Yamaha MX-12/4 (1997)
The MX-12/4 is a 12-input, four-bus analog mixing console. It's one of the better-documented small Yamahas of the mid-90s, because a full manual survives. Yamaha's own French-language owner's manual lays out the architecture plainly. There are twelve input channels, mixable to stereo or routable to four group outputs. Channels 1-8 carry XLR mic inputs and TRS line inputs, and channels 9-12 are stereo line-level inputs. Channels 1-4 also have insert I/O jacks, so you can patch a compressor or EQ into a single channel without touching the rest of the mix.
The Master section carries a stereo 7-band graphic EQ with ±12dB of cut or boost at 125, 250, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k and 8kHz. That's an unusual thing to find built into a budget mixer of this class. There's also an on-board digital effect with three selectable types (VOCAL, L HALL, S HALL), phantom power for condenser mics, and two send busses: MONI 1 (pre-fader) and EFFECT/MONI 2 (switchable pre/post). A ST OUT switch lets you either pass the full stereo bus or feed the stereo outputs directly from groups 3/4. That turns the board into a plain 12-in/2-out mixer when you don't need subgrouping.
On the spec side, the manual quotes a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz (+1dB/-2dB), total harmonic distortion under 0.1% at +14dB, and a maximum mic-to-group gain of 84dB. Stereo and group outputs are +4dB nominal. The XLR stereo outs are balanced, and the group, monitor and send jacks are unbalanced. REC OUT is RCA at -10dBV. The graphic EQ, digital effect and phantom supply are all built in rather than optional.
Yamaha advertised the MX-12/4 heavily in the trade press through 1997, and those ads are the best surviving record of how it was positioned. Mix (February 1997, p.55) ran the launch copy at a list price of $599.95. It pitched the board as a four-bus console that "maximizes your clients' dollars" - aimed squarely at project studios and small live rigs. The same campaign ran in EQ (April 1997, p.27) and Mix (March 1997, p.93). It leaned on Yamaha's touring-console pedigree, noting that the company supplies the world's largest touring sound companies with its PM Series desks. It also listed the on-board 7-band graphic EQ as a headline feature included at no extra charge. The ads made a point of what the MX-12/4 doesn't have: "No Radio" - a dig at competitors who cut corners by bundling a wireless receiver into the box.
Independent measurement is thin. The surviving reviews are essentially Yamaha's own advertising copy as it ran in the periodicals, so treat the feature list as manufacturer-claimed rather than third-party verified. Beyond the manual and the ad campaign, the MX-12/4's later reputation isn't well recorded - how it held up, what it sold against.
- Type: 12-input, 4-bus analog mixing console
- Inputs: 8× mic (XLR) / line (TRS) on ch. 1–8; 4× stereo line on ch. 9–12
- Outputs: stereo XLR (balanced), 4× group jacks, monitor, 2× send, C-R out, RCA REC OUT
- EQ: stereo 7-band graphic, ±12dB at 125Hz–8kHz
- Effects: on-board digital — VOCAL, L HALL, S HALL
- Phantom power: yes (IEC268-15A compliant mics/cables only)
- Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, +1dB/–2dB
- THD: <0.1% @ +14dB
- Max gain: 84dB (mic in to group out)
- List price: $599.95 (1997)
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