Behringer X32Rack or something else?

Rick said:
I will have a Wing Rack on Monday. I did a lot of research before selling the X32 Rack I recently purchased for $899 (I did get my money back, so nothing lost) to put those funds toward the upgrade. I had concerns about the hard-wired headphone outs as many here have, but once you understand how the Wing Rack fits into the X32/Wing ecosystem, it makes sense. Many people use the rack version of the X32 as a monitor mixer, and this will, indeed, simplify my IEM setup. As I already have an S16 stage box (all of the X32 boxes work with the Wing series), I have another 16 inputs and 8 outputs there, for a physical XLR input total of 40, and 16 XLR outputs… totally covered. My upgrade reasoning:

1. I’ve been using the Presonus 32R mixer for years. You can’t beat the I/O in two rack spaces, and it’s been bulletproof. One constant concern has been the lack of any control interface except external WiFi or laptop. A recent update issue had me briefly unable to access control, including unmuting everything, which could have been a disaster. It was resolved quickly and didn’t affect the show, but drove home the need for direct control. I purchased the X32 Rack to address this, prior to the Wing Rack announcement. Once I saw the size of that new touchscreen (10.1” on the WR vs 5” on the X32R), I was halfway to upgrading. Once I saw it in action, I was sold.

2. The Midas Pro ins and outs are reviewed consistently better. How much better is debatable, but like Yngwie says, more is more.

3. The Stage Connect capability. I believe this may be important for future expansion and simpler cabling. No immediate plans for use, but I’m glad it’s there.

4. All of the custom user layers. I play in different situations with different configurations. Being able to group channel, matrix, bus, and FX faders to one surface is going to save a lot of screen changes.

5. The mono/stereo/m-s configuration of every channel is going to salvage many channels in stereo use… no more two channel faders used for every stereo source.

Those were the things that stood out. There is a crazy number of input sources to pick from (nearly 400 possible), and outputs far exceed my most expansive dream setups. The doubled effects slots, and how they can be used will help me, too. I’m only scratching the surface, so that says a lot. For a simple gigging player and sound guy, I see it as unmatched for the price and 4 spaces of real estate it occupies. Time will tell if it is as robust and roadworthy as the X32 series has been, but it appears to be built that way.

At any rate, Monday starts the hands on learning process.
Click to expand...
The Wing Rack actually arrived Saturday. Very impressed by the interface, moderately overwhelmed by the breadth of capability, and feeling pretty sure I’m going to really enjoy the upgrade. Signal passing through on initial testing sounds very clear and strong, though I don’t have the other mixer to compare directly (managed to recoup all costs on the X32R in a sale to put towards this). Admittedly lacking that A/B comparison, I do feel there is something improved in the unaltered or effected signal coming through the Midas Pro path. First day results are good.
 
Rick said:
The Wing Rack actually arrived Saturday. Very impressed by the interface, moderately overwhelmed by the breadth of capability, and feeling pretty sure I’m going to really enjoy the upgrade. Signal passing through on initial testing sounds very clear and strong, though I don’t have the other mixer to compare directly (managed to recoup all costs on the X32R in a sale to put towards this). Admittedly lacking that A/B comparison, I do feel there is something improved in the unaltered or effected signal coming through the Midas Pro path. First day results are good.
Click to expand...
Got mine yesterday. Actually my first "real" mixer, not counting the Flow 8 (= Behringer, too) I got mid 2022, partially because I could not see myself buying the X32 Rack for the increased price in the recent years, and it actually was sufficient to record my four piece band.

I'm so glad I kept my patience. Even now with the X32 Rack prices being back to normal (more or less), it was a no brainer to spend the money and go for the new Wing Rack with the big touchscreen, StageConnect, added inputs, "Live" recording card built-in etc. etc.

Really looking forward to how I will use it with my band (mostly recording and IEM) and other music projects (FOH incl. monitors, recording).
 
