Befaco Hexmix

Hexmix + Hexpander is an awesome system if you do not care about voltage control and want multiple sends and EQs in euro format.

my biggest pluses
+ 3 send / stereo returns with post and pre
+ 3band eq on every channel + 3band master eq
+ playable vactrol (clickless) mutes
+ good overall quality and sound (personal feel, do not have xp with other bigger euro mixers)
+ switch for line/synth level on returns is nice to have if you use some external gear

my biggest minuses
- just manual pans :/, so you need to sacrifice 2 channels to do cv pan
- no vca or other voltage control :/...(which is why to have modular)
- only six channels, but usually it is enough for what I need or I just add few submixes
- no stereo dedicated inputs / channels, would be really cool and handy from my point of view
- for people with bigger hands / fingers might be too tight spaced

And here goes my journey how I decided on the Befaco Hexmix system as my actual eurorack mixer.

At first I started with small sized system just doing submixes and as the output mixer used Konstant Lab Panorama Mix - 4 ins with manual panorama and mutes, stereo (L,R) out + headphones amp out, lot of headroom and I was super happy with this small footprint, quality mixer for decent price. And I knew I will find use for it later when I decide for more advanced mixer solution...

For some time I was reading, watching many videos on various mix systems and possibilities for eurorack. External solutions could be cheaper, but felt detached from the system and not so straightforward use of euro effects / sends, also big footprint (but nice to have long faders...).Pluses / minuses....finally I decided to go with euro environment. I record just in stereo / 2 channels on a hand held Roland recorder and I do not use any audio interface atm (even though befaco have direct outs so if ever needed it is there), focusing more on the "live" play then recording multichannel and post editing atm. In the future maybe I will think about some stereo dj mixer to bring euro and stand alone synths or other sources together when I decide to expand the setup.

I researched mainly the Befaco Hexmix system, WMD performance mixer, Frap Tools CGM, ADDAC 807, XAOC Praga + Hrad and Doepfer Performance Mixer.

ADDAC 807 have almost endless possibilities, 3 stereo sand/return, stereo lines, synth/line level switches, pans, vcas...almost everything under cv control possibility, but then only 5 channels (with expansion +4 more) and also super power hungry and costs fortune...not sure even if it is available, haven't looked in shops.
Similar it is with Frap Tools CGM, looks interesting, but it could get really pricey and super power hungry, ADDAC seemed still a better solution then CGM from personal point of view.

Praga and Doepfer. At first it seemed good enough, but both of them had too many downsides for me personally, but I was inclining more to Doepfer here for some time, even I like Xaoc modules by look and also functionality it just not gives too much for the price tag...So I decided not to go this road either.

Then there were just the last two left on my list - WMD performance mix and Befaco Hexmix system. Probably everyone will have at some point this dilemma when looking into euro mixers. I let it sink in for more then a month and then I asked myself what I really want from the mixer atm... Send /stereo returns were important for me, EQ is super handy to have to sculpt the sounds in my point of view, I am mostly focusing on ambient, drone, generative genre with some melody, but not too much of drums etc...WMD gives me less effect simultaneously and personally I do not like small / short faders in euro format, for fine tuning the values it is just not that fun to work with (but never used WMD so I might be wrong). I was not super excited to have vca in the mixer as I have "enough" vcas in other modules, even though it is a great addition :/.I would love to have a panning cv, but it is possible to do it another way...So going back and forth for some time... and summing + and -... ultimate winner was Befaco Hexmix system for me. Later I bought bigger knobs from Thonk. The original knobs are not that bad as some people point out (slippery knobs)...it is definitely usable, just bigger knobs gives more precision. I miss some stereo dedicated channels, but ultimately it is a great mixer, just make sure it fits your needs and style of play in most features it has to offer.

Great little mixer for eurorack. I bought the hexpander with it (which gives you three aux sends and returns and pfl/headphone out for cueing). It's an amazing mixer and love it. Only wish it had maybe 8 inputs rather than 6, but as it is cannot fault it. Mutes on vactrols, which are great. Love dropping things in and out with the mutes. Not cheap, but if you want to mix and mess with your modules at the same time, rather than via a separate mixer, it's a lot of fun. Very DJ style friendly. Great tool for building your sound explorations, dropping things out easily, playing with the aux sends (if you have the expander - recommended!)

Befaco Hexmix.. System!
Nach langem hin und her (im Besonderen zwischen dem WMD Performance Mixer und dem Hexmix System inkl. VCA, Hexpander, und StMix) habe ich mich für letzteres entschieden und de facto das bekommen was ich erwartet habe: Ein Mixingsystem mit 6 EQs (Ausnahmezustand im Eurorack Standard und kaufentscheidend), sehr geringem Noisefloor, genug Headrooom um tatsächlich (fast) alle möglichen Kanäle auf Unity gain zusammenzuführen, 6 Direct Outs (die ich nicht zum Recording sondern für bspw. Parallel Kompression nutze) und dank STMix genügend stereo "Returns" um Sound- und Effektquellem (satte 30 an der zahl) live zusammenführen zu können.
Wer jedoch einen Studio-Powerlifter sucht sei mit dem WMD oder den Expertsleeper-Wandlern besser beraten - Denn Recording-mäßig benötige ich meine 7 Zusätzlichen Outputs um mehr als nur eine Stereosumme aufnehmen zu können. Außerdem profitiert das System von einer großen (bzw. bereits ohne Mastermixer funktionierenden) Infrastruktur: Submixer (da keine Doppelbelegungen möglich), VCAs (Da nur 6 Stück im System) und etwa die Notwendigkeit nach Paralleler Effektmöglichkeit machen das Ding erst dem (vergleichsweise großen) Preis gerecht. PFL ist meines Erachtens im Eurorack-Standard überbewertet, das Cueing funktioniert zwar gut, aber geht natürlich nur bei den 6 Channelstrips, Send/Returns sind dafür große Klasse, besonders Pre-Fader Sends (auch die sind im Eurorack Standard rar).
Abgesehend davo sollten sich besonders 2 Arten von Mixer-Interessierten das Teil genauer anschauen: Jene die umfassende (manuelle) Kontrolle wollen und jene mit dem Bedürfnis nach einer All-In-One Live Lösung sofern Price und Mixing per HP dem Case und Budget gerecht werden. - So gibt es zwar Viel bessere externe Lösungen (bspw. Mackie VLZ etc.) jedoch bei Live in 1 Box ist das Befaco System trotz seiner Schwächen mit Abstand das funktionalste (wenn auch nicht das umfassendste)

Anmerkung: Meines Erachtens wichtigste externe Modulerweiterung: Ein Macro Controller zum Steuern der Mutes (Ziel: vergleichbare Funktionalität wie beim WMd Mute Expander)