Ui24R Soundcraft 24-channel Digital Mixer

I had fallen in love with the UI24R since the sound engineer of my first band mixed us with that device. He switched to the X32 series (because of more channels, stageboxes, AES50, etc.) – and so did I when I decided to buy my first mixer last year (during Covid, planning to slowly step into mixing, ...). But the Soundcraft UI24R did always stay in my mind as a great mixer. A few weeks ago I realised that the X32 Compact is too big/heavy for the things I do. I do mainly recordings and mix small sessions. Sale prices for the X32 were quite high because of Covid and global shipping problems: I finally decided to sell the X32 and aimed to buy the UI24R. Fortunately, I could get hold of one of the last devices in the S2 Store. What should I say: I\'ve only spent little time using the UI24R with my bass guitar and multitracks yet – but I\'ve already spent more enjoyable time in total with the UI24R than with the X32 Compact during the past six months. That pretty much says it all! Patching channels, switching routings, mixing, adjusting EQs, managing presets, etc. is a lot faster on the UI, at least to my personal feeling. And I especially love the recording possibilities (multitrack recording). For the first time, I regularly record my bass practice sessions and listen to them without playing. A good way to check the groove and accuracy. Before, I practiced with an audio interface into my Macbook – recording while playing Spotify was just too much complex internal routing. On the UI, recording all necessary channels even in a live session is just a fingertip away. On a stick! No need to have an expensive extension card like on the X32 (+ ugly SD cards... Yuck...). To my personal feeling, the mixer and it\'s presets sound more rich and warm, compared to a more \'harsh\' sound of the X32. Studer designed preamps: I think, one can hear the difference to the X32. I already love the UI24R and don\'t regret selling my X32 Compact at all. Great mixer. In the Facebook groups I\'m in, there are always the same problems occurring: Sometimes, the mixer seems to crash, mostly due to temperature (especially in southern US states or Australia) or due to power/voltage variances. In Western Europe, those problems don\'t seem to occur, or at least not often. Temperatures are moderate and the power network is more stable and controlled. The internal WiFi is good for testing, but in a live situation, an external router is an absolute must-have (but that\'s a general recommendation for ALL digital mixers). Furthermore, some claim that there sometimes are bad preamps, that dye over the years, resulting in ghost signals or similar. But that\'s what the 3 year store warranty is for... Maybe Soundcraft could improve the quality control? ... Bottom line: Great mixer, perfect for my needs and my understanding of a proper user interface. I don\'t regret selling my X32 at all!