Behringer X Air XR18 18-channel Tablet-Controlled Digital Mixer Reviews

Wow. I wish I would've gotten one of these sooner. This is really all you need for your band to record practice and play anywhere.

This product allowed my church to save on costs since most of the use would be on iPad which is like the larger mixers. Some functions on the AirX app has missing functions different from the X32 app. Would recommend this for a low cost budget and you're looking to go digital. This would require training on the iPad app.

It took a little bit of a learning curve but after knowing what apps were available and the initial setup, we used it live in our 1st gig out. It records, it has features of the big professional setup, and sounds awesome. We have 3 different settings, 1 full band, 1 outside and 1 duo. No snake to lug around and everything is in easy reach for adjustments. I would recommend a wireless router connection because the X Air tends to loss signal to the laptop. It can also run direct w/CAT6 cable. If you add the cost of a board and snake, this thing makes sense and has been road tested.

This piece of equipment is a masterpiece of genius!! I have read many reviews prior to purchasing, but a person never really comes to an appreciation of its meaning until you have the actual experience for yourself. I had a funeral 3 weeks ago where I had to sing 4 songs, and the preacher also used my system... we were both blown away at its capabilities. My voice was flawless with the awesome effects, the clear crisp sound of the mixer. Even those who attended the funeral were amazed at my singing, but I have never sounded that good before!!
I would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting the best!! I am using this for my live events, and also for my recording studio... it is AWESOME!!

If you only need 18 inputs, its cheaper than buying an x32. It is expandable with an additional 16 outputs plugged in via the Untranet port using a Midas DN4816-O so that basically gives you everything you need for 24 outs to hit FOH and run an IEM setup as well. Plus the audio interface for recording also lets you use performances software like Live VST to run metronomes or midi tracks or DMX setups or video. You can also use the PM-16 Behringer monitoring system. All the core needs addressed by the x32 but scaled down to fit a smaller use scenario.

I been looking for this products for awhile every time I try to order it was out of stock finally my sale engineer Aaron put my waiting list and when the products arrived I got one and as soon as I received I try to setup and it was amazing, I have nothing to complain sounds, controller wifi everything is perfect for me and this equipment is very useful.

Best Mixer.

This is so easy when operating. The app does glitch sound freeze up. Over all it's a simple mixer to learn.

I've got mine mounted in a rack that has headphone monitors, wireless monitors, wireless mics, and Bluetooth receiver. I can run bumper music, talkback, and monitor the mix from anywhere in the audience. Perfect for small clubs and backyards, or anywhere that you don't want to lug tons of equipment.
My one criticism is that the native app currently doesn't work on most iPads as of (10/18/23). iOS had a firmware update and since then it hasn't worked. Thankfully there is plenty of 3rd party support. Apps like mix station provide more flexibility than the factory app does.
I've used mine to record, run a livestream, and live performance all at the same time. It's been a game changer. You find anything that does as much as this thing does at this price point.

I thought I would update my thoughts on the XR-18 Air. I've been using it for the last 8 years, gigging about 30-40 times a year, and have never had an issue with the mixer. No failed channels, no sudden meltdowns in the middle of a gig, and I'm still getting good sound week after week. The one issue which is well documented is don't plan on using the built in Wi-Fi for gigging. Get a good external router and use it. I use a laptop as my primary mixing device and always have a direct connection through a LAN cable to the router.

The original xr18 I ordered had issues from the get-go. But Mark and Michael at Sweetwater were, as always, amazing to work with, and they eventually got me a new unit. It works great! Sometimes the app is finicky. It will often disconnect in the middle of use, and I have to recconect. Not a huge issue, but annoying. Figuring out how to use all the features was painstaking, but once figured out, I can navigate the unit easily. Overall, I'm liking it.

Its a great unit! People complain about the wifi issues, well, use the hard wire connection. Your phone doesn't stay connected to the wifi all the time, dah! Its a great unit. Every channel has separate EQ, FX's, monitor sends, what's not to like about this mixer. You can't beat it for the price.

Our 5 piece band outgrew my 12 channel Mackie. I was hesitant to go digital after 55+ years of analog mixing but i decided to give it a shot
One of the best decisions I ever made. It's like having a very massive and expensive analog mixer. The things you can do with this mixer are endless.
Our stage mix was much better the very first show due to the 6 custom monitor sends.
And the effects are studio quality.

It's absolutely amazing what the XR18 can do, and I'm just getting started.

The XR18 is effectively a stripped-down X32 rackmount with no physical controls. Instead, you control and view all the parameters (e.g. faders, etc.) over the network via an app on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android. In addition, it is a full 18 input / "18 output" (practically 8 output) USB audio interface. This provides everything that you need for a studio or small stage, unless you need more than the 18 inputs.

Pros:
Feature set (mixer + audio interface)
Good build quality, metal case
Good preamps
Control software works on ALL platforms (thank you so much for a Linux version)

Only one con:
Only the basic parameters (channel levels, mute) are controllable via MIDI. Advanced parameters (sends for each channel, effect-specific parameters) are controllable via OSC only. (In fact the communication between the control software and the XR18 is just OSC.) Because I wanted to control send levels from a MIDI controller, I had to set up a PD patch to translate back and forth between MIDI messages from my controller and OSC messages to the unit. This is a power user type situation so I don't consider this that serious, but they really could have made a MIDI map--albeit a much more complicated one--which covered all parameters.

I had one for about 7 years and just recently started having trouble with it. Played probably 500 shows and countless practices with it with minimal problems. The only real issue is the wifi section but I overcame that using an external router. Works absolutely great for the price. Would recommend for bar bands 100%

We just started a Hispanic church and God has been really blessing us, however our sound was very problematic, no functioning channels and lots of noises, poor vocals. This really lifted our sound.

I am amazed by how good the XR18 is! The size vs a standard 18-channel board is enough to make it great. Then add in the effects, eq, compression, delay, etc. and it gets even better. If you run sound from the stage, then you need the XR18. Last night was the first gig we played since I got it. It is a game changer. Switching between electric guitar and bass while also running sound from the stage has always been a challenge. Now that I can sit in front of the PA while we do sound check was great. It's super quiet and the preamps and effects sound great. It's easy to use and set up. I really can't recommend the XR18 enough.

Sweetwater finally got them back in stock! Great mixer! Using it for an IEM rig.

We've have 3 of these XAir 18's in our sound studios. Anyone with an iPhone or iPad can control their own channels
The sound is clear crisp and handles drums and distorted guitars extremely well.
The oldest one we have is 6 years old and we use it every day…just a fantastic mixer.
Comes loaded with 42 insert FX modeled after the high end rack equipment
Get this mixer you will love it!

I bought this to build an in ear system for my band. This works PERFECTLY! So far I've only used it at practice, but it's already made a huge difference. We've used in ears for quite some time, but this will finally allow us to use them live and I can't wait for that.

I obtained this in 2015, to replace my work's monolithic gig rack. It's 2022 now and I'm still using it. Short answer: you want this. Long answer, see below

For you old heads: Ignore the Behringer name if that's still a hang up. I like the preamps on here just as much as the Midas M32, which makes sense because Behringer owns Midas now. The sound quality is excellent. Built in effects are a time saver. Tons of I/O. Comp/Gate on every channel, and the comps are very transparent (unlike the Behringer X32). GEQ on the mains and every mix. If you're good with computers, setup will not be hard. It's three rack units, so it's easy to build a highly portable system. I plugged in an old Macbook from 2008 running 10.6 and Reaper - worked without a hitch, all tracks in 24-bit 48k, it could easily function as the heart of a project studio. 6 buses gives you plenty of room for submixes or monitors - for example I run my mains, then bus mixes for a camera, Zoom, media members, delay towers, etc. Even has MIDI I/O, and insane amounts of routing options. Pound for pound, this is the best thing on the market and has been for the better part of a decade, even more so if you need portability and nimbleness (such as a University or hotel AV, conferences and panels).

I do have a few complaints. My onboard WiFi was just terrible, constantly dropping connection. I use an external router hooked up via ethernet cable, and it's worked perfectly and this also allows me to connect a computer and use X Air Edit on that 2008 mac for some (almost) physical control, in addition to an iPad. The downside is that adds a few more wires to it's face. Speaking of that, 16 channels of XLR, some ethernet, USB, 2ch line in, solo headphones...ok, the front of this thing can get really messy. Part of me wants to redo my rack and install it backwards and a patchbay as to not look at the clutter. Plan ahead. As I've said, it's truly best for conferences and panels where quick fade movement isn't paramount. I would still use it at a rock show, but I'd be more comfortable using the PC than the iPad in crucial situations. Investigate the X-Touch if you need physical faders, but that's another $500 you might not have.

Overall, it's an absolute workhorse than can do almost everything.

This mixer was worth EVERY PENNY!! I use it as mixer for my live shows and also an interface for my home studio. The only con is DO NOT rely on the built-in Wifi!!!!! Especially if you're gonna use it as a mixer for live shows/events. PLEASE invest in an external router and use the mixer via Ethernet. Sweetwater recommended a router for me and its been AMAZING ever since!! I wish there was a better app for phones though but if you have a iPad/Tablet or laptop/computer then you're good to go!! I also got the traveling bag for it from Sweetwater as well....Totally worth it!!

I can't praise this mixer highly enough. It has never failed us, and there is only one issue with it, which is easily remediated. The wifi is garbage. You can buy an AP and get DHCP from the mixer itself just fine, or you can add a router and do it all yourself. Ultimately, just be aware that the built in wifi access point is really bad, but adding your own is trivial. Aside from that, the product is stellar. I'm able to mix bands from my laptop, phone, tablet, or whatever computer I have nearby. The learning curve is not flat for this device, but it's also really straightforward if you know the art of mixing. Highly recommended, I have 0 negative experiences with the xr18, and we perform with it multiple times per month.

I bought this in unit in 2015, has been powered up 24/7. Still preforming perfectly.

Increadable flexiblability really good sounding preamps and ability to preset each mic channel 6 sends for multiple monitor mixes and to feed sub woofer

This is so user friendly and has made mixing from the stage super easy... One recommendation, get an outboard wifi router... The wifi in the unit is ok but not 100% reliable... Got a $ outboard wifi and have had no issues at all!

Easy to use, compact and exactly what you need for most aplications

I'm not a technical person. I found it easy to familiarize myself with the "virtual board" world. I love it because it is compact, wireless capable, and reliable. We have done 50+ gigs with this and it is in excellent condition - the rack mount makes it safe and easy to tuck out of the way - especially as a snake-type of mixer. The effects and controls are very nice and I have no issues recording this to Logic even - which was something I thought I'd never to be able to do, but I watched a YouTube video and it was perfect. Easy! Live recordings sound studio quality. Would recommend.

In a move to downsize and go fully digital, I finally decided to embrace technology and give the X Air XR 18 a try. It was a brilliant move! The XR18 was almost ready to go right out of the box. Despite some reviews that mentioned some difficulty with initial setup, the WiFi connection was extremely simple. Once connected, the XR18 channel operations were fairly easy to navigate and presets and onboard effects options made for smooth and easy use. This past weekend, I commented to other band members DURING the performance that the mix was near-perfect and had a "radio like" sound to it. Using the onboard compression/gate/dynamics/EQ/etc. dialed everything in and made the performance even better. This unit is hard mounted inside the former effects rack and is positioned between the drummer and the keyboard player at the back of the stage. A small stage snake is all you need to complete the hook up! Cleaner! Lighter! Greater Clarity! Everything you need for top-notch performances in a single unit. More reviews as the unit is put to the long-term test. The attached photo is the unit before being mounted but you get the idea of the size.. Nice!

Easy to use. Good sound. Good price.

Had a lot of challenges with quality on the cheaper mixers with faders. These MIDAS preamps rock.
Once I got the hang of the XAir app, things worked really well. My Sales Rep, Nitish was instrumental in helping me pick the right mixer. The key factors that worked to make this choice were preamps and multitrack recording.
Watching the official videos by Phil Gates on Youtube certainly helped us learn the XAir app quickly

Great unit for the money. I've mixed sound on and off for 20 years and I have to say I do indeed miss the tactility of the typical control surface on a board.

That being said, it's my only gripe with this system. The iPad app works great, the board sounds great and everything seems usable and musical. We are using it for an IEM rig for our band, so once everything is dialed in there should be minimal use of the iPad so long as people have consistent volumes. Also seems to interface well with a daw to dump your tracks into GarageBand or what ever you want to use. A lot of bang for your buck. Very light and compact. Don't hesitate.

This thing is amazing, it does things you didn't know you wanted it to do.

My band uses this mixer, along with a 16 channel splitter snake, for our IEM rack. Every player can customize their mix from an iPhone or tablet. 100% constant from stage to rehearsal and back. Total game changer! Plus, we were able to record performances for recent videos. 16 tracks in Pro-Tools. The XR is instantly recognized in PT. Seamless.

Doing the simple stuff: different bands on a stage. No recording or other fancy things. It used to be such a hassle to sound-check because we didn't have a tent in front of the stage. So got my steps in trying to listen up front and dial in from the side.

Now I take the iPad and a chair, and wirelessly rule the world. I connected a dual band router as everyone seems to agree that when 300+ people arrive with pinging cell phones the onboard wifi gets overwhelmed.

One thing that is a watch out: it takes forever to come back from a power outage. The unit is bricked until all wifi etc are reconnected. Don't trip over that power cord!!

I also found saving settings a bit weird as it is saved under "offline" but that's ok.

If you walk out of the wifi bubble your iPad/iPhone will "search" for a while, which freaked me out for a sec, but it found it and all was well.

Perfect product and priced right.

I upgraded to the XAir 18 from the XAir 12 and I'm not looking back. This frees up my 5 member band to do whatever we need to do in terms of inputs, whether it's plugging in directly setting up to mic amps/drums etc. For whatever reason, this new system is quieter than the XAir 12 we had. Very impressed. Bought a soft, padded, brand-name bag for it as well to protect the investment.

Great con so easy to use and recommend to anyone wish I had this a long time ago

I use for live performance. Easy to use. Nice having WiFi connection. No wires needed. Great to be able to multi track record our shows through USB.

We were traveling with a great deal of audio equipment which took a lot of space at rehearsals. We wanted something simpler to eliminate bulky speakers and monitors. We decided to go with an "in-ears" only solution for rehearsals, which meant we needed to go digital. The XR-18 fit the bill for us. It was affordable, had enough inputs and built in processing. It allowed us to connect wireless in ear monitors using our iphones and existing equipment. Love that I can control it using my MacBook or my iPad. There's a lot of gadgets all built in so no need to be carrying rack mounted compressors, reverbs, delays, etc. So far, no negatives uncovered, except the X-Air program can probably use some more features like pre-configured, instrument specific effects.

We bought this mixer to replace an aging mixer that used firewire for interfacing. We needed USB. We're using it for live services (or at will be post COVID), live streaming and recording. Also, when the weather gets better, we'll use it for outdoor services. It's compact and easy to transport. Functionally, there is a bit of a learning curve but it's mostly intuitive. A great feature of this mixer is the number of different ways you can connect to it, access point - it's built in wifi network, external wifi, or ethernet. There is a range of control devices you use, ipad, pc, linux. We connect with PC and Ipad. You can use multiple control devices simultaneously. With the purchase you're also entitled to the OEM version of Waveform recording software. You just need to register your XR18, a process that seemed way more complicated than necessary. If you have any issues, Sweetwater tech support is top notch. I had an odd connectivity issue with one of the pcs and tech support worked with me until it got resolved with just one phone call. Very happy with it so far.

This is the first digital mixer I have used. The initial setup was challenging. I took me about 6 hours to get it on the network and connected to my DAW as an 18X18 mixer. But, the effort was well worth it! It was a significant upgrade to my workspace. The quality, sound and capabilities far exceeded my expectations, especially for the price.
I included a before and after picture.

A great product. It compliments my X32 mixing board.

Multitrack USB recording is what you can do with this in the studio, and for the money, it is the best deal out there.
I decided to join the 21st century and evolve from my digital recorder to using the computer. The guitarist in my band uses Reaper to record with, so I followed suite. So in order to record digitally to computer I needed an audio interface. Just about the time I was shopping for audio interfaces, my mixer went kaput, so I started looking into all-in one mixer / audio interfaces. That's when i found the Behringer Air XR18. It works great in my studio, and will use it for live gigs in the future.

I got this mixer several years ago and used it mostly for live sound. It always did a great job - I like that I could find an app for my phone to control it when I didn't want an iPad on stage. This was all before the world turned upside down with this crazy pandemic. Enter COVID:
Now I'm working from home and my office is also my music space. I have two PCs: one for work one for music. I have both PCs routing sound to the XR18 so that I can use my nice nearfield monitors for all these **** Zoom and WebEx calls for work, and for non-work. One PC is using the Aux input. The other is mapped to Aux4.

Since nobody is playing out, my activity has turned to recording. I have been very impressed with the solid multichannel USB performance of the mixer. The preamps are fine. Electrics and acoustics are mostly direct (IRs in my DAW or Helix). Drums and vocals, of course, are mic'd. This is definitely not something I was planning on for this mixer, but I'm VERY happy that it has worked out so well.

I has surpassed my expectations!

We originally bought this to mic our son's drumkit for videos. Soon after, I realized there was plenty of space for instruments and vocal mics as well, so our cover band started practicing at my house and this thing handles all of it! No issues and it works perfectly for what we need. It's also surprisingly small and lightweight. The digital mixing app is incredibly handy and easy to use. I highly recommend getting the Mixing Station XAir Pro app instead of the stock XAir app.

Outstanding mixing board, seems tons better than my QSC Touch mix. Sweetwater is a great place to shop for and buy gear.

I set up a Raspberry Pi computer and 24 inch monitor to control the mixer resulting in a great digital mixer for modest cost.

The application is amazing. It works as good as any mixer I've used.

Caveats and warnings:

- Mac and iPad software is a bit buggy and crashes sometimes (as of Feb 2020), especially when accessing FX. But these crashes do not seem to affect the device itself and you can simply re-open the software after a crash.

- Do not rely on the wireless functionality of this device. Make sure you are ready to use Ethernet as a backup. We used this in a festival setting, and there was so much wireless interference that it was impossible to connect to the internal wireless access point with either a laptop or an iPad. You'll need an Ethernet capable device (or USB ethernet adapter) in order to use this in an area with a lot of wireless interference.

It's quite an amazing and affordable mixer.

My XR18 arrived on a Tuesday, I used it the next day in a rehearsal with 4 instruments and 3 singers. Everyone could hear after 10 minutes of rough mix, and the sound was quite good considering the minimal preparation. Since then I’ve set up groups and DCAs to get better balance in the mix.

The preamps are dead quiet, and Studio One loaded up just fine after getting the right drivers.

The drivers are my only complaint. The download links point to a broken page. I had to scour the message boards to find a link that works.

works great so far. Learning digital but so far has been pretty easy and system sounds good .

Its plug and play on Arch Linux and the latest version of xairedit is in AUR.

[408174.197912] usb 5-2: new high-speed USB device number 7 using xhci_hcd
[408174.412243] usb 5-2: New USB device found, idVendor=1397, idProduct=00d4, bcdDevice= 1.01
[408174.412251] usb 5-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=12, Product=7, SerialNumber=13
[408174.412255] usb 5-2: Product: X18/XR18
[408174.412260] usb 5-2: Manufacturer: BEHRINGER
[408174.412264] usb 5-2: SerialNumber: 13C3C3C0
[408174.489871] mc: Linux media interface: v0.10
[408174.517446] usbcore: registered new interface driver snd-usb-audio

It's picked up by pulse immediately as an output device and input device. Audacity? Select it as an input and go to recording. Super sweet setup. Super pleased with it. Completely bypass the internal audio card and let this interface handle all the play back and input for everything. If this the type of setup is what your interested in go with the Xr18 or Mr18. The *r12's definitely wont accommodate this. They lacks the usb functionality (in spite of it being claimed in the ads). Spend the extra 200. You wont be disappointed.

We run a five piece band through it. We had a pro sound guy set it up for us at our first show and saved it. We now have a great platform to start from every show. We pull up the saved file like it's magic. Everyone controlling their own monitor mix from their cell phones is quite a handy tool. The recording capabilities are remarkable as well. A few well established KC bands that have been using this mixer and the xair 32 for a few years. Running them every weekend. I never would have thought Behringer. But here it is, killing it.

Have used this now for three very different gigs: an acoustic music combo, a piano player vocalist with 20-member choir, and for a pop/rock group playing in a gym (used all channels including USB in for that one). Worked flawlessly in each setting. Followed others' advice and used external wifi router and had no problems or latency with mixing software for up to 400 person venue.

The Behringer X-air software has a learning curve. Spend some time with their YouTube tutorials and try their software emulator to practice before your first gig. Have used with multiple iPads running either the Behringer or 3rd party controller apps. All worked well when properly configured. Recommend MAC/PC with 1 or 2 external monitors for FoH--that way you can have the main mixing window open and have other windows for DCAs and other controls. I use iPads for BoH monitor mix and to walk around the venue for level and EQ tweaks. RTA view on EQ page is great for finding and squashing troublesome feedback or crossover from the drum kick, etc. I do not gig with this weekly or heavy tour schedules so I can't comment on the durability, but I suspect if the jacks hold up it would be fine for that also.

This is my first digital mixer, so the ability to map each of the channels, reroute USB or do special effect inserts on the fly (without having to move any physical cabling) is amazing to me. Full EQ per channel with separate EQ for main and monitor is a huge plus for me. This mixer is no bigger than a shoebox. Can't believe all the capability packed into it. I also like the fact that it is WAY lighter than lugging around an analog mixer deck with a multichannel snake. It is a snug fit in the Gator 13x6 padded mixer bag, but it seems well protected and has a tiny bit of room for some cables.

I don't use Behringer's Ultranet monitor system, haven't tried the MIDI in/out, nor have I recorded multi-channel USB out to a DAW so I cannot comment on those. Did a quick take with a handheld Tascam recorder plugged into the headphone/monitor jack and it was surprisingly true to the main mix.

This little box usually draws a lot of interest from other musicians and the best compliment I have received was from a pro sound guy who was mixing our band who offered to buy it off me! I definitely recommend.

Behringer is an awesome company! Their Behringer XR 18 is a mixing board that is light years ahead of anything else on the market. It is intuitive, easy to use, and the available mixing board options are seemingly endless. To top it off, Behringer stands behind their products. At a recent show that we performed, we had a problem with the Behringer XR 18. It wouldn't power up. Behringer went above and beyond to help us out. They overnighted us a brand new unit once the bad Behringer XR 18 was received at their service center. Behringer is top notch in our eyes. Because of Behringer's exemplary response, we highly recommend purchasing the Behringer XR 18.

Ive had this mixer for almost 7 years, 2 channels arent working i just need to clean the dirt of them, but in the 7 years ive had it its been the best... if you do buy this mixer make sure you buy the WIFI ROUTER any router works, the integrated wifi is only for small places like for practice sessions or at home use, any bigger gigs will need a separate router... dont look any where else this mixer is the best

Yes, for the price this unit will blow you away. Got rid of my rack and replace with this one unit. FX's are amazing. Integration with Laptop and Android Tablet are incredible. Not sure what more I could ask for out of this unit. Not sure why other digital mixer don't want to cater to the Android group, but I'm sure glad I gave this digital mixer a chance. All who see it in action LOVE IT, most then go out and buy it... THANK YOU BEHRINGER !!!!!!!

This is the best mixer i seen so far

I bought the XR18 primarily to record the choir and orchestra at church. When connected to my PC as an interface, I was blown away at how well it performed. The preamps and sfx are great. The interface has clearly been well thought out and all meters and controls are updated in real time to give precise XR18 information. Being able to save complete mix scenes as well as channel and fx presets and easy setup makes this a great companion for any DAW as well as a great mixer on stage.

I have no idea how this thing will act in the future, or what problems it may have then, but for a "wow" out of the box, this thing has it.
20 years ago, this was 10 thousand dollars worth of a half ton of gear... now its a five pound box.
The PC interface is fluid and responsive, and the Android interface is workable, if not as easy to maneuver. Very cool that it has Raspberry Pi and Lunix as options too.
I've bought at least 4 other mixers since I first saw this one, and always KNEW I should be buying this one instead. Do yourself a favor. If you're looking at buying a mixer, and are considering this one, buy it and nothing else. Now I have a lot of stuff to sell......

I'll revisit the review in a few months to see if this lives up to it's amazing first impressions.

We love this mixer. I'll spell out the pros and cons that we've found from the last year or so of use.

Pros:

It has given us the freedom to mix our church choir and musical numbers from almost anywhere in the congregation. The pre-amps are very quiet and the sound is fantastic. We have yet to run out of inputs or outputs. We like being able to save our configuration on both the device and on our laptops. It's much smaller than the previous mixers we have used and is much easier to store.

Cons: (But notice, I did give it 5 stars.)

If you haven't used the software in a while, you need to give yourself plenty of time to reacquaint your self before a production begins. It's not like a mixing console that you can just jump in front of and know where things are. It may take a minute to find the menu or button you need. Always have a backup computer handy if your primary laptop doesn't work for some reason. That can be a disaster. Don't depend on wireless to mix when you have 2000 people showing up to a venue with their cellphones. It won't work, even if you have your own access point. Use the wired connection. Since there are no physical volume knobs, it can be a bit dicey to handle a major feedback situation, but as long as you "ring out the room" beforehand, you shouldn't have to deal with feedback right?

Overall I love the unit, and will never buy a snake again. I still buy small mixers for small projects, but for bigger venues, this is definitely the way to go!