Sebastian said:
Got mine yesterday. Actually my first "real" mixer, not counting the Flow 8 (= Behringer, too) I got mid 2022, partially because I could not see myself buying the X32 Rack for the increased price in the recent years, and it actually was sufficient to record my four piece band.

I'm so glad I kept my patience. Even now with the X32 Rack prices being back to normal (more or less), it was a no brainer to spend the money and go for the new Wing Rack with the big touchscreen, StageConnect, added inputs, "Live" recording card built-in etc. etc.

Really looking forward to how I will use it with my band (mostly recording and IEM) and other music projects (FOH incl. monitors, recording).
Click to expand...
It’s been a massive success for me, and for our band. The flexibility and capabilities are off the charts, and the sound quality has been excellent. Three months in, and I could not be more pleased. While I liked the X32R, the Wing Rack is superior in every way for what I do for it. And that screen… that in itself would be enough reason to upgrade.

The only thing I didn’t like, and it was a problem with the X32 series too, was that there was no in-depth manual for it online. With the insane amount of capabilities, I sometimes struggled to do basic things I’ve done for decades on lesser consoles. I’ve learned, and spent many hours sourcing info, but still am quite confident that there are tons of great functions I’m not using because I either don’t know how, or don’t even know they are there. I’ve been campaigning with Behringer on the Ideas Forum to make a fully illustrated and comprehensive manual available online, covering functions and providing examples. They’ve finally upgraded my request from “Under Review” to ‘In Progress,” and I couldn’t be happier to see that coming. It is SO sorely needed.

After getting in several gigs and rehearsals, and adding a stage box and P16-HQ monitor controllers, we are feeling pretty good about our setup. We can run IEMs, floor wedges, or both for monitors, FOH is sounding great, and our whole PA rack is 10 spaces, including IEMs transmitters. Killer!
 
Got my Wing Rack this week and after a couple days also bought the 8.5 hours video training at Thomann´s. Couldn´t see myself figuring out the overwhelming features without a proper manual.
 
Just did a firmware update. How would I know I had to copy the new firmware file to a section of the onboard memory?? It´s not nearly as comfortable as on a FAS unit...video already paid off. I never owned a Behringer mixer and am no pro, but still...
 
chris said:
where are ya'll getting the wing rack in hand from? everything i see says July :( :( :(
Click to expand...
I got mine from Alto Music. They’re a Behringer “super-dealer” and seem to get shipments ahead of most. I got the Wing Rack and new P16-HQ there when no one else had them.
 
Rick said:
I got mine from Alto Music. They’re a Behringer “super-dealer” and seem to get shipments ahead of most. I got the Wing Rack and new P16-HQ there when no one else had them.
Click to expand...
Danggg they won’t ship to me :(
 
As I'm in Germany, I got mine from Thomann.

Regarding tutorials, I found Drew Brashler's videos quite helpful. Some new videos (= since the release of the new Wing models) are on Behringer's own YT channel and lots more are on Drew's own YT channel.
Generally speaking, many older videos for the Wing can be helpful for the Wing Rack as well, as the concept of routing, busses etc. is the same.
 
I've watched lots of videos, especially Drew Brashler's content, and it was helpful. It was, unfortunately, Behringer's opinion that video content was the way forward on people learning how to use the Wing. I thought that the Wing would be exactly like the X32, which I know a little, but it is only similar in some areas, and completely different in others. It would be like coming from an old Boss multi-pedal to an Axe Fx, and trying to learn all it could do with no manual. You'd miss more than you would find.

I explained that video content is spotty, and doesn't have the depth or building-block approach of a manual. Often even Drew's videos blow by things he assumes you know or understand that leave me going "wait... what? Where is that? What is that?" A manual is needed to learn how the whole was intended to be used by showing how each part works. Then videos can be used to expound on specific insights or functions. An online manual can be as in-depth as needed, be kept current, and can link to videos or other content useful to understanding any concept or function.

