on test
RCF M18
Digital Mixer With Amp Modelling
With its built-in Overloud guitar and bass
processing, could this iPad-controlled mixer do
away with the need for backline altogether?
Paul White
S
mall-scale digital mixers offering
remote tablet control are
understandably very attractive to
bands playing in smaller venues, as they do
away with heavy multicore cables and racks
of outboard processing, and may allow more
sources to be plugged directly into the PA
system because of their comprehensive
internal processing. And RCF certainly seem
to have performer control in mind with their
new M18, although there’s no reason not to
mix with it from out front if you work with
a sound engineer.
Despite its small footprint, the 20-input
(18 analogue plus stereo digital via USB)
RCF M18 is surprisingly comprehensive,
as it includes not only the expected EQ
and dynamics processing on relevant
channels, but also two channels of rather
sophisticated guitar/bass-amp modelling
96 June 2016 / w w w . s o u n d o n s o u n d . c o m
courtesy of Overloud, plus further
configurable insert effects, more of which
later. Three send-effect engines provide
a range of effects from the more obvious
reverb and delay to modulation. The M18
can also record and play back stereo mixes
to or from an external USB storage device,
which is useful for those who use backing
tracks.
The M18 is controlled via the MixRemote
app for iOS, which I’m pleased to say is
largely intuitive, to the point that you can
probably figure out how to drive all the
key functions without even looking at
the manual; the full version of it is a free
download. Remote control of all the mic/
line preamp gains and of the first two
line-input gains means there’s nothing to
adjust on the mixer itself, and gain settings
are stored within Snapshot memories.
There are no physical controls at all on the
mixer, so control relies entirely on the iPad
(at the time
of writing
only iOS
tablets are
supported).
Everything is built into a compact but
rugged plastic case, and all the connections
are on the rear panel. Though there are
apparently two internal Wi-Fi antennae, an
external one is provided, which screws into
place on the rear panel to ensure optimal
coverage. No additional router is required.
The Wi-Fi supports dual-band operation at
2.4 or 5.0 GHz. A light on the front panel
shows the unit is active, with various flashing
modes indicating the stages of start-up
before the lamp lights solidly.
Making Connections
The mixer’s first eight channels have mic/line
inputs on XLRs (the first two on combi XLR/
jack connectors), and the next 10 line-only
inputs on TRS jacks. Two of the line inputs
(9/10) have a switchable High Z mode for
instrument use, and these are the ones that
can access the amp models. Augmenting
the main stereo balanced XLR outputs are
six balanced TRS jack outputs, which would
normally be used to feed stage monitors (all
sends have their own parametric EQ). The
source for the TRS outputs can be selected
between aux sends, main mix or phones; the
mains/phones routing sends the left output
to the odd-numbered TRS in a pair, and the
right output to the even.
If you don’t want the headphone output
to simply follow the main stereo mix, it can
be set to PFL mode, where soloed
sources are summed and sent to the
phones output via the EQ and phones
fader. In PFL mode, the PFL level
is shown on the main meters as on
a typical analogue mixer. Alternatively,
a Personal Mix mode provides
a separate headphone mix of all inputs,
including the two-channel USB player
and, if required, this can also be sent
to a pair of aux outputs.
There’s also MIDI
in and out on standard
five-pin DIN connectors.
This is used for controlling
a number of key functions
(that can be set up in the
MIDI settings page). There’s
also provision to connect
an optional dual footswitch,

