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May 2012

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How-to Guide to Choosing a Mixing Console

Start with defining your need, then analyzing options and then determine your budget.

by Mike Sessler

Historically, not much happens in the live audio world over the course of six years. The previous six years, however, had been a whirlwind. Consider-it was just over 12 years ago that the live sound world changed forever. It was then that Yamaha introduced the first large-format digital console aimed at live sound, the PM1D. And while today it feels like the Avid Venue series has always been with us, it was only introduced in 2005, just six years ago. Since then, every major console manufacturer has debuted not one, but several digital consoles, and new companies have been created.

In just six years, the digital market has gone from a few choices to dozens. At the top of the hill are desks like the Midas XL8 and Digico SD7 that have the ability to process, mix and route hundreds of channels; at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the other end of the spectrum are small desktop mixers like the Yamaha 01V and Presonus StudioLive series; far more modest in capability and much easier on the wallet.

While most recent and well-publicized advances have been in the digital world, analog is not dead yet. Major console manufacturers have been quietly updating their analog lines and even introducing new ones. And at least one company, APB/Dynasonics, was formed for the sole purpose of building high quality analog mixers.

With all this change in the marketplace, how does one decide what to buy when in the market for a new mixer? I suggest the process is the same as any other major system purchase: Start by defining the need, analyzing the options, determining your budget-and make a decision. In this guide, I'll help you walk through that process.

While the order of the following steps is not arbitrary, it is somewhat based on my personal preference. You could change the order of steps one through three and I won't fault you; however, I firmly believe step four should remain step four, regardless of your decision tree. With that said, let's dive in.

Step One: Analog or Digital?
Based on the opening paragraphs of this article, you might be forgiven for thinking this decision is an easy and foregone one. However, I don't believe that's the case. Digital audio mixing is the new and shiny technology, and it is where much R&D is going these days. But that doesn't mean analog mixers don't have a place in today's church.

The first question to ask when deciding between analog and digital is this, "Who will be operating the system?" Not all churches have highly skilled professional sound engineers or even well trained volunteers. Many churches have services every week with dedicated volunteers who "figured it out," and can get acceptable sound from an analog mixer. If your church is staffed by a group of those volunteers, dropping a brand new high-end digital desk in their laps may mean many of those volunteers can't figure it out any longer.

I know of one church where that happened. After upgrading to a digital console from an analog one, they dropped the number of sound volunteers from six to one. While digital brings with it many advantages, when you lose most of your volunteers, any advantage gained is quickly lost.

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Mike Sessler is the technical director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, Calif. He has been involved in live production for over 20 years and is the author of the blog http://www.ChurchTechArts.org. He also hosts a weekly podcast called Church Tech Weekly on http://www.TechArtsNetwork.com.