As an engineer for 50 years I find part of the fun of mixing is the tactile nature of actually moving faders by hand. It feels more involving, much the same as every car I've owned is a manual transmission.

Spot on. All boils down to preference, needs, and opinion of sound output.

I make good money mixing, mastering and producing music. I have never even touched a mixing desk (except for tracking)

I've just gotta says, thanks for all this awesome educational content man!

One of the biggest drawbacks of working in the box is that (without having a means of summing channels together) put each mic on a separate track instead of creating stereo pairs of parts that are heard in stereo in the final mix. Doing this means that you have to use your ears and have an overall sonic goal in mind when you start recording. So many of those who work fully 'in the box' are not 'en-gin-ears', but 'en-gin-eyes' who use visual feedback more than aural feedback. Creativity tends to get exercised more when there are restraints placed on the one creating. With tape, you were forced to think about the end product up front. In the early days of two track recording, engineers learned how to blend instruments in a room together, select mics for their overall sonic quality, and make sonic decisions up front. These engineers were the ones who most always cut fat, monster tracks, and also mixed well because they learned their art and craft in the days of barebones technology... before automation made things 'easier'. Does one need a console in today's in-the-box environment? Yes and no! If you're making music by yourself, not really. However, if you're any form of commercial facility, having a console gives you a central point of workflow. There are some very affordable consoles around now, especially given that the market has shifted to demanding more affordable gear. Used consoles are also available at an even MORE affordable price point... many of which have already been updated with new switches and have been re-capped so that they work just as if they were new. From there it all boils down to your power bill and the space available for your studio. For both tracking and mixing, a console can speed up your recording process and make it easier to get the sounds that you're already hearing. Just my two cents worth after working in both environments and listening to what a lot of individuals have to say. In the end, it's all up to you! Use your ears!!!

I strongly suggest getting that tactile control surface, it lets you get the best of both worlds. You keep all the recall possibilities, all the automation, etc, but also can use the tactile operation of 'real' faders, the speed of operation of a physical mixing console, and you can get an overview of all important parameters during mixing at a glance. The market for those has somewhat exploded, and you can get them in a very wide range of price points and quality levels. The most important things to pay attention to is the accuracy of the faders, how easy it is to use multiple fader banks, how expandable they are (many allow you to add expansion controllers, which lack the main 'DAW control' buttons and jog shuttle, just add more faders and 'channel' buttons and dials), and of course, the faders being motorized, because without that, you don't get the 'at a glance' overview. Seeing a control surface follow the automation you setup can be quite fascinating, but also provides very good feedback on that automation. It really gets you the best of both worlds, while usually requiring a lot less space than a full sized traditional mixing console.

I grew up on tape & consoles. I came into the digital realm, kicking & screaming . . . . However, once I got here . . . I haven't touched a console in YEARS. Have a 16 ch interface & love it.

Why I love my studiolive series iii. Clean pres , can monitor with effects but record pre the fx on a per channel basis. Automation controller. Got outboard gear hooked up through it permanently. Talkback and a avb network for stageboxs in other rooms. Plus individual monitoring controls a user can adjust to taste. Problem solver.

Very well explained! I started out as maintenance engineer in a studio called Mayfair (London) and we had a Neve VR, an SSL9000K, an Amek big, an EMI TG12345 console.. running a session was a very expensive process, these days I mainly work ITB and bounce my effects back into the session. This allows me to stay fresh and enjoy working on a mix knowing I can recall it instantly at any moment in time. But that is my workflow…

I know the way we record music is changing and change is good. But I have to say that ole analog sound of a mixing desk with the outboard processing gear is where it is for me. Digital just can't mimic that no matter how many plugins you use.

