NAMM 2023: Bastl Instruments Bestie – The mixer designed to sound bad!
4,9 / 5,0 | 
Meet the Bastl Bestie. · Source: Bastl Instruments
Bastl Bestie top · Source: Bastl Instruments
Bastl Bestie front · Source: Bastl Instruments
Bastl Bestie · Source: Bastl Instruments
Bastl Bestie bottom · Source: Bastl Instruments
Bastl Bestie back · Source: Bastl Instruments
Distortion is the point with the Bastl Instruments Bestie, a new battery-powered mixer with up to 20dB of gain per channel.
If you don’t know Bastl Instruments, you should. They’re a boutique company that makes all manner of wild synths and other sound generators. Their latest, the Bastl Instruments Bestie, is a mini analogue mixer that’s been purpose-designed to overload, thanks to up to 20dB of additional gain possible on every channel.
Bastl Instruments Bestie
“What, another mixer?” I can hear you say in mock/not mock disgust. Before you go back to your regularly scheduled post-work doom scrolling though, you’ll want to check that the Bestie, one, comes from Bastl Instruments and two, is nuts (but you should already have figured that out from point one).
Bastl Instruments’ Bestie is a five-channel stereo mixer with a mute switch per channel plus the previously mentioned gain boost knob. Keep it to the left of 12dB and it sounds sweet (reportedly). Push it past that and up to 20dB and it breaks up in all kinds of fun, analogue ways. It’s more than just a noisy mixer, though, as the third channel can double as a feedback generator for, as Bastl says, “juicy, crunchy sounds.” Wild.
Bestie Connections
Like the Dude, the company’s previous pocket mixer, the Bestie is small, so it takes 3.5mm mini-jacks rather than quarter-inch cables. Kind of a bummer but there you go. Channels 1 and 5 have a flexible connectivity arrangement, able to accommodate two mono cables for left and right channels, one mono cable to split to both channels or a classic stereo jack. Channels 2 to 4 are stereo only. Around the back, there are mini mix and headphone output jacks.
There are no pan options, nor is there a master volume knob. There is, however, a headphone volume knob.
The whole thing can be powered by either batteries (four AA) or USB-C, meaning you can take your new BFF Bestie on the road.
Pricing and Availability
The Bastl Instruments’ Bestie is now available for €180.
More about the Bastl Instruments Bestie
- Official product page
- All about mixers
Videos
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2 responses to “NAMM 2023: Bastl Instruments Bestie – The mixer designed to sound bad!”
Definitely a cool thing! Is the listed price here without VAT?
What unique features does the Bastl Instruments Bestie mixer showcase at NAMM 2023, and how does its design aim to achieve a distinct ‘bad’ sound?