Midas M32R Live

We bought this for live sports events, and it has been fantastic. The flexibility on offer is excellent, and has solved a few complex routing issues we'd been struggling with. The mic pres sound decent, and the processing on offer is superb.
It's been a great help for us to have the XLR inputs accept line or mic level signal with no issues.

We've also used the installed USB interface card for backup recording and level monitoring on a laptop, which worked beautifully.
We've now swapped out the USB card for the Dante card, and again, faultless performance.

The build quality is superb, nothing flimsy or cheap here.
The layout and user interface are fantastically intuitive, with everything you need immediately to hand.
Midas' M32 Edit software allows you to configure the console either via laptop, or on the laptop ahead of schedule, and sending the config data back and forth is an absolute breeze.

I'm genuienly awestruck by the capabilities on offer on a console at this price.

The one and only thing that caught me out is that the outputs of the desk are fairly "hot" - so if you're feeding something critical, just make sure you line up your levels beforehand. -18dbfs on this console's output were around 4db hotter than expected on our audio embedders, which is easily corrected for, once we realised.

We've got two of the M32R desks now, and they have performed almost flawlessly over the last few years. Their feature set is fantastic and comparable to the other brands and models only in price, you get a lot more functionality, features and routing possibilities than other digital desks at this price point.

Six band EQ on every channel, compression and gates in the box. Insert effects are wonderfully useful, especially for balancing your main signal. The matrix section is perfect for managing things like side fills, centre fills, or live streams - all of which we do on a regular basis with this console. The additional AES-EBU outputs that come with the matching DL32 stagebox allows us to pair speaker DSP with zero fuss.

This console looks much better than the X32 and all the variants of it. If you watch the videos on YouTube with Dave Rat, you'll see that the only significant design difference in the M32 is that the internal fader design is placed sideways unlike the X32. Apparently this approach reduces the risk of damage from liquid ingress.

I think my only criticism is the AES-50 protocol used between the desk and the stagebox can be flakey sometimes. Use the recommended cable for audio transmission, keep/run spare Cat5E reels for redundancy. It doesn't take much at an outdoor event for the sound to drop out if there's any kind of electromagnetism, or an unhappy generator that splutters. And even then, there's still a high likelihood you'll get audio dropouts when you use cable 100% to spec. Try not to run your Cat5e cable in parallel to things like power cables, fridges, generators, fog machines, routers, or anything else that can cause electromagnetic interference or discharges.

Also, the routing is a lot to get your head around if you're not used to it. It can be even more frustrating especially if you're working under pressure and your mind goes blank. Those menus aren't particularly intuitive, especially for the uninitiated. You've got lots to consider, and I feel the 1:1 patching in the latest update makes things worse for guest engineers that aren't familiar with the X32 eco-system.

However, once you get it up and running it's a great piece of kit, it just has a very steep learning curve. Once you know your way around it's perfect, it just takes a bit of time to get there. It's quite a powerhouse in a very small form factor and well worth every penny.

This is my 4th M32R console... What can I say... INCREDIBLE little console! You've got even "MORE" than what you pay for! They took over the market with the X/M32 consoles, and there's a reason for it: they are the best for the price!

Make sure to update to the newer firmware though (4.02 as I write this review); the new routing options are much more powerful. Also, you can choose between the FAST and SLOW fader speed.

The built-in SD Card recorder is very handy (I've got it to work with a 128 GB card BTW, despite the spec listed 32 GB maximum).

On the CON side, the screen is a bit small (but very bright), but you can control the full console with the PC/Mac APP in a breeze anyway...

Thanks Midas for such a great product!! A+++++++

We bought this desk to use initially at a regular multi-band event, which takes place in different venues. I had heard the Behringer X32 sound before, and it wasn't to my taste, so liked the idea of paying more for higher specs and better preamps. We used for the fist time last night and my expectations were exceeded. Immediately a great sound for rehearsal - better than ever before. Also, the ability to hit record at any point to capture to USB stick meant we could easily create an invaluable rehearsal resource.
We used PM1 headphone adaptors and the MX-Q phone app with wifi router to allow everyone to create their own in-ear mix - again - easy to explain and implement.
The desk is very versatile, especially as we bought with a DL16 digital stage box. I am now thinking seriously about using the desk for recording work too. I already have good studio preamps but these sounded at least as good, if not better.
It has taken a while to get familiar with all the features, and on-line videos helped. It also took a while to understand that this desk is related to similar and older Midas/Behringer models, so you have to find/use the manual from an older desk. Email Midas support has been helpful though.