I need a mixer in MY studio! I’ve been mixing music since the mid-1960’s, and, and the “In Tbe Box” method just doesn’t cut it for me! I NEED a bevy of controls for the mics and the guitar channels, since I can easily get to things like EQ and effects without having to get into the 15th sub-menu page just to get EQ while tracking. My console is a 32-channel Toft, connected to a Studio Mac running Digital Performer, and a raft of plug-ins. The upshot of this is simple - I can I can and have recorded and mixed essentially ANYTHING in my studio, from a three-piece rock band to a full symphony orchestra. This console is a great grandson of the consoles built expressly by and for Malcolm Toft’s studios, which he built in London’s West End, and it sounds MAGNIFICENT!

Mixing on desk feels fantastic,you can mix faster with best results,specially in stereo imaging and clarity,after 20years I’m back to consoles

This video is perfect. Sending it to all of my students now

Nice to get reminded on how powerful and inexpensive music/audio reording could be

Always love your videos, great job. For me, I will never go back to life without a console because for my specific work flow, it makes everything so much easier. My studio primarily records live bands with a focus on live drums, and I primarily work with local bands who want real drums on their album but don't have the gear to do so, or the cash to rent out one of the big studios in town. Tracking bass, guitar and vocals has become pretty easy for most bands to do at home, or in their rehearsal spaces. But a full kit, that's still a challenge. Routing, and the amount of money a console can save is why I love them. Like I said, I track drums a lot. It's not uncommon for me to put 20 mics up during a drum tracking session. For a long time, I tracked everything directly into the DAW. So after tracking drums, my DAW had 20 individual tracks in it. Many of these tracks are meant to be summed together, like the mics on the top and bottom of the snare, or the multiple mics on the kick drum etc. With a console, I can rout them through a Bus on the console with the push of a button, and send the summed signal to the DAW. This makes it very easy to funnel down those 20 channels to just 5 or 6 channels to work with in the DAW. Making editing, and mixing so much easier. Typically I'll send all the overhead mics to a stereo bus and into the DAW on a stereo channel. Same with the tom mics, the room mics also get their own. Then a mono bus for kick, and one for snare. Consoles also save you a ton of money if you are tracking live drums and live bands. I think most people associate the word mixing console with $100,000 Neve, API, or SSL consoles. And, yes, those would be cool. But lets face it, if you're watching this video, you probably don't have the budget for one of those. You can get a 24 channel, split line console from Trident or Audient for like $22,000. That's still a ton of money, but compare that to buy 24 outboard mic preamps with EQ. Even better, the late 80s and early 90s saw a huge home studio/project studio revolution and many companies made mixing consoles for this market. Great sounding, incredibly functional mixing consoles that now go used for dirt cheap. Brands like Sound Craft, and Mackie (among others) made smaller format mixing consoles anywhere from 16 to 32 tracks. I used to have a Mackie 8bus console, and it worked great. 16 split line inputs (meaning you can use the same channel for input and output. Tracking and mixing) with 8 busses, a series of Aux sends ect. I bought that used for $200. Just a few weeks ago I found a Sound Craft series TWO with 24 tracks, 8 busses, 8 Aux sends etc for $350. If you're just starting out recording drums, there's already enough gear you need to buy in the form of microphone, cables, and stands. Instead of spending a ton more money on an interface that can support 16 or 24 or 32 inputs, plus buying all the outboard preamps to populate those inputs, you can buy a much more reasonably priced 8 input interface and a console.

I use an analog console and a lot of analog gear just because it’s right for me. I still feel I get more vibe in this process. I’ll usually add all my tracks on the console, do all my analog processing, then print that process back in the DAW. Then I’ll do automation and some plug in work to blend everything together. If the client needs changes, that can be done in the DAW.

This is so good man. As someone who is self taught and has straddled both the analog and digital this is incredibly well explained and gives me ideas on how to do hybrid environment (given that I don't want to totally give up on the tactile nature of faders and knobs). Thanks!

How things have changed , it's wonderful

I do an awful lot of Big Band work. Sometimes I do Groups with two Drummers. I'll be damned if I'm going to screw around with a room full of outboard mic preamps. The workflow on a console is so much faster. I'm rarely afforded the time to mess around. Of course I record to and mix in Pro Tools, but a Console on the front end is a must.

