VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[chrisvoco]

Anybody have experience with any of the various digital mixers, particularly the offerings from A&H, or Soundcraft, or Midas, or Yamaha, or the MOTU 828, that you control across the network? Started preparations to redo my office/studio, and I'm stuck on the horns of the mixer dilemma:

1. Footprint. My old analog consoles take up space - I'd like to go from many several square feet down to a few rack spaces.

2. My consoles are biting the dust. It is time to stop repairing them and move on.

3. They generate a substantial amount of heat (only a good thing in the winter).

4. I like to imagine a modern digital mixer has less crosstalk in general, and eliminates several points where RF creeps in in an analog one.

5. I'd like routing flexibility without needing to physically unplug/re-plug stuff.


I've always been stuck on thinking I need physical pots to slide, in case I ever need to, I dunno, mix in the dark, I guess, or do super cool DJ moves while talking and looking elsewhere (with plenty of java and Chesterfield Kings). That myth has been busted, because I always have lights on, don't need to work by feel, there's nobody dancing here in my office, and I seldom actually move the pots. So, I'm thinking mouse or tablet control is just fine.

One fearful factor: repairs. My initial feeling was that you can always repair an analog console yourself. Then I got to thinking, what do you spend your time fixing on one? Hardened caps and scratchy pots. A "stagebox" or rack mount digital mixer eliminates the pots entirely, so at least half the worries are gone right there.

So, tell me I'm wrong, or tell me I'm right. Or just tell me if you use one and like it.
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

[MBVOXX]

I migrated from tape to Pro Tools in 1995 and installed a 24 track controller in 2001, which worked great until software development made the Control 24 obsolete. These days, the newer series of single fader controllers are actually very useful. and if one fader isn't enough, then the 8 fader models are the way to go. You can daisy chain them if you want a full array of 24 or more.
I've been using an Artist Mix with an Avid Dock and it's a perfect match for Pro Tools. But other options out there work equally well with other DAW software. Check out the SSL UF line along with others. And, if you want more, there's the big step up from desktop controllers to console layout controllers.
The sky is the limit. And if you match hands on hardware to the same builder software, they are glitch free with in depth control features.