though the SM 162's bench specs are very good. . . and full range, it has a pleasant warmth, or, more accurately, lack of edge or harshness to it's sound..very nice. Not bad for a "first impression."

Carvin uses a double-sided printed circuit board with a copper shield running over the traces. This "eliminates RF interference and reduces crosstalk substantially. The circuit board holes are "plated through and every component is soldered securely in three places. This offers unsurpassed component security while reducing circuit resistance for pure dynamic sound which is unaffected by poor solder connections," says Carvin. I'll take their word for it because this board sounds great!

There's been many occasions to use the SM 162 since that first time. Each point that is unmatched in the marketplace. For a street price of about $295.00, the Carvin is a real achievement. It has everything you could wish for ...very impressive sound quality, a professional "not a toy' appearance and is user-friendly enough to get the job done.

Edd Forke - Pro Audio Review