New Music Gear Monday: Heritage Audio Mix Buddy Instrument Mixer

If you’ve ever tried to run a rig full of synths, samplers, and drum machines into a standard mixer, you already know the problem. Regular mixers are built around mic and line inputs, and while they’re fine for those sources, they usually do a mediocre job with instrument level signals. That means DI boxes, adapters and workarounds, and often a tone that never quite makes it back to what you heard coming off the instrument itself. The new Mix Buddy from Heritage Audio was designed specifically to solve that problem.

A Serious Amount Of I/O

The Mix Buddy packs a staggering 19 inputs and 8 outputs into a compact desktop unit, and every one of those inputs runs through Toshiba 2SK JFET circuitry chosen for extremely low noise and audiophile grade clarity.

Eight channels are high gain buffers voiced to bring out the character in passive basses, vintage electric pianos, and other lower output organic sources, adding a musical saturation when pushed rather than harsh distortion.

Six more channels are at unity gain meant for hotter, cleaner sources like drum machines, samplers, and active basses, where you want speed and transparency rather than coloration.

Round that out with a dedicated mic preamp offering up to 70dB of gain, a balanced stereo line input, and a stereo FX return, and you have a box built to accommodate an entire rig without using a single external DI box.

Outputs Built For Flexibility

Every instrument channel can be switched between stereo or mono operation. There’s also a Thru mode, which lets you send a signal into the mix while simultaneously passing it on to an amp, a pedal or a front of house desk with the connected instrument’s impedance left untouched.

On the output side, the Mix Buddy offers two independent master outs. Main Out runs through Heritage Audio’s own transformer coupled 73 DI circuit for added warmth. Main Out 2 is transformerless for a clean, uncolored signal path that can be used to power a set of external powered monitors.

There’s also a dedicated headphone amp with its own volume control (the manufacturer reports that it’s very loud), and a global AUX effects loop with a wet/dry switch so you can patch in a reverb pedal or outboard processor and A/B it instantly.

The Mix Buddy has an MSRP of $599, though as always with new product introductions, it’s worth confirming current pricing before you buy.

You can find out more here, or watch the video below for more details.

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