G
gene-pool
Guest
Hey guys. I figured I’d post a quick review of the Empath mixer from Rane since it’s been generating a lot of interest on the board.
The basics:
10” form factor.
Three channels with phono/line switches on each.
One mic channel with a two band EQ and a mic engage button (!).
An AUX input that you can cue.
Full cut, three band eq on the three main channels.
Curve control on two main channels and the crossfader.
Three outputs: main (XLR), booth (1/4” TPRS), aux (RCA).
An automatically switching power supply that’s supposed to work in any country with a corresponding power cable.
Keep in mind that I’ve been using it for only a couple of weeks now and have not yet had the chance to use it outside or on any serious PA system. The main thing that drew me to buying it is the flexibility the unit offers. It responds well to both scratching and mixing. It has curve controls for the cross fader and the two outermost channels (because it wouldn’t make sense to scratch on the center fader). The curve control is very drastic and easily allows both mixing and scratching. While on the topic; the faders on the mixer are extremely smooth! I honestly think that these are the best ones I’ve ever used. They have a bit of weight to them and aren’t loose so if you were to tilt the mixer the faders would stay put. For those who don’t know they are 45mm Penny and Giles faders. The manual describes how to take the fader apart. The way it’s made allows you to simply replace a worn track (if that’s the problem) instead of the whole fader. I think they are rated at 2 million passes. The nice thing about them is a built in dust cover so when you look through the hole for the fader tip you see a black cover instead of a track.
All three channels could be routed to either the “A” or “B” side of the crossfader. Besides the obvious benefits of this feature it allows you to reverse the channels like you would on a dedicated scratch mixer even though this one doesn’t have a dedicated reverse switch. The upfaders are not reversible however and will go from 0-100% from the starting point only. Channels 1 and 3 and both sides of the crossfader have a CD start feature that is turned on by a switches 1-OFF-A and 3-OFF-B on either side of the crossfader. I’m not sure how this would be useful though.
The EQ section of the mixer is very nicely implemented. It has a three band EQ that allows you to completely cut out each frequency. Although I don’t remember the crossover points it sounds great and has already proven to be very useful. As an added bonus Rane included an EQ on/off switch so you can make the main EQ post fader if you wanted to.
Unlike most mixers the gains on the Empath could actually be set below 0. This allows you to play some your louder records and still bring channel faders all the way up. It adds (or takes away) 12 decibels to your signal. The Empath also has an “auto gain” function which is basically an automatically set gain control that tries to make your main output stay as close to 0 decibels as possible. It’s an interesting feature and probably needs more attention but I don’t think I’ve used it enough to comment more on it. The main problem is that if your live track has a quiet part to it this feature will make it louder which is not always a desired effect.
The mixer also has pan knobs for each channel for obvious reasons (although in practice I’m yet to find a really good use for it).
Both ¼” and 1/8” headphone jacks are available on the front of the mixer. The headphone output has a dedicated EQ for the low and high frequencies adding or cutting 12 decibels. Again a nice feature that I don’t use very much. I probably will start to use it but I’m a bit reluctant because I don’t want to become too used to it and have it not be available when I’m not using the Empath. The headphone amp is loud and clear.
The overall layout is logical and the spacing between controls makes it easy to use. The mixer came with rubberized knobs that I like because they make it easier to make precise changes but Rane also provides a set of regular (plastic) fader caps. My mixer didn’t come with them but I called the tech support and had them in 2 days.
I can’t comment too much on the flex-fx system that the Empath has because I don’t have any effects units hooked up to it. The three main channels and the mic (!) have a wet-dry fader. The effects could be cued and the mixer has both a send and return fader for the effects.
The way cueing works on this mixer is fairly straight forward. You can cue any channel (obviously except the mic) and fade from full cue output to full program output and anywhere in between so you can mix your tracks completely in your headphones. There’s also a split cue button that puts the cue signal in the left headphone driver and program in the right. The Empath also has a “flash cue” lever that allows you to quickly switch what source you’re listening to. After assigning each channel to either the A or B side of the crossfader you can use that lever to switch what you hear w/o having have to press any buttons.
