Soundcraft Ui16 Digital Mixer

Soundcraft Ui16 Digital Mixer — Wireless Control With Built-In HARMAN Processing

The Soundcraft Ui16 is a 16-channel digital mixer designed to be operated entirely from a tablet, phone, or laptop over its onboard Wi-Fi router. With no physical fader bank on the chassis, the entire mix surface lives on the screen of any connected device, freeing engineers to walk the room while tuning the sound. The Ui16 is the right choice for live performers and small-to-mid venue operators who want the recallability and processing depth of a digital desk without hauling racks of outboard gear.

What Sets the Ui16 Apart in the Remote-Control Mixer Category

Where most compact digital desks rely on a single effects library, the Ui16 ships with a full HARMAN signal-processing chain: dbx dynamics and AFS2 feedback suppression, DigiTech amp and stompbox modelling, and three dedicated Lexicon FX busses for Reverb, Delay, and Chorus. The integrated Wi-Fi router plus a wired Ethernet port can run simultaneously, letting a FOH engineer and individual musicians each pull up their own mix on a separate device without affecting anyone else.

Inputs, Outputs, and Connectivity — Enough Headroom for a Full Band

I/O count is the first spec most live engineers check, and the Ui16 is built so a typical four- or five-piece band never needs a sub-snake. Eight XLR combo mic/line inputs accept both microphones and line-level instruments, four additional XLR mic inputs cover drum overheads and extra vocals, two Hi-Z instrument inputs take electric guitar or bass direct, and a stereo RCA line input handles playback sources. Output routing is equally generous for a desk at this tier.

• Mic/Line Inputs: 8 XLR combo + 4 XLR mic — handles a full drum kit, multiple vocals, and stereo keys without a sub-mixer.
• Hi-Z Instrument Channels: 2 — plug guitars or basses straight in without a DI box.
• Aux Outputs: 4 balanced XLR + 2 headphone outputs (configurable as extra sends) — drives multiple monitor mixes from the stage box.
• Main Outputs: Balanced stereo XLR and 1/4" — feeds any FOH system with standard cabling.

Channel Processing and Effects — dbx Dynamics, Lexicon FX, DigiTech Modelling

Every input channel carries the same processing chain, so there is no "channel 1 has a compressor but channel 8 doesn't" compromise. The 4-band parametric EQ plus high-pass filter shapes tone, while the dbx compressor, de-esser, and noise gate handle vocal and instrument control in real time. Outputs add a 31-band graphic EQ, gate, and compressor, with dbx AFS2 feedback suppression available on the aux sends to keep stage monitors stable.

• Microphone Channel EQ: 4 bands + 1 parameter — surgical tone shaping on every mic channel without external outboard.
• dbx AFS2: Advanced Feedback Suppression on aux outputs — identifies and pulls out problem frequencies automatically, with the exact notch visible on screen.
• Lexicon FX: 3 dedicated busses — Reverb, Delay, Chorus — broadcast-quality time-based effects built into the mixer.
• DigiTech Amp Modelling: Onboard — guitarists can run a pedalboard straight into the desk and choose amp/cab combinations without bringing an amplifier.

Physical Design, Control Surface, and Recall

The Ui16 is a floor-ready, rack-mountable chassis that fits a standard 19" rack with the included rack ears. The lack of physical faders is intentional — every parameter is reachable from any of up to 10 simultaneously connected devices, and full Show/Snapshot recall with channel safes means a complete mix can be stored and reloaded between gigs. Security lockout limits which functions each connected device can touch, so a band member adjusting their own monitor mix cannot accidentally change the front-of-house sound.

• Form Factor: Rackmountable, floor-ready rugged chassis — 110 mm × 177 mm × 483 mm, 3.61 kg, slides into a standard rack.
• Wireless Control: Integrated Wi-Fi + Ethernet, up to 10 simultaneous devices — cross-platform on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
• USB Playback/Recording: 2-channel, MP3/WAV/AIFF playback + direct-to-memory stereo record — capture a show or play backing tracks without a computer.
• Package Content: Power supply and manual included — ready to set up out of the box.

Who the Soundcraft Ui16 Is Built For

The Ui16 fits the working band that runs its own sound, the small venue that needs a recallable mix between visiting acts, and the house of worship or school that wants one engineer to walk the room with a tablet instead of being chained to a desk. Solo performers and acoustic duos benefit from the DigiTech amp modelling and Lexicon reverbs on a small stage, while function bands and corporate AV crews gain the multi-device monitor-mix workflow that usually requires a much larger console. The Soundcraft Ui16 is the right choice for any operator who needs professional HARMAN-grade processing, multi-device wireless control, and reliable snapshot recall in a single rack-mount unit.

Soundcraft and the Ui Series — Wireless Mixing as a Design Philosophy

Soundcraft, part of the HARMAN Professional family, introduced the Ui Series with the explicit goal of freeing the engineer from the desk — the "Freedom To Mix Anywhere From Any Device" tagline that launched the line in 2015. The Ui16 sits in the middle of that family, pairing the larger Ui24R's recording depth with the smaller Ui12's compact footprint, and it inherits the same dbx, DigiTech, and Lexicon processing found across HARMAN's live-sound ecosystem. That heritage is what lets the Ui16 deliver studio-grade dynamics, time-based effects, and feedback control from a 3.61 kg chassis that fits in a gig bag.