I like the way you present the information, thank you for all your videos. In a desert island scenario, I would choose digital for instantaneous recall.

im a 29 yo studio baby been inside the control room since birth, writing this comment in one now , ( I live in my studio) if your record ACTUAL MUSIC . you need a BOARD. (Aka console) my Allen and heath 32 channel is amazing (analog/digital) , I currently use this as my interface and can double as a daw controller. nothing super huge and heavy, NO LATENCY , talkback is obviously EASY. and of course the analog warmth going into the daw. and patching rack inserts is seamless. I think you should be mixing in the box, but a real studio engineer should have some form of a console to basically be the brain or conductor of the studio. almost like a transit hub station all things start and end there and route your sound to where ever it needs to go.

Another great video, and I’m also a fan of the RME audio interfaces.

This will be watched again. ❤❤❤❤

This is a good topic and title and thumbnail and I must watch

I personally prefer having a mixing console . I can't stand looking at a screen for extended periods of time. I like being able to physically make adjustments with knobs and faders. I also feel like there's more control when using aux sends. I still produce in the box sometimes, but I mostly have a hybrid work flow. I can also record totally analog with my 16 track tape machine which is what i been doing as of late. I have it all routed to go either way I choose. Analog, hybrid, or in the box. 😊

Great video as always. Thank you. You mentioned you were investigating a control surface. I'm intrigued to know what your thoughts are about the current options available.

Stereo field collapse was the main problem with mixing in the box, and an analog mixer fixed that, but I’m not sure that’s an issue anymore.

I like giving headphone mixes a bit of compressor/limiter so the singer can really hear themselves and in turn they step back from the mic and avoid plosives.

Can't we just call it a 'dawww'. DeeAyeDoubleYou is such a mouthful, breaks up the continuity of speech.

I tend to do a lot of solo one-take recordings with several synths, so a mixer is nice because I don’t even have to open the DAW until I’m finally ready to record. I’ve also learned how to set up a good mix quickly with a few simple controls.

Great video. Very related to me as we're moving studios and installing a 40 channel console in the new space. It'll be 32 in and out to the DAW. I've worked all different ways over the 35 + years I've been recording and creating music.

I’ve been making recordings since the 70’s. Working strictly in the box exhausts me after three hours of scrolling through screen after screen and plugin after plugin. I can’t go on at a certain point about 3 hours in. Working on an analog mixing console I lose track of time and can easily spend 10 hours on a session and still feel energized. I currently use a hybrid system with a API 16 channel mixing console.

I operate my home studio out of a midas Mr18 and it is awesome! The preamps are very nice, and so is the ability to use it as an 18 channel interface. Even better though is all of those monitoring features, eq, gates, comp, reverb available on all channels to our in ears. It's also what we use live so we get to carry forward our settings. For anyone looking for the best bang for your buck for a rehearsal space, home studio, and live mixer you can't beat it!

Well, in most cases I think the discussion goes like this: How much does it cost? Oh, in that case I'll do it in the box...

hybrid all the way for me...I'm just about to get my hands on a souncraft spirit studio...I started with older yamaha mg series16 and 12 subbed together. I like the anaolgue summing and feel...mostly the fun of messing with gear.,..gives me the greatest joy of all..its just a hobby for me.

Hmmmm its been more than 30 yrs since ive heard or come across an ssl board. I just heard a recording done at home with just a computer and mike and was blown away by how clean and clear it sounded. So even though an all digitized recording may sound a little harsh there are ways to make it sound warm. So in my book those boards maybe a thing of the past. BTW Im 62

No. But it does make certain elements of recording much easier/quicker

Great thoughts but missed one option . . . the hybrid of using a control surface with a DAW. Doing so keeps the best of both worlds of both the board and box. The ability to "using the board as a performance piece" is super nice as it engages the engineer more into supple musical details by allowing the ability to do rides and changes on the fly. It still allows the ability to save session settings, including the ride changes and effects processing so that the tedious need to write session settings down. If you have the budget and the artistic inclination to engage the mix more, then a control surface / DAW mix is an option.