I bought xr18 for about two years, I have a m32 midas too, I think xr18 in live stage and for medium audio recording and a record in the studio is fantastic, this mixer is the best signal processing, I know that midas mr18 with A little difference in audio processing is better than xr18, but with this mixer you can have all your ideas, record, play, composition, master and everything in your mind, I love this fantastic mixer.
Xr 18 is the magic little box .dont stop for it . Just go and buy it.

I plugged all my 7 inputs and 2 outputs from my old mixer into the XR-18, quickly set up the wireless connection, and presently had all my instruments issuing from PA system with full control of basic mixing parameters on my tablet, all within about 5 minutes of turning the unit on for the first time.

I did not have to route anything. By default the XR-18 does all I ever wanted it for, though I know it does much more.

I'm going to sell my large and very competent Presonus StudioLive 16 and my small and very convenient Mackie 802VLZ4 because the XR-18 replaces both perfectly.

I would suggest watching the short Behringer YouTube tutorial on Wi-Fi tips. Many people have Wi-Fi problems not directly related to any real XR-18 shortcomings, but rather problems common for all Wi-Fi dependent device. Invest in a decent router if you plan on using this in serious live situations, just as you should for any other equipment like this.

XR18 is amazing. I"m a novice at sound systems and perform a variety of acoustic music on guitar/mandolin/banjo. Solo I use the Fishman SA220. With four member I needed more inputs & more nuance. The XR18 is my first digital mixer & I had a big learning curve.
Found 54 videos on Behringer"s web and took some time to acquaint myself with terms & all XR18 capabilities. Soon I was able to plug in the band & with help from a fellow musician create "Scenes" & "Preferences" which I use now as base templates for dialing in at gigs.
Tips I can offer are: setup your XR18 first with a laptop (it"s easier to create your base band mix), WiFi password needs to be 5 OR 13 numbers (NOT BETWEEN 5 & 13), select a a WiFi Channel further down the options like 5 or 7 or... just so you"re less likely to be on someone else"s Channel 1, watch Behringer videos, ask friends for help.

Professional and helpful. The staff reached out after I put in my online order to make sure I was all set and was available if I had any questions. Went above and beyond what you expect from today"s customer service.

For the price you cant get better. Love it, and Love Sweetwater!!!

Small Irish Folk band. 6 mics. My older Behringer mixer was great but limited (1204FX). Haven't used the XR18 live yet but have immersed myself in youtube and learning about busses and signal routing. To send just what I want to mains and each of two monitors and maybe in-ears for myself (acoustic guitar and vocals) is something I'm not used to. Exciting. We don't use a lot of effects but the compression and tutorials on reducing feedback from Behringer will help a lot. Thanks you Behringer! Christmas came early this year.

I have been a professional musician for over 40 years and we just got the chance to use this X Air and it is truly the best one I have treid yet. I have been at least through 4 PA mixers and gear and this has topped them all. I know that there is some negative reviews but if a person reeds all the directions on how to use the X Air they will be supprised on well it works. We have a five piece 50s 60 rock band with a lot of vocals going on and lots of harmonies and the clearity is superb on every channel.

Finally made the digital leap into live mixing. I went with this "budget" mixer to replace my trusty Allen and Heath analog model and I ain't looking back. First of all, it sounds great! Good clarity, and responsive EQ options. Being able to recall scenes for repeat gigs (which most of mine are) is a great feature. Like a lot of digital devices, there are a myriad of options, and finding the ones that work for you is pretty easy. Live recording now are nearly effortless, and they are multitrack. Just hooking up a cable gets the signals over to Logic in a snap. From single singer/songwriters to gospel bands with a dozen or more performers on stage, this little box is delivering the goods. And for me, no more winding up 100' snakes at the end of a long night. Money well spent, and not a lot of it.

There"s no words to describe how blessed I feel for buy the Air X 18 Berinhger

One awesome tool for our Worship Team. Unbelievable flexibility with so many different features. This is a all in one mixer. Great for a mobile ministry. My sound man loves it. The software is fantastic, easy to use and FREE! Behringer has lots of YouTube video's available for quick learning. Can't say enough good about this mixer. This mixer is all you need for most bands. We use with a 5G router which works best for us. We use a lap top, but can use with a tablet or smart phone. You can have multiple control devices tweaking the system and they all are synced and update together. You wont be disappointed at all! Been using ours for two years. I would buy it again.

Truly a no brainer. This is my first digital experience and I cannot fathom why venues still use a stationary analog set up. I had the worst mix the other night because a venue was set up behind the mains. Just dumb! Anyway, I was between the XR18 and the Soundcraft Ui24R. Wanting more info, I contacted Soundcraft and asked:

"Given the price point, the XR18 seems more practical unless you absolutely need 8 BUS over 6 BUS or 20 mic inputs vs 16. I do like that this has dual band connectivity which the XR18 does not, but that's a problem solved relatively cheaply. I may be missing something, so what am I getting for $ more than an XR18? Don't mean to play devil's advocate, but I'd rather be sold on some great features I may be missing out on."

After receiving no answer I contacted them again. With still no answer, I knew their silence spoke louder than words. I've had not so great experiences with Behringer boards in the past. Those days are far gone and they have quickly become the industry standard for the digital future! I did buy a cheap external router off of Amazon for access to the 5 Ghz band, and I will say the EQing is a little tricky at first, but I am also not an expert. This is very user friendly overall (from set up to saving and closing the app). Remember, YouTube is your friend for anything puzzling you!

Still going strong after 3 years of use....no complaints.

I play in small bar bands and somehow always end up being the sound guy. Well, after owning lots of different mixers, this is my new favorite. Quick set up, recall a preset, a few adjustments and we're ready to go. Super-clean sound, zero hassle, no snakes!

Recently, we stopped using floor monitors and switched to IEMs. Huge improvement. Every muso uses a tablet or phone to adjust their mix, so no longer my problem, I can do FOH. I will say on one occasion things got a bit weird. A quick reboot fixed it, and it never came back.

Warning: do NOT try and play live using the built-in wifi. Get a router and a cable. NOT optional.

In the studio, similar joy. Clean sound, lots of headroom, save the presets, etc. I don't use the effects here, instead just capturing raw sound for later processing.

I now have two: the XR18 for studio, and the XR12 for live gigs. Can't imagine a better purchase.

100% of the 5 star reviews are "spot on" and I've read most of them. I do recommend an additional WiFi and Cat5 router if you wish to do both simultaneously like myself. Careful on the first time Un-Muting the master outputs... you may think your amps are not on, but they just may be. This unit is so quiet. I thought my problems with low level white noise was my amps... NOT... it was my other mixer. SERVICE: With surface mount technology becoming more prevalent in today's electronics , I was concerned about repairs when needed. No worries... Sweetwater's and Berhinger's contract repair centers had another one on my front porch when I mentioned about the USB port not working sometimes. Can't beat that!!!

This mixer completely removes my band's need for a snake. Just set it back stage and run all your short cables to it, its perfect. With the ability to connect 4 tablets to it, we can run our own in ears, minus the drummer;) and let the sound guy keep doing his work at the FOH with his own tablet. But that's not all; the XR18 is no exception to the amazing parameters you gain with a digital board, along with state of the art sound quality. I'd definitely recommend to a friend or ten!

I pre-ordered one when they first came out. Took about 4 months to get it. After one day of testing it I ordered another and got it the next day (thanks Sweetwater). Also I was the first sound company in my area to get one. All the other guys around here were dissing and slagging on it before they even tried it. Needless to say when everyone saw mine, bands and soundtechs included, they all went out and got one. Yeah a few went the way more expensive rout. And for what? To impress a cover band? I've had very few connection problems (maybe 3 in 3+ years that got resolved) but no other issues. Buy a good router. The software is the best I've used in any rackmount digital mixer system, and I've used them all. If you feel the need to spend twice as much go ahead, but with the complete over saturation of the audio biz and with everyone competing for a shrinking market every dollar counts.

I thought about this purchase for at least a year before pulling the trigger. My main concern was the wireless connection from my laptop/iPad to the mixer itself. Nothing like a wired connection and all.

Anyway, I finally puchased the unit, experimented with it at rehearsal, then used it at our first gig a couple of weeks ago. Went off without a hitch. Granted, I'm doing very basic things at this point like one monitor mix and FOH, but the app/interface is really good and the gig went fine.

My 5-piece band and I will continue to work with this unit - multiple monitor mixes, different scenes for each song, etc.

It's a back saver: eliminates larger mixing console.

Great product.

It blows me away that this little box replaced a big console that we used to lug around.

I have been a fan of the behringer x series boards for several years. I own the x32 rack and full size board. Amazing preamps and really good built in effects. I have owned the xr12 and the xr16 and realized that the xr18 is everything that I would need in a small club environment. It is so easy to use and reliable. Being able to use it across all formats makes it useful for all kinds of situations. Mac, Android, PC ....its fantastic and stable. I have tried a couple times to use the Soundcraft versions and had so many connectivity issues. Behringer is the way to go.

I must say I am very happy with the Behringer XR18! It is definitely a great mixer to have for a small home studio setup like i have. In my opinion better than having an interface. Which this works both ways. My JBL LSR 308's finally gave the punch and feel i was looking for. Totally worth it!

its my first digital mixer. It has great effects. And the preamp is great. Sounds great as well. I had a problem with the rackmount at first but it was taken care off. Thanks to Ryan Murray.. It was my mistake, that i didn"t take off the rubber on the sides at first. But after taking it off, it fits perfectly to the rack case. Thank you sweetwater.. great service and great staffs.

Set up for regular band practice and absolutely amazing, best sound ever. Everyone was blown away, crystal clear, great effects and recorded to Cubase without a hitch. Thank you Sweetwater

Bad*** mixer. Plug and play if you’re familiar with digital mixers and WiFi. Dial in your sound and wham. I was able to get a better vocal sound than my Bose Tonematch...that in itself is amazing. Love the iPad interface. I connected my own WiFi router (Apple Air) and it worked perfect. Never been a Behringer fan, at all...but I had to try this for the price. Glad I did. It’s a keeper.

The most for your money! Blown away. This replaces my snake, mixing console, and a bunch of rack units, and has more capability. And it's only the size of my snake head! Can use it live with far simpler setup than before. Can use it in my garage studio to record directly into my PC, so it replaces my Omega Lexicon. A complete PA is now only this box, a tablet for mixing, two powered speakers, and a few powered monitor speakers or in ears. This is definitely the way to go!

I've worked with many consoles over the years like Allen Heath, Soundcraft, Paragon, Midas, etc. And our ministry was using a QU-24 which was owned by the ministry renting the sanctuary. They relocated and took their console. Therefore we planned on renting/buying another digital console, but someone blessed us with this box and I thought It was a horrid Idea. After setting it up, I was BLOWN AWAY. The MIC Pres sound better (IMO) than the QU-24 with higher output. Also, the feature set is stunning: Parametric EQ, Dynamics, Gate on every channel; 4 EFX with vintage emulations, selectable Graphic or parametric EQ and compressors on all output channels, mute groups, DCA channels and more. And you can mix everything from you ANDROID or IOS device from anywhere in the room. I'm an Musician and Audio Engineer and it is a dream to customize the monitors and mains while I play in the service. At this price point, there is nothing that I know that compares to this device. I highly recommend this product without hesitation. I plan on buying one for live recording for my Mac Book Pro because it just makes sense.

Great mixer! Entering into the digital mixing for live gigs is awesome. The capabilities of this mixer and interface are so much better than analog mixing. The benefits out way the cost by a long shot. Watch YouTube videos to make setup easy. Our band's test prior to the upcoming gig went great. The ability to use the personal mixers for monitoring will change the difficult issues with hearing stage volume is reason enough to consider buying this mixer. If you can't afford the X32, buy this mixer to enter the digital mixing world. It will change your life as a musician.

This is just incredible. Our church has owned it for around two years now. So many features. $599 for this is a steal. Noise gates, compressors, eq's, FX's, you name it and it is here. Is there better? Sure, but nowhere near this price. Our speakers are as silent as a mouse thanks to the noise gates and crystal cl;ear digital processing this has. I ran wireless earbuds out of 5 aux outputs, each group has there own mix (backup singers, leads, drum, keyboard, others). I used the last of the 6 to run some floor monitors on the stage in case the ear buds ever have a issue for someone.

Bottom line, get this. Save the $3-$4k you were going to spend on seperate racks and get this. Hook it up to a laptop, ipad, android device (or all) and control from anywhere. perfect for checking levels, etc as it just takes one person and you can adjust from anywhere!

Bought one of these last year and have been using it at home with my DAW. Originally purchased to learn the Behringer software and to use for home recording and small gigs. The versatility of this is excellent and the size surprised me. I have this sitting on my desk next to my PC and it takes up very little space. I've used dynamic mics, condenser mics with phantom power, instruments and aux input cables on multiple channels and can say that this is the way to go for a small home setup. The ability to re-route inputs and outputs via the USB interface is also an excellent feature, especially for DAW playback. The large number of AUX outputs allows for multiple reference monitors to be setup or separate output mixes. There are also a good basic set of builtin effects. I purchased this over the smaller units because this pushes all channels (instead of an LR mix) to the USB interface for my PC to record individual tracks and it works flawlessly. I had this wired to my network for a while and just recently moved and have it as a wireless client on my home wifi and it's still just as responsive. I'm very pleased with this and have to thank Dave Snow for pointing me to this and helping me get setup to have a very capable home recording workstation.

Best deal ever... this mixer has everything i was looking for for a small compact mixer. very reliable after using it for one year i haven't had any issues. the 6 monitor outputs are awesome, with this you will be amazed the mixing capabilities it will offer for you, from live dis shows to mid sized live bands all operated from an iPad or laptop with no need for snakes etc.
For the priced you just cannot beat this deal...

The XR18 is so good for the price it blows me away! It sounds great. It is easy to use. The channel strip for each channel is great. The effect are great. I am just so impressed that we can buy a product of this caliber at this price. I would buy it at twice the price. I have also used the XR18 to make field recordings with fantastic results. If you are looking for a digital mixer then look no further. Well, unless you need more channels then 18.

I have several Behringer products. What can I say... the price is right. I love most of the products I have. That being said, this product is above and beyond. My band has a Presonus 16 channel board. I wish I could say the same for Presonus as far as showing the love, but I just cant. My band has gone for 4 years without a backup to our board which is absolutely insane. All it takes is a hardware failure, software failure, power supply failure and we are screwed. I have spent many hours reading about the XR 18 and downloaded the software, computer and Android and started working. I had a full understanding of the OS before I even decided to order this thing, which is pretty cool that you can download all the free software and put your self into pretend applications. This little stagebox/mixer is absolutely awesome. Cant say enough. The amount of control... features per channel... dynamics.... to me far exceeds that of the Presonus. Granted I dont have the newest latest and greatest Presonus, but still even so I prefer the XR 18. There was a lot of skepticism in the band about taking this route but after our first gig using this mixer I think that has changed. Our overall sound was better, monitor mixes were MUCH better without our mixes changing suddenly in the middle of the show like we normally get with the Presouns. The sheer amount of control... and I love control is just simply excellent. I think I am going to order the Behringer digital board to go along with this for stage and studio just to give even more power to what we have with motorized faders. I am totally comfortable with the control I have now over the mixer, but just thought it would be nice to have actual faders. As far as my setup....after reading about wifi issues potentially with a crowded frequency space I did use and will continue to use an external router. I hooked up 2 laptops via ethernet and had 4 tablets running. I had no latency issues whatsoever. I know that the 2 laptops were probably overboard, but hey I like to have a backup of the backup. Thats just the way I roll. I knew that with the ethernet hookups that no matter what may happen to the wifi I wouldn't loose control of the system. Instead of me using a personal monitor mix, I plugged my headphones directly into the XR 18 and used the front of house signal as my monitor mix. This way I heard what was going on in FOH the entire show and it worked out flawlessly. I am going to purchase a second XR18 as a backup because they are cheap enough. I can transfer all of my snapshots and if the unit were to fail I could have the band up and running in about 3 minutes flat with the second unit. I do wish that Behringer would make a 24 channel version of this. Come on Behringer XR 24?? My sales rep Maryann Shirley was excellent to work with and so was Sweetwater as a whole. No regrets at all with this transaction . Way to nail this product Behringer. I can also say that I read hundreds of reviews of this product. In my opinion most of the negative reviews was from lack of knowledge or improper setup.

I bought this so I could have full control of my backing track, click track and FOH full band mix for my IEM's conveniently, at my drumkit. I had previously relied on whoever was doing sound that night, or tried to accomplish this with other mixers that just didn't have the loud,clean and crisp sound quality I was looking for. And even though I normally work with top notch sound techs, let's face it, it's tough to try and play drums and communicate IEM needs during a show.
This mixer is awesome!! I setup an iPad mount off of my drum rack and now I have total and instant control and clarity of the sources I really need. I got this literally 3 hrs before my gig the other night and got it all setup and running with minimal efforts. I know it can do a lot more than I'll ever use, but I'm extremely happy with it for my needs thus far!

This new mixer is awesome, its the size of a Snake box, without the snake of course, it weighs about as much as six pack (or Less) and once connected with my ipad it becomes easy to use and gives all the functions of a traditional mixer held in your hand, love it, love technology and love sweetwater

I've had my xr18 for many months now, and it's been a fantastic digital mixer. It sounds great, has all the stuff you'd expect from a digital mixer including fantastic eq and dynamics, effects, and routing. I've recorded very successfully through this mixer's usb interface, and using a third party program (MIXTOOLS) that's available via shareware (found on the behringer forum) you don't even need to use your DAW. You do need a PC or Mac to record though. I'm pretty sure you could do it on an iPad with the right (expensive) app for recording and leave the laptop at home entirely. if you aren't recording there's no need for the pc/mac to come along. I would recommend getting a 2 band router, preferably an AC router. the built in one is ok but i've read that it can drop out sometimes. As always hard wired to laptop is best most foolproof way to ensure your mix control won't go down.
You can get a control surface (x-touch) if you want physical faders, but if it's not absolutely necessary for your needs, I wouldn't worry about it.
Best mixer I've owned and downright killer value for what you get. Highly recommend.

Easy operation, Excellent conection , very ligth, simply amazing product!!!

I'll come back to update this review after the unit has been in use for a while. But for now - buy it! Super easy to set up. I had everything set up in no time. Sounds great. We use this in a four-piece band, and there is no dedicated sound person.

After reading other reviews I decided to use an external router. I haven't had any issues with setup or signal dropping.

I did the initial show setup on an iPad Air 2, and let the guitar player access the app on my iPad mini. He has an Android phone and the app worked just fine but he wanted some extra screen real estate.

My next step is to check out the Linux version of the X Air Edit app. I have an old laptop that I installed Ubuntu Studio on, and the app installed just fine - ili just haven't had a chance to use it yet. Multi-os support is great with this mixer!

Thanks to Charlie Davis as always for the great service.

For the money, this is a terrific value. I've been using it for a year and it is so easy to use, set up, and sounds great. The software effects are really good. Recently, I added an external router and it took it to a whole new level of awesomeness! Wish I would have done that from the start. More than just a solid WiFi, but the response time of the faders, mutes, solos, etc. are instant with the external router. I'm using it with a 4 piece band, FOH mix and in-ear monitoring system for corporate events and it rocks!

I have used the XR18 for 1 1/2 years. If you take the time to learn the XAir app, if you are OK with some slight latency, and if you add an external router, you will probably love this little guy like I do. If you do not add the external router, you are sure to be frustrated when the crowd walks in, and the extra cell phones crowd the air waves causing you to lose connectivity.

Everyone in the other reviews has said everything i want to say! It makes easier set up times, especially for regular venues since it stores settings. Midas preamps sound great! I'm using it with a cheap kindle tablet i had laying around...I was prepared to buy an Ipad, but i didn't need to as this cheap 7" android tablet got the job done!

I was very skeptic before purchasing this mixer, i actually got to use it right away didn't even learn too much about how to use it. Having no experience about digital mixer i was scared and didn't know how things will go but i still decided to use it.. i will never regret set up was ready to go in less than an hour since i had already created the whole show from home all i had to do is turn up the volumes and make fine adjustment and i was ready to go,,, sound so much better from my analogue consoles didn't even need a sound booth to set up at i was seated with my laptop at the first row seat mixing the whole band.. never been this excited cant wait for them to come up with a 32 channel XAir i will definitely get it

My weekend classic rock band has only used our new Behringer X Air XR18 mixer at six shows so far. But, we have a growing list of good things to say about this unit. First of all, the sound. Our regular fans and musician pals have commented that "the sound is so clear". I think that's partly because the signal paths are much shorter and free of jacks, pots, and sliders that can get dirtied with constant set-ups and tear-downs. The learning curve was not as steep as my soundman and I expected. We had one three-hour preliminary session at my house to get the XR18 channels zoned in, then we spent about two hours with the band soundcheck, getting the drums, vocals, instruments, and effects all tweaked in.
The biggest problems we had ended up being the wi-fi connection to our three-year-old Android pad. But, the problem wasn't the XR18's fault, it was our ignorance about using the Android. My suggestion to anyone new to digital mixing; make sure you go read and watch all the online information provided by Sweetwater and Behringer. Also, make sure you know your Android or whatever device you use for the X-Air App.
Other thumbs-up include the ability to save settings for a venue. Wow! What a great time-saver.
It's so cool that we no longer have to take up table space for our sound guy - that makes owners and managers very happy. And, with less wiring and connections, less pots and sliders, there is less potential for mistakes from clumsy or hurried set-ups. The onboard effects, compression, and gating are worth thousands of dollars.
It's convenient to have our sound guy free to roam the venue to listen to the mix from all angles. When the performers have something to say to the soundman, he can come right up to the stage with his Android in hand, and make adjustments without any talkback mic or hand signals.
I'm eventually going to buy an iPad so I can tweak monitors from the stage. I know I can get a P16-M for personal monitor mixing, but I figure I can just get an iPad and have access to the entire X-Air app. I'm also planning on buying the smaller XR-12 to use for my acoustic duo and trio shows.
Besides getting this unit shipped to me in two days, my Sweetwater sales engineer Rachel Drach helped me with answers to a few questions about the strange new world of digital mixing.
Thanks so much to Sweetwater for your personal and careful service. I'm a long-time customer of MusiciansFriend, and I won't badmouth them, but there are several things that put Sweetwater ahead of the pack. Customer service is the primary thing that matters to me when I'm shopping for large or small purchases. A+ rating to Sweetwater. Anyone can talk the talk, but you guys walk the walk and get 'er done.

I bought the smaller 12 channel model for small gigs and to see if I would like this technology. It worked amazingly well. So when I had some bigger sound jobs to deal with I ordered the XR18, the big brother to the XR 12 works just as flawlessly. These are the first digital mixers I've used, but I don't plan on going back to the snake! I'm looking forward to recording some multitrack live shows and finessing them in the studio. This is a great product, Get it!

This little powerhouse blew me away. Works great with the ipad app and sounds amazing. And when I recorded 16 ins into my laptop it worked flawlessly. Couldn't be happier. And of course, Sweetwater delivered on time as promised. Would recommend this to anyone wanting a serious mixer in a small footprint with ample channels and fx.

I was hesitant to take this on a gig. And I even had some small problems my first time out with this mixer. Though nothing that caused a real problem.

But I was able to work out the bugs before the second gig and that went perfectly.

The EQ feature is incredible as is the ability to control what shows up in each monitors.

The tutorials online are excellent at explaining what you need to know.

As per many of the reviews, I have been using a dual band external modem which has worked perfectly.

Everything you need for a small band .
Havent figured it all out yet but every time i do get it right it blows me away thanks

Having been exposed to the now famous X32, I was skeptical. After seeing the various tutorials offered online explaining the operation and capabilities I decided to order. The order process I might add was excellent! Sweetwater is a pro organization! I believe there are some additions that can be made. Adding a time delay would be a great help. Overall the performance has been above my expectations and I would recommend this to bands that want a slam dunk mixer. Also this is quite versatile if the band is on a repeat circuit. Storing shows makes setup and getting in the pocket fast and efficient. What can I say....Go For It !
P.S. If you have questions on setting up your mixer the support staff at Sweetwater is top shelf and extremely knowledgeable.

Absolutely amazing... Two thumbs up. I have been thinking for a while of getting a digital mixer for my Band; I can't just be happier.
It's hard to decide what is better; the Items I just purchased or the Service provided by SweetWater
Sales engineer Ian Lemberg did a great job; YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!
I definitely recommend this little mixer to anyone who wants to perform live with the best quality audio as well as using this as an Audio Interface for Home Studio Recording... Thanks

This completely blew my mind when i bought it. The only thing i need to recommend is that you look online and see all the you tube tutorials about wifi before you use it. will completely change your life. my setup has gone from 1.5 hours to .5 hours. so awesome

Have been using this mixer for over 9 months now for about five days a week for at least 5 hours a day.Best mixer you can buy for being on the road its reliable,thanks to the Midas Pre Amps it sounds Amazing and app for ipad is really great cant complain Thanks so much Music Group!!!!

The truth am very happy and surprised at this technological advance of the Behringer brand. I was for more than 4 months looking, testing, working with many digital mixers, and decided on the Behringer XR 18, also following the recommendations of my Sweetwater Sales Engineer Evan Mehre, who lent me the right help. 100% recommended equipment. Hi-fi, very good effects and calibrated, the system and equalizer parameters are helpful and very good quality. The connection with different devices works excellent. The hardware generally touch and feel very good quality. I have just a few days testing this mixer and was pleasantly surprised. I will continue using it checking to enjoy high performance.

