There are two ways of mixing techniques with analogue and digital gear. Though there are mostly replacing the analogue things to digital in the world, the analogue mixer still have a lot of advantages in music production. All channel processing is literally in-line between the input gain and the output fader, and tweaking channel EQs or adjusting sends is as easy as reaching out and grabbing the control of whichever channel you need to change. Once you understand one analog mixing console, you can probably move to another with little or no learning curve.

Compared with analog mixers, digital live sound mixing consoles are extremely flexible and incredibly compact. By substituting digital signal processing chips in place of costly and bulky analog circuitry, digital mixers can provide you with sophisticated channel equalizers and in-line dynamics, as well as effects and output processing such as graphic EQs.

The best way to figure out which kind of live sound mixer is right for you is to consider the application. If you’re running sound in a club where different bands play every night and last-minute changes are common, then you may be better off with an analog board. If you’re running sound on tour with a group or a collection of groups where the same band and gear are more consistent, then you may be better off with a digital board.