The VU meter allows you to either view the main or cued signal. When the split cue button is pressed the cue fader allows you to watch both signals at the same time. This is a bit confusing and I don’t think I completely understand how this works myself so I suggest reading the manual the mixer comes with. The best thing about the meter is that the peak level led lingers after the signal quiets down making it much easier to see what’s going on. You can easily tell that the mixer has a load of headroom so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
In general I really like this mixer it offers pretty much everything I wanted and is quite easy to use. It’s also nice to know that Rane has a reputation for great tech support (personal experience) and makes very dependable/durable mixers. I would however change a few things about it, the main one being the addition of a separate VU meter for each channel. That can’t be too hard to implement and I think that it’s very useful to have. I wouldn’t mind if it had an extra channel either. I could really care less if it’s 10” or a bit more. I would also put in a different power socket. The one it has snaps into the chassis to hold it in so it isn’t too hard to giggle the cable in the back and get a pop. That’s non-essential though, as this isn’t really a problem because the sound never cuts out on its own and I was simply messing w/it needlessly. The last change I can think of right now: have built in (screwed on) rubber feet on the bottom of the mixer. The little ones that came in the box are self adhesive and one of them happened to be of a different height than the others making the mixer unstable if I put pressure on one corner. That’s also easy to remedy. I simply put a couple of post-its under it and never had a problem since. When I have more time though I’ll likely call Rane for replacements or simply go to a local store and buy some new ones though.
Infradead PMed me these questions earlier:
When'd you get an Empath?
A couple of weeks back.
What do you think of it?
I love it.
What do you think is great?
Read above.
Could be better?
Can’t everything?
Favorite feature?
I really like the way the faders feel but I don’t suppose that’s much of a feature so I’d have to say the VU meter’s lingering peak led.
Feel free to post any questions you have and I’ll respond to them as best I can.
If any of you want I can record a sample of a record and EQ it so you can hear how drastic its effects are on the signal and the curve control.
Further reading:
Rane manual: http://www.rane.com/pdf/empaman.pdf
Other reviews: https://en.audiofanzine.com/dj-console/rane/Empath/user_reviews/
I’ll post pictures later today.
-Gene
The basics:
10” form factor.
Three channels with phono/line switches on each.
One mic channel with a two band EQ and a mic engage button (!).
An AUX input that you can cue.
Full cut, three band eq on the three main channels.
Curve control on two main channels and the crossfader.
Three outputs: main (XLR), booth (1/4” TPRS), aux (RCA).
An automatically switching power supply that’s supposed to work in any country with a corresponding power cable.
Keep in mind that I’ve been using it for only a couple of weeks now and have not yet had the chance to use it outside or on any serious PA system. The main thing that drew me to buying it is the flexibility the unit offers. It responds well to both scratching and mixing. It has curve controls for the cross fader and the two outermost channels (because it wouldn’t make sense to scratch on the center fader). The curve control is very drastic and easily allows both mixing and scratching. While on the topic; the faders on the mixer are extremely smooth! I honestly think that these are the best ones I’ve ever used. They have a bit of weight to them and aren’t loose so if you were to tilt the mixer the faders would stay put. For those who don’t know they are 45mm Penny and Giles faders. The manual describes how to take the fader apart. The way it’s made allows you to simply replace a worn track (if that’s the problem) instead of the whole fader. I think they are rated at 2 million passes. The nice thing about them is a built in dust cover so when you look through the hole for the fader tip you see a black cover instead of a track.
All three channels could be routed to either the “A” or “B” side of the crossfader. Besides the obvious benefits of this feature it allows you to reverse the channels like you would on a dedicated scratch mixer even though this one doesn’t have a dedicated reverse switch. The upfaders are not reversible however and will go from 0-100% from the starting point only. Channels 1 and 3 and both sides of the crossfader have a CD start feature that is turned on by a switches 1-OFF-A and 3-OFF-B on either side of the crossfader. I’m not sure how this would be useful though.
The EQ section of the mixer is very nicely implemented. It has a three band EQ that allows you to completely cut out each frequency. Although I don’t remember the crossover points it sounds great and has already proven to be very useful. As an added bonus Rane included an EQ on/off switch so you can make the main EQ post fader if you wanted to.