Been using the XR 18 for 10 months now. Hooked up to the new Bose F1 line array system with the subs on each side for small to medium gigs for the last few months.. How versatile this has become. Get it set and save it, next gig just plug and play. Adjust to the room for eq and volume. So easy to ring out monitors to eliminate any squeals. Save the edits to any place you play and when you return just load the file and play. Love the access on my android tablet and phone. The recording with usb is fantastic. The built in effects are second to none. The software is pretty straight forward. Just has a small learning curve. Just don't try to over complicate it. Eliminated my racks of effects, my board and my snake. I am 55 and have been playing professionally since 17 years old and most of it as a road musician. All I can say is that I wish it would have been around back in the day. Now I wish Behringer would come up with a wireless speaker management system for FOH and at least 6 monitor mixes. Since I'm using all powered speakers I could got totally wireless. Don't forget to check out the Bose F1 system. Cleanest sound Ive ever heard. Retired from road work just playing smaller gigs. But for the money you wont believe what the XR 18 will do and how simple your Gig life will become. Behringer has came a long way. Keep it up.

I want to start by saying I usually do business at another online store. The service from Sweetwater was second to none. The XR18 Air is by far the easiest setup I have ever owned. Out of the box very user friendly! Had it up and running in 15 minutes. You can download the app or the PC/Mac software prior to purchase for free and try it out. Eliminates the need for a stage snake, and outboard rack gear! Sound quality is on par with my presonus 16.4.2. and easier to use. Wireless makes solo sound jobs a lot easier. But if you require the old school nobs and faders you need a control surface like X-Touch as the only out of box option is you ipad,android,or PC/Mac.

One of the best pieces of equipment I have ever purchased. Two thumbs up! All I ask for is a I phone app for monitor mixes. Great value and sound quality! You won't be disappointed.

This is part of a new, portable sound system our church purchased recently via Sweetwater and help from our customer tech, Nathan. We were looking for a system that had high quality sound and as simple a connectivity and setup effort as possible. The Behringer XR18 works terrific with the Turbosound speakers and Behringer P16 personal monitor system that we also purchased with connectivity via Ultranet...we couldn't ask for an easier setup! The XR18 works very well with a Samsung Galaxy (9.7") tablet we purchased. There was a little bit of a learning curve to get started with the XR18 and tablet, but there are plently of how-to and helpful videos available to aid with getting the ball rolling quickly...and we did! It is so nice to not have to lug around a traditional analog mixer and heavy, bulky 100' snake! The wireless mixing enables the sound tech to walk around the room while the system is operating and allow for the best possible coverage and levels for our congregation. Can't say enough and can't think of a better, more useful portable (or permanent) setup! Highly recommended !!

The regional band that I work for just purchased this box a couple months ago and I love it! While, some situations would require an external router, I've found that using one of the non-overlapping channels (1,6,11) worked pretty well.

Sound quality is incredible! If I could compare it to something it would be a top-level analog type of sound with a tremendous amount of depth, width, dimension, and dynamic range -- all while very detailed. Also, the DSP houses some great tools such as an emulation of the Teletronix LA-2A (Leisure comp), Fairchild 670, and 1176 in addition to some good verbs and other plugins.

What I really like, is the fact that I don't need to insert a plugin graphic EQ to the outputs -- it already has a TruEQ graphic equalizer built into the outputs!

One thing to note... the Edit program is what you want to use when making changes to things like comp or gate parameters since the iPad app doesn't follow the same data -- just use the basic functions and use the Edit program when making scene and advanced adjustments. While I'm sure they are working on smoothing out the iPad app, just be aware that the advanced parameters do not reflect what is actually in the mixer (the Edit does).

I love working with this box -- it replaces so much gear and cuts set up and tear down time. I highly recommend this to any 5 or 6 piece band looking to upgrade their sound into the big leagues.

Best piece of audio equipment I've ever owned!

This is a great digital mixer for the money. Amazing noise free sound from this device. It does take quite a bit of time to learn to use this box, and I am still learning things about it. It is not forgiving if you do not take the time to learn how to route a signal through it. Behringer could have included the detailed user manual with the unit instead of merely offering it for review on it's website. Definitely wring out your mixes before playing live through it. It took three practice sessions for me (with my bandies) to get a solid mix.

The problems were not so much with the mixer (although the Wi-Fi module does leave something to be desired) but rather with the Apps for both ipad and android. As many users have pointed out, the "go to sleep" problem with the ios app is very apparent (v 1.4). Although I did not have as much trouble with the android app, it too failed to recover after going to sleep, but it did take longer for the issue to arise. Downloaded the new version 1.5 for android and that seems to fix the issues over version 1.21 android. Still waiting for a new version of ios app to see if those issues will be fixed. The PC Edit version works flawlessly for me and the upgraded version works even better.

Have not used the USB sends to DAW software yet as I had been trying to get the solid mix for the band before attempting to go to recording software on my PC.

Overall I am quite pleased with this device.

Well. This desk is fantastic. So easy to use and a super crisp hi fidelity of sound. I use this with my Line 6 Stage Source Speaker Setup and the two together sound fantastic.

Hats off to Behringer.

I just thought that I would add a little different twist to the reviews. I have played around with this mixer a lot and it just keeps blowing me away for it's price. I bought it to do a very hard job that I do once a year and that is a board meeting. I have 12 channels of live mics plus line in for computer presentations. I waiting forever for Behringer to supply the software for the Dugan automixer. As anyone who knows how tough it is to have that many open mics and all the reflective surfaces to overcome will appreciate how well this works. I had the system equalized, gated, compressed and in automixed with 30 minutes and 4 subfeeds and house up and running in an hour. I have never had so much headroom and quality sound so quick and cost effectively. It was tough duty running from my I-Pad at a comfortable chair and now spilling my coffee. Highly recommended!

I was very skeptical about digital mixers, then I hired a couple soundmen for multiple shows. One of them had a Pesonus 16 channel mixer, another one had a Behringer X32. Both boards sounded great compared to any of the analog boards that I have owned. I wanted to run sound for my band and save 200 to 300 so each member of the band made more money. The only problem was that I didn't have 1500 to 2300 dollars burning a hole in my pocket to make the purchase. Then I saw the Behringer XR18 and thought to myself, this is to good to be true, a digital mixer for 700 dollars, no way. I proceeded for 5 months to watch tutorials on Youtube and thought, there is no way this mixer is that inexpensive, with all the capabilities of these boards 2 and 3 times the cost. I paid a soundman to do 2 more shows(soundman with Presonus board) , The shows and the mixes were a complete disappointment to say the least. Sweetwater was having a 36 month no interest for $29.17 a month. I called and ordered the mixer, it was here in 2 days. I set it up that weekend with the other band members and a close friend who does awesome DAW recording and he ran sound in a previous band of mine. After we got done playing the very first show, I was approached by at least 4 to 5 people with nothing but compliments on the sound and the soundman. They said it was one of the best sounding systems they have ever heard and it sounded better, crisper and more detailed than any system that they paid a soundman to run other than a system by one of the 3 big sound companies in our area. One of the greatest things about this board is that at the end of the night, I click save and the next time I play that venue, the mix is just one mouse click away, SWEET. Thank You Sweetwater!

Simply put, I really, really like this mixer. Has tons of features for the money. Once you get used to it, it's just amazing the power this thing has.

This piece of equipment worked right out of the box and was useful within 3 minute. Only an absolute novice would complain about the lack of documentation. It is the simplist digital mixer I've ever used and I've had absolutely 0 connectivity issues using the internal wifi broadcast.

I'm giving the Behringer X-Air XR18 a great rating based on what you get for the money.
However, this is not an out of the box throw it on the stage and go rock it out mixer. The lack of instructions or path to lead you to successful operation of this digital mixer calls for some serious digging up of information and researching the android, mac, pc control Apps and the product to make it work for you.
I hooked it up with one Mic when i first got it.. Just to check out some of the effects.. Played around with it for some time without incident.. I Had to leave the room for a minute.. It started to feedback. I couldn't get back to it in time or shut it off when i did get there and lost a Jrx125 speaker cabinet that I've had for 15 years.. I'm still not exactly sure what happend.. So be careful with it.
I suggest an external router with a ethernet cable pc connection for a more controlled secure setup with wpa wireless conection for more capabilities.
I'm getting very close to using it at gigs with my 6 member band with everything mic'd (6 vocal, 3 Guitars, Bass, Keyboard, Drums) utilizing 4 Aux's for monitor sends And 2 Aux For independent sub mix sends.
I'm still sticking with the analog for now till I know for sure I got total control..

Sweetwater was has the best prompt service i've ever experienced.. They even helped me reigister my product with Behringer so i could get my traction 5 recording software... It wasn't the re problem but they happily resolved it for me!

This mixer has simplified my setup to the point that it takes HALF of the time to set up and tear down at our gigs. It replaces a giant rack of outboard processing equipment and reduces clutter on stage. We now have all self-powered speakers and NO amp racks to deal with. You can EQ the room and monitor mixes then save your setup as a preset for the next time you play at the same venue. Just grab your tablet, (android or apple) walk out to FOH and set your levels real-time while the rest of the band is playing to get the perfect mix out front! It also makes running sound while playing very easy because I have my tablet in front of me where I can see all of the output levels at a glance without turning around to look at the mixer. I replaced a Presonus board with this (even though Presonus is very good) because of the simplicity of the built-in Wi-Fi. As a bonus, you can record all 18 channels separately out to a laptop! The price is unbelievable and any working band can afford one. Call Matt at Sweetwater and get you one!

Game changer!!!!!

I bought this to act as a sub-mixer for my Yamaha DTX950 drum kit at live shows. I wanted to be able to run the direct outputs on the module, as well as the Zildjian Gen 16 cymbals (8 lines, in all). I also wanted control over my in-ear monitors and the monitor speakers used by the band. With 6 aux sends, I can send kick, snare, toms and cymbals to the FOH, use the main mix for stage monitors, and another aux for my in-ears. I can control it all from an iPad mounted on my kit.

With all of the built-in compressors, EQs and effects, I can control my sound how I like it, while simultaneously giving the sound guy control over the FOH. I recently played an opening gig for a national act and their sound guy loved me. 3 minutes and the drums sounded like thunder.

The app has a lot of great features, like naming your channels, saving shows, rearranging the channels to suit your needs. I had no trouble getting the iPad to talk to the mixer.

I discovered another nice feature for drummers (and others, I'm sure). By connecting a USB cable to the unit from a computer it will act as a 16 channel audio interface. When using a drum software, such as Toontrack's Superior 2.0 or EZ Drummer, you can assign the different channels in the software to channels in the mixer, then assign them to the aux outputs. This means you can give FOH separate kick, snare, overheads, etc. without an issue, all through a single USB cable.

As a side note, I looked all over when considering this unit for how many rack spaces it was (couldn't find that info anywhere). In case you're wondering, it is 3 rack spaces and it comes with the rack mounts.

I looked at all of the new digital mixers and the "bang for your buck" factor definitely lies with this unit. If you're a working band and need a great, easy to use, full featured mixer but don't want to carry around a rack full of gear, this is the one to get.

As always, Jon and Sweetwater provided outstanding customer service and value!

OK, it's not 100% plug and play, and it was a bit tricky to set up with reaper, but now that I got that out of the way, i'm golden! It's quite, like no noise at all! And the Midas preamps are killer, I got a full 16 channels recording at one time, that was a nice change for me. Making hardware based electronic music i've gotten used to recording one track at a time, But no more!

I purchased this unit at the outset to fill my need for a dependable multi-channel interface for recording straight into my DAW (Reaper)... Well, as it turns out, it does that, and SO much more! Yes, it is an amazing interface, but it is also the Best mixing console I have ever owned. Once I got the hang of controlling it from all of the different devices I have (HTC phone, Samsung Tablet, and two different laptops), I knew that I had something VERY special. This is a new world for me, since I have always been "hands on," turning knobs, sliding faders, etc. The transition from "real" to virtual was quick and easy. The control that one has over parameters (such as compression, a multitude of effects, EQ) means that mixing is closer to effortless than I personally could have imagined. In addition to use as a mixer and interface, I also use this for my own in-ear monitor mixer with several bands, and It consistently delivers punch and clarity that I have not experienced previously. Side Note: My Sales Engineer at Sweetwater (Tyler) went far beyond any expectations I may have had when I started this process, and he bent over backward to help me get exactly what I needed. Thanks, Tyler!

I love this mixer.. I've been using for quite some time now. I was an early adopter back when most of the features were not implemented yet. I have to say Behringer hit a home-run with this one. The support is great and they just keep releasing feature updates. If you follow the Facebook page you'll see everybody loves it. You simply can't beat it for the prince. the multi-track recording was what hooked me in the beginning, but that's just the tip of the iceberg of this mixer.

Love it!! This equipment is a must get to simply your live sound control experience!

Amazing! I have been very happy with my Mackie DL1608 for the past 2+ years. But I am always researching, looking for a product that will improve our sound. Enter the XR18. I read every review, watched every Youtube vid, and decided to find out what all the hype was about. I had HUGE expectations when I finally received my unit, and plugged in for the 1st time. There is a huge selection of quality effects built in, such as an 1176 compressor, and a multi comp for the main channel. When I got everything dialed in, I was blown away by the results. Behringer nailed this mixer.

We purchased the xr18 to mix our 9 choir mics. The old mixer was in a remote location and required someone to tune the mix without being able to hear the mix. The x air allows us to hear each mic and both eq and mix the output. Great product. Has good pre-amps and lots of features.

I bought the XR12 for my personal rack (keyboards) and an XR18 for our main PA. I could not be happier! I've sold 5 items and have another 8 that I am selling off because they are no longer needed. I used a M3282A and I'll never haul that monster or the rack full of effects to another gig. I don't even need a snake any more.

I also had a full monitor rack that split all of the channels into a matrix mixer so we could run independent monitor mixes (using multiple Shure Auxpanders). But the main board only has 6 sends and you need some for effects (vs. monitors). There are some nice monitor boards like a matrix board from Allen & Heath but they are very pricey. The XR18 gives me 6 sends above the effect busses and the ability to mix those effect busses back into the AUX sendsnnels. When you add the point that each person can control their own monitor on their own device, this just couldn't get any sweeter. When I disassembled my monitor race I pulled out 62 patch cables ... each a potential failure point. I've also been able to dump some of my recording gear because I can use the XR18 as an 18 channel A/D input to my computer!

I also love the Wi-Fi design in the android app. I set my phone to "lock" the XR12 network, and my tablet to lock the XR18 network SSIDs. When you start the app, it drops your current connection and switches to the selected (locked) mixer network, so a quick hit on the connect button and I'm in. When you close the app, it drops the locked network so my device switch back to how I was previous connected (brilliant!).

I assume the low price for these units is all about not needing the "hardware" (large case, sliders, knobs, lights, display panels), and it works for me. Number one point I would push is that I now have far more capabilities with far less equipment to haul.

I've done sound for 20 plus years and this is a game changer. I still have my large format boards, snakes and racks of gates, comps and fx but I can do most shows with a unit like this. The programmable pres sound great. Everything you need is there. As a recording interface it works great, only downside is if you are going to record and don't want to have your laptop sitting on the stage ( I don't). then you'll need to run a snake. I started doing shows with the Mackie dl board but I have to say the Behringer xr has more to offer. It wasn't that long ago I was very reluctant to have Behringer equipment in my signal chain but this unit is quickly changing my mind.

This small box packs 10x its size in overall value. Our 5-piece band was putting together a practice and small venue PA, and wanted enough inputs to fully mic the drums. We could get a decent 16+ channel mixer for around $500 which seemed ok. Then we started to price out compressors, reverbs and other processors, and then long mic cords and/or snake, and rack to hold it all ... we were looking at $1000+, even with used gear. Then I started watching the videos for the XR18, ran some numbers, and realized this thing is an amazing value. You get so much packed into this stage box that it was a no-brainer purchase.
I got it on a Tuesday, fiddled with it at home one night (created all the channels for the band, set up default signal processing, etc ...), used it for rehearsal on Friday, and then drove the whole mix at an outdoor show on Saturday. It was that easy to use! I have experience with live mix and with DAW software, which probably helped me a bunch, but I can't see why anyone in this era of touch devices couldn't be equally as successful. My drummer downloaded the iPhone app and was able to manage his own monitor mix throughout the show without any trouble.
Oh ... and zero wireless issues using the 'Access Point' setting. This was a big worry of mine base on some of the review, but so far I've not had a problem with connectivity. Not sure if that's because I have newer firmware or if just haven't been in a place to really test the connectivity. But so far the WiFi's been rock solid.
Lastly, gotta mention the other huge value: 18 input channel recording. Can't do that with a $500 mixer! With a single USB connection to a ~separate~ laptop, and a DAW (I use Studio One), you can capture each channel, and main LR, for mix down after the rehearsal/show.
Based on value, ease of use, and reliability I give this all 5 stars.

Quite impressed by this little mixer. Android and iPad compatible apps, works great, sounds great - and built-in WiFi. It's a great little tool to have in your live sound equipment list. Perfect for smaller shows where you don't want to have a snake out front, but want to be in front of the cabinets!

This piece of gear is so easy to use. Especially if you know anything about mixing consoles. The controls are easy to access and easy to adjust. I'm glad I bought it.

I have been using Behringer X 18 X Air and so far it's been incredible easy to use and excellent it really helps in great audio quality for bands and etc

Finally an Audio mixer that meets technology at an affordable price.
I love it !!!

Just one of the many benefits :
By far better than rolling out the 100 ' Snake when all I needed was 25 feet or being annoyed when I really needed 125'

---------------------

At this writing; I have used the it "XR18 X Air" for live performance twice.

The first use took extra time, to label each input but the second time the system remembered and went much faster.
All I had to do was say "Named Player" - you are in 6 vocal and 7 instrument.

I am very pleased, with the massive quantity of features.

I admit I am still leaning how to properly use all it can do.

My first setup had some issues with the backline, but by the 2nd live performance I figured out how to route the bus to the aux outputs for custom mix to each player.

I have successfully recorded a 2 hour performance with the included Tracktion 6 DAW software.

Using my Android tablet, via Wi-Fi, allowed me the ability to adjust my sound at the front of house, middle of house and at the side the house and all the way at the back in the other room, without the back and forth to the mixer.

With 16 XLR Microphone inputs I was able to cover the 4 guitar players vocal and instrument mics as well as Micing the full drum kit too.

Hard to believe that a mixer can sound this good, with this many features at this price point.

Really works well!

Just wanted to let you guys know at Sweetwater your products that you sell are for the most part awesome! I have a Southern Gospel trio...just recently purchased my Behringer xr18 air and I absolutely love it! Set up time is next to none...of course I'm using all powered speakers and Behringer powered sub...but talk about clarity! Being able to walk around and set volume and equing the room at the same time is great....the RTA readout helps tremendously when trying to find that one persistent frequency that won't go away.Used it in SC Sunday for a concert and me and the guys are well pleased! Thanks to Behringer for making technology affordable to us "weekend"singers...and thank you Sweetwater for standing behind such great products.

This is the perfect solution for bands stuck doing there own sound. Definitely take time to get familiar with app before giging with it. But once you get familiar it works awesome.

I love this mixer!

I can not believe the functionality you get with this unit for the price! We purchased it for our church community events to replace our analog sound board and I am so glad that we did. It made set up and tear down much quicker. With very little research I learned my way around it very quickly.

THE BEHRINGER HAS ALL THE FEATURES NEEDED TO CONTROL AND PRODUCE PERFECT LIVE SOUND LEVELS. AND YOUR LIVE SHOWS WILL BE RECORDED WITH PERFECT BALANCEd LEVELS. BEST OF ALL, IT CAN BE CONTROLLED WITH PC AND ANDROID DEVICES.

This product is just perfect for small churches!! Changed my life, it is very easy to work with the Ipad, PC or Android. I've being use it for a month in our church in Brazil and the quality of the effects, plus the compressors and gates are spot on! We finally have consistency of sound quality service after service! And nobody will mess with my settings anymore. KUDOS to BEHRINGER!

I was going to write an in-depth review of this amazing device but after seeing that I would be the 58th reviewer, I will just give a quick summary.

The XR18 is super cool. It's about the same size, width-wise, as my Roland CM-220 subwoofer I also got from Sweetwater, and does everything I need for now. The iPad app is very neat, and the Mac app is also very nice. The iPad app is nicer in some ways, actually, as it auto synchronizes and doesn't have the confusing "save" functionality and some buttons like "Utilities" that seem to do nothing. I can just leave it on the floor and forget about it most of the time. I did put an extension cord for the headphones so I don't need to go on the floor to plug in.

For background: I've got four devices: two keyboard synths, one synth module, one drum machine. I have an iPad and a Mac as well, so there are 12 of the 16 (well, 18, sort of) ports. I know I'm going to get at least one more thing at GearFest and I might use my old iPad mini as well, so that's 16 ports right there.

If only you could chain two of them together.

The only nicer thing would have been the Mackie 32 channel... but for whatever reason it doesn't have combo jacks on all 32 ports - so this is the winner.

Used for new church plant. Preamps sound clear and lav mic performed better. It has a few short comings as far as plugins availability but the ability to put it on stage and have multiple users mix FOH and monitors is the best feature. Missing usb inserts on the mains. MIDI doesn't work with DAW (as far as I can tell ). Light unit and easy to setup. I had most of my basic configurations setup with the software BEFORE the unit arrived.

I sold my 32 channel analog board with six monitor mixes to buy this. I have to use this for a variety of performances ranging from my own band which fits well with the 16 channels and six monitor mixes, to music theater performances with a full compliment of boundary mics and headsets. East to equalize the mics using the RTA overlay.

It's rare that an item comes around in the music world that I'm pleasantly surprised with- the Behringer XR18 X Air is one of them. After setting the unit up with my current PA system, and familiarizing myself with the GUI on the iPad, I found very quickly that this unit is not only easy to use, but sounds fantastic; a perfect storm.

The good:
- I've yet to experience the problem that's been reported with the wi-fi. Simply turn the unit on, locate it on your list of available connections, open the app and select your device; boom, you're in.

- The system is impossible light and small for having 18 channels in, 6 aux channels, built-in wi-fi and the other host of options it has. You can literally pick it up with a pinky finger.

- The range of options in the app for EQs, compressors and other outboard effects is truly impressive for live application. To find a mixer with this level of sound designer tools would be either impossible or prohibitively expensive for the weekend warrior. The app is truly a gift from the gods for those of us that love our Pro Tools and would like an affordable version for our live shows.

The bad:
- Unless you're familiar with technology, this unit is simply not for you. Basic knowledge of DAWs, wi-fi connections and troubleshooting an array of computer-based problems is required.

- With so many tools at your disposal, people who aren't experienced with plug-ins will have a tendency to over-do the mix. Compression, EQ, gating, et al, does not need to be on every channel. Just because you have 500hp under the hood, doesn't mean you race it through town at 150 mph. Keep it simple.

The technology revolution is finally here for musicians. We've waited years for something like this, at an affordable price; it's here. Buy it.

After much research and angst I bought the XR18 a couple of weeks ago to replace my Mackie ONYX 1620i. I could not be happier with the choice. Mackie makes great gear but clearly the XR is a generation ahead in networking, wireless connectivity, compact size, on board effects, and use of touch devices for virutal control. The pricing is exceptionally good compared to other similar gear but the XR is well made and well supported. I called Behringer phone support to find out how to properly route AUX outputs and set up and external router. My cell phone disconnected me twice for some reason but not before a different support tech answered each time within minutes. The third tech (Jeff) was exceptionally patient and helpful. We play a gig this Saturday and will be using the mixer with Turbosound IQ12 speakers. I am totally sold on Music Group gear and thank Ryan Schmidt at Sweetwater for helping me understand how good Behringer has become as a manufacture and make the leap to the XR18.

The hype is real this thing is amazing. My first step away from analog and I couldn't be happier. I could never have afforded all the tools this unit keeps in it's back pocket. This literally is a do all board that's no bigger than a shoe box.

I bought this along with the Behringer NU4-6000 Amp and the two are a solid addition to my set up.

As always, Sweetwater is amazing to work with. I ordered these items from Trevor Clark on a Monday morning. They were at my door the following morning. Unreal!!! AND they gave me candy!! Who are these marketing geniuses? Are they of another planet? Folks this company and their associates go the extra step then take one more.

Thanks again Trevor for your time and help. You we're right, I love this XR18.

This thing is ridiculously awesome!!! I traded my Allen and Heath ZED 12 FX series mixer to get the Behringer XR18 X Air primarily because I kept running out of XLR channels. I researched all the major competitors in this category and decided on the Behringer XR18 X Air. It was so simple to setup and use, in fact when I received it I tested everything I wanted (for live sound) in under 10 minutes .. it just worked. I used it last night on a gig for the first time and everything worked perfectly except for the USB driver for my Windows laptop (which isn't a mixer issue). I used a Samsung tablet for my interface and that worked great, no dropouts, no issues. I intend to use it also for home recording so that should be fun. Very very excited, very very satisfied! Of course, Sweetwater were great too in helping me complete this transaction! Get it, you won't regret it! Best bang for buck ever!!

I'm a professional sound engineer and have used numerous digital consoles as well as the X32 for quite some time. I needed a compact mixer but with lots of power and the XR18 fits the bill perfectly.
It sounds great, gives me lots of options, has great EQ, an RTA, etc...
The iPad app has a few small hickups but it's still great. I think it's just a great product for the price.

Amazing mixer! We needed a mixing solution that allowed us to place the mixer in the center of our group(s) and be able to support Main/Monitor mixing while performing. The XR18 is a great solution to what we needed. I spent a couple of hours familiarizing myself with the mixer and iPad and Windows apps...set up the basic functions for live mix and monitor mix...and one day later played a gig using the new setup. Great sound, easy to use, and provided exactly what we needed! I'll be primarily using this for sound support for my jazz combo (vocal, sax, piano/bass, drums) and a big band (17-piece band) that we perform with...and know this is THE SOLUTION we needed!

