Question about analog summing amps and panning.

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RawDepth

RawDepth

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I am considering going to an analog summing amp, but I am a bit confused about the panning capabilities of units like the SPL MixDream 2591 or Dangerous 2-Bus LT.

Question...
If I have a mono track in my DAW that I want to pan, say, 70% left and 30% right, will that consume two channels in the summing amp or only one? In other words, are the inputs on most summing amps "panable" or do I need to send left output (70% left) to one channel and right output (30% right) to another channel?
 
If you had your outputs panned out in stereo pairs, you would pan it in your software DAW. When those analog stereo pairs are summed to a final stereo track all the pans would be correct.
 
So, I should consider those summing units to behave like 8 stereo pairs if I want a stereo mix? Hmm, it looks like I would be forced into doing stem mixing. I wonder why they don't make one with more channels? Many of my sessions end up having far more than 8 used channels.
 
Most summing units seem to come in units of 8 or 16 channels which seems to marry up with the way many interfaces are configured.

so for example an RME FF 800, multiface, M-audio profire etc with 8 analog outs match up quite nicely with a BLA PM8 or dangerous Dbox for example with 8 analog inputs

If you run a Lynx aurora 16 that works pretty well with a D Bus 2/lt, Roll Music Folcrom etc

So if you want more summing channels you usually end up having to up the ante on an interface as well either by extending through ADAT or buying a bigger interface

typically 8-16 channel summers are not meant to have an input for every track in the mix but to allow you to send busses and maybe integrate hardware


so for example

Drum bus > stereo bus comp > channels 1&2
FX returns > Channels 3&4
mono bass > compressor > channel 5
mono vox > EQ > comp > channel 6
stereo keys> Channel 7&8
Electric guitars > Channel 9&10
percussion > Channel 11&12
panned backing vox > channel 13&14
Acoustic guitars > Channel 15 & 16

Summed output > Master bus Compressor> Master bus EQ> recording device> monitoring the returns

In this way you've summed the various busses in the analog domain while incorporating all of your hardware FX, in one round trip through your converters with no worries about latency

That's the real power of using a summing mixer IMO/IME
 
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