Blend 6 Compact Mixer

The compact Tapco Blend 6 high-quality six-channel mixer is designed for live sound and recording applications. Onboard are two high-headroom Mackie-designed mic preamps, two mono/mic line and two stereo inputs, and input LEDs for fast level-setting. The Blend 6 mixer is easy to use, very reliable, and amazingly affordable.

Top Quality Microphone Preamps

Even though they all look pretty much the same from the outside, a mixer is judged by the quality of its preamps. If designers skimp on preamp quality, chances are your overall sound will suffer. That's why Tapco equipped the Blend 6 with two high-quality, low-noise, Mackie-designed microphone preamplifiers, for crystal-clear sound with plenty of headroom. No matter what kind of mic you use, from the cheapest condenser to the most professional ribbon, you can be assured the sound you put in will not be mangled by cheap, noisy electronics. The preamp's balanced circuitry rejects all sorts of outside interference, so you don't have to worry about radio interference or sunspot activity messing up your sound. The Tapco Blend 6 provides switchable +48 VDC phantom power for use with condenser microphones as well as active direct boxes.

Convenient Instrument Inputs

The Blend 6 offers two instrument inputs that accept signals from any line-level instrument, effects device, or tape player. Plus, these inputs are specially designed to accept signals from high-impedance pickups on guitars and basses. Typically, you would need an additional direct box between a guitar and the audio mixer's input to correct the impedance mismatch between the two. The Blend 6's instrument input takes care of that, and lets you plug your guitar or bass right into the mixer, without any extra expense.

Perfect Tone

The Blend 6 mixing console provides two-bands of equalization on every channel to help you achieve the perfect sound. Each EQ control provides up to +15 dB of shelving boost, and -15 dB of shelving cut, so you can really have control over the tone of your tracks. The High EQ control boosts or cuts the level of all frequencies above 12 kHz--great for adding sizzle to cymbals or an overall sense of transparency and professional sheen to keyboards, vocals and guitar. You can also turn it down to reduce a harsh vocal performance or hide tape hiss. The Low EQ control boosts or cuts the level of all frequencies below 80 Hz. Frequencies of 80 Hz and below represent the punch in bass drums, bass guitar, fat synthesizer patches, and high-testosterone male singers. Turn it up to boost the thump, or crank it back if things start sounding muddy.

It's Got Connections

In addition to the main mix output, the Blend 6 provides two additional mix outputs called auxiliary sends. Auxiliary Sends allow you to patch in an external effects device for reverb, delays, or other cool audio mutations. The aux controls adjust how much of each channel is sent out via the aux send jacks on the top of the mixer for adding just the right amount of effects to each channel. You can also use the auxiliary sends to create the perfect stage monitor mix for live performance.

Built Like A Brick House

The Blend 6, like all Tapco and Mackie products, is built to take the kind of punishment working musicians can dole out. The chassis is built from lightweight super-strong steel, and the polycarbonate side-cheeks can absorb bashings that could reduce lesser mixers to crumpled heaps. How's this for attention to detail--the impact-resistant knobs are mounted so they "ride" just above the steel chassis, absorbing impacts instead of just snapping off. That means less worry for you during rough load-ins and desktop misadventures.