Right out of the box, the X18 Air was a big improvement over our old mixer. There was a learning curve, since neither of the users were experienced in mixing technology. Our junior warden had a musical background in playing guitar. It was a challenge to get the X Air programmed for our electric organ and choir speakers, but a new Bose L1. After several calls to Sweetwater, we figured out the X air probably had a defective speaker port. BANG a replacement was delivered a couple days later. The replacement unit is everything that was advertised. Our little church is rocking.

This is one of the best gear purchases I've ever made. It sounds amazing for live use and recording, it is extremely flexible, and really powerful. I've used the apps for PC, Mac, Android and my iPod Touch. Everything is well laid out and very intuitive for anyone who has ever used a DAW.

I use it with the P16 monitors, and it has made the entire live experience better for all.

i was skeptical..bur proven so wrong. i used my pc to configure the mixer, set it and forget it. works great as a studio mixer. i use studio one and in 30 minutes was up and running and recording. the quality is wonderful. very clear and works great on a windows based os.i am very pleased.

I got one of the first units from Sweetwater and yes at that time the available software was still beta mode and some reviews were not so good because of that. However forward to now (April 18, 2015) and Behringer has the software at versions 1.++ and most all the features running sweetly. At home I use WI-FI mode where the XR18 connects to my home network router. This allows me to use my DAW PC, Laptop or an IPAD to conveniently run the XR18 via my home network. I like to make a backup of the XR18 settings on my main DAW computer which has a Cloud Backup. There are so many great effects to choose from. My vocals never sounded so good. Incredibly I can get my 1U power supply, extra 1U vocal harmony unit and the 3U XR18 all in a 6U Gator case with room to spare enough I can stuff all the cables in the case also. That makes for an quick easy setup and tear down!

So far, the Behringer XR18 works fine. It is a great experience to tweak all settings using Ipad, Android & Laptop.

This is a great mixer/audio interface. I'm using Logic on a Mac and the recording performs well. I'm able to get a good solid signal with low latency.
I like that all of the inputs are right on the front. It's easy to add other instruments.
The iPad interface is great. Very easy to use. I like that I can use the iPad and mix remotely.

I just got rid of the Yamaha 01/V, rack and 100' snake in favor of this mixer.
The ability to set monitor level and eq while you're right at the mic is worth price alone.
The effect and preamps are great on this box, but the real benefit is the reduction in size, weight and complexity.
By plugging the mics directly into the mixer and eliminating the snake you remove 2 sets of connections and 100' of cable that can affect the sound. Nobody wants to be the one to roll up that disgusting snake at the end of the night.
The inputs are converted to digital on-stage and keep a clean path right out our powered speakers. You get this same benefit if you're already a small band that mixes from the stage, but now you get the benefit with your soundman able to move around and optimize the sound from anywhere in the room.
This is absolutely the future of live mixing. I love banks of knobs and being able to reach intuitively for the right one to set a monitor mix or eq, but I and certainly the next generation of soundmen will find wireless remote mixing the most efficient and smartest way.
Plus the price is ridiculously low for a 16-channel mixer with Midas pres.

Used the mixer for the first time on the road this weekend. Friday night, I mixed a 4 piece top 40 cover band, using my PC laptop for the sound check, and a droid phone for quick fixes throughout the night. The PC software makes monitor mixing and fx assignment a little easier in my opinion. It performed great the whole night, and made set up and breakdown much easier than it was with my old Allen and Heath mixwizard in a 16U rolling rack! The preamps sound very clean, and the EQ has my middle of the road Shure mics sounding better than ever. Got some great drum sounds as well, but I'm still working on finding the best fx for the kick.

Saturday night I DJ'ed a wedding for just under 300 people. I was able to use my phone for quick EQ during the night, and it was especially useful for speaches, when I was away from the board. I could remotely quiet down the music and adjust the mic wireless mic (the best man always yells, and the maid of honor always whispers). Makes handling my one man operation much easier!

Hope the software and firmware updates come soon so I can start recording with it!

Totally love this product! Total freedom... No need to run a snake and you can sit or move about wherever you like. Super easy to connect. I sold my Presonis 16.0.2 which was double the price of this and never looked back.

This is an amazing unit for the money. Besides sounding great, I've left a whole rack of gear at home. I was able to connect to it instantly using a low cost android tablet ($80 - Wholesale club purchase) and also with my windows based laptop. I pre-configured every thing during a band rehearsal and was able to show up for the gig and be ready to go with the band in no time. I haven't recorded a live gig yet, but this definitely took our sound quality up a notch and was way easier to carry and use. Great quality effects and nice presets for kick drum, etc.

The XR18 has replaced a full rack displacing a mixing board, outboard effects, snake and an 8 channel DAW interface. I've had a PC, Android Phone and iPad connected concurrently with no issues. It's installed in a small church and it's broken down and set up weekly. As it stores its last state automatically. My only issue is that I'm having a bit of a challenge updating the effects settings from the iPad, but had no issues using a PC. If it were only this easy to lose 100 pounds in life!

I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the features on this mixer. The learning curve is much lower than I had expected. I got this mainly for our rehearsals and small acoustic shows and paired up with some good powered speakers I just downsized the set up by at least two full rack case of amps and effects. One think I haven't been able to really nail down is once you mess around with the routing of signals, there appears to be no way to reset them without having to reinitialize the entire mixer. Keep in mind, I'm still working on that.
For the money, I don't think you can beat this mixer and the effects are absolutely awesome. Inserts, pre-fade, post-fad, pre-eq, post-eq, where ever you want to tap the signal path. I'm am very pleased. One thing to keep in mind, you can only edit the mixer settings on the PC Edit or MacEdit. Ipads only control levels and dial, but can't change effect assignments. No big deal, no different that having 4 rack effects unit.

Behringer has made great strides in the last few years. At one time I would not have used many of their products, as they were hit and miss. This is a definite hit. Why would anyone pay more or use analog? I own 2 of these and a full version X32. Cost, efficiency, reliability, performance. The XR18 has it all. There will still be naysayers but I leave them in the dust with higher costing with platforms that don't perform any better. My clients and I are happy, and that's what counts. My girlfriend loves hers too.

I've used all sorts of mixers over the years, but this one blows everything away in terms of performance, sound and versatility for the price. The preamps are pristine, the effects are diverse and useful, and the routing is extraordinary.

With all of this depth, flexibility and power comes a bit of a learning curve. Expect to spend some time learning how to use it and customize it. Unless you are versed at setting up wifi connections, and doing bus and effects routing, its not just plug and play. But the rewards are great.

As of today (3/10/2015) Behringer is a little behind the hardware schedule in terms of documentation and software/app feature support, but updates are starting to come, and the device is already solid enough now to gig with. Behringer will also be opening the doors to third-party developers, so you can expect this platform to keep getting better and better.

Highly recommended!

Sweetwater came through and my new XR18 was delivered in record time! So far I am enjoying the XR18. What you have to remember when buying this is that the software is very new and all the bugs are not worked out yet.

Easy to set up and connect. Sound is noticeably better compared to our analog mixer. Have not used it yet for recording. Software apps are still in early stages. The quality and features for the price are amazing

I've had the XR18 for a few days now, and I'm absolutely blown away. Going from my old analog mixer and rack gear to this makes me feel like I did when I first made the transition from traditional recording to using a DAW. Having access to this many effects on every channel is going to revolutionize the way I mix live shows and rehearsals. I'm using the X Air Edit app for PC, and although it's still in Beta, it seems quite stable and very easy to use. I've also found some great videos on YouTube both from Behringer and some third parties that has helped me figure out how to better use the software, and revealed some less obvious features (e.g., accessing the Bus and Master EQ's).

The band is blown away! The XR18 is replacing a Mixwizard 3, and the sound is amazing. Tons of effects, extremely flexible, we paired this with the P16-M's and are very happy with the results so far. Behringer has revolutionized the mixer world with this product!

I absolutely LOVE this piece of gear. Great preamps, phantom power, multiport USB interface, great sounding FX, all in a small box with built in wifi router and support for Androids as well as IOS devices!

Got one of I believe the 1st 3 sent out by Sweetwater. Evidently drivers for the USB are not yet available. Using android tablets to control with X Air. Pre ordered last October. Zach was my salesman and always kept me informed. I gotta say Sweetwater is #1 here.

X32 owner. X-air is great! sounds really good! Price is incredible! Preamps sound identical to the x32 to me.

I purchased the XR18 as a keyboard mixer for a fairly complex rig with multiple vocoders. I was worried about how I would adapt to the interface on my Android phone and windows based laptop as opposed to real faders and knobs. That worry ended quickly. I had to think a little more about the initial setup because there are so many routing possibilities than there was with my previous mixer. I would like to see manuals/user guides for both the mixer and the apps but I have been able to work through it pretty well so far. I was worried about securing the wifi and that turned out to be pretty easy. One thing that was not so obvious to me at first was that you have to change your phone or computer's wifi connection to the XR 18 if you have it in access point mode. Seems obvious now but it didn't at first.

Once Tech support helped me get it connected to my IPad it's fairly intuitive. I purchased Mix Station for $ and it works great. Also my sales guy Zach is a great help.

I've owned three of these, and they always work great! 18 ins and six out (well. 8 if you split the headphone.s output!) The PC or MAC software gives you full control. The iPhone or Android apps are a little funky, but they do the job for simply changing the volumes for individual mixes. I use this XR18 as a IEM system and it's great!

We are a small church and have been able to scale down our sound production booth because of how compact this unit is. The built in wifi router works wonderfully. The Behringer XR18 is a very compact and powerful mixing board, and coupled with the iPad app allows us to utilize all our instruments and microphones to the fullest. Highly recommended!

I have used this mixer for a little over a year of concert performances with our 7-piece country rock band including both inside and outside performances. We run vocals, guitars, fiddle, keyboard, bass and drums through the mixer. We run both main PA speakers from the L-R channels and subs from one of the aux channels. We use the remaining 5 aux channels to run separate individual in-ear monitors. I have a PC on stage with me to control the mixer and my son runs sound from out front with an Android tablet during the performance. The band members also control their individual monitor mixes from their phones. We are using most of the capabilities of this mixer and it has performed excellently for us!

My Sweetwater rep Spencer recommended this mixer for our band and we are very pleased! He suggested that I purchase a separate WiFi router to use with this mixer because the built-in router did not work well enough to rely on it during a performance which I had also heard from various other reviews. Using an external router has worked very well so none of our devices have had dropout issues during a performance.

Easy to use but has a slight learning curve. Optional analog controls would be nice but the app is reliable enough as long as you have a phone or PC handy. Boomers Beware!

I mix sound for a youth ministry and the XR18 is a recent replacement for the XR16 we used for about a year. The added 2 channels are nice but since we are adding backing tracks the built-in USB audio interface allows us to hookup without adding separate component is a great feature. The USB sends allows us to send USB signal to any channel as well which has proven handy. The equalizer, noise gate, and compressor section, the same as XR16 is awesome and has improved our sound tremendously and the eq's RTA allows you to easily ring out room to eliminate potential feedback. The ultranet feature is something we aren't using currently but certainly has potential to simplify monitor mixes. We used an analog mixer for years and this has been a big step forward for us.

I've owned the XR18 for about 4 years now and I mix live with my 6-7 piece band when the budget is not up for our regular sound technician. My challenge is and has been the advertisement says no need to set up an external router. Not true! The WiFi works pretty good at home but on gigs in the field it has frozen up on occasion, so I have to use an external router which has worked virtually flawlessly. Has there been an upgrade since then with the XR18 that I'm not aware of? Other than that issue works great!!!

I bought this ítem last year and it is excellent, easy to mangage, light, had no Problem with it.

I drooled over the thought of owning an X32 for years. More so after working with a Midas M32 in my last band.

The X32 was just too much for me though. Too much to lug around, too much to leave at a rehearsal space I don't own. Too big for my desk at home, too expensive, even though for what it does, it's moderately priced.

I started looking into the XR18 after the band with the M32 split, and was pleasantly surprised to find out it's basically a budget X32. I could mic up a full 4-5 piece band, everybody with vocals, and everyone with their own personal monitor mixes that they could control via wifi, or bring something like a P-16M (at least one person.. i only own so many P-16m's).

This thing has an ultranet port.. which makes the P-16M useful. You can control your personal mix with a smartphone app, but physical knobs are awesome in my book.

If I was playing in a metal band with a drummer who had more than 8-10 pieces I'd probably want an x32.. but, even so I could mic the drummer up into an inexpensive mixer, normalize that and combine multiple pieces of his kit into a single input. Caveat is making sure you get it right before you start any live recordings, as the combined inputs couldn't be adjusted indvidually at that point. That's for live sound. For home/rehearsal room studio work I'd likely be multitracking each band member individually anyway, and would be able dedicate the entire mixer to the drummer for his part at some point, after recording the initial pass as a live band.

Overall.. this mixer does everything I need it to do. It does require a laptop or a smartphone.. I'd vote laptop, with a touch screen, and a mouse with a comfortable scroll wheel, because I can be more precise with the scroll wheel.

I think at some point I'm liable to add the X-touch Midi controller for motorized faders and physical controls.. but because that's optional, that makes this setup way way more affordable than it's bigger brothers. If I have the money to spare down the road that's an option for me.

Haven't gigged it yet, but love it in the studio/rehearsal room. I find using it with my Windows laptop offers easier access to needed info. In a simulated gig, my iPad is great after the initial set up and tweaks with the laptop.

So, this is a great product and I have little negative to say about it, but the only weak spot of this product is the built in access point. I had to be within five feet of my board for the WiFi to work. Before I got the XR18, I had the XR12 and it's access point worked great, so I don't know what the difference is, but the problem is easy to fix with a $30 WiFi router. Hope this helps someone out.

If you are considering this then you are probably looking at similar offerings from Soundcraft and Mackie. Here's what you do: download the operating software for this thing and Mackie and install them both; for soundcraft it runs in your browser. Try them all out this way, since this is how you will actually be controlling them. Spend an hour looking at all of them and you won't have regrets.
What I found is that both the Mackie and Soundcraft have much easier to operate remote interfaces but the feature set on the Behringer XR18 is unmatched. The XR18 has 4 effects engines, and they are of a multitude of types (there's even a reverb & chorus that takes up one efx slot); compare to the 2 engines in the Mackie and Soundcraft and their less varied palettes.
Compare the compressor in the XR18 to the competitors: it has a sidechain filter, selectable soft-knee... it is about as full-featured as a DAW compressor! If you understand why a compressor sidechain filter is useful to have then you won't be satisfied with anything else that lacks it.
The headphone amp has plenty of power to drive 80 ohm DT770s; I had to reduce the monitor level quite a bit to allow a natural range of travel for the external headphone volume knob.
I haven't had a chance to test out the USB latency yet (it seems to be similar to other prosumer USB interfaces) but I bought this thing so that I could have zero-latency (0.8 ms from input to output according to manual) monitoring with enough effects to relegate the DAW to tape recorder duty, and it succeeds at that. I use the unit in a home studio.

My criticisms include how annoying setting up network access to the XR18 can be (with ethernet it wants to be plugged directly into a computer since the IP address is selfish), and the fact that lately the USB connection wouldn't work on two different computers until I toggled the USB mode from 2/2 to 18/18 and back again (this on latest firmware as of 3-11-21), this seems like a legitimate bug. If you want to use this thing with wifi then do yourself a favor and buy an extension cable for the antenna so you can tape it up somewhere.
I was also unable to route one physical input to two channels, set up a crossover with the equalizers, and enjoy multiband processing (e.g. for multiband compression); even with the dynamics processing disabled it sounded noticeably different (worse) from just using one internal channel.

I have owned this mixer for 3 1/2 years and used it for dozens of live show and live recording applications without single failure. All input and output jacks are still like new, including the USB and Ethernet ports! The features included get you almost everywhere you need to go and then some. The 4 1/2 stars is because of the "almost" getting you there...unless Behringer has upgraded the internal WiFi network robustness since I got the unit in 2017 you will absolutely need a stand alone dedicated router to avoid crazy lagging of the controlling app.

Sweetwater is the only place to shop music gear and employs the man who has helped me out a ton during my musical journey-Tad Shaffer!

I purchased this mixer as an upgrade and replacement to my PMP-4000. Needed something that could serve as a multi-track capable audio interface for home recording of my band, as well as the ability to mix wirelessly while live. Well, that was the intention before the pandemic hit and killed the live scene! But it has served well in the former respect. My band has been able to record far more now that we can't play live, and the quality of the preamps is fantastic. Definitely recommend this unit, it's the best of many worlds at an extremely affordable price point.

Also, a shoutout to James Masterson, poor guy keeps trying to contact me while I'm at work at my day job and unable to answer! Every time you've called, everything's been great, James! Thanks so much for your vigilance, I -am- getting the calls and very much appreciate you keeping in touch!

I browsed through the first few comments and didn't see this pointed out. This unit is absolutely amazing and will handle any and all of your mixing needs. However, do NOT rely on the internal WiFi signal. It is known to fail and will fail as soon as the sixth person walks into your venue with their cell phone. Buy an external router when you buy this unit if you plan on running it wirelessly, save yourself the headache at a show where you have other things to stress about.

My band recently bought this for use as a main mixer and recording interface. We practice at night, use the line outs on our amps and our drummer plays an electric set. It's silent except for my vocals and acoustic guitar. We record our practices and it sounds really good. It works so well, we're considering having the same set up for our live shows...except we'd hook up speakers, of course.

We haven't used it 'live' yet, but so far everything is working as expected. Here at home and at rehearsals I can get my laptop connected to it either hard wired (cat5) or wireless and my tablet works on it just fine. I've used the on-board router with no problems but since I already have a apple router that works GREAT with our X32 I'm now using it on the X air 18. The true test will be the first live event with it in about two weeks. If it works as well as the X 32 does then I'm a fan for life.

I've used this mixer for almost 2 months now, in a few different scenarios. Have used it countless times for rehearsals with no issues. Live, I've had the whole band (5 pc blues & classic rock stuff, 4 vocals, 4 instruments and drum kit) running through it on a couple of occasions, and also used it just to mix my drum kit on another. Sounds great!! Bit of a learning curve to figure things out on the software side, but there are countless online resources to help you with that. I love the interface on my Windows tablet PC, and all the tutorials I've watched of folks using Macbook look great too. I find it a little less intuitive to find things on Android software, but with some more use I'm sure it will become easier. I've just started to dabble with it for recording; it has worked well with Reaper and ProTools, but have had some struggles getting it to interface with a couple of others I have been trying out. The DAW I struggled the most with is the one it comes with from the Behringer site (Tracktion I think), so quickly gave up on it. I've had a few connection issues, both when using the ethernet and internal router, but a quick restart of the software has fixed that (could as easily be my devices causing the issues vs the mixer). As noted by several others, the wireless signal on this thing is not great, so I may try a better antenna mounted up higher or a dedicated external router.

Needed to make some changes to a non-mobile location and chose to go this route. Super easy set up and the app is more intuitive than other remote mixer apps I"ve used. Pre-amps sounded great for what it is. My only advice would be to go into your setup with a stand alone wireless router to use for access. I haven"t even attempted to use the system network provided in the stage box, so far the stand alone router has worked flawlessly. Already has me looking at a Midas sound board for another solution.

Great Functionality And Quality Of Sound. Just A Few Connectivity Loss Issues Nothing Too Major, But There.

There are a lot of digital stage boxes out there now but very few as well crafted as this one. The pres. sound very full and the para EQ is flawless. The only thing that kept me from a 5 rating is the range of the WIFI and the purchase of a stronger router resolves the problem. Other than that it is pretty much the right choice for a 5 piece band.

I bought this about 2 weeks ago and have used it for band practice and I love it. It is lightweight and easy to transport. The tablet app is easy to use. Some of the best features for me is that it can be rackmounted to transport easily. You can save your "show" and "scene" so that if you play in multiple bands or and in multiple spaces you can save settings (sliders, effects, gains, inputs, etc.) and they can be recalled immediately. I also love how you can record up to 18 tracks simultaneously within your Digital Audio Workspace (I use Logic) so that makes recording time more productive.

The four strongest practical applications to this are:

1. When you're mixing for the house and you don't have a dedicated sound guy it saves a lot of walking and adjusting. That alone is worth the money to save time in sound check.

2. You can save your settings. This saves time, hassle, and frustration when you're rehearsing. If you get your sound dialed in and you're happy with it, you can save it and recall it at next rehearsal.

3. 18 track simultaneous recording.

4. 6 Aux buses give you versatility if you want personal monitor mixes or anything else.

I found the tutorial videos to be very helpful when getting started. I can not recommend this product enough.

A capable digital snake with as many outputs as you would need for any small to medium size application, with modular upgrade-ability. Clean preamps, 48khz sample rate, and multiple network control methods really dial home that the days of analog dinosaurs are behind us (not that a good analog mixer is useless). I would have preferred a 96khz or even a 192khz sampling, but that is an audio interface's job and no one really listens to anything higher than 44.1khz unless they are a producer or engineer.

For the price, you get lightning fast latency (8 samples at 48k!) and a massive number of inputs. No lack of line inputs here! (Looking at you, X32)

Doubling as a studio front end or a live digital mixer, there are all sorts of uses for this thing. Recently integrated X-Touch compatibility gives you a digital mixer AND motorized faders withjust as many features as say a Presonus Studiolive 16...

For me, this functions as more of a front end input box for my studio. Coupled with an X-Touch, you get an unbelievably modular setup, with the option for more inputs. With the use of a router, you can control this thing over both CAT5 and WiFi at the same time, for ultimate redundant control.

It does get pretty hot, though. Make sure it's well ventilated, uncovered, and out of the way. I wouldn't want to drop tit either. The inside feels a little hollow. The integrated WiFi is indeed not the best in terms of reliability, especially if you're going to put this thing through the "live mixer" stretches. Do yourself a favor, use a router.

Imagine only needing a long CAT5, just to hook up an X-Touch at front of house, while this baby sits comfortably on the edge of the stage, pretending to be a harmless old snake. Or, you could use your phone to control it over the wireless. Not to mention crazy monitoring possibilities. 6 AUX outs are excellent. That's 6 different monitor mixes just on one mixer!

The software, albeit bland looking, is actually extremely functional. Picture a good DAW's mixer, and that is basically the app. At first, I didn't like it, because it reminded me of the sterile, hard on the eyes Yamaha software, but the simplicity of use and long list of control features really made it grow on me.

It also comes with a surprisingly large number of knock off, meme-worthy UA and Waves plugins, that work inside the mixer. They actually sound pretty good! Sidechain compression is also available. You could really make a live act sound amazing on this thing.

Some (admittedly advanced) control features are inaccessible on the X-Touch currently. However, it is possible that a firmware update will add more control features.

4.5 stars for not coming with a USB cable.

This mixer is clean, with ease of use and great effects. My one complaint is that the built-in wifi is s..l..o..w.. I gave up and bought and external router--which is mounted in my amp rack. With an N router it works great.

Recently made the transition from an analog mixer to the Behringer X Air 18. It takes a little time to get familiar with the computer program, but once you get it down, this mixer is awesome! My Bose F1's/my band have never sounded better. The one weakness, as many other reviews have stated, the wireless signal is poor. You will need to purchase an external wireless router if you wish to go wireless at gigs. However, do not let this minimal extra purchase hold you back. I highly recommend this product if you are a weekend warrior such as myself.

I love my x air 18 , is Simply great to use

Thanck you Sweetwater

Well I must say, I have been impressed with this unit so far. It is very user friendly and has a lot of bang for the buck. I was able to get rid of my old bulky mixer, snake, equalizers, effect processing equipment, and the need for a designated table area for our sound guy. The ability to record shows and go back later to edit them is also a real nice feature. I would definitely recommend this product.

I will admit that I have very little experience with live sound. Having said that, here is a box that is basically an X32 rack for almost half the price. 18 channels in (16 of which use the same Midas-designed preamps as the X32) and 6 aux sends; gate, compression, and EQ on every channel; and 4 FX sends to work with plus graphic EQs for each aux and the master for tweaking each of the monitors and the mains. It is an extraordinary amount of features for such a small box and at such a (relatively) low price. On top of that, it is very easy to use, allows for setting up scenes for quick recollection of your entire setup, and it works as a multi-channel USB interface to boot. Use it to run your whole live show, then bring it into the studio to record your album. Simply amazing.

I marked it down a little bit because the fact that it can only be controlled via computer or app is a bit of a bummer. Not because it doesn't work well - it works just fine - but because if they stop supporting it in the future, this mixer becomes useless. To that end, I've dedicated an older Android tablet to the mixer to make sure I always have something to control it with. Hopefully Behringer will not end support any time soon!

Times they are a changing! Never thought I'd say this but goodbye analog. Installed a new PA at a church I was attending and had been using the Behringer X32 for the last couple of years.
Needed to purchase something for personal use with at least 12 xlr channels without breaking the bank. I looked at all the options available and ended up going with the XR18, it was recommended by my Sweetwater sales rep TJ Bechill, great guy by the way, very knowledgeable about gear and also patient with questions I'm sure he's addressed with other customers hundreds of times. Thank you TJ!
One thing, don't depend on the built in wifi, buy a decent 5ghz router for gigs and bring a long ethernet cable as a backup to hardwire your laptop just in case. Once set up I liked working with my laptop/tablet combo better than the x32 series, just personal preference.

I've been using this for live and recording. So nice to carry a little box instead of the gut buster I used to have. Very easy to use for recording too. I've used systems with cleaner pre-amps, but for recording demos and live, it is too easy and convenient.

The Music Group (aka Behringer) really hit it out of the park with this little device. Midas Pre's, built-in Wi-Fi, lots of effects built-in, replaces lots of gear including your snake, great iPad, Mac or PC interfaces, easy and fast to operate and, most of all, it sounds great. I own two of these and use one as a full-time recording interface and the other as a studio rehearsal multi-track connection to my DAW, with the P16M personal in-ear mixers connected via the Ultranet Cat5 Wire connections. We use a M32 Midas on the road.

