Digital vs. Analog mixers

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Phobophile

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Hey all, I'm relatively new here, and have one nagging question:

Which type of mixer (analog or digital) would be best to use if mixing down directly to a computer? I've read that signal conversion from analog to digital results in quality loss. Would I experience lackluster quality if I purchased a cheaper analog mixer (probably Behringer MX series), rather than a proportionally more expensive digital counterpart?

If someone could help me, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I'm considering to grab myself a Behringer MX602A tonight (that's when the auction ends). Is that a decent mixer? The only reviews I've read about it have been positive--but are there other things I should know? Or should I go for a digital mixer?

I'll be getting a mixer for the built-in preamps, by the way--from there, it would be directly recorded into my Mac.
 
I have hated every digital mixer I have ever worked on...wait, I just worked on the Sony DMX-100 and I just strongly disliked it. For the most part digital mixers sound lame and whimpy, they are in many ways less flexible than an analog console and hold almost zero re-sale value after a couple years.

Look for a 4 bus mackie. Great board for the price, very usuable and they hold some resale value (this coming from a guy that works a lot on Neves and SSLs)

Unless you are just doing radio jingles for Coke where you absolutely need instant recall and sound does not matter that much, I see no reason to ever buy a digital console at this point in time. If digital consoles start to sound as cool as analog consoles and make my life easier instead of more difficult I will change my opion right away.
 
how many tracks ya need, busses? pres? What is your interface to MAC.
 
My Soundcraft M-Series Mixer has a digital output. It sounds great.
 
if you're planning on buying a behringer mx602 or something,
i won't even think of buying a digital mixer instead,
getting a cheap digi mixer? nah,,,, just go for something cheap analog then,
think you'd be better off

i love analog, nothing wrong with it !!
 
Giganova said:
The routing options of digital mixers are priceless!
Unless of course you want to start using your favorite analog pieces of gear for parallel compression and the like. Then you have to deal with phase issues and latency that will totally kill your mix unless you start programming track offsets.
 
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