I honestly prefer using the console before it goes into the PC and prefer using the DAW program for mixing post. I also use tape. The thing that I do that's totally unconventional is if I use a multitrack deck, I only have 2 channels going into the computer. The way I get around that is I find a noise on the tape prior to the starting song and I use that as the reference and line all the tracks up using that noise. I got a lot of practice doing it that way and it's not as bad as it seems. The thing I like about the mixer is it has a parametric EQ so I can make the mids sound great. By also doing that, everything else is flat and sounds beautiful. Your ears are your best tools for this.

nothing beats having a tactile analog EQ on every channel. The EQ in a decent analog mixer beats anything I've found in software and forces me to use my ears. Maybe it's the filters or amplifiers or the frequency knobs on them, idk, but it sounds amazing. I pipe my MPC Live 2 through an analog mixer from the early 90s with 16 channels, by using a class compliant USB audio interface creating 10 outputs going into the mixer. For mixdown, I pipe 8 mixer outputs (2 master + 6 subgroups) into my DAW using another audio interface, from which I monitor everything. One groups for drums, bass, etc. Each of those groups is a track in Ableton for recording/bus FX. It's completely changed how I make music since I try to as much as possible on my MPC because I'm completely unproductive in a DAW (too much choice, too much distraction). I also love physical faders and recording them live, instead of less musical automation. Makes it a performance. Routing outboard audio effects via inserts or via subgroups and sending groups of channels to aux to a reverb for ex, is extremely useful, the mixer is a better user interface than DAWs as it's easier to keep track of everything going on. I use DAWs only for mastering/bus chain software FX (tweaked live, not just after printing stems) and final arrangement.

I'm no expert at all on all this. Been creating for 3yrs now. No samples. I don't have any cool equipment. I use FL studio. And a M1 audio keyboard with a surround sound speaker. Lol. Now that's as cheap as it gets. But this video fully helped. So thanks for the info!!

Good thorough video. Couple things..the versatility of being able to change the sound of your mix bus in a daw only setup is cool, but if you have a console that has a signature sound that you love, that's another point to consider maybe. Some people like NO color in their mix bus, other's love what an analog console brings in terms of sound, hence the zillions of console plugin emulations out there. They might get you close....it's a matter that's been debated a million and a half times online. I realize for the purpose of this video though, combined with the ambiguity of personal sound preference, this would have been a hard thing to cover. One other thing I learned though, while mixing using a DAW through an analog console is this: If you miss a cue? Presumably you're running your daw outputs into the console, and the console's mix output to a pair of converter inputs (providing it's a stereo mix). If you miss a cue, rewind, set a punch in locater, and punch in your two track mix, and redo your missed cue. No need to start all over. Also, take photos with your phone and put them in the session's folder of pics. No need for pencil and paper if you can clearly read the nomenclature in the photos. Been doing this since before phones could take photos with a digital camera. Besides, I'd probably use some notepad app, or just the notes section for each track in the DAW to write down the settings for the outboard and console for each track instead of pencil and paper. I mean, using a console doesn't mean going completely back to 1975. One last thing. If you have an analog console, and you have a daw? You can mix either way. If you feel like the console will sound better for a project, you can use it. If you want the sound of the DAW, just don't use the console. If all you have is a DAW, then you have but one choice... Thanks for the cool video!

