How to Choose Analog Mixers
For many musicians, mixing sound is an integral part of both live performances and studio recording. Even in an industry that's largely digital, there are still some areas where analog technology remains viable and one of those is with mixers.
How Do Analog Mixers Work?
Unlike their digital brethren, analog soundboards rely entirely on physical controls and connections. This gives the Soundcraft GB series a number of capabilities whether used on the stage or the studio. The basic idea is simple, each of the input channels connects to one strip and the operator can feed the signal through various stages including mic preamps and dbx limiters before feeding it to a set of XLR outputs. While analog may not have the flexibility of a USB interface or the same onboard effects as digital there are still a number of reasons for using the technology.
- Ease of Use: The fact that every knob or slider physically couples to the channel it controls means it's easy to pick up how to add reverb or use any other feature.
- Visual Feedback: Because the position of each control determines its settings a trained operator can simply glance across a soundboard to see exactly what the settings are. Nothing is hidden behind menus and the curve of the sliders matches the output curve of your 24 or 48 channel mixer.
What's the Difference Between Live and Studio Mixers?
In some areas there is very little difference between live and studio mixers. They both have to take inputs from various sources and combine them into multi-track audio. You need to make sure you have enough I/O channels for all your instruments and voices, and some instruments need more than one channel; drum kits can easily take as many as five.
- Live Mixers: These soundboards have to be rugged, and often come with an integral power supply. You don't want your mixer taking up a lot of space on stage, but you do need to be sure it has all the capability you need.
- Studio Mixers: With the option of almost unlimited retakes, you want to focus here on mic preamps and overall quality. You have room to spread out in a way that's not possible on stage.
Mixing Music
Every Soundcraft mixer is different, and the one that fits your needs may not fit someone else's. When in doubt it's always good to err on the side of more capability, whether that be monitors or mono inputs. Even if it's not something you will use today, the increased capacity is likely to serve you well when the band's needs expand as they always seem to.