this being configurable so you can use it, for
example, to move through presets, control
backing tracks played from a USB stick,
or bypass the effects. A LAN port is also
included, and this allows a remote external
router to be connected if required. Mains
comes in on an IEC connector so there’s no
external PSU to worry about.
Once the MixRemote app is installed,
it is only necessary to set the tablet’s
Wi-Fi to access the M18 and then tap
Connect. A password can be set to prevent
rival bands sabotaging your mix! Mixer
Snapshots and Shows (comprising multiple
Snapshots) can be saved and recalled, as
can effects setups, the latter storing all the
parameters of a multi-effect chain, including
the order in which the effects are used.
These effects patches may be recalled
independently from other mixer parameters.
Going All GUI
The iOS app’s GUI is nicely muted to
offer good visibility in a typical venue,
and the fader caps are colour-coded
according to function, but what is lacking
on many remote apps, this one included,
is a high-visibility daylight mode with more
brightness and contrast. If SatNavs can
do it I’m sure app designers can come up
with something similar. As things stand,
mixing outdoor gigs using an iPad is quite
a challenge, even in UK weather.
That point out of the way, the app layout
is pretty straightforward. A row of buttons
along the top of the screen lets you select
various views for control and settings.
Included here is a global metering page that
shows all the input, output and effects levels
in a single view.
The first view is Faders, which is where
you’d expect to be most of the time when
mixing, and you can scroll along the mixer
to view eight faders plus the master fader
at any one time. Included in the main Fader
view are aux returns for the three built-in
stereo effects engines, and one input for
USB stereo playback, which can be from
WAV files at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 16- or 24-bit.
MP3s are also supported, and the default
stereo linking can be disabled if you want
to use mono backing tracks with a click in
the second channel. Buttons to the left of
the screen switch the view from the channel
faders to the aux or effects-send faders.
A cog-shaped Edit button at the top
of each channel (other than on the effect
returns), just above the pan and mute
buttons, provides access to a four-band
EQ which can be selected from three
types: Standard (interactive curve display),
Vintage (knobs and an analogue flavour), or
Smooth (gain knobs but with a more subtle
character). In all cases the outer bands are
shelving, with variable gain and frequency,
while the two inner bands are for the mids.
In the Standard and Smooth versions these
are fully parametric, whereas in Vintage
there are just two switchable bandwidth
options. Smooth also offers three switchable
levels of Smoothness, and if you change EQ
types, the settings are retained. Those who
find fully parametric EQs too daunting can
switch from Advanced view to a simplified
view with a more streamlined control set.
RCF M18 £714
pros
• Straightforward GUI with excellent
graphics.
• Wi-Fi built in.
• Strong audio performance with very
capable effects that include guitar and bass
amp modelling.
• Remote preamp gain control on all
mic inputs and the two amp modelling
channels.
• Effects can be bypassed via footswitch.
cons
• Tablet control for iPads only at the time
of writing.
• No global effects bypass in the app.
• No gain-reduction metering on
compressors or gates.
• No delay tap tempo.
summary
A flexible and very practical self-op mixer
for anyone who wants to DI as much as
possible and to control their show from
an iPad.
w w w . s o u n d o n s o u n d . c o m / June 2016
The M18 features eight mic
preamps, which can accommodate
mic or line-level signals and have
remote-controllable preamps.
The remaining inputs comprise
eight further line-level jack
sockets (including two with
high-impedance instrument
switching), and a stereo USB
playback input.
Tapping a tab at the left of the screen
switches from EQ mode to a page showing
the preamp settings, gate and compressor,
in the form of a plug-in rack simulating
what you might expect to see in hardware.
Again there’s a simple mode that reduces
the control set of the compressor to a single
‘more or less’ knob.
The preamp section can be switched
from -10dBV to +4dBu input sensitivity
on channels 12 upwards, with continuous
control over the gain on the first 10
channels. The input stage includes polarity
invert plus a variable low-cut filter. Phantom
power is applied in the global Settings
menu, where it can be activated in two
groups of four. A further Select button
shows the three effects-send faders for the
currently selected channel, as well as the
six aux-send faders relating to the selected
channel. A Back button takes you straight
back to the Faders view. A headphone ‘Solo’
button is visible below the channel fader
only if the phones mode is set to PFL in
the global settings page, and this solos the
track, pre-fader, to the phones output.
Note that unlike some digital mixers that
offer graphic EQs on all outputs, this one
has the same four-band EQ as the channels
for each of the auxes and a stereo 31-band
graphic EQ only for the main output. When
recording the stereo output (via the Play/
Rec screen tab), the feed is taken before the
graphic EQ. The Rec/Play page also displays
backing tracks as a list, with transport
buttons, elapsed time and a progress
bar below.
Effects
The M18 digital mixer can power up to 19
simultaneous effects, but a slightly unusual
feature is the ability to use four multi-effect
setups in a channel insert configuration.
MFX1 and MFX2 can be selected in the
Effects page to be in either channels 5/6
or 7/8, whereas MFX3 and MFX4 (which
include amp modelling) are always assigned
to channels 9/10. These input channels can
also be paired for stereo use in the Settings
page. Specialised insert effects are available
97
 on test
RCF M18

amp-modelling plug-in, and cover clean,

slightly dirty and overdriven rock tones.

