[Nate Najar]

thanks everyone!

with the yamaha, I take the balanced, xlr line out from the bass amp and with the gain on the preamp all the way down, the little red channel led lights up on transients and it spends a pop to my speakers- not good. So I instead take the signal from the unbalanced line out through a DI and pad it (15db is my option) and then I have to crank the gain and the channel fader to get decent level. It isn't the end of the world, but when I have to setup and operate everything myself, one less step (in this case the DI) is helpful.

The big reason to replace the yamaha is that the external line lump scares the hell out of me. I want to get something with an internal supply that takes an IEC cable. If I'm going to get something new, I want something good. I don't buy crap anymore which is why I have schoeps mics and prism converters now but I also rarely buy anything because I don't want to spend money on crap. When I need more mics I borrow or hire them.

Les, your comment about the ZED makes me feel better. I looked at it and features and size are fine. If it will perform satisfactorily, that is what I care about. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the mixwiz that Mike mentioned except that I want something with a smaller footprint.

Scott, I looked at the sonosax the other day- it's almost perfect but it is beyond the budget especially considering the types of gigs I do where I would need my own rig.

thanks again for taking the time!

N