Flow 8 channels 5/6 & 7/8 strange behavior.

[Wezx]

FLOW 8 Latest Firmware 11749
I would prefer to have 4 mono inputs (say 4 keyboards) going into 5/6 & 7/8 that would come out of the mixer mono (out of the Left Channel), however apparently the Flow 8 doesnt allow that, as the minute you plug in 5 AND 6 OR 7 AND 8 it reverts to stereo (5 & 7 out of Left and 6 & 8 out of Right).
HOWEVER, I have a simple preset I made and for some reason 5 & 6 is behaving differently than 7 & 8?
Here's the process:
ONLY the Left Output from the mixer - Pans in the middle
Plug one keyboard into 5L (piano sound)
Plug a 2nd keyboard into 6R (string sound)
BOTH sounds come out of the Left Input
NOW switch the cables from 5L & 6R and plug them into 7L & 8R
ONLY the Left sound (piano) plays out of the Left Output. Unplug 7L and you get the strings out of the Left Output so I know the jack is not defective. 5/6 is acting as (2) mono inputs and 7/8 is acting as a stereo input???
WHAT is going on? I would actually PREFER that BOTH 5/6 & 7/8 behaved the way that 5/6 is in my preset so I could run 4 mono inputs, but I can't get 7/8 to work the same as 5/6 and I have no idea why 5/6 is working as 2 mono signals and 7/8 is only working as stereo? Is this a glitch in the firmware or is this mixer defective?
If I reset the mixer to default NEITHER 5/6 or 7/8 works like the 5/6 in my preset…they become stereo channels. Reload my preset and the dual mono behavior for 5/6 returns and stereo behavior only for 7/8.
I've been through every setting and no matter what I do, my preset exhibits the same behavior...
???????

There’s another guy having the exact same problem over in the Behringer/MusicTribe support forum so it’s not isolated to just me.

Also, the fact that 5/6 are “malfunctioning” and acting as 2 mono inputs sent to both Left/Right Outs is proof positive that the Logic circuit for 5/6 & 7/8 is capable of running as dual mono. Can’t believe this wasn’t implemented in the initial firmware release. Flow 6 is a more accurate name currently unfortunately.

[therentabrain]

I know what you mean. There's a kind of tumbleweed vibe on this mixer and it's such a great and uniquely positioned device; it seems to be a forgotten black sheep or something. As soon as I get more on site gigs going, I'm going to be using it all the time again; nothing else is this powerful at this form factor and price.

I don't have a specific answer and mine is still packed away, but could it be you're using balanced (TRS) or unbalanced (TS) connectors and the mixer is doing different things accordingly?

[Karnage]

The strange behaviour of your 5/6 could be useful at times if it was an intended option for 7/8 too. I'm not in a position where I need this to be the case if I'm honest. I use this at home as a small mixing solution, portable recording solution into Logic and if I need to use it for extra inputs where I have no mains it's ideal powered via a USB power bank. I'd be unlikely to need as many as 6 channels in this case. Where I have mains and doing larger jobs, I have an XR18 and can use this for a few extras.

I don't think there are any real issues with the mixer in terms of its quoted/expected functionality, so there's little to make a lot of noise about on forums. Behringer have never claimed these stereo inputs should be used as dual mono. It is as rightly pointed out, a super product at it's price point with the ability to be used without constant use of an app for quick adjustments, and the app for detailed work.

On the name front, if we were to follow the Soundcraft naming convention, this would definitely be called Flow 10 given the stereo digital input also has functions!