Analog Vs. Digital Mixers, Which is Right for You? | I DJ NOW

ANALOG VS DIGITAL! The ultimate battle! In the world of mixers, there can only be one!

Well, no, that’s not true at all. Each type of mixer serves a purpose, and today we will be looking at an analog mixer and a digital mixer and discussing the pros and cons of each, what types of events each can serve best, and which you should ultimately choose.

When you start to do live sound, you’re presented with a bunch of mixer options and two of the most common phrases you’ll see are ANALOG MIXER and DIGITAL MIXER. What does that mean? It all has to do with how the audio going through the mixer is processed.

Let’s start with analog mixers.  They’re called analog mixers because the audio is processed by analog circuitry. It’s a single line of processing happening from your channel input to your output fader. 

Because analog mixers are designed that way, everything you need to adjust is right at your fingertips. This is largely why an analog mixer looks so intimidating, there are a lot of knobs on here, and you might not know exactly what they all do. Well, I have some good news for you! You don’t need to learn all of them. And that’s because when you learn the knobs on one channel of an analog mixer, that translates to all the other channels as well. Learn one channel. Learn all channels. Then, you have a master EQ and output section, usually found on the far right.

There is a slight learning curve when using an analog board, but since everything it can do is right in front of you, what you see is what you get. While that’s a benefit to some, it might be a drawback to others, as when it comes to things like effects, you’ll have to start incorporating outboard gear if your board doesn’t have any effects built in. The other drawback is not being able to save settings. So, if you find yourself in a situation where you want effects at the ready and would benefit from having some saved scenes in your back pocket, you might want to consider a digital mixer.

Now, digital mixers tend to look a lot cleaner and simpler than analog mixers. Since the audio is processed digitally, these mixers operate more like a computer. You access most of its functionality here on the screen as opposed to with knobs and inserts on the mixer itself. 

This mixer here (Yamaha TF1) has 32 mono channels, 2 stereo channels and 2 return channels, but as we can see, it only has 16 faders. To access the other channels all you do is select the next bank, and there are your other channels. This allows digital mixers to be more compact than analog mixers while providing you with more channels to play around with, which is great if you’re working with larger acts. To adjust parameters such as gain or EQ, select the channel you want, and you’ll see your adjustments on the screen. You can also navigate to your effects and assign them wherever you like. While the flexibility is fantastic on a digital mixer, and the added benefit of a compact unit is great, some users might find this complex. There is certainly more of a learning curve when hopping on a digital board, as you’re doing a lot of menu diving and navigating within the mixer here, but once you learn your way around it, there is so much you can do with it.

So, analog or digital, which is right for you?

If you gig regularly, don’t need any crazy effects or signal routing, and don’t need to save your settings, consider going analog. Analog mixers tend to be more budget-friendly, can better handle the rigors of the road, and are ideal for quick setups and teardowns.

Engineers working with a single artist or running sound for a single venue who want to have their settings saved and ready to go should consider a digital mixer. The ability to save your scenes saves a whole lot of setup time, and you can do way more in the box in terms of routing and effects. Just be sure to get yourself a solid road case because these are basically computers so they’re a bit more delicate.

If you have more questions while on your mixer journey, feel free to give us a call or visit a local IDJNOW showroom and we’ll be happy to work with you and make sure you get the right mixer for your needs!