Digital Mixer vs Analog Mixer

**jaynm26** · 01-30-2013

Which has better quality Digital Mixer or Analog Mixer

**Chili** · 01-30-2013

Coming into the Analog section and asking this question is almost trolling. So, I'll be watching this thread and will delete it if it gets out of control.

The politically correct answer is both. Neither Digital nor Analog has anything to do with quality. It is the quality of the equipment and the person using it that makes the difference.

**Bobbsy** · 01-30-2013

Exactly, Chili.

Put a Cadac J Class analogue mixer up against any digital board I can think of and the Cadac will win hands down. It'll also take four strong men to carry it into your house and you'll need a large mortgage.

Put a Midas Pro6 or even my little Yamaha DM1000 up against a host of small analogue mixers and the digitals will win, even before you consider that you have a box full of outboard included.

There are good, mediocre and bad mixers in both analogue and digital.

**Chilljam** · 01-30-2013

Originally Posted by jaynm26

Which has better quality Digital Mixer or Analog Mixer

Budget and intended use please?

**Beck** · 01-30-2013

I generally interpret these sorts of questions as all-things-being-equal questions. That is, we assume the two devices being compared are well regarded in their respective categories. It could be a fair question since some people use digital mixers with analog tape and other analog devices.

The answer is: It depends whom you ask.

If you ask me... well I will never use a digital mixer for anything serious, though many other people do. My general approach is to leave a project in the analog realm until the latest possible stage. A mixing console is one of the first possible stages, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I don't care for them.

**lonewhitefly** · 01-30-2013

Originally Posted by jaynm26

Which has better quality Digital Mixer or Analog Mixer

Analog.

Next question?

(Wait, what exactly is a digital mixer ?!?)

**Bobbsy** · 01-30-2013

Originally Posted by lonewhitefly

(Wait, what exactly is a digital mixer ?!?)

BobPRO6.jpg

THIS is a digital mixer, in this case about $150,000 and 56 channels worth of cuddly sonic goodness, especially through the D&B line array it drives.

However, something makes me think the OP was thinking of something a bit less expensive and in a world where analogue is very much in the battle!

**Beck** · 01-30-2013

There is no level in which analog consoles are not in “The Battle.” You simply have some who prefer one approach and others who prefer another approach. You couldn’t make a digital console expensive enough or feature-laden enough to persuade some people to choose it over the sound and approach of analog mixing. If they prefer how analog behaves through all the various stages, including EQ, then that’s what they will choose. There are many great analog consoles that I’d have to sell my house to afford them. I’m not interested in doing that however.

**Bobbsy** · 01-30-2013

They're all just tools and both sorts have their applications.

Offer me any console in the world with no need for other considerations and my favourite (I'm thinking live work here just because that's where I know the really big consoles) would be a Cadac J Class analogue. They sound superb and just feel good to operate.

However, once you start adding in real world practicalities, that Midas Pro6 I pictured above is also a superb console--silky smooth mic preamps and an EQ section that just makes it easy to sit things in the mix. Beyond that, I only need to take about a third as many seats out of service to get the same number of channels and same amount of outboard. In the live sound world (particularly theatre) size is a major issue--if I take six seats that sell for $100 a show times 7 shows a week times 52 weeks, that's real money. However, that lovely Cadac would need more like 12 seats so you can see the dilemma.

Anyhow, as I say, they're both tools and both have applications. I happily use either. My home studio set up happens to be a digital mixer now but it was a Soundcraft analogue before that--I've enjoyed both--and if anyone has strong feelings one way or another, so be it! Heck, when I started, mixers had knobs not faders and editing involved Chinagraph pencils and razor blades!