After this was brought up in the Ideas forum, and it was debated a bit, I think their staff could see the need was beyond just useful, it was essential to even experienced mix desk operators. And all of the data needed to assemble a really good manual is already in hand for them, as it is part of the process of developing such a device as the Wing. It's really just compiling, editing, the maintaining the online files. No small task, I know, but it addresses the most glaring weakness in the ecosystem, and will be a living document that will remain useful throughout the life of the project. I'm really glad they are looking at adding this. Then content creators like Drew can say "if you don't know what this is, check chapter 10 of the manual" or whatever. It would help those of us who came up on other mixer systems, or even those familiar with Behringer, to get the most out of a truly astounding piece of gear.
 
I considered getting a Wing Rack but got the X32 Rack, instead, with the price drop. I bought an MR18 almost a year ago and that served our (3-instrument+vocal Rock) band well. Though it's ridiculous that the XR/MR18 iOS apps don't work with the latest iOS devices, Mixing Station is the way to go anyway, even with the X32R. The X32 is plenty for us and, if I find needs that aren't met by it and that would be satisfied by a Wing, I'll upgrade. I doubt that'll be the case with this configuration.
 
ekewaka said:
I considered getting a Wing Rack but got the X32 Rack, instead, with the price drop. I bought an MR18 almost a year ago and that served our (3-instrument+vocal Rock) band well. Though it's ridiculous that the XR/MR18 iOS apps don't work with the latest iOS devices, Mixing Station is the way to go anyway, even with the X32R. The X32 is plenty for us and, if I find needs that aren't met by it and that would be satisfied by a Wing, I'll upgrade. I doubt that'll be the case with this configuration.
Click to expand...
That was my path, as well. We'd used the drummer's X32R for years without issue. The X32 series are proven... probably the most used mixers in the world, were I to venture a guess on it. Hard to go wrong with them for a working band. I don't need anything beyond what it can do, but can use some of the functions, routings, and individual channel capabilities of the Wing. But, oddly enough, that's not what tripped the switch for me to swap from the Presonus 32-R to the X32R, then upgrade to the Wing Rack.

I ran into a wireless connection issue on a gig recently, and didn't have a laptop to directly connect to the Presonus. For speaker and hearing safety, all my presets are saved with the outputs muted in mute groups, so you can imagine how bad it would be if I couldn't even unmute the outs! I did eventually sort the connectivity issue and get on with the show, though it really brought home the need for some means to adjust a mix on the mixer itself. So even though I own, and am well versed in, Presonus mixers when I started this new project, I thought I'd pick up the discounted X32R for the "no computer/iPad required for editing in a pinch" capability. It certainly can be done on the little screen there, but when I actually tried it, it was quite tedious. It would get me out of a bind, but no more. That's no knock on the X32R, as it wasn't designed for mixing from the mixer itself, and at least it had a screen (my Presonus 32-R did not)!

With the Wing Rack just having been announced, I thought that I'd get my money back on the X32R via a direct sale (which I did), and put that and some additional cash into the Wing Rack, almost entirely based on the screen itself. Let me tell you, it's glorious by comparison. Nearly four times the area in physical size, very functional and sensitive-but-not-overly-sensitive touch screen, and nicely accessorized by an array of programmable buttons/screens/lights off to the right side. The screen even flips up so you can see it without having to squat down. It was exactly what I needed to allay my concerns over connectivity. Onboard ins/outs are great, AES50 stage boxes worked natively, and the sound is really good.

You've got a great mixer there, and I'm totally sold on the quality of the X32 family. You can always move to the Wing, as you said, if you have the need. It's not going anywhere, and they've already added functions with new firmware, so it looks like support will be good. Once that manual is accessible, the package will be complete. Congrats on grabbing that X32R... what a great price on those these days!
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I’ll bet the situation you faced stressed you out a bit. I know it would me. The Wing does look like it’s doing well for people, so far. Have fun with it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom