I CAN RECALL using Peavey mixers in the ‘70s, back when Peavey was first making a name for itself by manufacturing reasonably priced yet highly functional gear. That reputation is one of the reasons that the company has continued to grow and thrive. These days, it offers a complete line of pro-audio products in addition to its inexpensive club gear. Its new RQ 4300 series live mixers benefit from that pro-audio experience, as will the many weekend warriors who will no doubt be using them.
When it comes to getting a good live sound, the console is obviously a key component. Unless a mixer offers sufficient control over essential factors such as equalization and signal routing, there will be major compromises. As a live-sound engineer, I use three main criteria to evaluate a mixer: control, ease of operation, and sound quality. This review focuses on the 24-channel RQ 4324, but Peavey also makes a 32-channel version (the RQ 4332) if you need the extra input channels.
IN CONTROL
In many respects the RQ 4324 is your basic 4-group club mixer, albeit with a few interesting twists. All 24 channels have XLR mic inputs accompanied by trim controls and 48V phantom-power capability (switchable in two groups). Additionally, there are 26 balanced ¼-inch TRS line-level inputs — channels 23 and 24 are stereo — and 24 ¼-inch TRS channel inserts for patching in dynamics processors and other outboard gear. Input channels also have mute and solo PFL (prefader listen) switches and an assign switch for routing the input signal to any combination of the four subs, the left/right mix bus, and the mono bus. An LED that doubles as a mute and peak-clipping indicator rounds out the input section.
The first 22 channel strips have 3-band equalization with sweepable midrange (between 200 Hz and 6 kHz) and a variable low-cut filter (great for eliminating infrasonic grunge). The two top channels (23 and 24) have stereo inputs, sacrificing the sweepable midrange control for separate gain controls for mic and line signals. Each input channel also sports six aux sends, with the first four assigned prefader for monitors, and the other two postfader for effects processors. Two sets of stereo aux returns, with low-cut switches, are fully assignable.
Also, Channels 21 and 22 are what Peavey calls Super Channels, and they include a 20 dB pad and a polarity invert switch. Peavey's logic is that you rarely need those functions except in special circumstances (for instance, the polarity invert is handy when you're miking a snare drum top and bottom), so you shouldn't have to pay to have it on all 24 channels.
There are nine unbalanced ¼-inch output jacks for the left, right, and mono outputs and the six aux sends. Balanced XLR jacks are also provided for all of the outputs except aux 5 and aux 6. The XLR outputs on auxes 1 through 4 are important, as they are exactly what are required to drive four monitor amps up onstage using a professional snake.
SQUASH ANYONE?
A really interesting addition to this mixer is a set of four soft-knee compressors that are normalized to the four subgroup buses. The compressors can be left in that part of the signal chain, bypassed with the push of a switch, or easily patched to any input channel or output bus using a stereo ¼-inch TRS cable. Compressors 1 and 2 are also linkable for stereo operation, as are compressors 3 and 4.
The compression ratio is fixed at 4:1, with only gain and threshold controls, but the attack and release times are set in such a way as to be generally usable on a wide range of musical signals — I used them on vocals and bass guitar, and they sounded quite good.
EASY DOES IT
Finding my way around the console was a no-brainer, and anyone familiar with basic console operation should be up and running within a few minutes. It's easy to keep an eye on the various levels; there are 12-segment LED displays for the left, right, and mono outputs, and 5-segment LEDs for the compressors. Patching to the subgroups or using the aux returns was straightforward and easy. The robust headphone output drives an 8• load, and it made my low-impedance headphones really rock. The overall control placement is also well thought out.
Having only four subgroups may be a practical limitation for some users, but it is a reasonable compromise when considering the features-to-cost ratio, and it still allows a good bit of flexibility. For example, I used the RQ 4324 to mix the sound for a small country-rock group, and I assigned the lead vocalist to group 1, the backup singers to group 2, the bass guitar to group 3, and keyboards to group 4. That arrangement allowed me to easily adjust the most critical levels without fighting a bunch of faders.
CLEAN MACHINE
I found the RQ 4324 to be surprisingly clean and quiet. I made a digital recording directly off the console's outputs, and it sounded as good in playback as it had in the live room. The equalization frequency points (12 kHz for the highs, variable 200 Hz to 6 kHz midrange, and 75 Hz for the low frequencies) were good choices for standard club microphones and instruments, allowing me to get control of the equalization for Shure SM-57 and SM-58 microphones.
I couldn't quite get the midrange control frequency up high enough for my AKG 535 mics, which sound great but can be a bit overbearing in the 8 kHz area with female voices. Bringing down the high-EQ control affected the frequencies around 8 kHz and helped a bit, but it also cut the higher frequencies in the 10 to 15 kHz range. Aside from that particular application, though, the EQ was more than adequate and should provide most users with total control in most club situations.
GOOD TO GO
The Peavey RQ 4324 offers all of the essential features required for sound reinforcement in a small club or other venue in a reasonably priced package. Its relatively modest size and weight also make it suitable for schlepping around to small sound-reinforcement gigs. Some users may find the 60 mm faders a bit limiting, but 100 mm faders would no doubt have driven the price up substantially, so they are an understandable compromise. All in all, this product sounds very good and represents a solid value — so check it out.
PEAVEY RQ 4324 SPECS
Inputs (24) XLR; (26) ¼" TRS; (4) ¼" TRS aux returns; (2) RCA tape
Outputs (7) XLR (left, right, mono, and aux 1-4); (9) ¼" unbalanced (left, right, mono, and aux 1-6); (2) RCA tape
Subgroups 4
Aux Sends 6 (4 prefader, 2 postfader)
Frequency Response 20 Hz-50 kHz (±1 dB)
Power Supply Internal (switchable between 120 or 240V)
Dimensions 8.9" (H) × 36.6" (W) × 19.5" (D)
Weight 36 lb.
