Behringer XR18

The Behringer XR18 is an 18-channel digital mixer in a stage box chassis with no control surface of its own. It has 16 Midas-designed mic preamps on XLR/TRS combo jacks and two line inputs. It also has six XLR aux outputs and four stereo effects engines. In addition, there is an 18 x 18 USB audio interface and a built-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi module. You mix it from the X AIR apps on a tablet or computer. That makes it common in breakout rooms, small stages and installs. There the mixer sits on the floor or in a rack, and nobody stands next to it.

How Showcaller connects to the Behringer XR18

Showcaller connects to the XR18 over the network through the Showcaller Bridge App. It uses OSC on port 10024. Then it turns plain requests into Tool Function calls. For example, you can say mute the audience mic or bring channel 4 up 3 dB. You can also say more presenter in aux 2 or load snapshot 5. The model matters when you connect. Choosing XR18 tells Showcaller the mixer has six mix buses, while the XR12 and MR12 have four. The Behringer X AIR and Midas MR integration page lists every function.

Tool Functions by plan

On Starter, Showcaller sets and reads channel faders and mutes, and renames channels. It rides and mutes the main LR output and buses 1 to 6. It also sets each channel’s send to a bus for wedges or in-ears. Pro adds the four DCA groups, plus preamp gain and 48V phantom power on XLR inputs 1 to 16. It also adds polarity, high-pass filter and the four-band channel EQ, and gate and compressor settings. Then Enterprise adds sends into the four built-in effects, plus FX return and aux return levels. The aux return is the XR18’s line input pair. Enterprise also adds channel colors and snapshots 1 to 64.

Network setup for the Behringer XR18

Network setup is the one thing to plan. You can reach the XR18 three ways, and its REMOTE switch picks one. It can join an Ethernet LAN, or join an existing network as a Wi-Fi client. It can also act as its own access point for up to four clients. For Showcaller, a wired Ethernet link between the mixer and the Bridge App computer is the better choice. That is because every read Showcaller makes waits at most 0.3 seconds. On a busy 2.4 GHz network, a reply can arrive later than that. Also, Showcaller confirms with the operator before loading or saving a snapshot, switching phantom power or changing an effects send. For full specs, see Behringer’s XR18 product page.