I'm looking for a field mixer/recorder with some specific requirements. It seems like all the products I've been looking at seem to lack one of the necessities. I'm a camera person who understands sound basics, but rarely work with equipment... so I'm hoping some of you guys can point me in the right direction.

I will be shooting a series of talk shows and the talent has very disparate vocal volumes - so booming isn't going to cut it. I will be using 4 wireless lavs and would like to record each voice on a separate channel - but I would also like to be able to control the recording volume of each channel during shooting (i.e. giving the soft talkers a boost so it's easier to filter the noise out in post). I would also like to be able to have all 4 channels mixed and output via xlr so that I can record the feed directly into the camera (only going back to the unique tracks if there is a problem with the mixed version). I was looking at the Edirol R-44 but it seems that there are no mixing or volume controls whatsoever and no xlr output. Maybe I could use a basic field mixer and output four channels to a separate recorder and one mixed channel to the camera? There are lots of options and for a non-sound person who isn't familiar with the equipment it's a little overwhelming. I would like to keep the cost of the mixing/recording solution under $1000

Edirol R-44 does has volume/mixing control per channel and has (stereo or 4 way) cinch out, easily converted to XLR.

I use a little different method that might work for you. I connect all my mics to a firewire interface (in my case a MOTU) and record the audio to a Macbook Pro via Logic. I then take a line from the main mix on the MOTU and feed it to a field mixer (in my case an SD-302). The SD-302 then feeds the camera the audio. If you already have a laptop, there are many options for a less expensive firewire interface and field mixer. I'm certain both can be had within your budget.The only issue would be if you're doing a one man show. You'll need someone sitting at the laptop to mix the show live.