I've been on the mixer for 33 years now, both studio and live. In studio i use both methods, analogue and digital. I use RME as well, as in my opinion (according to my ears - others can have different opinions) it's the most linear (characterless) interface on the market. In one of your slides you shown a neve consolle going to a studer multitrack tape recorder, and that's the gear i used for a long time. Funny enough, since old studers are very sensitive and delicate machines and spare parts are not easy to come by, when it became "less usable" the neve basically became the preamp going straight to the RMEs. Best of both worlds, so that the raw tracks are already good (I totally disagree with the "fix it in post" that most producers want, just to save on studio time). The debate of what's best between digital and analogue doesn't interest me much. I believe all depends on who's using it. Real audio engineers should be able to use all techniques, because the target is the same, and that is good sound. Unfortunately nowadays many "young graduates" think that top level gear automatically can make them great. Anyway, your content is good and topics clearly explained, I often suggest it to people still learning. Have a good day.

Thanks for sharing. U R AWESOME ; )

I'm equally comfortable with both workflows, but prefer a console for tracking. EDIT: I've also done some live outdoor theater stuff and prefer a mixer for that, too. Sometimes you need faster reaction than a mixer interface on a tablet (or worse, a mouse on a laptop) and the tactile sense to finely adjust controls by touch alone.

you forgot to add how beneficial an analog console is for getting new clients. I see many studios just using the console to get people in the door, and they don't actually use the gear. I'm wondering if there is any research done on this subject?

I love analog consoles for haptic feedback and IO bus outs into interface and sub out into 2 track tape. There is a color difference between console recording and direct recording and I prefer console. I also enjoy turning daw off and just mix outboard.

I enjoyed this video, Other than the RME commercials. There’s a lot to be said about analog mixing boards. The good quality ones such as the vintage Neve’s and SSL add character that is hard to correctly emulate with plugins. Their digital counterparts (plugins) have come close. Most good engineers that have used both could correctly identify their differences. The digital age has definitely simplified recording. I was fortunate to work in a studio that utilized a vintage SSL board and a 24 track tape machines. Of course, we had the option to record using the digital method as well. I believe both analog and digital recording methods have their advantages. IF I had the resources, I would have both including a quality tape machine. Thanks for mentioning processing during the recording process. It’s huge. It’s a very common practice that good engineers utilize and it does take skill to do properly.

Thank you

Professionals and intermediate home music producers are all using software and computer interfaces such as Apogee and pro tools. I don't know how to use any of that, but Ive seen what it can do. But I tell you, I had a grand time in the 90s making demos for lots of bands that played all music styles with my tascam 238 Syn cassette 8 track recorder, my 90s mackie 1604vlz mixer, my 90s alesis midiverb, and my Shure sm57's!

I would like to first say that I track a lot of drums and I have found the best combination of plugins to get the coveted analog sound, I start with a simple mic setup toms snare 2 kick and one overhead and second overhead over the shoulder,and a small condenser for a room mic . Then I track through the voost EQ and mix most of everything with the Harrison 32 C all in reaper that I paid 60 for 10 years ago. I also use the scheps Omni with the C6 on the mix buss and sweet drums on the main drum buss . It brings incredible results. Cheers

Just got a deal on a 24 x 8 bus, definitely needed this run thru

Great vid! Jumping off this though, I think something I wish I was taught better when I started a million years ago is managing redundancies in amateur, pro-am and pro contexts.

Good audio interface and any daw with stock plugins are good enough for tracking, mixing and mastering. It’s amazing what we can do these days for a few $$$

I use a 32 channel digital mixer/audio interface. The main advantage is that I can connect up a bunch of mics and musicians will get headphone mixes at zero latency. Reverb is easily available to singers if they want in their headphones. When I have clients returning for more tracking, I have saved all their settings and literally by the flick of a finger, I am back where we left off! I wouldn’t swap it for anything else. Saves a lot of time and frustration.

I've mixed on both a full analog console and 'in the box' and I am thinking a large multitouch monitor is going to be the future of mixing.

Every studio I been to that works specifically in mixing and mastering either has a console or a bad ass multi summing solution with different flavors of outboard gear but at the end of the day just use what you have available and create your art

I still feel the need for a mixer. I don't have one, but soon. A good DAW controller is the Arturia mkii series. The 62 key suits my current needs. Also Ableton Push is a great option.

