Teenage Engineering: TX-6 | Full Demo and Review

We expanded our studio with the Teenage Engineering TX-6 field mixer and audio interface. Fitting in the palm of your hand, and with heaps of features, the TX-6 is impressive.
If you don't know Teenage Engineering you've heard or seen them. Their instruments are featured on records by Childish Gambino, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Tame Impala and their toy-like, lego-style designs look fantastic and are often seen across studios around the world. We even built their Modular 400 Synth that comes in a flat pack.
The TX-6 is their latest product that acts primarily as a mixer and audio interface. As usual with Teenage Engineering, there's more than meets the eye. There are 6 stereo inputs, lots of in-built FX, a basic drum machine, synthesizer, compressor, a tuner, and many more assignable functions in the menu - which we found really useful.
Using the TX-6 as a mixer, we plugged into every available input - and a few important adapters - to make the TX-6 the hub of our studio. We plugged in a drum beat from Ableton, a Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator (Street Fighter Edition), a Moog iPhone Animoog Synth, a Sequential Prophet Rev 2 synthesizer, a Teenage Engineering Modular 400 Synth, and a Heritage electric guitar.
Each of the 6 stereo inputs comes with 3 knobs - referred to as pots - and a slider fader. Setting up the top pot as a compressor, the middle pot as send to FX 1 and the bottom pot as a pan, I started playing the sounds from each instrument and tweaked the TX-6 on each.
Starting with the drum beat I gave it a good level and some compression, moving onto the Prophet Rev 2 synth and the Moog iPhone synth I played something in, pressed hold, added some TX-6 FX and panned each of them left and right.
It was at this point that I realised that the size of the TX-6 was not holding me back - I was creating music and not being help back from technology. I was able to easily add compression and FX, pan instruments and set individual volumes all within this tiny package.
Continuing on with the Teenage Engineering Modular 400 - which we made an Engineering the Sound video previously - I added a low drone bass note from it's sine oscillator, then I grabbed the Street Fighter edition Pocket Operator, gave it some reverb and played in some 'Haaaaduuuuckens'.
I finally played some electric guitar - which I tuned earlier on with the TX-6 - added some TX-6 compression and reverb and that completed my 6 instruments all being mixed into the TX-6 and recorded here in the video below.
There's so much more I could have done with the TX-6, for example, my next stop would be using it as an audio interface. However, my issue there would be figuring out how to input a microphone.
Produced by Happy Mag: happymag.tv/
Find out more: bit.ly/3aolQvm
#engineeringthesound #teenageengineering #tx6 #tx-6 #mixer #interface #review #studio #ets #newgear #newrelease #smallaudiointerface #fieldseries

[@HappyMagTV]

Here's our review of the Pocket Operator Modular 400 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmbNgKVrp62knpI

[@sonicultura]

It's part of their field series! :)

[@mondayrecords]

What else is in that field series?

[@sonicultura]

@@mondayrecords OP-1 field… :)

[@DarkTrapStudio]

CM15 - TP 7 - TX6 = sound card mixer, microphone with integrated battery preamp, portable turntable recorder. Same formats for the 3 making it the ultimate high end portable recording/mixing set up

[@MrMooseMusic]

Thank you for the very informative presentation of the device. One question about the main out, is it possible to connect it to studio (active) monitors directly? If yes, how?

[@bvrbvs]

Was the guitar and syths directly connected to TX6 , iguess some type of 1/4 inch to mini jack?

[@mondayrecords]

Can you use it as an audio interface and a mixer at the same time?

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Bought one after they updated firmware to include audio recording to usb drive making it a game changer portable all in one mixer, recorder, audio interface and synth box. Perfect for using with small laptop and synth to record and perform without power. Love my OP-1, POs and OB-4 so this will be great addition to glue them together.

[@ChrisTopheRaz]

So if I wanted to replace my current set up using an apogee duet into my iPad Pro with garage band, (I push into logic for mix afterwards), would this mixer be a worthy replacement? How many preamps? Are the A/D converters any good? Can I plug my Arturia midi board into it ?

[@bondi5000]

I just swapped it out for my Audient ID44 and it sounds as good as that. Crazy.

[@drojasmusic]

Were you running the guitar through an amp? Or just plugged it in directly?

[@HappyMagTV]

Hey Daniel we actually had it running through a Juno-60 guitar pedal and then straight into the TX6

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

@@HappyMagTV nice! I need to try that with my guitar thru Strymon pedal and TX-6 when it shows up.

