Not too long ago, before the economic crisis, the audio interface market was booming. More and more manufacturers were offering this type of product, aware of the strong recent demand. Given this diversity of offerings, it is crucial for manufacturers to stand out from their competitors, whether by cutting prices, offering features their rivals don't, reinventing products...
And that is the case here: the union of a traditional mixing desk with a computer interface. Novel not long ago, today several manufacturers already offer this type of product, with both USB and FireWire connections.
The MW12, one of Yamaha's offerings, is a desk with 12 inputs, two auxiliary buses, two return channels and a good number of connection options, along with a two-channel I/O USB 1.1 interface that works with any DAW that supports ASIO.
The product is aimed at small studios and independent musicians who need a desk capable of handling the various signals they deal with and who also need a computer-based recording/playback interface.
Rounding out the package, Cubase LE software is included, providing a DAW with 48 audio tracks, 60 MIDI tracks, three VST instruments and more than 20 effects plugins.
The desk
Built in a solid metal chassis, the MW12 provides 12 inputs. The first four (mono channels 1-4) accept mic or line signals on separate connectors (balanced XLR and TRS, respectively) and feature an input gain control.
The next two have the same features, but can also be configured as stereo channels (5/6 and 7/8) using additional (unbalanced) TS connectors. The remaining four inputs are grouped into two stereo channels (9/10 and 11/12) that can take line signals on unbalanced TS and RCA connectors.
Each channel has a three-band equalizer, two auxiliary sends and PFL (Prefader Listen) monitoring, available on the meters, the headphone jack and a balanced stereo control room (C-R) output.
48V phantom power is available on the channels with XLR connectors (it is common to all of them), and the first four have an insert point.
Except for the headphone jack, all the connections are on the rear panel. The side panels are removable and can serve as brackets for rack-mounting the desk. As for routing, the main L-R bus has balanced outputs on XLR and TRS connectors and is sent to the computer via the USB port. The two channels coming from the DAW are also received through this connection.
The auxiliary send and group output connectors are also balanced, but in this case only on TRS. The returns are on unbalanced TS connectors and can be sent to the auxiliary channels and to the main bus. The last options for getting signals into or out of the desk are on RCA connectors. The first set is designed to send a copy of the main bus signal to an external recorder, and the second is the classic 2TR IN input for connecting a player.
Down the mono channel
Turning our attention to the channels, the first knob we find is gain. Labeled with minimum values of -16/+10 dB and maximum values of -60/-34 dB, it acts on both mic and line signals, allowing ranges from -16 to -60 dB for the former and from +10 to -34 dB for the latter.
In both cases these ranges are truly wide, providing completely transparent, noise-free gain. When checking how this control acts on the signal, you get the feeling that the preamp has "gain to spare."
Another of the initial settings is a high-pass filter at 80 Hz (12 dB per octave). Next to it is an overload indicator which, although physically located before the EQ section, takes its signal after it, lighting up when the signal reaches 3 dB below the clipping level.
Next comes the EQ section, with three controls: high frequencies (±15 dB above 10 kHz), mids (±15 dB centered at 2.5 kHz) and lows (±15 dB below 100 Hz). At this point one misses the versatility that a semi-parametric mid EQ would provide.
The next knobs are the sends to the auxiliary buses. Both are post-fader by default, although the first can be switched to pre-fader by means of a switch next to it, which can be useful, for example, for setting up a headphone mix.
The last rotary control is stereo Pan, below which we find the channel on switch (called ST). Labeled On, this button lights up when active, indicating that the channel signal is being sent both to the mixer's L-R bus and to the computer via the USB port.
In the 70 mm fader section are the PFL and Group switches. Also with an LED showing its status, the former sends the pre-fader signal to the monitoring points (headphone jack, meters and C-R output). The latter has the particularity of sending the post-fader signal to the group bus, regardless of whether the ST (On) button is active or not.
