Analogue Summing box Vs Analogue mixer?

by **ill** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:39 pm

I would like to sum my stem mixes and am debating the pros and cons between using a summing box, or purchasing an equally price mixer.

What are the pros/cons of each approach (aside from space)?

Do you get significantly better audio path per pound using a summing box (but sacrifice gain, eq, etc)?

I have a Lynx Aurora 8, so only looking at 8 channels and for around the 1k GBP mark. I have some outboard but not much (Moog, UA 6176) so it's mainly for mixdown.

by **Hugh Robjohns** » Tue May 06, 2008 5:48 pm

Most summing boxes are little more than a nice summing bus with tidy input stages and a decent mix amp and output driver. So you're not getting much for your money, but you do get is nice.

A mixer has to provide mic and line input stages, EQ, aux routing, bus routing, insert points, multiple mix busses, multiple output stages, monitoring section, metering, and so on and so on.

For the same total money outlay, it doesn't take a genius to see that the main mix bus section of a mixer has to be inferior in so many ways to a dedicated mix bus unit.

Does that answer your question?

The bottom line is that the two beasts are designed to do different things. Either you need EQ, aux sends, multiple busses, and a monitoring section.... or you don't.

Hugh

by **Blue Lizard** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:47 pm

I'm loving my Folcrom to sum my DAW stems - you do need to get a nice pair of matched preamps to make up the gain of the output 2-buss, but at least that's money well spent on gear that will also be put to good use during tracking.

I've used my DAV BG1 for a nice solid and clean feel (along with a Drawmer 1968ME for some mix-buss glue), but now have a couple of Neve and API-esque preamp pairs that I can go to if I want a different 'flavour'. 8-)

by **Zukan** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:23 am

It might be worth reading this thread as it is ongoing and should provide you with some more optinions.

by **Rousseau** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Zukan wrote:It might be worth reading this thread as it is ongoing and should provide you with some more optinions.

Hehe, is that a cross between an option and an opinion?

by **hugol** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:41 am

Ah a thread on analogue summing - I've got deja-vu for some reason..... must be nothing :tongue:

by **Zukan** » Wed May 07, 2008 1:10 pm

One brain......two halves fighting for supremacy.

Both won.

SOUND ON SOUND

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Analogue Summing box Vs Analogue mixer?