Analog vs. Digital Mixers
Having been in the industry for a few decades now, I well remember the giant analog consoles we would haul around that took 4 people to lift, were wider than my 6’ wingspan, and required a massive outboard gear rack just so I could have a few effects, graphic EQs and compression on a handful of channels. I even had the shirt that said, “Yes, I do know what all the knobs do.”
We finally sold off those old boat anchors to an organization that shipped them to Africa where a console that size was a luxury. At $150 each, including the case, we were definitely paying to have them taken off our hands.
The times have changed, and definitely for the better. I can now mix 128 inputs, 64 outputs, more effects than I could ever need, full dynamics (compression & gate) on every channel, 4+ band parametric EQ on every channel, DCA’s, subgroups, matrices, and all on a console that is only as wide as my shoulders and weighs 30lbs. And every control I need is still only 2 button presses away.
Even though the massive analog consoles have been relegated to studios and project venues where engineers are looking for the warmth and saturation of analog and their lack of portability isn’t an issue, it doesn’t mean analog consoles are done in live sound. A small analog console is still a great choice for AV gigs and small events with just a couple of mics and some background music. The world of digital consoles still can’t compete with the prices of small 4-8 channel analog mixers.
When it comes to shows over 8 channels, however, you can’t beat the size, portability and feature rich capabilities of modern digital mixing consoles. With 48 or 96kHz at 24 bit sample rates, only highly trained ears will notice a difference in warmth from their analog counterparts. Lots of manufacturers are making small, rack mounted mixers that have more features than bar bands require and a price tag that they can afford and still pay for beer.
Not only can digital consoles be smaller in size, but they (mostly) do away with the need for outboard racks full of gear to provide additional processing. In the digital realm, things like parametric EQ, multi-band compression and tape delay are just algorithms that can be added to programming. Mid to large sized consoles also have the capability to emulate retro and studio processing equipment like tube preamps and well known compressors, even without having any outboard processing, like WAVES. With just one outboard digital processor, engineers can have access to thousands of plugins.
Small churches can reap huge benefits from features specific to digital consoles. Often, volunteers are asked to produce studio mixes with little knowledge of EQ, dynamics and effects. Channel libraries on most consoles allow them to load up basic settings to get them pointed in the right direction and then save settings for each musician once they have it sounding good. The entire console setup can also be saved after rehearsal and recalled later after the youth group changes everything, putting it all back just in time for service, instead of having to re-create it from scratch.
Another great benefit of digital that applies to gigs of all sizes is the ability to store and recall scene changes. Once a tool primarily for Broadway shows, lots of console operators are using scene recall for song by song changes, like effects settings, monitor mix changes, EQ changes for different instruments, fader levels for vocal blend, and mutes. Yes, we can be a lazy breed, but it also reduces the number of missed cues and reduces distractions from the mix being off while we adjust to who is singing lead.
A big limitation of analog consoles is the number of monitor and effect mixes they can handle—often purely limited by the physical space for the knobs. With digital, mixes can be in layers or on different pages, and the number is often limited only by the quantity of physical (or networked) outputs, including running stereo mixes for ears. In smaller settings, like local bands and churches, a simple WiFi router can allow musicians to mix their own monitors on their phone or tablet. That takes a huge amount of work off the FOH engineer—who might also be mixing the whole show off a tablet—or eliminates the need for a monitor console and operator.
Analog consoles also required massive copper snakes to carry all those input signals from the stage to the mix position, and to split out the signal for the monitor console. With digital consoles, a single Cat5/6 cable from the stage box to the console can carry 128 channels in both directions, making cabling simpler and cheaper. Digital split systems are also greatly improved, doing away with the expensive transformer isolated splits required with analog, and automatically handling head amp control (gain) so the FOH and monitor operators don’t have to fight over it.
With the tremendous variety of digital consoles these days, there’s a size, feature package, and cost to fit just about every budget, making them the clear choice for most applications. Analog still has its place, but it just can’t compete anymore.