The only thing that's keeping me from a 5 star rating here is the on- board Wi-Fi has VERY low output and its fine for studio work. But, if you're going to use this in a live setting, it's essential to use an external router. Yes, I realize that this is a mixer not a piece of computer gear. But... my attitude is: if Behringer is going to put Wi-Fi in the XR18 at all, make it worthy of actually using in a live setting where a crowd is present, otherwise just leave Wi-Fi out of the box all together. Having to lug an external router sort of (IMHO) detracts from the mission here - ie having a device that you put on the stage, plug in instruments, mics and speakers and play your show. Other than that one thing - it's great.

Excellent equipment.
The only thing I would change is the way the FX insert works. I would like to insert the FX directly in the channel, like in an analog mixer.

Sounds good, clean preamps (much cleaner than previously owned Soundcraft UI16), room for expansion, allows for recording live shows. Only improvement I'd want is a better internal Wifi, as we had lots of untimely dropouts. After switching to an external router we haven't had any dropouts. All in all, very satisfied.

Did my research. This did everything I was looking for including the one thing none of the other iPad controlled devices did. It will allow you to record and play back 16 tracks all at the same time. All other devices that I researched would only allow 2. Only reason that it didn't get a 5 star rating is because the iOS software is not as lucrative as the others. Mac, windows, and android. My preference is iOS. But since I have all platforms available to me , I can work with it until behringer gets the iOS platform up to date. Hint, hint. Now my PA system consists of two powered speakers and a mid sized suitcase which holds this and the necessary cords. You will not be disappointed.

I have finally used this unit long enough (several weeks) to feed back on it. I just used it for our Christmas Eve/Day services. This is truly a very nice unit. For the price, how can anyone complain? This unit is actually on the platform near my pulpit and out of sight. I feed everything up front into it, and I feed the mains into the floor box back to our original system. I drive the floor monitor speaker from the XR18. All of this has worked out very well for us.
I was immediately able to put the RTA to use in tracking down two problems. One was a feedback problem. Even worse was a 60Hz hum from "somewhere." It has been there for quite some time. I have over-the-ear hearing aids that do not help at that frequency. I cannot hear it, but everyone else can. I saw the 60 Hz notch on our Roland piano--even while it was playing. I swapped out the direct box, and now every thing is very quiet.
I have already recorded multi-channel via USB using a notebook; sweet. Since this is so close to my pulpit, I am using the headphone monitor to drive a Zoom digital recorder there, as well as feeding an MP3 player (iPod) to the line in pair for the stereo. The recordings from the headphone monitor are amazing.

Being somewhat old school, one thing that did concern me before I purchased this was the "lack of knobs." I am using both my phone and a tablet now to make quick adjustments. I have grown to like it quite a bit.

If I have any complaints, it is not with the hardware--it is with the software. I am not only a pastor, I am a systems architect. I help design systems. I have found some things along the way that I would consider irks with the PC and Android based apps, but, overall they are not so bad. However, I shudder at the "proprietary interface" that I have seen mentioned. This, of course, locks us into apps produced by the vendor. I for one would be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to use a published interface to produce what I might see as a need. I have done this many times over the years. Further, I'm sure I am not the only one who would appreciate a published programming interface (API) for possibly scripting or otherwise writing small apps as quick solutions to unique problems. Of course, this is has nothing to do with Sweetwater.

Regarding Sweetwater, they are simply the best when it comes to order, delivery and customer service!

I had worked with the X32 and XR18 in professional settings before I brought my XR18. Mixing was fun, the ability to be able to move away from the FOH position is very liberating. Controlling my sound while I walk tha room is tha hook, I'm loving this piece. Another reason is the sound, without that, there's no point really.
I'll never buy another slab of circuits and "heavy metal " again.

This being my first digital mixer, it took me a little while to wrap my head around all the routing possibilities. My primary use for this is in the studio as an interface to a DAW (Cakewalk Sonar Platinum & Harrison Mixbus).

The preamps on this box are very clean. I had an old Firepod and this was a refreshing change. I set up my studio with the standard Live mixer settings with these changes:
The monitor gets signal from LR Main pre fader. That way I can track with headphones and turn down studio monitors. Also, Tracks 17 & 18 get the output from the DAW. That leaves tracks 1-16 for recording. I typically do not have stereo inputs so this is not a problem.

The recording has been flawless and the ability to save scenes (on the computer/tablet controlling the mix) or snapshots (directly on the XR18 itself) is amazing!

There are people writing third party control applications which exceeds the capabilities of the free apps from Behringer since the control uses OSC.

Bottom line, This thing ROCKS!

This a great little mixer. It has great sound and is compact great for traveling and stage placement. The gate, Eq. compression, and Effects eliminate the transporting and set up of this equipment. The videos for android setup suck, a online pdf manual would be helpful. This would help shortening the learning curve. XRs wifi is weak and needs more channels to reduce fall out from cell phone and other devices operating on the 2.4 frequency.

After using in some shows now XR18 is my favorite. There is some minor issues in Wifi connection and feedback issue using inbuilt FX apart from it's a great digital mixer in this price. Just go for it...!

Excellent mixer box! Of course the full size x32 is much better but for the price and size this box packs a punch! If you're going from an analogue set up to digital this is an easy way to do it. 4fx sends, plenty of monitor sends and 16 combo jack ins. And it sounds great! the only downside I see is that the app and computer program are slower than using a standard board but that's a given and the app still works really well!

Great little unit easy to use for live band or multitrack recording. Wifi is a little laggy would recommend buying a router as well

This is an amazing piece of gear. The manual is somewhat lacking (which is why I had to take half a star off), but that being said, it's performing exactly the way my band needed it to! Thankfully there is a wealth of information online if we were ever in a jam, but for the most part we were able to figure it out. My Sales Engineer, Paul, was incredible when I was deciding on purchasing it and I cannot say enough good thing about him or Sweetwater!!!

I have been burned by Behringer products in the past, but have been pleasantly surprised by the X32 so I decided to give it's little brother a shot. I almost wanted it to be a failure to prove what I had always had happen with my Behringer stuff, but after a couple of firmware and app updates (I purchased it while the PC software was still in Beta), this thing has been solid for the last 6 months.

The preamps sound quite good, the effects are flexible and easy to use, and being small enough to fit in my backpack is just awesome. It's the size of a snake box, so it fits right in onstage and drops setup time considerably.

Occasionally, the built in wifi doesn't want to connect, but a quick reset always does the trick (which even my home wifi needs once in a while) and it has only happened after the mixer has sat turned off for a while, never during a show. Overall I am very pleased and have even convinced a couple of bands I work with to buy their own.

We have mixed our band with this twice during practice. This last time we used it to record as well.
There is a bit of a learning curve, but that is because there are a lot of features. The effects are very good, and the dedicated App for the Mac and the iPad work very well. The recording of multiple tracks into Logic worked very well. However, at this point in time we are only able to get a clean signal (no effects) of each input out to the recorder, despite having the USB outputs set to post fader.
We did experience one troubling episode:
While controlling the mixer with the app for the Mac, the mixer would not pass sound out to the mains. We tried everything. Finally, we fired up the iPad we had been using to control it at the last practice. The main mutes were on! Turning them off fixed the problem, but the software on the Mac never gave any indication of these mutes being on. And yes, we synced the settings down from the mixer to the software at startup.
We have experienced one crash of the software, but that did not result in the mixer having any problems. The software restarted and everything was fine. You will need a real computer to control this, as there are features that are not displayed on the mobile app.
We have used several of these software mixers and this is the best so far. I would recommend this to anyone who has 18 channels to mix, but I would advise using it a few times in practice before trying to use it live. If this unit sampled at 96/24 and allowed you to record at 96/24 over Thunderbolt, it would be a real game changer.

Just 1 word - awesome!!! Only thing missing is the monitor mix being available over a wireless link - possibly through the X AIR app or through a UHF wireless headphones!

The more I play with this the more I like it...live sound ..recording,,effects...RTA on every channel!!!

Awesome piece of gear. There's a bit of a learning curve. Some things don't seem to crossover from running an analog board to running a board in virtual form. Still pretty awesome.

I have used this unit for a few live gigs and practices, and I am really happy with it so far. I don't think you can beat the options to cost ratio here. It works great on the android apps, which is great for cost, and my ministry team is extremely happy with it. We use the aux/bus to send individual headphone mixes to a headphone amp, and the team has been blown away by the ease, control, and sound quality. We have used many different headphone systems in the past (aviom, powerplay, hear, etc.), but this is just so flexible. We do a lot of traveling and the portability is amazing.

Well, if size matters then you couldn't get a more compact power house. I had some rough and tumbles getting it going but the Sweetwater tech's were always there There is no instruction book that I know of so you will need to go with the hunt and peck method. There are features that I haven't tried or don't understand. That being said it does everything that I need at this time and does it well. I use it directly off of a cat 5 cable plugged into a lap top. I have also tried it With wi vi from an I pad. When you power the unit it seems that every thing plugged into it works as the last that you powered it down. Even with out the laptop. Also you can turn the lap top off and it keeps on working. Of course you wouldn't be able to make changes. At one time I thought that the first two channels were a little distorted and I think that that maybe from the fact that they are pre- amped for directly plugging in a guitar. I think that feature should be dropped unless used for solo acoustic guitar performance. The features that this unit offers are mind blowing I think this type of mixer will replace every traditional mixer in the years to come.

I was a little nervous about buying this mixer due to the wireless nature of it. It takes a lot of trust in an iPad or table to take it out on the road, however, it functioned flawlessly each time I used it. I was able to mic and mix a wedding with a 4 piece band with no problems at all. The digital FX are also great to have in such a compact and lightweight unit. I would definitely recommend this mixer to anyone with a mobile rig, or who just needs a small setup.

Having been a weekend FOH guy since the early 80's, it's a little strange not to have my bunker of gear out in front of the PA. This is my 3rd digital mixing platform, but the first that allows me to roam wirelessly with a tablet. This little box offers a lot of functionality for the dollar, sounds pretty darn good, and it's very easy to learn if you have previous experience with any mainstream DAW. It's amazing that one little road case now carries almost as much sonic firepower as I used to cram into the back of an SUV and spend an hour setting up. I do miss not having faders, so I'm hopeful that Behringer will release firmware with a working Midi protocol that follows scene changes. I sometimes wonder if I should have just ponied up for the X32 Rack, but this XR18 should cover 90% of what I need it for.

One note for those thinking they can just turn this thing on, log in, and run the show - many users on the X-Air forum are finding the built-in wireless router less than reliable in a live setting and end up using something that has more power & options (like 5Ghz) and can be raised up above the heads of the audience.

I needed to replace my 20 year old Mackie 1604 VLZ mixer. I needed something rack mountable , portable with at least four aux/monitors sends. The Behringer XR 18 seemed to be a logical choice with all of it's extra features. I have had it for almost a month now and have played several totally different size and types venues and it is working just fine. I play regular at many of these venues and the capability to save "all" of the settings from a particular venue / show and then call them all back up from the last time I played there in just seconds is a huge plus ! I do hear a slight difference in the over all sound compared to my old Mackie, but it is neither better nor worse than my 100% pure analog Mackie mixer. If anything, it is a bit cleaner. Only a very slight difference, and I have to keep in mind that I have been hearing myself and all my bands and projects through my old Mackie board for the last 20 years. I have also unloaded at least 40 lbs of gear that the Behringer has built in. a couple of DBX EQ's , an Alesis Midiverb4, BBE maximizer, etc. and the ones in the Behringer sound extremely close to the real thing. I use both a dell with Windows XP and one with Windows 7 to operate the XR 18 . I have gone both wireless with no issues and connect direct with Ethernet cable. I will eventually get an ipad , but for now, I am good and it only took a short time to figure out how to get all my basic operating functions down scuch going to different scenes for monitors, EQ , FX , etc. But it is very fast and no problem. I also like that I can rack mount it frontwards or backwards into a rack case. The reason I gave this a 4.5 instead of a complete 5 is because Behringer has not yet published a compete "detailed" manual and is still working on getting proper apps happening for various devices. As soon as they get all that done, the XR 18 would get a 5 + from me. For the price, you just can not go wrong with this mixer. I chose this one over the Mackie counter part and got it from Sweetwater because of there customer service and 2 year free tech support and in store warranty. Can't beat that !

I've used it in a few different venues and it makes my pa sound to its full potential.
Much better than my analog mixer.

I can use it myself (while playing bass on stage) or my sound person can use it.
He is so impressed, he used to bring his own compressors and gates to our shows, but not anymore. There all in there.
2 problems:
1) first gig the antenna broke off and I needed to buy a better one to replace it.
I think the antenna are pretty fragile

2) iPad is so glitchy that I don't trust it on the fly, but my laptop works flawlessly.

First...the only negatives I have found; the documentation is lacking. Even online. Also, was delivered with old firmware that that apps could not connect to.

The positive: it was so easy to update the firmware that I almost didn't care. It was easy to set up, connect and operate. All the defaults make sense. I spent about 20 mins getting my band set up at rehearsal last night and we sounded great. EQ presets for bass and vox were spot on. Looking forward to everyone controlling their own Mon mix. I have some experience with pro audio and computers/networks, so sparse docs dont matter too much, but might be different for others. So far, so good!! Very happy!! Also, Sweetwater was greeeaaat...excellent service.

I love this mixer. Great value ! The only reason I did not give it a complete 5 stars is according to a couple of video reviews I watched, Behringer could have put a little better built-in WIFI module. I have had no problem with this myself. In a few weeks from now if I still have no issues with the built in WIFI, I will come back and give it a full 5 stars. I actually give it a 4.9. at this time. This is a great piece of gear and is a total game changer for me. It has made my sound system a lot better and a lot easier to transport, lift, set up etc. I love this mixer !

I've worked sound for about 30 years, and currently the board we use in our main facility is a Yamaha ls9, a great board I know..... Bought the xr18 air a little over a month now, and placed it in an enviroment for training purposes. Right out of the box this product sounds great with little adjustment. Plenty of feature built into the box. Amazing how compact this thing is, and it has enough built in that you for the most part eliminate all the bulky items you have in your sound chain, minus the crossover unit. I have tried all the apps on each device that can be used. My personal preference is a laptop, I believe the main button controls were easier to access. We used the xr air in an outside venue last week and the reaching distance from the android to the board was decent, I did have a drop every once in a while and had to reconnect. As far as setting up all the hardware nothing to it plug it in and go. I like it so much the plan is to get a second one to replace some old equipment. If you want something that is easy to set up and make an improvement in your sound this is the way to go. The one thing that I would say is anywhere close to a negative comment is that it does take some adjustment to work in a strictly electronic enviroment. However if you're ready to launch into the wireless age and ditch that 25' to 100' snake "this is your daisy"

What a great tool for a mobile church!!!! I found the effects to be a bit glitchy (digital noise when editing on the fly, like decay time and whatnot) but it's fine because they will probably fix it at some point, and it's just SOOOOOO great to have it!!!

I have to admit at first glance I was very skeptical. I was ready to instantly return it. How can this little thing do a big job? However after wiring it up and putting it to task I was very impressed. I've used the X32 for several years now, and the X32 should be the benchmark that all others aspire to be. Sound quality, ease of use, versatility, size, affordability. The X18r, also has all of these.
Both me my sound tech thought they did a great job with the X18r, it's an audio giant!
It does so much and is so compact, it's a no brainier. The X32 won't have to come out of the truck when we're working smaller venues anymore.

I wasn't in the market for a new mixer. That is..until I saw the XR18. A friend and band member has the X32 board and we loved it. Loved the flexibility and options. So when I saw the more compact XR18 I had to check it out.

For me..the number one selling point is the 6 aux buses. Having the ability to send (up to) 6 separate monitors mixes is a huge deal. Not to mention the ability to route anything through these buses. I purchased it primarily to be used as a mixer at band rehearsal. I've been tasked with running some local gigs here and there and will be putting it to use for those as well.

Pros:
- Great flexibility and routing options
- Small footprint
- Supportive company and owner's groups online
- Built in effects are great
- 6 aux buses !!
- 18 channel USB recording

Cons
- Software is still improving through development (functional, but it's being tweaked)
- Unit runs rather warm (Behringer assures this is not an issue)
- Learning curve involved with digital mixing and routing options
- Built-in wifi isn't reliable in large crowds (can connect direct with Ethernet or external router)

Overall I highly recommend this to those interested in stepping away from the norm of traditional mixers. It does require an outside interface to operate. So you'll need a smartphone, tablet, or PC/MAC.

If they are going to produce a great controller rack mount mixer, which they have, why bother putting in cheap wifi with latency issues, that make us have to use enternal wifi.

I Would have paid a bit more for it to have a great dual band 2.4 GHz - 5.0 GHz

For that reason, it gets 4.5 stars

Ps, they advertised that they have us covered, from IPhone, iPad, IOS , Android devices etc.

Sadly.. No iPhone app, which is a big deal when your band mates all have iPhones, but not all have iPads.

Please remove that.. You don't have us all covered Behringer

The new xr18 of mine was the main actor of two successful music events.
My band was absolutely happy, amazing sound, perfect feedback on stage and the sound engineer who went with me for both the events preparation was able to work on the little monster with the app on ipad and pc immediately after my short explanation.
Drums with full mic set, bass in DI, guitar with mic, 2 voices, and keyboard in stereo mode with 2 channels.
The first gig it was a sunny sunday afternoon with more than 34 celsius degrees, very hot. Not a single issue during more than 6 hours of continuos work. App connection without external router and multitrack recording on an old notebook (dual core 4gb ram 32bit win7) via USB. All perfect.
The same scenario was the week after, a bigger event. The xr18 scena was corrected only for the different feedbacks (we were in a stadium covered by a big baloon) but the setup was very quick and again clear sound, perfect aux configurations, multitrack recording and....big success for the band. This is the way to go !

As most people are saying, the xr18 is awesome. I've had the unit for over a month and am very pleased. Using for basement jamming/recording and a couple live shows. The access point works great. It went as far as my regular house Wi-Fi router. The access point worked fine at the 2 bars as well. I didn't change anything, just brought the tablet and mixer(no hardline connection).

The routing options are pretty fun when connected to the usb, and Wi-Fi using a pc and tablet and phone recording, playing tracks, switching inputs, whatever.

Overall it's what I expected. It works incredibly well for my uses and preferences. The unit is 18 channel. Know you applications and if this will be enough channels/bus.

I premix my keyboards through this thing and it is fantastic. The channels sound crystal clear, the comps/eqs are fantastic, the plugins sound remarkably good for the price point, the routing options are amazing, and either my sound guy, or even a trusted fan, can also make adjustments to my sound/balances in a live gig environment.

Behringer loses half a star by having weird software inconsistencies from platform to platform, poor documentation (though great video tutorials make up for some of that) and a few rough edges. But for the price, the hardware is amazing and the product is better than expected.

There is so much in this little package. Every channel has gates, parametric EQ with RTA, compressor and extremely flexible routing. 6 Aux sends gives us many individual monitor mixes. The preamps sound great. First gig is this weekend, so we'll see if it goes smoothly.

The client software is the Beta release but it works well.

OK, from using this etc. The built in wifi works ~ok~ in an environment that doesn't have any competing 2.4GHz signals, so no other routers, no 3G/4G phones etc. ... the built in wifi is NOT adequate, hopefully it can be fixed with a firmware update.
I'm using an inexpensive DLink router and have not had connection issues when the router is placed properly ... line of sight to the antenna. This makes me believe that if the stage box is on the floor that you are going to have wifi dropout issues with the builtin wifi ... BTW, I have wifi dropouts with my iPad mini and a DL1608 in a coffee shop that has the router hidden (no line of sight to the router)

As far as the learning curve ... I spent a lot more time learning to use my Yamaha 01V, than my xr18. If you are new to digital mixers this may throw you for a loop, but so would any digital mixer, you have to learn to think differently ... I've used my 01V (I like it), Presonus 24.4.2 they are more user friendly than the 01V (but weird, similar concept to the tt24), Mackie tt24 (junk), Mackie DL1608 (ok but not as good as an xr18)
You need to remember that an analog mixer only does a few things, mixes inputs to mains, mixes inputs to a monitor mix or two, maybe sends to and returns from an effects unit ... that's it.
This, like ALL digital mixers is not just a mixer, it's also has four effects units, complete equalization on each channel and output, gating and compression on each channel.
If you think this is complicated put together an analog system with the same amount of processing power ... a friend has one, he has a 100+ pound mixer, and a couple of 3 foot tall racks of EQ's, gates and compressors and about a quarter of a mile of interconnection cables.

I'm going to up my first rating of four stars to 4.5 stars ... the only real issue is the built in wifi.
The processing power of this thing is unreal!

Got one of the first ones to ship out, used it 5 days later at a live concert with about 120 attendance.
It worked great, we used a CAT 6 cable to hardwire to a touchscreen PC (didn't use the Wifi option until we get more experienced with reliability of Wifi). There were no issues at all. The software is simple to learn and use, the sound was great (I think the preamps are a little better than some of the other systems out there). We just had acoustic instruments (dynamic mics) and a vocal mic (condenser mic), all sounded great and there was plenty of processing power to minimize feedback and tailor the sound to the room. The only request I would make would be a little better written documentation for set-up and software training.

I have gigged twice with this bad boy. It replaced my Mackie DL1608 of which i also purchased from Sweetwater. Having a built in wifi router was my main reason for purchasing. Yes the apps are still in their early stages but the android app is more than capable. Plenty of I/O, built in effects, what more could you ask for.

The XR18 does everything I was looking for. I was considering other units (at higher cost I might add) but the multi channel USB interface at this price point closed the deal. Great sound, ease of use, built in wi fi, and flexibility make it a no brainer. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is the lack of available documentation - which is a real surprise. Nevertheless, if you have a reasonable amount of experience in the digital world, you won't have any trouble getting up and running. As always, Jason Koons and the Sweetwater staff are unbeatable!

Look, this thing is almost perfect. I've told everyone I know who will listen about this unit and urged them to look at it. But what's-his-face is right, this unit either needs aes50 so you can sling another one to it, or it needs more inputs - say 26 (24 + 2 aux). The only way to do a five person band outside with drums fully mic-ed and More than a couple of keyboards is to sub mix them. As it is, you're limiting your guitarists to playing just a couple of guitars. Frankly, I don't trust the drummer or the keyboardist to submix themselves and, if I need to do it for them, then that defeats the whole purpose of this unit as a stage box and wireless mixer in one. We need something between the x32 and the xr18. I'll pay. Oh yeah, and it should be able to talk back to smart phones wirelessly so that folks onstage can build a mix and listen to it through their phones which already cost them hundreds of dollars rather than go to the expense of the p16. Less than totally cool.

Just got mine up and running and still have to do the firmware upgrade to get the RTA working. This is a ton of features for a extremely reasonable price. There is no operations manual that I've found so far but I've been able to figure it out as I go. I just discovered you absolutely need the x-air edit for a PC to be able to do lots to the configuration and to upgrade firmware. This is how you can change the effects loaded into the 4 slots which was baffling me using the IPad. Again because there is no operation manual you have to read through the notes on the software to figure it out. I really like the sound of the XR18 the eq's are very musical sounding and its been easy to dial in what I'm looking for. I'm upgrading the software tonight and will do a rehearsal tonight looking to see how well it preforms for us.

We are very pleased with our purchase. There is a steep learning curve, finding all the "bells and whistles" in the different layers, but lots of instructional videos online. One thing that was not made clear is that you need to use the Air Edit app for Mac/PC to set it up. The Android app only gives you the phantom power option on channels 1-4.
We've used it for 2 weeks now, and we love the clean sound, both in the sanctuary and on the audio-video recordings. Rev. Diana says thanks for the Bit-O-Honey, Sweetwater!

I am no sound professional but I purchased the Behringer Xr-18. I had to figure out why I lost the Wi-Fi signal from my iPad. After reading many reviews talking about the connectivity issues; it took me a few minutes but I realized my phone was connecting to the Xr-18. After turning off the Wi-Fi on my phone; I established a connection to the XR-18 again. We only had vocals going through the mix but I decided to challenge myself and mic the drums(2 Marshall stacks and bass cabs didn't need mics). Once I set gain on the drums; it wasn't overwhelming at all.
In the future I will get a Wi-Fi router to ensure connectivity and I will definitely not attempt to use more than 1 device with this mixer. This mixer helps establish independence from needing to hire a sound company or individual to operate it.
The ease of operation once you get the hang of it is important. You can't walk up to the iPad/XR-18 and start mixing sound without some experience but this is a solid piece of the puzzle. Plenty of user videos, dos and don'ts and support videos are available on YouTube. I suggest you watch them.

I use iPad app and the PC app. They are not identical and is like learning 2 different mixers. If they could keep them the same, it would help a new user learn to use it quicker. I'm coming from a QSC TouchMix 30 which was way more expensive. I like the XR Air app better but it's just klunky at times trying to adjust parameters.

Overall great. Wish list includes Bluetooth built-in and better wireless access point.

Once I got it semi figured out it works great. BUT I should not have had the issues figuring it out. The owners manual should go deeper into things. That's why a 4 rather that 5

Very happy with this product. The internal router is not very good. I got a 5G external router and it works great. My mix has never been better.

After being skeptical yet envious for a few years I was finally pushed to make the leap into the digi-world. It was tough to decide who to gi with, but aftwr so much success with my band who is well known around Central Ohio, I took our soundmans advice for my own side projects. So glad I did, better room in my vehicle, on stage and my sound options! Just WOW! Only wish I didn't have to put dollars & setup time with other unit for WiFi, other than that...my presentation is dope.