Another great informative video, as you have said the preference will mostly be based on which generation you experienced mixing equipment on. I personally think the Hybrid set up is the best of both worlds. Once thing you have not covered is the final mix of a recording. For example, Donald Fagan “The Night fly “or any of Steely Dan’s albums have a great sound. Morden music of today seems not to have detailed sound of each instrument and is very precise.

The best mixing, sonically, I’ve ever heard was DJ Quik’s Rhythm-al-ism

sometimes seeing the price asked for some tremendous vintage mixers is confusing when you see what can be ask for an old and qwerky monimoog (just the faders on an old a&h or soundcraft mixer pre 85 i'de say, are worth being kept compared to what you can find on anything under 1k5 these days). form 500 bux/euros and a little driving you can find really nice deals for vintage mixer> Of course the use of a mixer the way music is done in nowadays with what's available isnt necessery, allthough i personally have been working in the realm of dub these last years, and here is a style where not havibg a proper mixer is out of question, but finding smaller "prosumer" vintage mixers like let's say a tapco can be usefull for "caracter" for a procucer, for someone working as a mix engineer... well i'de say it's more a matter of use and confort, in the realm of music production there are ones that do it all in the box, and others (like me i have to say) that want a bunch of sperate generators that take a bunch of exploitable physical space, i'm pretty shure for inmgineers there must be the same geezers... I'm taking care of modding my Allen & Heath studio mk2 (16/4/2 enough for producing and dub mixing of stems, in 2024 who need a hudge studio mixer right? lol), making all my fx sends postfade and thinking of getting opamps with higher spec (072 inside). As i'm on this topic these days i just wanted to share my view on the topic, a mixer is cool to have but it's heavy and takes a lot of space....

I was recording directly to interface but with output, I’ve found having a desk a massive benefit, obviously it depends what you’re mixing but I felt what I was dealing with suited having the analog warmup and eq, also having the faders and being able to use the thing as another instrument feature has been gold. I have 36 in and 30 outs on my interface setup and so I put 16 channels in and out of a desk that’s 24 and use the other channels as backup as each strip in modular and can be swapped out. I found bouncing between both digital and analog tools really useful but also with the 16 track, I can record both digital and analogue 16 track simultaneously and if you really wanna hear the difference between the two, this is the way, and I can already guess which of the two you will prefer the sound of. Honestly v useful but also far more complicated and difficult to deal with. You need really good systems to manage

You can do great work without a console, but there is flavor and color in using the right mixing desk.

Nice to have, definitely. But I’ve long stopped using them and just use a highish end audio interface with 16channels. I also have a couple of boutique pre-amps for that ‘big desk’ sound on input. Sometimes the summing of a classic analogue desk is incredibly pleasing but modelled plugins sound great too.

I came up mixing on SSL, Neotek, API consoles - straight off tape to 2-track. I started using ProTools for some things in 1994. Fast forward (ha) to today. I’m using Logic, Reaper, Ableton, Reason, and ProTools, all mixing in the box (with the occasional console-as-summing mix). Once in a while I’m pulling out my admittedly sparse hair re-registering plugins, dealing with OS updates, etc, but overall, the repeatability and the workflow in the box has been a boon and enabled dives into greater creativity. Just try to listen for the emotional content and don’t get seduced into mixing only with your eyes.

I think something that he missed was it’s all about what you do in the studio, if you spend all day every day with bands where you need to quickly put a mix together, a mixer is really good for that however, if you spend most of your time making beats and just recording separate instruments and vocals the mixer is wasted as you will be doing most of the mixing in the box. However this also depends on how the mixer is setup, if you’re just using the desk for tracking or mixing too.