Unlike most mixers the gains on the Empath could actually be set below 0. This allows you to play some your louder records and still bring channel faders all the way up. It adds (or takes away) 12 decibels to your signal. The Empath also has an “auto gain” function which is basically an automatically set gain control that tries to make your main output stay as close to 0 decibels as possible. It’s an interesting feature and probably needs more attention but I don’t think I’ve used it enough to comment more on it. The main problem is that if your live track has a quiet part to it this feature will make it louder which is not always a desired effect.
The mixer also has pan knobs for each channel for obvious reasons (although in practice I’m yet to find a really good use for it).
Both ¼” and 1/8” headphone jacks are available on the front of the mixer. The headphone output has a dedicated EQ for the low and high frequencies adding or cutting 12 decibels. Again a nice feature that I don’t use very much. I probably will start to use it but I’m a bit reluctant because I don’t want to become too used to it and have it not be available when I’m not using the Empath. The headphone amp is loud and clear.
The overall layout is logical and the spacing between controls makes it easy to use. The mixer came with rubberized knobs that I like because they make it easier to make precise changes but Rane also provides a set of regular (plastic) fader caps. My mixer didn’t come with them but I called the tech support and had them in 2 days.
I can’t comment too much on the flex-fx system that the Empath has because I don’t have any effects units hooked up to it. The three main channels and the mic (!) have a wet-dry fader. The effects could be cued and the mixer has both a send and return fader for the effects.
The way cueing works on this mixer is fairly straight forward. You can cue any channel (obviously except the mic) and fade from full cue output to full program output and anywhere in between so you can mix your tracks completely in your headphones. There’s also a split cue button that puts the cue signal in the left headphone driver and program in the right. The Empath also has a “flash cue” lever that allows you to quickly switch what source you’re listening to. After assigning each channel to either the A or B side of the crossfader you can use that lever to switch what you hear w/o having have to press any buttons.
The VU meter allows you to either view the main or cued signal. When the split cue button is pressed the cue fader allows you to watch both signals at the same time. This is a bit confusing and I don’t think I completely understand how this works myself so I suggest reading the manual the mixer comes with. The best thing about the meter is that the peak level led lingers after the signal quiets down making it much easier to see what’s going on. You can easily tell that the mixer has a load of headroom so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
In general I really like this mixer it offers pretty much everything I wanted and is quite easy to use. It’s also nice to know that Rane has a reputation for great tech support (personal experience) and makes very dependable/durable mixers. I would however change a few things about it, the main one being the addition of a separate VU meter for each channel. That can’t be too hard to implement and I think that it’s very useful to have. I wouldn’t mind if it had an extra channel either. I could really care less if it’s 10” or a bit more. I would also put in a different power socket. The one it has snaps into the chassis to hold it in so it isn’t too hard to giggle the cable in the back and get a pop. That’s non-essential though, as this isn’t really a problem because the sound never cuts out on its own and I was simply messing w/it needlessly. The last change I can think of right now: have built in (screwed on) rubber feet on the bottom of the mixer. The little ones that came in the box are self adhesive and one of them happened to be of a different height than the others making the mixer unstable if I put pressure on one corner. That’s also easy to remedy. I simply put a couple of post-its under it and never had a problem since. When I have more time though I’ll likely call Rane for replacements or simply go to a local store and buy some new ones though.
Infradead PMed me these questions earlier:
When'd you get an Empath?
A couple of weeks back.
What do you think of it?
I love it.
What do you think is great?
Read above.
Could be better?
Can’t everything?
Favorite feature?
I really like the way the faders feel but I don’t suppose that’s much of a feature so I’d have to say the VU meter’s lingering peak led.
Feel free to post any questions you have and I’ll respond to them as best I can.
If any of you want I can record a sample of a record and EQ it so you can hear how drastic its effects are on the signal and the curve control.
Further reading:
Rane manual: http://www.rane.com/pdf/empaman.pdf
Other reviews: https://en.audiofanzine.com/dj-console/rane/Empath/user_reviews/
I’ll post pictures later today.
-Gene