X18 is a great addition to our systems for small venues with little room.
We have done 4 sound gigs with the X18 in a small 100 seat club. Two bands and two acoustic performers, the X18 worked very well. the tablet program is easy to work with and navigate through. It doesn't get any easier mixing monitors then to stand by the performer, here what you are doing and give them exactly what they want. It has most of the features the X32 console has fewer channels of course and 6subs for monitors. has the same effects, compressors, gates, EQ's. Has lability to store scenes so afternoon sound check and evening performances can be saved and recalled. or two different act on the same night you can give them both the best sound and monitors you can
Ok there is the good part now for the Bad!
The Wi-Fi built in router is not good!! It works but there is a 2 to 3 second delay between making an adjustment on the tablet until you here it in the Mains. That takes some getting use to!! I tried an external router last night with a 4 piece band and it did not improve. To be fair the router did fall down behind the amp rack, not sure when, so that could have been the problem. I will try the external again and tape it on top of the speaker stack so it don't fall. Hopefully that will fix the delay problems.
All in all i do like the x18 it is a great little unit. I will continue using it in small venues.

I don't write reviews often and when I do usually that's after using a gear for several years.
I even forgot when I purchased Behringer XR18, its been with me for so many years.
I have done solo and band shows in USA with this mixer, controlled from my ipad keeping that on my keyboard playing live, routed different outputs for on stage Bose L1 monitor, routed other output to the venue mixer through a DI, Routing individual outputs without effects to venue mixer for the mixer guy/audience, and mix with effects for my personal monitor - all worked fine without an issue.
The mic premap on this is very good quality that you can even record and make an excellent quality youtube mix. Mic preamp is low noise actually compared to many other mic preamps on popular mixer on the same price range.
The digital effects are decent. UA model 76 Compressor is good. Digital Delay is also good.
For live shows this mixer with a good dynamic or condenser mic will not disappoint you. Never heard any processing delay.
I travelled with this mixer to India, performed there for last several years. Its build quality is very high, Other than the antenna, I don't fear anything might break.
Recording quality is not bad at all. As mentioned, I get good quality low noise recordings.

In several years of use I found following areas which Behringer may try to improve.

1. On windows 7 this mixer drivers performed well. On Windows 10 there are some issues when the sampling rate is 48k. It does work, but there are driver issues and different driver versions show different number of Input/Output channel configuration. I used the mixer for live streaming extensively. As long as you are on 44100/24bit everything works fine. But there are routing and input/output channel availability issues when sampling rate is 48k. For example, for the same settings on OBS, my RME babyface works fine on 48k, playback channel, loopback type channel shows proper monitoring and does audio recording on OBS without any issues. But with similar settings on OBS, while using XR18, for 48k, OBS doesn't function correctly. Audio monitoring doesnt work, loopback fails, audio recording for loopback channels doesnt work. So as I mentioned, with OBS or Cubase the 48K sample rate has driver issues with this mixer.

2. Experienced couple of blue screen (Windows) when switching sample rate or switching off the unit while playing.

Apart from these, I cant think of anything else where this mixer lags. This is an winner gear for me.

Great device. Built in router stinks.

I just took on the role of sound engineer/roadie for my wife's 4-person folk band. The interface was daunting at first, but after watching a bunch of videos it makes sense.

The abilities of this thing are AMAZING. We're upgrading from an old analog mixer, and the ability to eliminate rumble, reverse polarity if needed for feedback, and see graphically how the sound frequencies are coming through is so helpful. And true multitrack recording of live gigs is gonna be the bomb - they want to remix some songs and post them, and this will let us do that.

I'm looking forward to our next gig!

I bought this unit in 2019, to use as a mixer. Coming exclusively from analog consoles I was very frustrated setting up mixes because each separate group of I/O is on a different page in the app. This was super-frustrating. If I do live sound I actively mix so I can't be paging around to change gains, faders, groups, levels & effects.

All that aside, it's a year and a half later and I've since that time accumulated a pile of synthesizers, and I'm having a great time jamming on them. Now that I'm ready to record a project, I've set up this XR18 so that all 18 inputs are going in at nominal with flat levels out of each channel. I use the app simply to mute and unmute the channels I'm recording. I leave the digital compressors and eq and effects disengaged and I'm now thrilled with this XR18 for monitoring and as a recording interface. It's incredibly quiet (no self noise), it's so small and light and sturdy, and the Midas preamps are amazing. For straight tracking this is a dream. It sounds better than its price class.

And it requires no drivers! It's perfectly class-compliant. On a Mac and on my Android phone the XAir I/O simply shows up! This will never be obsolete.

So I have the XR18 and a synth and sequencers on my kitchen table with a few tasty guitar pedals. I record into Audio Evolution on my phone, and I'm always near my coffee. I move the tracks into Digital Performer for mixing and mastering.

Pros: Sounds great. Fantastic for static mixes. No drivers. Dirt quiet. Fantastic build. Small, powerful, lightweight! The only moving parts are the power switch and the headphone knob!

Cons: I/O in the app uses different names than are on the hardware! Had to change bus, FX, aux labels in the app. The headphone knob feels cheap and it gets crunchy so I need to work the knob clean every once in a while. App mixing is an acquired taste. Wifi client sometimes has trouble connecting (use Ethernet if you can). No hardware MUTE button for the mains. FX are kind of weak sounding (give me a Lex Random Hall setting please). No line-out on quarters. Mix doesn't go over USB! You Can't record your 2-track house mix at the same time as you record your channels. The stereo L-R mix does not come over USB!!!

Bottom line: Buy it and not look back. I'm a career audio engineer, retired, and I love having this in my arsenal.

The XR18 is a rack of equipment in a single unit. Just watch the multitude of videos on these units to get an understanding of just how powerful they are. Absolute bargain and performs excellent in a live setting. I'm using mine for karaoke and recording in my basement. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars, is the manual is only helpful for setting up a wifi or wired network connection. Outside of that, you have to watch videos to learn how to properly setup the usb/analog sends/inputs for live or recording or a mix of the two.

We use this in a church application where we had space issues and some architectural problems that prevented us from running sound from a central location. The X-Air runs a couple of acoustic guitars, vocals, piano, and a few acoustic instruments. I always prefer a hands-on mixer, but I actually have come to love it, with some minor caveats. Definitely I would recommend it, especially if you need a small-footprint mixer.

First the good:

-- It's compact, light, durable, and easy to set up using an iPad or Macbook Pro. Had it working ten minutes from the box. It's as close to plug-and-play as they come.

-- Good onboard sound: each channel has compressor, gate, input and phantom, EQ, and a serviceable range of effects. I've gotten good balanced sound.

-- Snapshots and scenes are easy and intuitive.

-- The absence of external controls keeps people from messing with it. Kids especially used to monkey with my faders.

There are a few negatives we've run into, and these are minor, fixable issues. I only mention them because if you have to construct a workaround, I call it an "issue."

-- iPhone support is really uneven. I need my players to be able to control their own monitor mixes from their seats. All good on Android, but a constant headache on iPhone.

-- Recording performances to LogicX or ProTools requires a major boost to gain. If you're like me, you favor setting faders to unity and then riding your gains down to give you lots of vertical control from the fader. On the XAir, That will produce a signal so faint to recordings that it's almost unusable. My solution has been to construct two separate "snapshots" (presets saved to the mixer), one for live performances without recording and one designed for grabbing the performance to Logic (that snapshot has the faders low and the gain high). There are other workarounds, of course: you can task an output to an A/D converter and jack it up. But using snapshots has been my best, cleanest, cheapest workaround. Gives me a nice clear recording.

-- As with any mixer, you need to be pretty paranoid about feedback when you set it up or (preferably) make sure somebody is always tasked to be riding herd on it. If it howls during a performance and nobody has the control app open, it can take a few minutes to connect and adjust. We've only had that happen once, when somebody used the church for a wedding and didn't know what they were doing and hooked up their own omni mic to a channel set for a feedback-canceling mic. But it's made me hyper aware.

-- We haven't had wi-fi problems with it; but I've been careful to designate a wi-fi only for the mixer and controlling it. You need to be conscious that if your wi-fi carries a heavy load (if everybody in the place has a phone running on the wi-fi for instance) you'll have connection and security issues.

This is my first attempt at taking our band digital.
It was a learning curve for me luckily with the COVD-19 pandemic I had time to watch videos and read up in the X-Air XR19. Our first socially distant practice went well. A couple of adjustments and SWAMP THROAT went live on FB. I'm still struggling with the fx's but all in all I'm very satisfied with this Mackie unit. Of course our last gigs have all been canceled but now I feel we sound much better and and have more control over our sound.
PK
Swamp Throat

Very lightweight and small unit with a lot going on inside. It"s a very capable mixer, especially for the price, and it opens up a lot of sound sculpting capabilities. Many of the effects in the FX rack fall pretty short, in terms of sound quality, in my opinion. Some of the GUIs of the effects are just bad. The iPad app has a somewhat conflicting color scheme which in turn is a little hard to use. Overall it"s good for small gigs or practice spaces. The WiFi is a bit whack! It disconnected twice in two day just playing around in my living room. I decided to use an external apple airport extreme router with a static IP and now and it"s great. I also use a Arturia beatstep pro to control 16 mutes and volumes and a main mute just as a course of backup control in the case of a tablet failure or WiFi loss.

I've been using this to mix live and in the bedroom studio for over 2 years now and I am very glad I purchased this mixer. It was affordable and I've gotten so much use out of it because of its portability and versatility. I use it with a Windows 10 2-in-1 laptop with touchscreen, for both live sound and recording

The good:
* Preamps are plenty clean enough for live sound and entry-level recording.
* The software is very versatile, relatively easy to use (especially with the series of official tutorial videos on YouTube, which is great for people like me who are working with their first digital mixer), and receives regular updates. Behringer cares about supporting their product.
* Vast selection set of virtual effects
* All kinds of routing options, MIDI compatibility, etc. etc. This is a bonafide digital mixer and can do most things you'd need it to.
* The price! Bang for the buck with this little powerhouse is phenomenal.

The bad:
* Documentation is a little sparse (and often tailored to the X32 workflow, since they share the app) and the UI is a little rough to navigate in spots. You sometimes have to figure out how to use the wide array of effects, options, and routing through trial and error, and a missed button press on one of a dozen submenus can prove frustrating. Though as I said above the official Behringer YouTube tutorials are helpful, some of them are outdated or for the app on other platforms.
* USB connection latency is a little high, if you're multitracking and monitoring.
* I/O is a bit limited.
* Some control is difficult due to small fiddly faders and knobs in the software. I would highly recommend keyboard and mouse for setup of most things, and use touchscreen for fader control only. Behringer, if you're reading this, please make the controls larger for touchscreen manipulation, especially in your effects.
* Effects usage is very limited (I'm guessing due to minimal onboard DSP as cost savings). You can only use four effects, and only one can be inserted per bus (there's no way to chain them without routing to a second bus). This isn't the type of mixer that can completely replace a rack of outboard gear with powerful onboard digital emulations (maybe look at Behringer's higher-level X32, or rackmounts from other companies, if you want more effects versatility) Moreover, inbuilt graphic EQ is only available on the main bus, so if you want to eq your monitor mix, for example, you have to sacrifice an effect slot (or use outboard gear).
* A/D conversion is only 48kHz

The ugly:
* The built-in wifi is completely useless. Don't even bother trying to use it. You WILL need to buy an external wireless router if you want to mix wirelessly (and if you want to tweak physical faders at a mixing desk, you're looking at the wrong product)
* It has been completely reliable for two years of regular use and abuse, but you always worry a bit with entry-level gear like this. Others haven't been as lucky as I have, and I'm always crossing my fingers at gigs.

In all, it's an incredibly useful and powerful little tool for a very affordable price, with a few minor issues which you may be willing to overlook at this price point. If you're a hobbyist with bands playing small venues and don't want to shell out for pro-sumer gear, this option is well worth considering.

I highly recommend this device. Are you considering making the jump from analog to digital? Do it.

I have the unit configured to record via eighteen channel USB to either my Mac book, or my iPad. Works great for live recording, and recording studio work. The preamps are fine (I don’t have the means to discriminate whether they are as good as they could be).

Four stars instead of five because documentation is not as good as it could/should be. There are videos, and they are very helpful for most functions, but the manual is somewhat minimalistic. You will need to understand mixers and sound in general in order to get the most out of this device.

Nits; The internal access point should be upgraded to 5 GHz so people don’t have to haul around an extra router to ensure security. It would also be nice if, when an idiot powers off the unit before powering off the powered speakers, it doesn’t cause an earthquake. Behringer might incorporate a pink noise generator and the means to auto-EQ a room. There are third-party alternatives available (highly recommended).

Great unit. Exceeded my expectations.

This mixer is great if you've had any experience with digital platforms. Our only glitch first show was that we kept dropping the wireless signal. I bought a dual band router for about $50 and it worked great. There are youtube videos and online forums that offer great tips and advice.

I give just four star because
Does not came with usb cable

Easy to use and sort of intuitive. Love it

I use this mixer in a gym with 10 wireless mics for worship services. The mixer works great except for the wifi. I quickly gave up of the wifi and plugged the mixer in a standalone wifi router and all the connection problems magically disappeared. The update rate on the devices greatly improved. So the best way to use this mixer is via an external router with a hardwired connection. All other options are lacking. I have tried all external devices android, ipad, computer with touch screen and the xtouch. They all work. The ipad is my favorite for roaming except the mute buttons are next to the edge and I keep hitting them as I hold it. Wish they were above the faders. I would give it a 5 if the wifi was not subpar for even a single device.

the mixer is really great! love the preamps and the ease of use and also that you can put it anywhere! and not have to carry a big mixer lol everyone doesn't believe me when i say its an actual mixer, jaw dropper. one thing i have issues is, i have 4 wireless shure mics that we have and i don't know if its the signal that all of them give off but my wireless mic tends to lose connection and cracks on the speakers, i also have an iPad 2 and the signal is not that good on it, i bought a macbook pro and works flawlessly and i also use my galaxy note phone and that picks up good connection. Now i have an iPhone and the app store doesn't have x air on the iPhone 7 , so thats a bummer too. i would give it 5 stars but had some issues with the mixer but i mean hopefully they can fix this issue. Other than that i love this mixer !

First, let's be clear. I'm no fan of Behringer. And, I'm not alone, there. I've found many of their products to be not only overrated, but under executed. And their 'flagship' X32 is one of the most obnoxiously cumbersome mixing desks I've ever been put behind. With performance that's been bettered dozens of ways, by dozens of companies. (And, just so you know, I've said this to Behringer reps at gearfest. In a pointed way that I'm sure left one of them needing therapy.) The only thing nice I can say about Behringer is that they're cost effective. When they work. Ok...got the picture?

Then, we begin.

One of my bands works often works in small venues. 4 musicians, with full gear, in a space the size of an apartment kitchen. Usually in a bar, or restaurant, where space is at a premium, and I'm not going to be allowed to set up a mixing desk consuming the real estate of a paying table. So, I needed something small. Something that will sit on a stage and take the outputs of all the devices needed to do a show, so there's not a tangle of cables, and a stage box leading out to a mixer on the floor. I needed something with the flexibility to mix FOH, monitors, AND mix for a radio broadcast. I needed above average audio quality. And I needed it quickly, and on a budget that would make most VFW halls weep with sympathy. So, after a number of conversations with my Sales Engineer, I held my nose and bought the XR 18 Air.

For several reasons. 1) Midas designed preamps. Still Behringer manufacture. But while Midas engineers doing the drawings meant not Midas preamps, they are better than Behringer preamps. In fact, better than many. 2) A couple of high impedance inputs makes for convenient hookup of keyboard, and a wired ukelele. Yes, you read that correctly. Two more DI's they don't have to trip over onstage. 3) enough busses and Aux outputs to cover any monitoring, or secondary feeds I have. 4) A very nice set of features for creatively producing a live show. 5) And, it's something that offers room for growth.

The results surprised even me. Audio was better than expected. Fully programmable, and assignable preamps and routing. A lot of very nice effects. Multiple ways to connect a control device. A lot of slick automation features. In a package that's small and light. Enough to sling over my shoulder in a Gator bag. There is a learning curve, so don't take this into your first live show out of the box. Get to know it first. Get to know it well. It matters.

And I did all this with a budget that I shared with the local VFW Hall.

Say what you wish about Behringer. And believe me I will. But this one....they got it right. The band commented on the results first show. Now, it's not the most reliable Wi-Fi access point when there's a lot of RF around, so you have to pick your channel carefully, or you'll lose control of your mixer, ONLY at the most inopportune moments. But, it's slick, versatile and rather well thought out.

Are there things wrong with it? Of course. It can be cumbersome to fly between functions when an emergency correction needs to be made. But, that can be overcome by thinking like a German. It gets warm in use, so it would be prudent to keep it in the shade when doing a show outdoors. Despite the implications by Phil Gates, it's NOT equipped with Midas preamps. But Midas did design them. And THAT shows. Very nice preamps. And 16 of them.

Would I recommend it? Um...Yes, I believe I would. It does what's claimed of it, and it does it surprisingly well. It's still a Behringer, make no mistake. But, this one....they got it right.

They got it right.

Try it. It doesn't suck.

w

This snazzy unit is the best solution for recording 16 tracks simultaneously. I have a big drum kit and there is no other solution for recording my entire kit that is even close to this price point. The X Air software is solid and has a lot of options that will not disappoint. HOWEVER... you pretty much need a Master's degree in Computer Networking to get the WiFi to work correctly. If you have any dreams about wirelessly connecting to your computer or iPad or laptop to control the digital mixing board, you will be disappointed. The 9 year-olds in Taiwan who assembled the internal on this unit should be whipped more frequently, as it is of the worst quality imaginable. You need to pay an extra $30 and buy a network switch and connect the Behringer via ethernet cable to your computer. After that, the unit works even better than you thought it could.

We bought this because our sound engineer has the x32. 90% of our gigs he runs sound and we mix our in-ears off of his x32 console. The other 10% of gigs have in-house sound with house engineers. We purchased this to put in our in-ear rack to still be able to easily run our own in-ear mixes. It works fantastic as long as you use a dedicated router. I have yet to get the built in wifi to hook up and actually stay connected. I dunno if its just too weak to work with our digital wireless's and our singers wireless mic as well or what. But, IF and I mean IF I could get the built in wifi to connect, it usually will not stay connected for long. Once we set up a router it worked great!

Great mixer Haven't been able to figure out why I can't use USB yet but it really is an easy mixer to use.

I just recently received this unit. I have only used it on one live event so far. I am a party/wedding DJ and do some live sound for some small local bands. I have been running sound for over 20 years for various sized bands and churches. I am a computer consultant so I am all about the 'digital' world and everything going smaller. I love the size of this box. I actually found a small toolbox from my local Lowes hardware store that this fits in perfectly with room for my tablet and cords. Withing 15 minutes of unpackaging this I had it connected to my powered speakers running audio from a microphone, my laptop, my phone and was already adjusting effects on the mic. The built in wireless has worked flawlessly for me so far. The event that we did was a large company party at a banquet center (over 350 people). I ran the entire night from a Samsung 8" tablet and my Samsung phone. I had the software loaded on my laptop as well but never needed it. We run powered mains and subs with our gear. I configured one of the AUX channels to feed my subs and just dropped the EQ with everything over 100Hz. This gave me individual control of how much bass I wanted at any given time. It took about 4 songs to get everything 'dialed' in but once we did it rocked all night long. I normally run a DBX driverack PA and did not even have to use it for everything I wanted could be done inside the Behringer. Wedding season and school dance season is coming up soon so I will update after this unit has more gigs under its belt.

This is an update to my previous review. After several shows and a month or 2 of ownership, I can declare that this is a highly imperfect mixer that's so affordable and cool, you'll probably not be disappointed - IF you're aware of it's issues at the onset.

First and foremost, the internal wireless card on this unit is pretty much garbage. It's a 2.4ghz ONLY wireless router. And this is a real problem, because by far the most crowded wireless frequency band is 2.4Ghz. This means that if you intend to use this mixer in an area with even moderate wireless network traffic, you're VERY likely to run into interference which causes drops or outright loss of connection to your iPad or Android pad. I learned this lesson the hard way, when doing a gig in the middle of an outdoor mall. Because most of the stores in the area have their own wireless networks, there was so much interference that I was unable to establish ANY connection AT ALL to the mixer, even with my iPad a mere 12 inches away from the mixer. Total, complete FAIL.

The solution was to purchase my own dual-band, 5Ghz capable router and use it instead of the internal wireless card. This solution works, even in crowded areas. Thank heaven the XR18 can be configured to use an external router. But of course, it would have been far better not to have to go a buy a router in the first place!

Another problem I've experienced is that when using my external router, the XR18 causes the router to heat up like a frying pan. This may indicate a problem with the Ethernet port on the XR18, which I suspect is also completely sub-par. When both the mixer and router are left on for an extended period, the networking will completely fail at the XR18's Ethernet port, forcing a power recycle of the XR18 to resolve. Because of these issues, I'm forced to give ALL networking on the XR18 a failing score.

My final complaint is more subjective: X-Air App for iPad. While mixing is clear and straightforward, channel setup, input configuration, routing and effects are all pretty poorly designed, so prepare yourself for some frustration there. Network configuration is very frustrating due to the app's overly complex and poorly designed networking setup pages.

Despite these complaints, we love what the XR18 does for the band, so the net result is that with the problems addressed, we're very happy with it. It offered us a highly portable, affordable entry to wireless mixing. I hope this review helps to clarify your expectations and potentially resolve any problems quickly.

All the pros of this board are clear cut:

1. My footprint, set up and tear down times are way diminished over an analogue board + stage snake.
2. It sounds great.
3. The iPad & Mac interfaces are incredible: very intuitive and beautifully laid out, plus chock full of features.
4. 18 track recording!!!
5. You look pretty awesome running sound from an iPad.

The cons:

1. There is no iPhone app for individual monitor settings (yet).

2. The built in wifi is terrible. I used an iPad mini 2 to connect the board via the wifi router. It works like a dream in an empty room (IE at home for testing or the empty venue for soundcheck.) The problem was that the iPad refused to establish a connection once the room filled up. Turns out, this issue occurs in a crowded setting when many devices are all competing for bandwidth on the same channel. The built-in router on the board is particularly susceptible. After being unable to simply unmute the main speakers, I made the call to use the venue's own board. Everything worked out, but obviously this isn't a game I ever want to play again.

The solution to the problem is connecting an external router to the ethernet port on the board, and adjusting the settings to optimize the signal. I have done so...I have an Airport Extreme (5th gen, wireless N standard) connected to the board broadcasting in both 2.4 and 5 ghz WEP protected spectrums. To further back this up, I wire a laptop directly to the router or the board via a CAT5 cable, which creates a hardwired connection unburdened by all those people trying to surf porn on their phones during the show. This fix worked beautifully, but caveat emptor DO NOT rely on the built in WiFi during a live show. You need to purchase and configure a decent router, and/or hardwire directly to the board.

TL:DR, The built in wifi doesn't work as advertised. You need to purchase a separate router AND wire a laptop directly as a backup. The footprint is still much smaller than a traditional board + stage snake, but it's not an all-in-one solution, and is not reliable enough to be called wireless.

The sound quality and capabilities of this unit are phenomenal. Getting the networking to work is quite the challenge... took days with both Sweetwater and Behringer Tech support, but did finally get it all to work correctly. It does everything as advertised, and more. Now actually running the entire band through it (mics and instruments), and routing for monitors, AND concurrently recording in Apple Logic. Yes, to my amazement, especially at this price, this unit does it all. It's so complex, though, one really needs to be prepared to sit and watch the dozens of instructional videos on You Tube in order to learn how to correctly use it. But considering that this one box has, for me, replaced an entire rack of equipment (and more), the learning curve is justified, in my opinion.

Like the unit so far...Positives are: Behringer Telephone Support is SUPERB...Limited voicemail front end, you get a knowledgeable human pretty quickly and they are in the USA...so no language barrier or the call takers from India/Philippines/Costa Rica repeating back what you just said to them before it's discovered they don't know how to solve the problem :) Sound quality is very good...the baked in 4 to 6 band parametric EQs on each channel, each monitor, front of house...very easy to use and responsive. The baked in REVERBS and ECHO pretty darn good as well.

Downsides: Written documentation is LIMITED...that's why the phone support is so important. They also filmed 15+ YouTube instructional videos and they help...but I've got Windows vs Android vs Mac and most of those YouTubes are using windows...so sometimes figuring out the differences takes more time than I'd like.

Hoping they come up with a standard patch for an aux for Subs. I had to build one with the EQs and would have preferred a canned setting that I could tweak.The Parametric to the farthest right does not respond to Q...so if you boost or cut...you are doing so over a large swath of band width. Not sure why it was designed that way.

I went from a Presonus to this Beringer and immediately loved it. I had one hour to mess with it out of the box before going straight into a solo gig. Without reading any manuals I was set up to play guitar and sing vocals with fx. Right after the gig I broke it down and set it back up for a trio band and had no problems setting up the entire band with four drum mics. It was extremely convenient to loop a guitar riff and walk out into the audience and have the rest of the band play while I'm setting up all of the EQ's and sound effects, etc. this is where the Behringer exceeds the personas board. The only problem that I have found so far with this is the app is not responding properly but my workaround is simply closing out of the app and relaunching it again and all of the functionality comes back. I've had one instance where I've gotten kicked off the Wi-Fi which was really strange but again I had to shut everything down and turn it all back on and launch the app again and my problem did not exist anymore. With that said there has been a few instances that make it feel a bit unreliable but when it works it's wonderful.

