control surfaces/mixing desks

[drummersteve]

being new to the whole recording thing, ive been doing loads of research, reading article after article, and serahcinmg the internet for hours, finding out what things are needed for a home recording studio, which products are the best, etc etc, so when i do get round to purchasing everything, i know ive got the equipment ideal for me.
ive been reading articles on this website, http://www.tweakheadz.com/ and i have come across an article about control surfaces: (http://www.tweakheadz.com/control_surfaces.htm). now, from reading it i couldnt make much sense of what it is and its differences to a mixing desk. if someone could enlighten me on this, possibly very simple subjecyt for people who knows whats what, then id be greatley appreciative!
thanks, steve

 

[Ronan]

i have come across an article about control surfaces: (http://www.tweakheadz.com/control_surfaces.htm). now, from reading it i couldnt make much sense of what it is and its differences to a mixing desk. if someone could enlighten me on this, possibly very simple subjecyt for people who knows whats what, then id be greatley appreciative!
thanks, steve

A control surface is basically a big mouse, and a console is a real mixer that passes audio through it and has real analog EQ and summing. Digital consoles (verses the control surface) have the EQing etc in the console.

Control surfaces are getting popular with a lot of people these days but the vast majority of hit records are still done with analog consoles and I personally would take a good mid level analog console over the best of control surfaces.

 

[lpdeluxe]

A mixing desk or console has inputs (mic or instruments or whatever) and separate channels with faders, EQs, pans and so on that allow you to "mix" diverse audio inputs into a mono, stereo, or multiple output audio stream suitable for live performance or recordings.

A control surface is a computer interface device that causes the separate tracks of a recording on your computer to act as though they were physical inputs attached to a mixer, and for you to use physical sliders and rotating knobs and have your actions show up as changes on the computer screen. It may or may not include physical audio inputs and outputs.

For example, with a mixing desk I can take a group of mics that are arrayed around a drum kit, for example, and, using the knobs and faders on the mixer, set the loudness level of each element, pan it left, right or center, and EQ as I see fit, then send the result to either live amplification or recording tracks. But I can't control the action of my recording software on my computer with it.

With a control surface, on the other hand, I can tell the software on my computer to make a given track louder, or pan it, or change its EQ by moving the knobs and faders on the control surface instead of using the mouse and keyboard on the computer.

The best way to think of it is that a control surface allows you to manipulate your recording software as though it consisted of audio inputs into a mixer, and in fact that emulation function is why control surfaces are so popular. Many people have learned their trade with mixers and the control surface extends the "feel" of the mixer to the otherwise alien computer environment.

 

[drummersteve]

yamaha mixing consoles

ahh, i see. the information you guys gave does make, more or less, sense to me. so a control surface is a more technologically advanced version of a mixer? at least from some perspectives, like the settings changed on the computer will also change on the control surface? at leats i think thats what you mean? well, dont get to cross if i havnt got the idea, because from the description, it seems an analogue mixer is the way to go about things, n maybe later down the line when i know whats what, then i could even start thinking of looking at control surfaces! thanks again for the help.

P.S i know a friend who has a store of yamaha consoles, he does live sound reinforcment for all sorts of things. maybe nopt the best rock n roll band, or whatever you call em, but he has done some live shows for the likes of darkness etc. which is pretty cool. i was wondering if you knew of any budget yamaha mixers, which are of good quality output? as i can get them a bit cheaper than maybe other shops, this would be a very good option! feedback as much as possible! cheers guys, steve.