3G Mynah Plus

3G's new 4‑buss Mynah Plus is not just a mixer — it also features built‑in single‑ended noise reduction. But does this lift it above the competition? Paul White finds out.

Once again I'm confronted by another small, 4‑buss mixer trying to carve its niche in an increasingly competitive marketplace, but this particular model is distinguished by the inclusion of Rocktron's patented Hush single‑ended noise reduction system (more of which later).

Ruggedly built from sheet steel, the Mynah Plus is designed for rackmounting; all the controls and connectors are positioned on the front panel. All the line and group inputs are balanced, while the tape inputs and outputs are on phonos, with a nominal ‑10dBV operating level. Power is provided via a captive mains lead, and unlike many of the newer mixers, whose pots are supported almost entirely by the circuit board, the Mynah's are firmly secured to the front panel using nuts.

Layout

As a console, the Mynah Plus is determinedly conventional, with four mono mic/line input channels (with insert points), and six further channels offering stereo line‑level operation, or mono mic operation (without insert points). Mono line operation is also possible by plugging only into the Left input jack. Phantom power is available globally, and a green LED in the master section shows that phantom powering is active.

The Input Gain Trim control is followed by a three‑band, fixed‑frequency EQ, operating at 12kHz +/‑ 15dB, 550Hz +/‑12dB and 50Hz +/‑ 19dB. There is no EQ bypass, and there are just two aux sends, one factory‑set pre‑fade for foldback use, and one post‑fade for use as an effects send. Each send can be configured as either pre‑ or post‑fade by moving jumpers inside the mixer itself. Each channel has a solo button and peak warning LED, but no mute, and routing is via the conventional combination of pan pot, and L‑R, 1‑2 and 3‑4 routing buttons. The faders are short‑throw types, and above each is a small scribble area.

Each of the four groups has its own output jack, but there are also four group input jacks, which allow the groups to be used as tape monitor or external line inputs, simply by switching the Bus/Mon switch in the corresponding group section. This is a sensible idea for home 4‑track recording applications. Each group has its own pre‑ and post‑fade aux sends, plus a pan pot, which positions the group signal within the stereo soundstage during mixing. Separate solo buttons are provided for all four groups.

As you might expect, the master section is pretty straightforward, with the main console L‑R outputs on balanced XLRs, and a third mono output, also on XLR. The L‑R master outs have insert points on TRS jacks, so you can put a compressor or EQ across your final stereo mix should you want to. There are four separate aux returns, which can be used as either two stereo pairs, or switched to mono, in which case the signal appears centre stage. Rotary level controls are fitted to each return, and directly above these are the two aux send master output level controls. Metering is via a pair of 7‑section bargraphs, the right of which doubles as a solo meter when any solo button is depressed. A large green solo LED positioned over the meter provides a firm reminder that solo is in use. In solo mode, the PFL signal level is shown on the meters to allow you to set the input gain trims, and the solo'd signal appears in the headphone mix without affecting the main console outputs.

Tape inputs are provided on phonos for use with a cassette deck or DAT machine, and a single headphone output is fitted, along with its own level control. Adjacent faders handle the master stereo output level, and a rotary control is used for the mono output. The Hush controls are located to the left of the group faders, and are described in the 'Hush Now' box.

Usability

On a practical level, I feel that while two aux sends might be fine for live applications, PA, and installation work, the home studio owner is more likely to expect a minimum of four sends on a console of this price. I also found the lack of EQ bypass switches and channel mutes mildly irritating.

By carefully setting the Filter control, it was possible to significantly reduce the level of hiss . . .

When it comes to subjective testing, the desk itself sounds very clean, although the EQ isn't as tightly focused and transparent as on some other small consoles I've used; in particular, the treble control is rather unsubtle, and can be very brash when used more than sparingly. Even so, for sensible tonal tweaking, rather than radical tonal redesigning, the EQ is perfectly adequate and the frequencies seem well chosen.

I've left the Hush until last, because it's the most unusual feature of this little mixer. I deliberately played a sequence through my noisiest synth module at very low MIDI velocities, so as to produce a poor signal‑to‑noise ratio, and discovered that by carefully setting the Filter control, it was possible to significantly reduce the level of hiss. However, as I suspected, if the threshold is pushed too far, the overall sound starts to become dull. Up to the point where the wanted signal was suffering no unacceptable tonal changes, the degree of hiss reduction was quite worthwhile, though it was impossible to get rid of the noise altogether. In this respect, the Hush circuit works much like any other dynamic noise‑filtering single‑ended noise reduction system.

The expander gate operates very smoothly to clean up pauses, and seems to have a sensibly long release time, so that decaying sounds are not chopped off too abruptly. The threshold control also has enough range to act as a conventional gate, which could be useful when recording individual signals via groups 3‑4.

Conclusion

Aside from the Hush section, the Mynah Plus is an absolutely conventional desk, and comes across as workmanlike and competent, but without being in any way outstanding. As previously mentioned though, I must question the wisdom of a design brief that includes only two aux sends.

As expected, the Hush system works very well within the limitations of any dynamic filter‑type system, and can help turn a good‑sounding recording into an exceptionally clean and noise‑free one. What it won't do, however, is allow you to clean up very noisy sound sources completely without introducing some audible side effects.

Ultimately, the success of this particular mixer depends on how much value you place on the Hush system. If you have a few noisy synths, or you record guitar, and you only need fairly basic mixing facilities, then the Mynah Plus will help you produce clean results, and could work out less costly than buying a conventional mixer plus a stereo Hush unit, or similar single‑ended noise reduction system. Judged purely as a mixer though, I don't think the Mynah has what it takes to outshine the best of its very tough competition.