Wrote original review about constant drop out and lost connectivity shortly after purchase. See review ROC SOUND & Lighting. We contacted Sweetwater about the problem and they quickly had us return unit and shipped us a new unit,. New unit worked much better although we still added external wifi to unit which improved performance greatly! Tried unit on another show and worked great with a much longer range without dropping out or losing connectivity. Had two tablets in use during show and quickly learned that the second tablet had to be pass word protected also. (During show second unit unit lost connectivity). I am sure that Behringer will address the weak wifi problem in the future (hopefully) A 24 channel unit would really be great and still could be rack mounted as 16 channels is border line for most bands. Great fast response from Sweetwater addressing the problem!!

Overall I've been very happy with the purchase. I keep discovering cool things I can do that I didn't realize at first. I really like the flexibility of being able to pretty much route any signal to any output bus, including the 18 usb ins and outs. You can record a show and then play back the individual tracks through their own channels and do a virtual sound check. You can route the main and aux outputs to the ultranet output and if you have ultranet compatible speakers you daisy chain your mains and monitors off of one cat5 cable. There are several instructional videos for the XR18 on youtube, but so far there is no actual manual. I've found the software is fairly intuitive and easy to figure out if you are already familiar with mixers and daw programs. The effect plugins are also easy and intuitive, but I wish there was more detailed information on exactly what each control does.For me, the biggest downside to the mixer is the somewhat poor performance when using the mixer as an access point. It got a lot better with firmware version 1.09, and I hope will continue to improve with future versions, but I've had quite a bit of difficulty getting different devices to connect to the XR18 and have the app find and connect to the mixer. Before the firmware update to 1.09, I tried 2 identical android phones (Samsung galaxy nexus), one would connect with no problem and the other phone would crash whenever I tried to connect to the wifi. Since the firmware update, both phones connect with no problems, as well as a nexus 7 tablet. I can get my laptop PC to see the wifi network and connect to it, but the x air edit program locks up when I try to get it to connect to the mixer. I've been using an older belkin router connected to the ethernet port and so far have had no problems getting any of my devices to connect to the network and control the mixer. Some devices have settings that will prevent them from connecting to a network that has no internet connectivity. Those settings must be turned off, and you need to make sure the device isn't set to automatically connect to another network in the area, especially one with internet, because some devices will switch the network they are connected to if they are able to detect one with a better signal.

Well made, very useful product; however, the initial setup was more difficult than it should have been because NONE of the accompanying documentation relates to the software mixing controller. So, we spent nearly an hour fumbling around trying to figure out how to get and keep a wireless connection to it. Once done; however, the software provides lovely control and plethora of very useful effects. There are some odd glitches (as one would expect from anything digital) when you get mic feedback, but then who wants mic feedback? Best part? no more space limiting, 50 foot snake to trip over and we can control the mix from ANYWHERE!

OK, the good, this thing sounds amazing, at our practice we have been using a low-end Mackie and original Tapco Thump 15 speakers, hooking up the XR-18 was a night and day difference in sound quality. The effects are really good! I have an original 01V, and have used a Mackie tt, a Presonus 24.4.2 and Mackie DL1608's, there are a few things missing at this point, but overall I'm really happy with the overall operation of the XR-18. I love the channel RTA function!
My observations, in order to get the most out of the XR-18 at this point I think you need to use X-Air Edit, I've used it with both PC and linux, once the mixer is 'programmed' then I can use my ipad to control the mix. Right now the ipad app is lacking, the android app is better. Both tablet interfaces are different than X-Air Edit ...
The not-so good, wifi dropouts using the built-in access point, even at close range, both my friend's android tablet and my PC got disconnected at the same time during a song at practice this week (the mix stayed as it was set) I reconnected and everything was OK for the rest of the practice. I'm going to use an external router, then I can place the mixer and router where I want them ... BTW I've also experienced wifi dropouts at a coffee shop that has a Mackie DL1608 ...

I have had this mixer for about 3 weeks and used it for rehearsals and gigs. So far it has been not too hard to learn and easy to use after the initial setup. Great for bands that work with all of their equipment on stage. Using a tablet to mix from anywhere in the house is wonderful.

Sweetwater's customer service is outstanding too!!!

I was really excited when I ordered it and I still am but my some of my excitement has turned somewhat to frustration and apprehension. I still am sold on it as being what I have been waiting for in not having to lug around a 100ft snake and take all the time to connect it and have to haul a mixing board around. But, because of the connection issues that I have read about and IPad app problems and lack of documentation, I am a little frustrated. I guess I need to exercise more patience in giving more time to Behringer and the app developers to perfect their product that really should have been done before now.

My choices: Presonus 6.4.2, Mackie DL1608, QSC TouchMix, & Behringer XR18...all are capable of remote operation which initially, was what I was looking for. The DL1608 was winning me over until I found the Rackmountable, no external modem needed XR18! The reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because you kind of have to figure out how to fully use it on your own...the manual does not break it down.

Download the X-Air App and you'll find the Phantom Power toggle option @ the Input page - it's apparently software-based, i.e. no hardware switch or button. I personally am curious as to the inclusion of the MIDI I/O jacks, hoping that one can use them to program, say, effects On/Off via a MIDI footswitch. Not in any documentation that I've seen so far....

No AES50 but look at the price point. Thats a lot for under 1000 bucks. Stable firmware and sounds great!

This is a very good mixer. I would give it 5 stars if the built in wifi was not junk. I highly recomond hooking it up to your own wifi router from the ethernet port on the unit. The app is a little confusing at first to use; but once you poke around, it's not that difficult. Simply put, it's abosolutely a great mixer. Just stay away from the built in wifi.

I own one of these mixers. I love the mixer. It is lightweight. Easy to fly with. Just throw it in my suitcase. Just a scaled-down version of the X32 really. But... The iOS APP has been broken for months (since iOS 13) and there is no obvious attempt or desire from Behringer to EVER fix it. If you buy one of these, you will have to use a third-party app for your iPad(Mixing Station), which you will have to pay for, to use the mixer. Or a computer like a laptop. I don't know about the Andriod version of the app as I don't(like many others) have an Andriod tablet. The app "Mixing Station" for iOS does make the mixer functional but is not as robust as the original app. Why would they (Behringer) sell boatloads of these mixers and then abandon the app that runs them? I along with thousands of other owners of these mixers am asking that same question...

We really love the Behringer XR18 except when we really don't. Here's our positive / negative breakdown.

We use it in a church setting, in the choir area, to manage three overhead mics, a couple of guitars, a bass, piano, and assorted cantor mics. I control it with iPad and laptop through a dedicated wi-fi.

Posities:
-- Easy to set up.
-- Tiny footprint: we haven't got room for a mixer in that space, and the Behringer takes no more room than a stage-box.
-- All the bells and whistles of a good soundboard: phantom power, gain, customizable channels, digital I/O.
-- Easy interface through wi-fi: we use laptops and iPads, and iPhones in a pinch.
-- People can't / don't monkey with your settings.
-- Decent basic compression / gate / EQ on board. With a little tinkering, we get decent sound out of even tinny guitar pickups. Whole channels or individual effects can be saved as templates.
-- Snapshots / Scenes are easily set up and re-called, which is very useful for us since we have three distinct services in different languages with different personnel. A touch of a button re-sets for a new performance.

Negatives:
The biggest negative is that whenever it power-cycles or power-glitches, it mutes the main output channel, I suppose to avoid surging through the PA. Several times I've been off-duty and gotten panicked 7 AM calls: "The mics don't work!" Which means walking people through how to log in and un-mute the main channel. This is a pretty regular pain: I want my musicians to never have to think about such things.

Putting it another way, you have to babysit it almost more than you would a physical sound-board. I've had much less trouble with cheap always-on mixers on the floor with a "Do Not Touch" sticky on them.

The solution, if you can afford it, is a top-notch power station with battery backup.

Second negative: You'll absolutely have to buy yourself a dedicated wi-fi router with an ethernet connection to the device. If you try to run the Behringer through your house wi-fi that does any other duty, you'll drop connections just when you need them most: during a feedback event for instance. The on-board wi-fi access point is dodgy and limited. Like the power supply, and this is a hidden expense you'll need to maximize the device.

I like the Behringer when it's working smoothly. When it isn't, it's a minor nightmare that makes me wish I'd just gone with a classic physical sound-board with a bigger footprint but fewer headaches.

It"s a pretty good unit. A little tricky to route but nothing too crazy. My only real problem is that I had to re install the drivers for some random reason. But overall a good piece of gear for the price

I saw a lot of bad reviews so I was a little scared, but the price was right, so I bought one. I think those bad reviewers are either being too picky or they are not using it the same way I am. I use it for live sound - nothing else - so I can't vouch for studio or home application. I also am not a tech nerd so I don't know anything about connecting it by any other means than directly from wi-fi to my ipad. It works great when I use it, though. The only thing I've noticed is that if you are running any other app and have to switch back/forth between the mixer and something else OR if you let the screen lock and have to let the mixer app go dormant, it takes a good couple of minutes once you open it before it starts working again. Other than that, EVERYTHING works and does everything it says it will do. Took a little bit of working with the mixer app to figure it all out, but I'm dumb as hell and I figured it out.

Look my church has this ok it sounds okay but when you try more things it sounds like trash. The wifi is horrible. for example during a live show i had to turn up the guitar because it had a solo.... but then the app freezed and disconnected!!! and also this thing is way to cheap to have midas preamps its common sense people there is no way a… peice of equipment cant have midas preamps along with great sound,effects and wifi... but the reason why i gave this a 3.5 is because it gets the job done and it sounds rather ok and i really do like the app its very easy to use!!! compared to other brands im not saying that all the other brands are bad im just saying its a good app. its good for small bands but for big stuff. its a big no no!

NOTE: This review is largely based around a single real-world use.

I really like this unit. Really good functionality, great I/O count and for the price point it"s hard to complain. We (six member rock band) thought we would try out a wireless solution for gigs where we have to provide our own sound reinforcement, the XR18 seemed like a good balance of features/price to dip our toes into that world. Our existing system was based around a couple of Mackie VLZ series wired mixers, and QSC K.2 series speakers for both mains and monitors. It should be noted that the QSC"s greatly enhance the overall ease of setup for any system. And sound phenomenal! Highly recommend those! But back to the XR18 . . .

Pros: EASY setup; was shocked at how well the physical connections were laid out and how intuitive the app was. We were up and running out of the box in less than 30 min, all soundchecked and ready to go. Didn"t use the manual at all. Using an iPad and the app was a snap, recognized the mixer after a short boot-up sequence (w/XR18 WiFi network). A snap to dial in each channel, then monitors and then mains. The effects setups were not as intuitive, but not difficult by any means. Kept the scope to some light compression and light reverb. Overall sound was pretty darn good and clean.

Cons: By far, the XR18 internal WiFi network. We got lucky on this one, but could"ve easily negatively impacted the gig. The internal WiFi was simply not robust enough to handle an environment with mild/moderate network interference. The connectivity was lost numerous times during the course of the show. Even with the iPad held 6-in from the antenna, the signal got dropped. Our mix was decent after the first couple of early tweaks, so ultimately we made it through relatively unscathed. But we will never solely rely on the internal WiFi again. We will use an external router, which is great that Behringer included that contingency as a connection option.

Again, this was our first adventure with the XR18, and I think we will overcome the connectivity issue in future uses. It has a LOT going for it. Just be wary that if you use this in a situation where you cannot limit the amount of network interference (likely applies to most situations, I would think), the internal WiFi may not be your best buddy. Be prepared.

Feature-wise it's a good unit with the painful, infuriating and frustrating lack of usability of the built-in access point functionality.

The whole reason I went with this unit versus the Mackie 1608 was because this had a built-in wireless access point. I've tried various settings using different channels (to minimizing overlap with other wifi in a couple different locations), and even with the iPad or Android device literally an inch from the antenna, I can only occasionally and intermittently get a connection.

Yes, I've tried different channels. Yes, I've scanned the rooms of the venue's I was playing at to look for interference. Yes I've tried it with different devices including a PC, an iPad and an Android phone, and in each case the results are equally marginal at best and frighteningly horrible if you do not have a hardwired device to control the sound as backup. You've not experienced a near blackout level meltdown until all of your devices are unable to connect to the mixer to turn down feedback coming from a microphone!

Behringer would be doing themselves a favor if they didn't bother to include this half-baked and essentially useless feature in the device. All it has done for me is make me regret buying it.

Sans the useless access point, the device is very nice with lots of effects and control options and a good amount of flexibility. Sound is overall pretty good with a hint of distortion occasionally when a lot of input is happening at once..... And YES, I checked that nothing was clipping on inputs.

Buy one if you only intend to use it with a hard-wired computer for control purposes. Otherwise, you are rolling the dice in a very dangerous way.

Well the idea is great, great mixer, i used yamaha automated mixers like o2rv2, this mixer everything the big brothers have.
My problem was connecting to it during the gig.. boy that wireless did not work, i brought pc laptop as well, as a backup.. I'm not sure what was the problem but the wireless was really buggy, losing connection, you thinking you connected but you were not connected, so the changes were not being in effect, no sound, so then you were messing with other things channels inputs but the whole thing was you were not connected..
I mean I'm not giving up because I'm also a computer guy, I will just get me a crossover cable and do the manual IP network.. it will have to be connected via ethernet cable..
I might try a Bluetooth wireless network as well instead of the Wi-Fi wireless network.. again I've seen at the past when the computer is too close to wireless router it was not receiving a data so this might be the problem but certainly you will have some wireless issues and I hope they can fix it..
And the problem is when you're running out of time and racing with time to get on the stage on time when you can not connect to your mixer you cannot add a channel and stuff like that it gets really frustrating..
Don't get discouraged it's a great mixer but I think you're going to have to use wired connection as well when there's tons of signals and very crowded traffic on the air I'm guessing..

So far, after owning this little guy for the past year and a half, my experience with it has been so-so.

1. Like some of the other owners, my wireless antenna broke/snapped off while I was attempting to put it back into its holder. Most other antennas on wireless devices are built with metal housings and hinges for the antenna to fold. This is made with cheap plastic and did not hold up to ONE bad twist.

2. Main L/R output are XLR only. I bought XLR-TS cables. Didn't seem to work for me. Also tried using regular speaker cables, and in the software assigned my Mains to channels 15/16 for example, although I still didn't get any sound. Mixer software was registering my keyboard's inputs on both Ch 2 & 3 inputs.

3. Headphone jack did work. I got sound there.

Overall, I like the design/concept. I will replace the antenna with one from my spare wireless network gear.

This mixer sounds great and has a phenomenal feature set for the price range. The preamps are comparable to those found in hardware many times the price. There are still some shortcomings I need to point out so you can make an informed decision in your purchase. I was an early adopter of the xr18 and bought it when it was first available to ship. I assumed it had the functionality to delay an output without being able to confirm it. It doesn't with the exception of workaround using one of your effects slots and low resolution ms adjustment that will have your reaching for a calculator to convert feet to milliseconds and then painstakingly trying to get the value to land where you want.

I contacted customer support and they suggested I start a thread in the forums as the engineering team looks for information there to add features. I did. I got some feedback from the user base and there are many customers that require the same functionality. To me this is a simple addition and is already available per channel in feet/millisecond adjustments in the xr's big brother the x32 witch is running on the same platform. Many software firmware versions later my request goes unanswered.

Other issues are the vast differences between software control platforms. I have great experiences with different aspects of each. For example if I'm mixing on windows I often switch to android when I want to edit EQ settings as the multi-touch in android allows you to adjust Q gain and frequency by dragging your fingers while the windows version doesn't allow the same multi touch input control in the eq section. Sound check is hectic enough without having to place a cursor in the Q dialog box and enter digits to change the bandwidth of a PEQ. Multi-touch is working just fine for controlling multiple faders so this isn't a multi-touch issue its a software issue.

That said there have been improvements to all platforms and I expect there will continue to be. I will gladly up my review to five stars if I can ever stop running patch cords to my old digital delay.. If i knew then I would have purchased the x32 for a couple extra 100 and had some room for expansion as well.

Bought this to keep from lugging my Mackie or the other Behringer around. Did not want to rack mount for the same reason. Small profile and portability were big selling points. It is at home in my studio. But I really wanted it for the versatility it offers at gigs. The band shares the Scene files and we are ready to go with minimal set-up. Carry it in a nice padded Pelican case with Microphones and other gear. Set it on the edge of the stage out of the way and set the laptop & pads in the audience area. Perfect......Except

Bottom Line, WORKS GREAT.
Couldn't be more pleased with the operational aspects.
Has two issues I've found that may be helpful to others:
* The case gets HOT outside even in the shade. Circular vent on the side that looks like a fan should be in there, doesn't have one. Ambient air temp was under 90, plenty of air space all around, shaded, the metal on the outside was VERY hot. Did sound checks during the day for an evening gig. Normally would have left it on after we got all squared away. Felt I didn't want to risk it.
* The antennae cover will easily pop off. Delicate insides.

I have had this unit for about 6-8 weeks, and honestly I haven't had too much time to spend with the software, on my iPad.

I had the Mackie iPad model for a couple of weeks, and I think that the Behringer sounded a little better, right out of the box. However the features on the Mackie were way-more intuitive. I own a couple of Behringer boards and I am not surprised that I have a serious learning curve. The Behringer has more features for sure, and the sound is there, but I am not...yet. If I had conquered the software, I am sure that my review would probably be higher. I like what I am hearing, but the Apple app could be a little better...more touch sensitive. Getting those sliders to move can be a bother at times. I may try using a windows laptop.

I would recommend this product to my fellow musicians.

I run a brass band with a rotating membership of 5-14 performers that plays in small and large venues for public and private events. About half of the time we run our own sound. We previously used a Yamaha Stagepas 600i but found that we were quickly outgrowing it's capabilities. I've been familiar with the x32 series for a while and when I found out about the simpler, more affordable XR18 I knew that was the direction we should go.

Overall, this is a great product. Well built, straight forward box with extremely high quality inputs. The apps and software offer an incredible amount of control. It can also function as 18in 18out audio interface. If you've ever worked with a DAW before, you'll find it easy to work with.

Two major drawbacks -
1. The built in wifi is a joke if you're going to be taking it in public. Sure, you can connect another router, hardwire it to a computer, or connect to an existing wifi network; but part of the appeal of this tool is that you should be able to plug and play. If you're in a public venue, you really can't do that because the internal router is just not strong enough.

My solution was to get a Windows Tablet (Asus Transformer Book) with USB 3.0 and Plugable USB 3.0 3-Port Bus Powered Hub with Gigabit Ethernet. This allows me to have hardwired control of the XR18 while simultaneously multitrack recording our performances! What I give up is mobility but that's a small price to pay for my purposes.

2. Windows program, iOS program, Android App, iPad App, but NO iPhone App?!? Not a problem for me because I have an android phone but isn't iPhone the most universal smartphone in the world - and there's no App?!? Also, each program/app is slightly different meaning that each one does some things great and others not so great. And one final note, if you want to have the option of being hardwired via ethernet you have to use the Windows or iOS program, the apps will not currently allow a hard connection.

I think this is an incredible product with so much power that it's almost mind boggling. That said, be wary if you're not an advanced user or if you think you'll be able to just plug and play.

On the good side, this is an extremely powerful tool for the price! With a ton of built-in effects, you can patch up most anything you need! For live shows, it has saved me over an hour of setup time every gig. I don't need to haul in my big Allen Heath mixer and I can leave my EQ's, effects, compressors and gates in the truck. It's all right here in this little box! I don't even need a snake anymore!
The negatives? I have had some trouble with network dropouts during a show. I can't find a way to send music from my iPad via wifi to play background music between sets. I wish I could record direct to hard drive or memory stick, but it seems to require a full DAW to record to.
I think the product will improve as the software updates catch up.

So,I bought this puppy because I needed to recover the deskspace that my (now sold) PreSonus 16.4.2 had eaten on my desk. So, in a nutshell, here are some things I found:

Feedback rejections right out of the box with default settings is a lot better than I was expecting
Sound quality while recording on my laptop sounds quite nice
Documentation? What's that? While many aspects of the software interface are fairly intuitive, there are many aspects that are not
We are having some difficulty sustaining four wireless connections in the WiFi client mode, the unit seems to disconnect from iPhones and Android tables, though my Windows Laptop seems to stay connected (most of the time).
I am going to try "Access Point" mode and see if it works better, but that loses the convenience of being able to have the tablets also on my Internet connection
Documentation? What's that?

My Xair app on three ipads cannot see/find the XR18. We got this for our band to replace the X18 and to have a backup. Unfortunately, we will have to use other software like Mixing Station. That app is good, but it's a learning curve. Behringer pulled the XAIR app from the app store which makes me think they know there are issues.

Using this in a church choir. The signal to noise ratio is average at best in quiet situations. The XAir app is unusable on my 12.9" iPad Pro and crashes on my newer iPads as well. Have to use an older model 9" iPad to use the XAir app. The XAir app is slow and the user interface is clunky and keeps dropping connection with the internal WiFi. Did not want to have to use an external router but will try and see if it is any better. Hard to recommend this for any serious live situations.

I use it in my home studio as a digital interface where I route 8 mics from an acoustic kit and also 6 channels from a Roland TD20 for electronic drums. It does the job ok but took a long time to get things figured out. There occasions where the XAir APP on my PC loses connection. I have to reboot X-Air 18 on occasion too. I use the Ethernet connection to my PC which works the best. The Wireless router feature is worthless in my studio for some reason. The IPAD app is ok but clumsy and is easy to mis-adjust things. Over all The features are not intuitive and takes time to learn.

I have used an X Air XR18 (not mine it was the bands unit) in live performances where I controlled my own monitor mix behind the kit -- this was very cool. The unit was on stage with us so there was never a Router drop. For live performances, id say its great. For home Studio using with your DAW, its clunky. I have recorded several projects using this set up. I would say for home studio using it as an audio interface.... spend more and get something else.

These mixers are revolutionary. So much power and features in such a small package. Great recording interface if you need to mic up a whole band.
But . . .
There is a glaring problem. They blow up. The motherboard is super sensitive to static discharge. I have owned 4 of these and they have all quit. Two times it was because lightning struck near the house. No other equipment fried except the XR18. They need to upgrade the board with some shielding and maybe some higher quality chips. If you own one of these, you had better get a spare, and if it starts to rain outside, you had better unplug it.

Recently received a Behringer XR18 and have spent the last week learning how to use it. Youtube videos have been very helpful. I will give the unit a field test this weekend at some live performances.

Pros: 1. Can be used as front end for Logic Pro.
2. Nice array of built-in effects
3. Quality construction

Cons: 1. iPad interface is somewhat janky. Crashes when activating certain functions.
2. Channels 1 and 2 have audible hiss at gains above +20dB. Could be the high impedance circuitry associated with these two channels. I won't use
these channels for Low impedance microphone inputs.

The Pros: The quality of the preamps and effects are great!

The Cons: the WiFi on this thing is horrible! First show I used it on was for 300 plus people. The moment the room filled up, my iPad lost connection. I was horrified that I now had zero control over the PA for the entire gig! 4 front singers (Four Seasons tribute act) and I had to mix by turning speaker volumes and eq up and down onstage! It was a nightmare! Why add internal WiFi if you can"t make the network hidden to the general public? I now have to buy an external router and will update this review once I use it in that manner.

I would echo most of what is said here about the bang for the buck, ease and flexibility. I used this for a show last year, using the built in wifi. Nightmare. The unit was sonically fine. But the wifi would hang and crash the ipad whenever the incandescent theatrical lighting was turned up past half intensity. At one point I restarted the system right before the 2nd set and prayed.

I would do two of the following three things if I decided to purchase. Use it in the middle of no where: Like a desert in Mexico where there is no wifi or other RF cluttering the spectrum. Buy a $250 wifi router; use that instead of the built in one. Run ethernet to a laptop at FOH and control it via computer, so that there is a backup method to controlling the XR18.

It is increasingly becoming necessary for sound engineers to have basic IT skills.
-J

Mixer is great - no spurious noise, all features work as advertised including the built-in effects. But the Wifi... Don't get me wrong, even if it didn't have Wifi at all, this is a great mixer and can't be beat at this price. But trust me - get an external router if you aren't connecting direct to the Ethernet.

One thing not mentioned anywhere I've seen, but stressed by both Sweetwater and Behringer - use a dedicated router. Trying to connect to an internet router will just give you hives. If you stick with the built in Wifi, you'll want to consider replacing the Wifi antenna - its a bit wimpy, both signal-wise and physically. Mine broke just lifting it from the clip, only 2 weeks old, and a larger third-party antenna will help the signal a little, too. Pay Attention to the Gender of the antenna connector.

There is one glaring issue with this unit: extremely poor Wi-Fi. I played my first gig with it with no issues. Then the second gig: a disaster. The stage was in the middle of an outdoor mall. With many other Wi-Fi networks in the area, the XR18 was suddenly rendered completely useless. My iPad was sitting all of 2 FEET from the mixer and still unable to connect. When it did connect, it could only maintain the connection for a second or 2 before losing it again.

I will try the firmware update and perhaps you should as well. (1.11 is the most recent at the time of this review - firmware updates can be updated from Behringer's product page, downloads tab, scroll down to firmware). I will also try changing the Wi-Fi channel.

But I'm NOT optimistic that either of these will fix the connectivity issues that are FULLY PREVENTING me from using this mixer for my most frequent gig! What a disappointment to have to tear down and rewire our complete setup just prior to a show. This only needs to happen once before you, like myself, strongly consider returning this unit.

What a shame, because Wi-Fi issues aside, this little unit is the future incarnate. So small. So lightweight. Every musician gets a tightly controlled sub-mix tailored to their every whim. Roll the shrill highs off for the in-ear monitors. Boost the soloist while he's jamming. See your FOH mix visually and respond in real-time from the stage. It's just ridiculously great.

I will give the unit one more shot after firmware upgrade before returning it in abject defeat.