[@indrajitrajyaguru375]

can we connect guitar directly in this mixer sir please ??

[@DRE__]

BEST REVIEW YET!!

[@NetvoTV]

I'm still new to audio making, I found the right mics, quite there for monitoring headphones, but I still not sure about what devices to get to record and mix the inputs, is this a do it all and a great starting point device? Can it do what Marc Rebillet do where he create, mix and able to bring in and out those elements live and spontaneously as well? What if you have more than one XLR inputs? But why don't we just have some program can do that on computer since we have keyboard with so many keys, can't we just press them as individual source and method of controls, if yes then how to do that and what software to use, Logic Pro can do it? By the way, the mics I will get are Sennheiser MKE 440 3.5 stereo shotgun mic, MKE 600 XLR/3.5 shotgun mic, Line Audio CM4 XLR pencil condenser mic and a Deity HD-TX recorder, are these good setup if I want to record audios for everyday, travel and KZbin on camcorder/camera, and outdoor elements, instruments and vocals for game and music developments? Anything to add and possible to reduce like make the MKE 440 as mono mic by only point one of the mic to the source and extract the mono track from the stereo 2 channels track source? For thhe videos and photos, I will get Panasonic HC-X1500 and Sony A7RV, if I already using the mic input to record front facing stereo audio, how do I record my behind the camera commentary with these mics I going to get? Do you know is it possible to record external mic and internal mic at same time?

[@HappyMagTV]

I wouldn't say this is for people who are first getting into audio. And it won't be the best device for combining with video. I'd suggest looking into the Zoom gear. Pretty good for audio and will be much more suited if you're doing video and audio on the go.

[@isaiahjusice8072]

Could this be used to save and play backing tracks in a live setting ? Of sonwhat is the memory like ?

[@kisho2679]

does it separate stems?

[@kisho2679]

does it have side-chain?

[@nathanmacgregor1266]

Midi?

[@cristobalv]

what about photo input using it as a dj mixer with a par of technics 1200 turntables ?

[@HappyMagTV]

Did you mean phono input?

[@cristobalv]

Yeah!?

[@HappyMagTV]

@@cristobalv No phono inputs but it can easily be sorted

[@cristobalv]

Please tell how.? that’s the only thing that keeps me away from getting one.

[@davepeacock2950]

@@cristobalv get an external phono preamp

[@moyosoremartins7194]

I love it ..so glad I bought it

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

looking forward to mine as well! Have OP-1, POs and OB-4 so great together powerful portable tools.

[@smalltown2223]

A twaps bell centre.

[@TB-wvvvw]

Using the device as a mixer isn't very interesting as there are plenty of very inexpensive mixers out there. What makes this device interesting and useful is that it is an AUDIO INTERFACE, meaning it can put up to 12 individual channels from external musical instruments on my DAW, not just two channels of them mixed together like a mixer would. Audio Interfaces that can handle so many channels for the DAW are quite expensive. Usually ones that claim to be 18 channels or 16 channels only have half as many actual input jacks (other "input channels" are actually some kind of digital pass through); those with so many actual inputs can commonly cost several thousand dollars.

[@zuu1701]

You realise Teenage Engineering is trolling you guys right? They just released a table for $1,600.... A table!!

[@ehtcom]

It has to be a joke. They retail for AU$1999.00 down under. That's a lot of money for $69.00 mixer.

[@sapainca]

you could engineer something unique looking to fit to meet a narrow demand and sell it for a lot of money. It would be so well engineered it will last decades and hold its value. Or you could just rip off someone else's design, circuit and aesthetic but with much reduced quality. Make it in china in a factory with poor conditions. Sell many units in the knowledge that in 5 years time it will have zero intrinsic value and will probably be faulty. Make your choice.

[@ehtcom]

@@sapainca hate to burst your bubble, but I think you will find a lot of Teenage Engineering products are manufactured in China. Assembled and retail boxed in Sweden. Just like MOOG.

[@sapainca]

@@ehtcom 'The company’s synths aren’t marked “Made in the USA,” but each one is made by hand in its factory using metal sourced from Missouri and wood from Tennessee. In fact, with the exception of a few circuit boards and hard-to-find components, every piece of every Moog synth is sourced from the USA'

[@ehtcom]

@@sapainca whilst their top of the range modular synths are hand made and soldered in the USA, the rest use mass produced circuit boards loaded and soldered in China. Mother 32, Dfam, Grand mother, etc.