Behringer X Air XR16 Digital Mixer: A Beginners Guide to How to Set up a Simple PA From Scratch

This video is a complete beginner's guide to setting up a X Air XR16 digital mixer using a pc/laptop. Specifically, I'll show you around the hardware (black box) part of the mixer, the software part of the mixer (the hard part), and then how to connect the two together. Then, we will set up a simple PA system. Specifically, I show you how to set up a channel and then put effects on that channel, as well as the monitors. Finally, if you have the XR12 or XR18, the setup is almost identical, so this video will be perfect for you as well.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1:20 - Meet the Hardware Mixer (the Black Box)
9:40 - Downloading and Installing the Software Mixer
13:18 - Connecting Your Laptop to the Hardware Mixer
15:48 - Connecting the Software Mixer to the Hardware Mixer
17:34 - Meet the Set up Button
20:15 - Meet the Complicated Software Mixer (which is on your laptop/mac/pc)
33:01 - Setting up a Channel (how to set up gain, gate, compressor, *EQ, + adding reverb + delay)
48:44 - Setting up the Monitor (Give the monitor channel 1 mic + add reverb + delay)

[SavannahSP]

I feel like Saul Goodman just taught me how to use a mixer

[bravinneff]

Perhaps someone else mentioned this, but at 31:40 when you talk about inserting effects to individual channels, and then you say "it gets confusing, so don't use this..." I think you are mistaken what this is for, or leading others away from a useful feature: this is the only way to dedicate the FX as a *serial* effect (or "insert" effects as they are called). It's probably not very useful for a reverb, but there are a ton of classic emulations of serial processors, like compressors and exciters, in the included FX - LA2A, Fairchild, 1176, et al. These only make sense as insert effects (or buss effects), and using this *insert* function is the only way to use them that way.

Note that with each FX being stereo, with the insert FX, they give you both a stereo and a dual mono version - so you can get *2 halves* of the effects which can then be inserted to different mono channels and adjusted independently (or use the stereo version on a buss). That's why there are 2 insert destinations per FX. So added up, 4 stereo FX give you potentially 8 insert effects, allowing you to ignore the channel compressors (or EQs, etc). You might like the channel compressors just fine (I know I do), but having emulations of famous classic compressors is a sweet alternative to have.

Finally, note among other things there is also a guitar amp simulator in the FX. The only way to use that in a normal way is inserted into a channel, presumably with a guitar player coming in via DI.

[dreamdancer]

Just one little tip. While a scene saves your mixer settings to your computer, a snapshot saves the setting to the mixer itself so that you can load it even if you´re using another computer, a tablet, or a phone.

[Tuteren]

Many people tried to explain this to me for years, but all failed. You held my attention and explained everything to me within 60 minutes. Great video, Thank you so much!

[sharward]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Mine is arriving in three days and I really feel confident I can hit the ground running with it upon arrival. Your style is very slow-paced and easy for a beginner like myself to follow along, yet despite the beginner level content, it was thorough and explored some of the more complex features that might otherwise go untouched for fear of messing something up. I'm sure it's not 100% and that's OK -- I'm now familiar enough with it that I can be dangerous.

[akugel]

The Snapshot-Button ist NOT for taking a screenshot! As you can save/load a scene as an external file, snapshots stores the whole settings inside the mixer. So you can have multiple setups saved inside the mixer itself and you can switch between them with an ipad without the need of having access to an external file.

[mikey]

6:30 I wanted to insert a note here. The XR12 and XR16 have a USB Music player, while the XR18 has a Stereo and Multi-track PC USB connection to record multi-track to your DAW. It does not have the music player.

Also there is the X18 which is the XR18 without rack mounts and with a surface to put a tablet.

Excellent video, even as a current user I'm enjoying it so far, especially how thorough it is and well-presented too.

[MichaelGlazener]

Good overview. The only thing to edit is that the "Snapshot" isn't a screenshot tool. It saves your setting to the actual mixer itself so you can load the settings from any computer, tablet, phone, etc. You can save up to 64 (I believe) snapshots to the physical mixer so if you play different venues you can save the different settings and load them up when needed. If you use the non-snapshot "save" future it's only saving your settings to the current device you're using (your computer) and you can save an unlimited amount of them.

[terminatah]

Great video. I'm about to buy the X18 for my rig. 🎉🎉🎉

[USAlien]

😳 wow ! Dude this helped me so much. Thank you ! We had one of these and after watching your video realized we were using it all wrong. We had such trouble getting it to work right we almost got rid of it. But now next weekend I can go to practice and show everyone how to use it the right way. I really appreciate it brother
I hope your staying safe out there
✌️ 😊 † ❤️

[jeffreyEsoteric]

This is the greatest tutorial in the history of tutorials! My Xr-18 along with the rest of the PA arrives today and I'm super excited. Now, I'll be able to get the basics up and running very quickly and enjoy the rest of the learning curve journey. Thanks SO much!

[fabianbarbin]

hands down the best video for noob. hope you are able to still answer questions if they come up.

[ingmarkuhn]

Thank you so much for your tutorial! Really helpful! Just one question: I have 4 AUX channels on the box - and 6 AUX channels in the software? So what are Ch. 5 and 6 for?

[mannylee]

I just bought one and love the detail of this video. Thank you for taking the time to explain this. It does seem to be user friendly and laid out well, but your video will save everyone so much time in trying to figure out the where, the what and the how’s. AWESOME video.

[sbrave]

You sound just like Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)

[farhange.v.]

Thank you for this very simply explained video, now I have a lot less thought about how to start with it. I am waiting to receive my package.

[martooney]

Incredibly informative and helpful. Sure beats the 'chest beating' videos that Behringer puked out. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[vladp]

You made it very very easy for us newbies, sir! It only took me an hour to watch this video and get myself up to speed not only on this specific mixer, but on the overall concept of digital mixing. I appreciate your efforts and attention to detail in this video very much.

[stacypainter]

Thank you so much for such a straightforward and well thought out video on the this product. After watching this tutorial, I feel confident with making the purchase and investment into the mixer

[haeke]

Your tutorial was incredibly detailed and so easy to follow. You made a daunting task so much easier. This is amazing thanks so much