I came *THIS* close to getting that RME UCXii. It looks freaking amazing. But at the end, i got the Motu ultralight MK5. So jealous

I use and need a mixing console. But I got rid of my computer recording setup and got a Stephens 821b two inch 24 track and the only way to practically mix without a computer is with a mixing console. Latency is very noticeable to a singer even with fairly low latency in the form of comb filtering. Recall is a bit of a pain in the backside, fader automation can be a lifesaver if you have a console with it. The Stephens has been quite reliable but it is a good idea to either learn to fix it, or know a technician that learns how to fix that particular machine.

Always love the content! And I didn't know you used FL studio 😅... Unless you're an omni-daw man. Do you think a digital board with DAW remote would be the best of both worlds?

Long time watcher. Thanks for making great content. I noticed you had a Radial EXTC in your Cranborne R8. Are you able to use the send/receive via the back insert ports? I ask because I want to get the R8 and stick a pair of EXTCs in them without having to run the effects loop out of the front ports. That way I can run the back ports into my patchbay. Sweetwater says this cannot be done, but I suspect otherwise.

I would also emphasized on the fact that tape machines are limited in the number of tracks they can record so one would need to downmix all the input channels. DAWs are able to record as many channels as needed (basically the amount of interfaces available) so there is no need to mix all the inputs available on the interface(s) to a lower track count.

I'm using the Midas m32 mixing consol. For me the right choise to have a 32 channel audio interface with channel strips, endless routing capabilities in seconds and a daw controller. I think digital mixing consols are great to size down the consols and to have the benefit to have the best of both worlds.

At my school we had to use an AVID S6, which I felt was a good mix between analog and digital (not that I've ever used analog outside of live sound). I liked doing the basic rough mix entirely on the S6, and then refining it later in the box on my laptop

Same in photography, it's a bad practice to rely on fixing in post. Capture the good stuff in analog(good lighting, appropriate Lens choice and aperture, shutter speed and iso), because these things is difficult to fix in post. Also in terms of devices, almost everything now have a cheaper alternative to produce the same output. However, expensive equipment will out-shine cheaper alternatives in dire environments, like poor lighting in photography, same with audio recording.

Nice video. I have a big studio with great gear and sometime fancied an old analog mixer but the fact is , it’s not really needed at least not for my case . I do electronic music and rarely touch a microphone so all gear goes straight to the converters . When I need too beef up a synth or something else then I have a few channel strips that do the mixer job ( minus the hassle of the size and potencial breakdowns) . For the electronic music studio I think it’s not convenient . Now for a rock band or an orchestra or similar setups well you really need those mixers to make you work easy. However this is almost 2025 with fpg technology, greater computers 32 floating point , and awesome computers and converters and amazing vst I thing it’s just a matter or time until theses mixers become irrelevant.

Mixing desk all day ❤

All I want is a controller for my DAW with motorized faders.

Need it for recording drums with eq, rehearsals, monitoring and talkback

Interesting! Personally, I only need a good sound recording device with 2 channels. Most of my recordings are either non musical sounds (mostly sound for videos) or on sometimes, live music (where the goal is to recreate the experience of being there as good as possible, not to do a mix). An external preamp is another thing though. Even some really good recorders or cameras (that perform well when recording line level signals) often have crap preamps in them. The problem is mostly noise. Even when using the line setting, if the recording level is adjustable, the SNR (the ratio between 0 dBfs and the average level of the noise floor) for most devices get better the lower the recording level is. So it's better to use an external good preamp and adjust the recording level by the gain, than adjusting the level in the recorder or camera. I have built my own preamp and have a DC/DC flyback converter in my design - so I can run conveniently on a single 18650 or 5V USB power (I use mine mostly as a portable device) and still supply the opamps in the reamp circuit, +/- 15 V (that way, the preamp will never clip before the recorder). In my particular case, I also use microphones that I have built my self from Primo EM273 capsules - and to get the best performance out of those (mainly when it comes to distortion at high SPL), they have to be powered up in an unconventional way with either a 3 lead configuration (which is the one shown in the data sheet), that has a separate power and signal lead - or a 2 lead configuration with negative voltage (unbalanced, with ground positive instead of negative) - which is the one I use, since it's more conveninent to be able to use small RCA connectors, when it's an unbalanced signal anyway. A voltage regulation circuit is also needed to get stable voltage to the capsules and lowest possible THD. This is against all normal standards, so I need a custom built preamp anyway.

