Yamaha MG124C

During live mixing and sound reinforcement, microphones, stereo sources and monitor paths need to come together in a clear layout. The Yamaha MG 124C is an analogue mixer with twelve input channels and four buses, including a stereo mix bus and stereo group bus. It has no built-in effects; external devices can be connected via AUX sends and channel inserts.

Four mono inputs are available for microphones and line signals. These are joined by four stereo line channels, two of which can alternatively be used as mono microphone inputs. This provides up to six microphone preamps. The gain controls cover different input levels: −60 to −16 dB for microphone inputs and −34 to +10 dB for line inputs.

All six microphone preamps support condenser microphones with switchable 48 V phantom power. It is activated for all microphone channels using a shared switch. The mono channels 1 to 4 also have single-knob compression, allowing you to adjust the amount of compression without separate parameter controls.

Channels 1 to 8 have a 3-band EQ for bass, mid and treble, as well as an 80 Hz high-pass filter. The two stereo channels 9/10 and 11/12 each have a 2-band EQ. This lets you adjust microphone and stereo sources channel by channel and reduce low-frequency interference on the channels equipped with the filter.

For connectivity, the mixer combines balanced XLR and jack connectors with RCA sockets. The mono channels and two stereo channels have XLR inputs; the stereo channels with XLR inputs also accept microphone signals via XLR or jack. Other stereo inputs offer jack and RCA connectors. RCA inputs for 2TR signals are also provided. You can connect external effects or dynamics processors via inserts on the four mono channels.

For signal routing, there are two AUX sends: AUX 1 can be switched between pre- and post-fader, while AUX 2 takes the signal pre-fader. A send master and separate return controls for the AUX and stereo buses complete the controls. Channels can also be routed to the stereo mix bus or stereo group bus; illuminated ON buttons switch them on or off without changing the fader position.

The outputs include Main Out via XLR and jack, Monitor Out via jack, Recording Out via RCA and a stereo headphone output. A dual 12-segment LED meter helps you monitor levels. You can adjust channel and master levels using 60 mm faders. Weighing around 3 kg, the mixer is suitable for compact live, sound reinforcement and recording setups when you want to use external effects or do not need built-in effects.