The on-board Overloud amp modelling offers extensive amp, cabinet and mic-positioning options.
to the main output, specifically Valve
Warmer, Xciter and Maximizer, the latter of
which appears to be a type of compressor/
limiter with a control to set the maximum
output ceiling.
MFX1 and 2 are presented as
stompbox-style pedals, where a pitch-shifter
is followed by a choice of modulation effects
and a choice of delay types. MFX3 and 4 can
comprise up to five pedals, where the pitch-
shifter is followed by a choice of overdrive/
distortion, one of 11 guitar or bass amp
models, a choice of chorus/flange/tremolo
modulation effect, and a choice of mono,
vintage or ER (short) delay. The default order
of the effects is logical, but they can be
reordered if required.
Of the send effects, FX1 is set up to offer
a choice of reverbs such as halls, rooms or
plates, and FX2 is a delay offering up to 2.5
seconds’ delay time, with filtering in the
feedback path for creating tape-style delays
and more. FX3 is a multi-effect offering
a choice of chorus/flanging, pitch-shifting
and tremolo, though this can also be set up
as a second delay.
Those two amp-modelling channels
deserve a closer look, as they include all
the tools needed to create the kind of
sound you might expect from a dedicated
amp-modelling box or plug-in, complete
with stomp effects. The Hi-Z input mode
matches guitars and basses with passive
pickups, and the amp simulations offer
a choice of Darkface ‘65, Jazz C, Rock
‘64 , Rock 800 Crunch, Rock 900 Lead,
Top 30, Modern, BassMate, BassAmp,
Markbass Little Mark III and Markbass TTE
500. Amps can be teamed with different
speaker cabinet models, mic emulations
and mic placement to cover a lot of tonal
ground. These sound to me pretty much
the same as you’d expect from an Overloud
Performance
Technically the mixer performs very well,
having the expected 20Hz-20kHz frequency
range and employing 24-bit/48kHz
conversion and 32-bit floating-point
internal processing. The input noise figure
is quoted as -128dBu A-weighted, which is
around the same as for a typical analogue
console, and there’s up to 60dB of mic-amp
gain available. The main output can
accommodate levels of up to 21dBu, and
the specified dynamic range of the mixer
is quoted as 114dB. These figures seem
to hold up in practice, as there’s negligible
noise at typical operating levels.
The effects are adequately simple to
adjust, yet they sound good and cover
plenty of ground, with the range of
Overloud guitar amps, cabinets and mic
positions being particularly impressive.
Similarly, the channel gates and compressors
work perfectly well, though they lack any
form of gain reduction metering or even
activity LEDs, which would really make them
much easier to set up. I also missed not
having tap tempo for the delays.
The designers have done their best to
keep the operation as simple as possible
while still allowing a useful degree of
flexibility, such as using an external MIDI
control source to start and stop playback,
adjust fader levels, bypass effects and
suchlike, but there’s no simple way to bypass
The main mix page of the MixRemote app.

Alternatives
The current alternatives at a similar
price point include Mackie’s DL1608,
Behringer’s X18 Air, Phonic’s Acapela and
Soundcraft’s Ui16.

98 June 2016 / w w w . s o u n d o n s o u n d . c o m
The per-channel gain control and dynamic-processing options are
presented as a virtual rack.

all the send effects in one go other than using a footswitch,

and if you are mixing from out front, that means relying on
the performers to do it. As it is, if you want to use the iPad
to control the effect switching, you have to scoot to the end
of the Faders page and then hit the three mute buttons on
the three effects returns, or hit the Effect tab followed by the
three power switches on the three effects.
Other omissions include the lack of ability to create fader
groups or mute groups, and the lack of a physical output
volume knob on the mixer as a safety option in case the iPad
loses contact for any reason and you need to pull the overall
gain down in a hurry. On the whole, though, the mixer is very
well thought out, easy to navigate and it sounds very good. It
is also competitively priced, compact, and needs no additional
Wi-Fi router, so there’s a lot to like and some of the minor
shortcomings could easily be addressed in a future software/
firmware update.

Who Is It For?
With fewer than half of the inputs being mic inputs, RCF seem
to be aiming this mixer at the band who want to plug several
things, such as keyboards and guitars, directly into the PA
along with their vocal mics and perhaps a small number of
drum-kit mics. In that role the lack of fader and mute grouping
really isn’t a deal breaker, and the footswitch provides
a practical method of effects bypass. Backing tracks are also
well catered for, not only by the USB record/play functionality
but also in the various control options provided, and the ability
to split mono backing tracks with clicks. Where more mic
inputs are needed to accommodate a fully miked drum kit, it
would be perfectly practical to plug a small analogue mixer
into two of the line channels and set up the drum-mic balance
on the analogue mixer.
The effects sound good but can still be adjusted with
stomp-box simplicity, and there are enough options to cover
most eventualities, with the guitar-amp modelling channels
being particularly impressive. So, while it’s not perfect, the
M18 represents a very impressive package at an attractive
price point, and it covers
££ £714 including VAT. pretty much all the
TT RCF UK +44 (0)844 745 1234 bases for bands who
EE info@rcfaudio.co.uk
need a small digital
WW www.rcfaudio.co.uk
mixer.  

w w w . s o u n d o n s o u n d . c o m / June 2016 99
Mix with the best!
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The World’s Best Recording Technology Magazine

This article was originally published

in Sound On Sound magazine,
June 2016 edition

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