The two stereo channels, similar to the mono ones except that they have no input gain, overload indicator or 80 Hz high-pass filter, lead into the Master section.
Master Section
The headphone jack crowns this section, and immediately below it is the 12-segment LED meter. It displays the level of the various signals (stereo, group, PFL and 2TR IN/USB) and has an extra LED (Power) to indicate that the desk is on.
Next to the meter is the switch to enable phantom power, and a little further along a knob labeled 2TR IN/USB.
This rotary control sets the level of the signal coming from the USB port and also controls the signal received at the 2TR IN input. Acting as an AFL switch, a button lets you monitor these signals at the monitoring points before they are sent to the L-R bus.
When using the USB interface to record into the DAW, it is important for this switch to be in the TO C-R position to avoid re-recording the sound being played back.
The auxiliary bus signals are sent out of the desk through the SEND Aux 1/2 knobs, and next to them are the three knobs that set the level coming from the returns. The first two let you send these inputs to auxiliary buses 1 and 2, and the third routes them to the main L-R bus.
Next to these controls is the knob that controls the signal level at the C-R and Phones outputs, and below it are two switches called TO ST and ST/GROUP. In combination with the PFLs, these two switches determine which signal is sent to the monitoring outputs.
Finally, two 70 mm faders set the signal levels on the main bus and the group bus.
Installation
Integrating the MW12 into the system could not have been easier. The unit uses the operating system's native drivers (whether Mac or Windows), so it is recognized automatically as soon as it is connected to the USB port. Within a few seconds, "the hardware was installed and ready to use."
If you don't have a compatible DAW (in principle the only requirement is that it supports ASIO drivers), the manual describes in detail the steps to install Cubase LE and how to configure it to work with the interface.
Once the MW12 is integrated into the system, you have two simultaneous input and output channels, with sample rates of 44.1 / 48 kHz and 16-bit resolution. This is perhaps one of the unit's weak points, since one misses the option of working at 24 bits.
Aware of the audience the interface is aimed at, the manual also includes a short tutorial for getting started with Cubase, and even offers tips on using EQ and some basics of mixing.
ASIO drivers
The native drivers let you work properly with the unit: latency is not very high and, in fact, it is more noticeable in the transport controls (play, stop, etc.) than in the audio itself, so multitrack recording can be done without problems.
However, installing the ASIO drivers developed specifically by Yamaha is highly recommended. They are available on the manufacturer's website (www.yamaha.es), in the downloads section.
Again, installation is simple, and the benefits quickly become evident. The latency in the controls disappears and, in addition, you get a window for adjusting the driver settings. With the power of our computer as the only limitation, system latency can be adjusted by varying the size and number of buffers, and through an input and output offset.
In action
A desk of this kind is not very complicated to use. However, this ease of use is sometimes confused with mediocrity, and the controls found on some units do not do their job well.
That is not the case with the MW12, which has quality components designed to be useful. The mic preamps offer a good dose of transparent gain, which makes them capable of handling a good number of input signals without any problems. The connection options are really flexible, which is always welcome. Small details such as separate XLR/TRS and RCA/TS connectors on their respective channels make the difference.
Although simple, the EQ section works very well and lets you shape the signal's frequency response with well-calibrated, responsive controls. The PFL switches let you check practically every point on the desk and, although sending the signal to the monitoring points is somewhat convoluted (it is done through the different settings of the TO ST and ST/GROUP switches), it is in fact very useful.
Other details, such as group assignment on each channel, the pre/post switch on the first send, main outputs on XLR and TRS, or the LED indicating that a channel's PFL is active, once again show the care with which Yamaha builds its gear. Easy to use and install, this desk can be a good choice for those who want to get started in the world of audio in a serious way, since the manual even details the steps for making your first recordings and mixes.
More advanced users will discover a powerful, quality interface with a transparent sound and effective, responsive controls. A good alternative if we are interested in a USB studio.
