Samson PL2404

Inquisitor‑General Paul White puts Samson on the rack, but finds few guilty secrets.

Samson's PL2404 line mixer features 12 stereo input channels, and is designed primarily for use with MIDI instruments that have stereo outputs. Up to 12 stereo instruments can be accommodated by this 4U rack mixer, each with the benefit of 3‑band EQ and three aux sends, the first of which is a true stereo send fed from the two sides of the stereo channel. Channels 1 and 3 also have electronically balanced, XLR mic inputs which are accessible via the rear panel — a notion not too far removed from what Mackie did on their 3204 line mixer. The mic trim gain pots are also on the rear panel. Note that the mic inputs don't feature phantom power.

The PL2404 is a 4‑buss console, and to keep things compact, the gain controls are all rotary, with the exception of the four group master faders. Routing buttons on each channel select busses 1,2 or 3,4, and if only the first buss pair is being used, the routing buttons double as mute switches. Buttons above the four group faders allow the groups to be independently switched into the stereo mix, for subgrouping purposes.

Though the PL2404 is physically small, it has a lot of very grown‑up features, including electronic balancing on all the main line inputs and main outputs. It also has four stereo aux returns, (wired as unbalanced pairs on TRS jacks), bringing the total number of usable inputs up to 32; each return may be independently routed to either buss pair. In addition to the four buss outputs, there's a main stereo output controlled by a rotary pot, and a control room output with its own rotary gain control.

Looking at the channels a little more closely, the 3‑band EQ is a fixed frequency design, offering up to 15dB of cut or boost at 80Hz and 10kHz, and 12dB of cut or boost at 1kHz. There is no EQ bypass, but the controls all have centre detents. The three aux send controls (one stereo and two mono) are directly below, and the unity gain position is marked at around the two o'clock position. A further 10dB of gain is available at the maximum setting. No master aux send controls are provided, so having effects units with input gain controls (which most do) is a good idea. Channels 1 to 4 (the first two stereo channels) are fitted with insert points, which may be useful when the mic inputs are in use, and the four busses also have insert points.

In addition to the pan pot, gain pot and previously mentioned routing button, there's a PFL/AFL solo button. AFL or PFL operation can be selected by a switch in the master section; when AFL is selected, the channel signal is solo'd after the fader, so that whatever level is set by the fader is the level you hear. In PFL mode, the signal is solo'd pre‑fader, which is the preferred mode when optimising input levels, or for checking the quality of signals that have not yet been brought into the mix. Operating the AFL/PFL buttons affects only the headphone output, not the main, control room or buss outputs.

The master section of this mixer is very simple, with no provision for connecting tape machines, and metering only for the main left/right outputs. Two LEDs in the meter window show the AFL/PFL status, and the headphone output, normally fed from the left/right output, has its own level control.

Summary

In use, the PL2404 proved to be a very competent and quiet mixer, with an EQ section that's surprisingly musical when you consider the limitations inherent in a fixed frequency equaliser. As a straightforward keyboard mixer it does its job perfectly, and though it hasn't managed to squeeze in as many channels as the similarly sized Mackie 3204, it is a cheaper option if you don't need the extra channels or the stereo tape facility. The only real flaw is the lack of phantom powering, not just for the benefit of those with nice capacitor microphones, but also for the powering of active DI boxes, which are often used as part of a keyboard setup.