Was this a commerdial for RME equipment?

Interesting, my main use of a mixer desk is for live sound at a church. We almost went down the path of using a digital mixer, driven by an iPad etc (after our original mixed was stolen) I chose old school as things are technically simpler with no layers of functions that can be 'mucked up' by passing misguided 'helpers' One simple task often used is changing a few faders at the same time, as in fade out the band and bring up the priests mic, somthing rather impossible using a mouse on a computer. There is nothing like coming in on Sunday for a service only to find. the hard way, that some visiting funeral directors etc. have twiddled about every knob imaginable. No matter how thorough I am, there is always something I've missed. found in the most awkward of moments, mid service. (like swapping the input mic leads) aarrrggghhh

Love your channel but what you didn't mention is if you have analog modules running thru stereo on the analog mixer as well as other gear, a simple 8 channel interface will not suffice and you would need to expand your ADAT or Spdif connection, there are benefits to both I'm just not willing to give up all the analog gear in place of digit, I would love to see a comparison with an API 2448 console to a RME fireface UFX 3

I'm very curious on how you connect the 12 mic preamp to the UCX II. Are you using ADAT? Which in that case you're only able to get 8 mic preamps?

Good stuff, thanks! RME Q: Should one care that the UFX series has Min (ASIO) buffer size 32 while the UCX has 48? When you get into the hard to find specs the UFX series look much better on paper.

Yes

Are there any links of some of the music you've mixed that you can maybe point me towards?

In the passt time recordinng on analog MT machine, the sound must to be in most timed ready to Mix, today i work both, in the Box digital and analoge 24 Track 2" with the SSL 4000G desk , i am over 60 and around 40 years Studio worker,

Before I even watch this video , YES . … Digital or Analog , YES

10:09 Maybe I'm just old, but calling an iPad a tactile controller is a bit of a stretch.

problem with using a computer is you only have one pointer to work with. wheras on a board its "all right there." its also like super expensive. cause now you need cabling (which can cost more than the board itself), racks, etc etc . whereas on the computer its all free, as in $0 or nearly.

white fl studio background grid is wild

Yes, you need.

I would like to ask you where did you get your Desk ? I'm interested in a Desk for my self. Can you please advise me on this.

Definitely a mixing console or at least a control surface. Tactile feedback is important. You don\t want to drive a car or fly a plane with a mouse or a touchscreen. Right? I personally use the best of all worlds: digital mixing console, plugins and most of automation inside a DAW and some outboard gear. My typical mix has 1 to 5 channels of analog outboard. It doesn't take that much effort to write down the settings on an Excel sheet template which has a cell for all knobs of my every external processor.

I suspect that in even the completely digital environment, the operator remains a performer. Skilled people will know their tools and what they can do. Personally, I am more interested in what happens when you try something weird. I am not sure the digital ecosystems are designed with exploratory inspiration in mind. Analogue gear seems, at least to me, more open to non-canonical suggestion. Anyway, great channel, great videos!

I use a 24 track analog mixing console for recording. No computers, no Auto-Tune, just real musicians playing real music.

Nothing will replace analog

Is there any mixer that accepts optical cable as input? I want to mix sound from tv with microphone for karaoke. I am using adapter for current setup.

If you want a mixer: find a tech that can service a console, then buy a console that person can service. Lots and lots of great 1,000-5,000 used mixers that will serve you very well.

Some great mixers on Kijiji etc for dirt cheap because people don't want them. Years ago I'd have dreamed of having one of them but now I'm just a bit sad that I have no need for a 24 channel mixer. It's simply not my kind of workflow any more. Multiple small mixers distributed round my studio better meet my needs.