Sorry to shift back, and I'll give the newbie some green love for his thread, but I am curious...I've never mixed in the box and am curious why so many people do it and how those who do get it to be effective. The following is not disrespecting those who do in any way, but simple curiosity, and it is probably at the end of the day just a different way of driving the car, both goals getting from point A to point B.
After I have tracked, and it is time for mixdown onto a deck/computer/whatever will record your mix, I like control on the fly for the following scenarios:
1) Let's say I want to fade a track in but it has a varying attack...e.g.-it is not something I want to be a smooth fade in but a couple of different levels of volume within, say 2 seconds or so and each push of the fader is critical to how loud I want it to stage in. I'm sure the digital realm will let you program fade ins and outs based on seconds and clocks, but I feel more comfortable doing this on the fly because I know a split second before I want it to record at x, y, and z levels to give the fade in effect I'm hearing in my mind's ear.
2) Let's say there is a rapid crescendo of all instruments at once but I really want to push the drums and bass in that moment and pull back the vocals slightly. Again, I'm guessing in the box I could program the mix to do this? I find myself comfortable doing this on the fly because that is what I'm hearing in the passion of the moment, kind of like riding a roller coaster and gliding through different turns and drops and lifts. Sorry for the metaphor.
3) I hit some bad notes somewhere on something, so again, I want to pull them down and then back up quickly, maybe in concert with a little extra compression or a little more reverb to mask what is not a major mistake, but something I hear and would like to subdue for a quick second or fraction of.
4) I would like a particular effect on a track or all tracks, but want it to sync with the rhythm of the vocals/guitar/bass/whatever, and want it to fade in at a certain groove that I can't really write down on paper but feel clear as day when I'm listening and controlling the board.
These are just a couple of scenarios of why I use outboard gear, especially a control board, and why it is comfortable to me. Not saying, by any means, that mixing via a mouse that this is not possible because I've never done it. But the reasons above are a few of the reasons why I am comfortable mixing in 'real time'.
I'm curious, as I said before, about some of the same reasons those who mix in the box are comfortable with that style. I'll bet there are some things that mixing that way has to offer that are better and make more sense than mixing my way. Just curious what they are. You never know, I may pick up on it someday soon. But if I don't know what it is and don't ask questions about it, I'll never be tempted to try the other side.