Received the X Air last month, but since I was on the road, did not get a chance to set it up until two weeks ago.
It was purchased primarily for our Praise & Worship team outreach events, (which could be anything from a gym, to a parking lot, to an open field). The unit worked well once the WiFi connectivity issue was solved.
I originally set it up inside our sanctuary along with the sound system it would be used with. The WiFi signal kept dropping off, and while the last setting would keep everything running, nothing could be changed until the signal was re-established, not a good thing. I found out that there were at least 8 to 10 other networks in the area that my iPad was picking up. After some research, I purchased a Netgear R6250 dual band router. I took the whole system out to the parking lot, and set it up. Problem solved. I went all over the parking lot, and not a single interruption. Some folks hard wire it to their laptops, but that defeats the mobility that I wanted.
Overall, it is an awesome unit, and I would have given it a 5.0 but for the internal router.
Evan at Sweetwater, made sure the order arrived and followed up later on. I have been a customer since 2006 and the service at Sweetwater has always been exceptional.

I love the gear and I needed help the last 2 weekends but no one was available. I was told that there was technical help 24 hours a day 7 days a week. That is the only concern I had. But my guy will be calling sometime this week at some your hours that you are open.

Love the concept! The built-in wi-fi world like a champ in the rehearsal studio for four weeks.

Then last night happened.... first time out on a gig....worked great up through sound check, then...... it just quit working!
I had an iphone, an ipad, an android tablet, an android smart phone (Note III) and a wi-fi device on my gig computer (PC). NONE of them would work with the X-Air 18 wi-fi. The android tablet, which was the device I was anticipating using to mix with kept telling me i had a problem with the firmware. All of the devices could see the X air 18 wi-fi signal, but none could connect.
Luckily I try to cover every eventuality. I just happened to bring an ethernet cable with me and it worked hard wired to the PC.
The other odd thing that happened was, the routing on all of the Aux busses changed when I got to the gig.
C'mon Behringer! Let's get this fixed quick! We have gambled on you guys putting out something that works as its supposed to! When are the fixes coming in?
Not-So-Thrilled Customer

Beware the Latest version of IOS 16 for my iPad Pro crashes the app and makes the remote control useless for iOS 16 users. The IOS app has not been updated in a long time. The MAC app works fine even with Ventura. Very frustrating and I am surprised there seems to be no movement from Behringer to fix this. I have gig on Sunday, I will have to take a laptop for this gig to control this mixer. Makes me rethink my headless mixer strategy for the future .

There should be a disclaimer in the product description informing a potential buyer that will need to buy an external, dedicated router or be prepared to hard wire the XR to a computer or tablet. This is basically required. In addition to providing good direction on how to minimize outside interference, Behringer's "How to" videos basically say to have the unit hard wired as a back up to the wireless system. I don't recall reading that in the product description and that disclosure would have been appropriate. I had envisioned simply replacing my "mixer" with my iPad, (also note you can't use an old iPad, it has to be running the current IOS) I had to buy and set up a router. Now if you dig a little on user boards you will readily come across statements like "the internal router in this unit is junk". I don't feel qualified to make such a harsh statement, but I can say I was disappointed the first few times I used the unit at a larger venue I had a hard time making adjustments to the internal router setting because the connection to my iPad was repeatedly getting interrupted. One other issue is the inability to route reverb through the Ultranet connection to the PM16 monitor system. It maybe possible, but I have yet to find any information on that.

I bought this because I've had seen it in action with my band and I loved the fact that each person have a personal way of mixing the sound on their own in ear monitor. Going wireless is pretty much the reason why I went and got this. I also have a presonus ar16 and love it but it doesn't have the wireless capability. I bought an X Touch to use with this for home studio recording as well. So now for the bad part.. everything works IF I use the ethernet or access point mode. Once I switch to wireless client, my pc cannot detect it! I've done hours of research and trials and nothing seems to work! The only way I can make it work was to use a network switch which defeats the purpose of going wireless! Sweetwater tech support is sending a replacement hoping that its it's a hardware issue.
Overall, if this works wirelessly like I've seen on multiple videos from behringer, I'd give it a 5 star rating. If not, I'm returning this product.

dont know how to really work the whole unit yet will try again and if cant figure it out I'll sell but I really want to know how to use this device because it's the future

We do about 150 nights a year and we're always looking for ways to reduce the size and weight of our rigs. One of the biggest reasons we went from an X32 Rack to the XR18 was so we wouldn't have to carry around a separate router... but you ABSOLUTELY NEED another external router, because the internal router is AWFUL. Also kind of disappointed Behringer couldn't use the same iPad/iPhone software and apps as the X32, and there's been a definite learning curve for the less tech savvy of us. GREAT concepts and it works pretty well with our P16M set up, but Behringer sure needs to get this router thing worked out if they want to try and sell it as an all in one unit.

This mixer does everything as advertised but it has a horrible flaw. The WiFi. We have had WiFi problems at every of the six gigs we have used it. Of course it works great at practice and we can get it all dialed in and save the settings but the WiFi goes down at least for 5 to100% of the time you are using the mixer. We often have to reboot the tablet or the mixer. We were lucky to have a laptop and wired it in when the tablet would not connect. We downloaded the new mixer software which reduced the issues but did not eliminate them. They should have a master volume on the front of the unit to get to quickly. I'm sure the new software update will fix this but as of now I still take a back up mixer to every gig.

After using the X32 and LS-9 in a professional environment for some time I decided to get the XR18 for my side gigs. Right away I noticed some things that were missing, such as scene memory and an instruction manual. The built-it WiFi is crap, more drop-outs and false readings than I could count. Using an external router was not much better. The ipad app needs much improvement, but I suppose this will be addressed soon and maybe that along with a firmware update can fix these issues.
I really wanted this to be good, but as of now I don't recommend it. Overall it sounds great, but with these issues i just think Behringer needs to refine the product before it's released for use.
My advice: Wait for version 2 or 3.

We bought this unit to run our in-ear monitor mixes when we perform live. We carry a splitter with us, and take one end of the split to this unit, the other goes to front of house. We were excited about the built-in wifi because we didn't want to lug around an external router (we already carry around enough gear as it is...). We also were excited that every band member would be able to tweak their in-ear mix with their phone or tablet.
During rehearsals and soundchecks, everything worked fine. We wirelessly connected it to a Mac laptop and to an Android phone, and both were able to connect to the wifi network and adjust the mixes. BUT, when we hit the stage and there were people in the audience, no connection! This happened multiple times. Mind you, the unit is in the middle of the stage with us, so distance was not an issue. We tried re-connecting, we made our network password-protected, but once the crowd showed up, our devices could not connect to the unit, so we were unable to adjust our mixes during the performance. Luckily, they were pretty close to what we needed, so it wasn't a disaster, but it easily could have been.
We finally buckled and bought an external router, and now everything works fine. But we shouldn't have had to do that! Why wouldn't they put a stronger wifi router in the unit, when it is made to be used on stage, with an audience?!?! Obviously there is going to be interference from the audience and their cell phones, they should have thought of that!
Also, no iPhone app???? Seriously? Two of our band members use iPhones and they can't tweak their mixes. Lame.
All that being said, now that the unit is up and running, it does the job. Nice and lightweight (only 7 pounds!), which helps because we fly to a lot of shows. We'll see how it holds up in the long run.

I'm a ministry leader of a small local church and we have used this device for the last 5+ years. It is great in that it is 100% digitally controlled; you need a tablet or computer to manage it. So, we keep it (locked) underneath or stage with all of the applicable connections.

It also works via USB to connect to our live stream.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that despite the fact that the mixer is solely based on a tablet to control it, the app is not regularly updated and when the latest iOS (16) was released, the app stopped working entirely. My church was not able to use it via app for an entire service. It was at that point that I noticed the iOS app hadn't been updated in multiple years and that the Android app also hasn't been updated since 2017 (!). To date, they have thankfully updated the iOS app but my church uses a Samsung Tablet and that STILL (as of 6/28/2023) hasn't been updated. Thankfully there is an independent app maker who created an alternate system.

It floors me that Behringer continues to sell this and not update their iOS platform for months after an upgrade and not update their Android platform for over half a decade.

This leads me to believe that Behringer doesn't really care about this digital mixer.

If you had asked me how I felt about this in January 2023, I would've given it 4.5 stars (due to the buggy nature), but I have been forced to get another system because Behringer won't continue to manage their app! So, 2 stars is my review.

Buyer Beware!

Great unit but the company doesn't back it up. Their software on the unit no longer works with iPad so you have to use Mixing Station instead which isn't as good. There's no response from the company even after all the complaints online. When it was working, it was great but now it's like a doorstop. It was good before the latest iOS update, but after that it, just blinks out when you try to adjust any of the parameters. Don't buy until you hear that the issue was fixed.

This thing is pretty amazing for it's size. It replaces a huge amount of legacy rack gear and sounds pretty good doing it. We have two major issues however. The wireless card is pretty much useless except maybe in an emergency. You either have to use another router or hardwire to the mixer. The other big issue is the iOS software. They update it only when it has been broken by an update and even then it takes them months. God help you if your iPad auto updates on a major update because it will basically brick your mixer unless you happen to have a computer with you. It's completely ridiculous how long it takes them to upgrade their app. iPad OS 16 was released over 7 weeks ago as of this review and still no update. If you bet a new iPad and this mixer you literally cannot use them together.

I'm prefacing this review by saying the XR-18 itself is fine. But the product is only as good as the tablet software that controls it. I have a separate modem/router with Ethernet cable that sends the signal to my tablet. That's where the problem starts. I'm not the most cyber savvy musician but not completely ignorant either. But the controls and operation on this XAir mixer is terrible! I dread using it every practice. I can't operate the controls with any accuracy and I just don't understand how to tweak to control vocals and the set up is way beyond any abilities I have. So in a nutshell unless you have a degree in this stuff I wouldn't bother.

I'm really not sure why all the positive reviews are on here. People need to know: The theory of this device is fine. The actual execution is nightmarish and will leave your blood running cold in the middle of a show, right when you need to feel confident. IF you could solve this awful Connection Problem in some clear way that would be one thing, but you will spend hours on forums and even more in trying to get well-meaning people to help you. In the end, the iPad that you try to use to solve the problem is not accepted as a portal to solve the problem--you will be fenced out. Sweetwater is amazing with their customer support and sales--nobody is better, but this unit is only a Beta product being tested on the community. This thing is not pro gear--actually it's an ethical question whether this should be considered gear at all, since even amateurs need consistent sound through the space of a single show.

I have to say, my experience with this product is not the same as the others here. I'm sorry but it's just not pro gear. Preamps are advertised as Midas but, no. We own an actual pre-Behringer midas. Not even close. The app is really not intuitive and the first time you experience wifi dropouts your blood will run cold. Returned it thanks to Sweetwater's generous return policy and bought something that had a screen built-in, professional mic pre's and an app that works like a mixer should work (and also is the same as what's on/in the mixer). Not shilling here but check out brand Q. Save up your money and get something better. Life's too short.

This did not live up to all of the hype for me. Setup time was no better than with a standard mixing board, in fact it really takes longer since you need to bring a tablet in addition to the mixer and spend time getting it to synch with WIFI and dealing with connectivity issues. The sound quality is overly bright and thin and can't compare to the warmth and body I get from my Allen and Heath, Soundcraft, or Studiomaster boards. The interface or ap worked well at home on a full sized PC, but the tablet and phone versions are too small and incomplete for live use. This might be a good option for a singer songwriter or a two piece acoustic jam, but I would never mix a full band with one of these even if they had enough channels.

Got into buying the xr18 after looking in to few Behringer ads.
The unit is very good for the money, reasonably robust and has most of what every 5 member band can wish for so 10 of 10 here
BUT
The apps for the pc and Mac v1.2 xair do suck in design and functionality, fidly to resize, utilities are stuck as part of the main screen, the pc and the Mac versions, both do crash, well not often but is a pain.
For a xr18 uni, that has only software control and no way to do it, like on xr32 with faders and knobs, priced on 1/3 of the price of the x32, having steel strong software is everything!
So over all rating NO GOOD
Wait to see if a new software is released then you can buy one :)

I had much bigger expectations for this long awaited mixer. First off, you get no real manual that tells you what all the nuances of the XR 18 do. Such as copying and pasting channel layouts how store the whole mixer layout, what the difference of PEQ and VEQ really are, what all the parameters are in the effects section. You just have to go in blindly and try to figure it out and you might be wasting your time trying to do something that it doesn't do. Also, no where did they say that the android and the iPad had two different layouts and application features. You do not get the RTA analyzer with the iPad or the much better looking equalizer layout that you see with the android, both selling points that really wanted me to acquire this mixer. The latency that you get with the iPad is no where near even close to where I think I could actually use this mixer in a live setting so in that point, it renders this useless, luckily I didn't get rid of my analog mixer. I don't understand how a company can manufacture something like this and not have the ability to tell the consumer how to use it. If you want to get it because your sold on all the bells and whistles that you've seen just realize that you'll have to spend the time to figure it out and that you may have wasted your time if you are looking at a feature that your iPad or android might not even do.

There is know 100 band RTA. There is no
iPhone remote access. No x32 effects rack, just 2 reverb 1 delay 1 chorus. sweet water says behringer will fix it with and app. update. they better hurry, or I'm calling my attorney.

Got it Thursday and gigged with it Thursday night. It sounded noticeably better than our old mixer but the complete lack of a mac app and the "demo" iPad app severely limit the usefulness for us. Sweetwater was great to deal with as always.

It's great when it works. When it's not, you're more than ordinarily out of luck.

We have intermittent connectivity issues using a dedicated Wi-Fi router: that should be failsafe, but it isn't. It just failed me in a crisis. I was trying to connect to stop a feedback problem, and I kept getting "Connection Lost" errors.

NOT happy about the connectivity options. I'm never using wireless again.

The idea is great, and the convenience of this mixer is superb. The workflow is pretty simple to pick up, although one or two things might make it easier. So, I was really happy with this mixer as I was teching for my wife's band. Then, in the middle of the concert tonight, it dropped the wireless signal. We had to run 2.5 songs with no control over the mix (thankfully, the unit keeps the last settings, but that also meant the backup mics weren't on as they weren't being used for the particular song when the link was lost).

So, how did I mix the last songs of the set? I literally stood in front of the band and pointed to a member, then pointed up or down and they adjusted their instruments on stage. Thanks Behringer. That was a great moment!

Between sets, we reset the mixer and it came up, linked, then died. The same thing happened again. We almost had to cancel the second set. Instead, I found a Cat 5 cable, plugged it in, and mixed from BEHIND the stage, running out to the front to see if my mix was anywhere close. Hey! At least I got good exercise, so thanks for that, Behringer!

Until they can fix this issue, I'd stay away from this board.

i decided to buy one in June 2015 and used 2 times for 2 gigs with the band in June and July.
In September for another live he was completely dead.
Power on led working but no audio, no wifi, no ethernet, nothing.
Back for service in guarantee they decided to give me another one but i don't know how long he will be ok and the trust on the unit is very low now also because they didn't tell me why, what's the problem ?
How can i be sure he will work during a live concert or stop again without pre-advice ?
It is not a connection problem for sure, this is the mainboard. Nothing is perfect but.........not so fast.

Set unit up at home with my band. Worked great! Had all the settings I needed saved and ready for our first gig with the XR18. The first gig, the wifi lost connection and I couldn't get it back----5 minutes before the gig started! Had to use my old Yamaha board to get through the 3 hour gig in front of about 5000 people at an outdoor concert. The unit is great but Behringer needs to put a better wifi router in the box! I'll be ordering an external router today. From what I've read from other users, you can't trust the built in router! IMHO Behringer could have done without their router!

Just Purchased unit. Did a show Easter weekend that was a disaster! Unit dropped connectivity all night long; once dropped no control over mix without restarting unit. (During show!!!) Moved tablet (I Pad beside unit and still dropped signal all of the time! Downloaded most recent upgrade which did not help lost signal at all. Unit will maintain connectivity (until audience comes in) at about 35 to 40 feet from mix; anything after that is useless. Signal will maintain ok until audience comes in and then it goes crazy dropping connectivity. Unless a fix is found it is going back to Behringer! Love the concept if it would only work correctly!

This is the second unit that I have purchased that has had Network Issues. The Password Protection does not work & leaves the Network Open; which is dangerous & can lead to hacking and someone in your audience messing with your mix. The Remote Access also did not accept and recognize an external Router (tried with multiple routers).

The XAir Application is flagged as "Not Compatible with IOS" and that leaves all MacBook systems wondering why their mixing application is not supported for such common musical hardware.

The new defective unit is currently within Sweetwater's RMA Repair & I'm awaiting a response & resolution from that department.

DO NOT PURCHASE: Make the larger investment & purchase a Allen & Heath CQ-20B

Apparently there is no app to run this mixer at this time. An update to the X Air app was supposed to be out months ago. Everyone is still waiting, its now June 2023). I had to return it and get another brand. Behringer should have been on this long ago!

It worked until iOS 16. Now it's a boat anchor.
So I bought an Android tablet. But Behringer pulled the Android app off the market.
So I bought an older iPad (iOS 12). But Behringer pulled the iOS app off the market.
Sweetwater recommended I use my Mac. But there is no app for the Mac.
Behringer's CEO has titled himself CSO for "Customer Service Obsessor." But Behringer refuses to talk to their customers about this travesty.

Wish I had gone with the Mackie.

The provided app does not even function properly. I would return the unit but I had it to long before I had a show. The after market app is very confusing amd the interface sucks. Save your money, time and aggrevation and pass this on by

I've had an X Air18 for several years now. Up until the last ios update for Ipad, I thought that it's a great compact mixer. Unfortunately, Behringer hasn't updated the app in several years which makes it unusable with the current ios version so the mixer is now useless. This is the same for the Midas versions of the X Air line. I've checked the forums for this machine & there's nothing but complaints (since 10/22) regarding the software issue. Sweetwater should drop the line until this problem is resolved since they're basically selling useless equipment.

Bought this because of the reviews and promise that it would work. Did a dry run at the house, and everything worked as it should. Took it to the show the next night, and it wouldn't connect. Did the hard reset on it….still wouldn't hold connection with the computer literally right next to it. Good thing we brought a backup mixer, because this thing was rendered useless. Will be returning for a refund. 10/10 would NOT RECOMMEND!

My band bought this as a way to simplify our stage setup 2 years ago. We don't have the resources to get a sound guy for every show and don't want to run a ton of cables into the house.
From the get-go, we started having slight problems. Channels would occasionally be unresponsive but this did't pose major issues. We never used every single channel so having 1-2 be unresponsive randomly wasn't a big deal.
Last summer, 10 minutes before a gig, it disconnected from our tablet and would not connect to any device for control- saying "firmware not compatible". After resetting the thing a few times, we finally got it to connect long enough to unmute all the channels before it would disconnect again. We did the show with no sound control. Afterward, I tested it and there were no problems. For 6 months, with occasional use for recording, there were no issues. However, at our first gig of the year, I power it on- "Firmware not compatible". After numerous factory resets, no luck and we had to send someone an hour away to get an emergency board.
I would not recommend the X-Air to anyone under any circumstance. When it does connect, this thing is great but it is not dependable enough to rely on. Those cons massively out-weigh any pros.

Great unit until...... I found out the hard way that when the room fills up (with cell phones ) the unit wifi point is completely unreliable and you need to connect a router to avoid this huge oversite on the part of Behringer.

This is a great idea, but my experience has been very negative. After several weeks of rehearsals with no problems, we used it at a live gig. Sound check went fine, then when the room was full (about 300 people) the same iPad Pro we had used all throughout rehearsal and sound check would not connect. Embarrassingly, we asked everyone in the audience to turn off their wifi and make sure they weren't on the Behringer wifi. Still no luck. Rebooted mixer, rebooted iPad. Nothing would work. Finally (after keeping everyone waiting for about 20+ minutes, we gave up and used the venue's gear (which like a four channel mixer). Total disaster. Audience was kind enough, but I lost all faith in this thing.

Since that time, we've mostly used it at rehearsals (and even in rehearsals it frequently won't re-connect to iPad if iPad goes to sleep). Wish I had bought something with faders. What a huge mistake.

The latency between iPad and the mixer is also an issue... you pull a fader up and down, and two or three seconds later the mixer responds. Two or three seconds doesn't sound like a big deal, but anyone mixing live sound knows you don't want your fader/eq/effects to wait two seconds to do what you tell it.

If you're not going to be using this in a context where there's an audience, then go for it. If want something to use in settings involving people waiting to hear a performance, don't roll the dice on this thing.

Worked fine in rehearsal. When the audience came with their many cell phones, it would not connect to any wireless device. In my book, that's a HUGE oversight. Contacted Behrninger. They said, "ya we know that's an issue. If you bought a nice router, that might fix the issue." That's a lame response. (Our product doesn't work, we know it, maybe try a third party solution.)

I have owned my X18 AIR for almost a month, and bought it with the hopes of migrating the band I play bass for off their big, old, heavy analog gear and bringing them into the 21st Century. The guitarist still insists on using a tried and true PA from the late 70's/early 80's that is beyond antiquated - but works flawlessly. Needless to say - our backs just cant handle the weight.

On paper this unit sounds like a godsend considering the price, weight reduction, and how many pieces of gear it replaces. I received my unit and the construction/build quality was very nice - better than most Behringer products. The X18 AIR ap was very user friendly, and after watching a few Youtube Videos I felt that I had a good solid understanding of the ap itself.

Putting the unit into use was another story. During both practices and gigs, we have encountered major problems with feedback on the X18. I have ran other analog systems and have never had to notch out more than one or two frequencies in the mains or monitors to kill feedback - and I do know how to configure a PA (Mic placement, cab placement, input gain, etc...) With the X18, we have to kill anywhere from 7-15 frequencies in the mains, and 6-8 in the monitors just to keep the system from squealing. Doing this obviously makes the system sound terrible.

Another big disappointment tis the channel EQ section. There is no option for a "simple" rotary or vintage style EQ. You only have a parametric EQ available, which the center frequency can get "bumped" side to side when you are trying to make quick adjustments on the fly in the heat of a gig. There is nothing to "lock" the frequency in place.

I have called Behringer's support lines, watched numerous demo videos, and consulted online forums, etc... and still cannot use the X18 in a gig situation without embarrassing results. It's unfortunate, because the idea behind the unit and the possible benefits sound remarkable. However, implementing the unit just has not worked well for us, and unfortunately we will probably have to go back to using our dinosaur mixing consoles and effects racks.

(sighs), so disappointed as I write this. I have a PC, Smart phone android), iPad, and each of them have serious connectivity issues. It is 3 am as I write this, and I have been trying to get it to work correctly since about 10 pm. At one point, the monitors started getting really loud feedback, as it was loud, and I went to lower the volume, and the d*&@ app froze on me! It was so loud and I had to run to the speakers and literally pull the cords out so it would stop making noise. You know that feeling when you really get disappointed, and just want to walk away? Well, I am going to return this paperweight and get an analog mixer. The idea is great, but the execution is horrible. Oh yeah, one more thing. The iPad, Android, and PC apps are all so vastly different. I don't get it. I had to relearn the app for each device. The effects are great, the mic preamps sound nice, but it is just not worth it when you factor the reliability issues. I will never, ever buy another Behringer product gain, that's how disappointed I am.

Yes this mixer sounds good and when operating as expected does a lot for the money. If you expect, as I did, to use your iPad or Android as a wireless control surface, think again. I'd had several gigs go just fine but in urban environments with lots of wifi traffic, the thing loses connection and becomes nearly useless. This is true even when following wifi 'best practices' as outlined by Behringer.
Behringer forum keeps saying you need to buy an external router or other such suggestions which may help. However, it does mean that the box, as it comes, falls down on the job. If you're ok doing a wired connection to the thing, then it's a decent mixer but so are several others.

So, we are out at a gig and setting up our brand new iPad about 22 feet away from the mixer. Then - just as I am showing off our cool new appliance it looses connection. When I set the iPad back on top of the mixer it finally reestablished connectivity. Not cool. and this happened 3 other times during the course of a 3 hour event.

- The mic pre's do sound exceptionaly good.
- The concept if brilliant - (we can get rid of our snake and our outboard gear)
- The channel strip numbering is too small
- The documentation: You can't really call what comes in the box proper documentation. Using the online wiki is frustrating guys - each time you click on a subject it looses your place in the menu structure and pops up to the top of the list. Not so bad if you are using the X32 which happens to be at the top of the list. But the Xair18 is down at the bottom. Come on guys - think about it. And you know - I might like to download a PDF of a real manual so I can have it handy on site.
- The on off icon status indicater is not obvious. I am thinking maybe using red and green and what about "On" "Off" (?) rather than reversing the highlight - which is subtle and pretty much ambiguous.

Any ideas on a 2-channel wireless system to use with Headphones?

I would change my rating to a 5 star if not for the network connectivity issue we experienced. If that never happens again I will change my rating. Fair enough?

This thing is a piece of junk. Has the possibility to be a very cool device someday but right now Behringer should have completed their development of the product before releasing it. The network connectivity whether using WiFi or Ethernet is spotty at best. Certain portions of the last scene are lost from memory each time the unit is turned off. The software, whether you're using the iOS, Android or PC app is buggy across the board (I've tried all three). The iOS and Android apps can only control subsets of the configuration, the Android app is the only one with presets for Dynamics and EQ. Product documentation, even on the website is non-existent.

After a lot of success with the X32, I thought this would be a cool option for smaller gigs. Well it isn't going out any any gig with me anytime soon if ever. Nothing about this "mixer" is reliable enough to use in a live audio situation. Between memory loss and network connectivity issues alone, I just can't trust it. Too bad, after the X32, I thought Behringer had turned the corner and was back to making quality products. Obviously I was wrong.

The only question now is do I return this to Sweetwater or wait for Behring to release software and firmware that actually functions reliably. Haven't decided yet.