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Since the earliest days of multitrack recording, analog mixers have helped us connect microphones and route signals to and from generations of recording devices, from the tape machines of yesteryear to today's modern audio interfaces.
No matter which style of music you make, whether you're working in a home studio setting or a professional mixing facility, there is no denying the value of analog mixers. The immediacy of analog signal routing can streamline just about any workflow, making analog mixers ideal for tracking, mixing, and summing.
An analog mixer is the central connectivity hub that connects everything in your studio, routing signals from live instruments to effects or from DAW returns to outboard gear in your rack. Depending on the manufacturer's philosophy, the circuitry inside analog mixers often draws on classic recording designs, using transistors and transformers that add texture and character to the sound.
In this blog, we'll explore some of the finest analog mixers for home, project, and small professional studios.
The renowned British console manufacturer Solid State Logic began its journey in audio innovation in 1969 and changed the way that music was mixed with its legendary SL 4000 Series with its automation capabilities and submix architecture. Today, SSL remains a market leader in analog consoles, but the company has also expanded its range with more affordable home recording solutions.
Among these are the SiX and BiG SiX desktop mixers, which provide 12- and 18-input options with SuperAnalogue mic preamps, extensive routing and monitoring, and simplified G Series Bus Compressors to add that classic mix glue. The BiG SiX also has a built-in USB audio interface, so you can record directly into your DAW.
From here, the jump to the ORIGIN in-line console is considerable, starting with the 16-channel version with its PureDrive mic preamps, four-band EQs, fully-featured Bus Compressor, 56 total inputs at mixdown, eight stereo subgroups, and an intuitive routing matrix. Meanwhile, the updated ORIGIN EVO adds per-channel dynamics and a redesigned frame, and its channel strips are available as an upgrade kit for current ORIGIN users.
A brand with a legacy steeped in recording heritage, AMS Neve began as Neve Electronics in 1961, in Harlow, Essex, with its founder, Rupert Neve, building consoles for recording artists, studios, and broadcasters in the UK. A big shift came in 1964, with the first-ever transistor-based console, followed by the A88 console in 1970, which was the first to feature the famous 1073 preamp/EQ.
In modern DAW-based setups, summing mixers like the 8816 provide a great way to mix outside the box and incorporate outboard gear into your workflow. The 8816 becomes a central hub of analog routing, with digital recall, built-in monitor control, and a headphone amplifier. Meanwhile, it can be expanded with the 8804 Fader Pack, which also adds per-channel direct outs, while the optional two-channel 8816 A/D card lets you bounce your mix back into your DAW.
Another great solution for tracking and summing is Neve's BCM10/2 Mk2 mixer. This reissue of the classic sidecar gives you a choice of 1073N, 1073 Classic, or 1084 Classic preamp/EQs and adds modern workflow enhancements like DAW returns, per-channel inserts, and surround monitoring.
American audio innovator API was founded in 1969 and changed the landscape of audio electronics with the development of the famous 2520 Op Amp and the 500 Series modular format, which remains popular today. The brand’s focus is still its prestigious range of analog consoles for recording, mixing, and post-production.
The easiest way to get the punchy, high-headroom API sound through your DAW is with the ASM164 summing mixer, with its 16-channel dual-mix architecture and the flexibility of per-channel inserts. Meanwhile, The Box 2 console expands on this concept to cover basic tracking and mixing in a compact desktop format. With eight mic preamps, eight 500 Series slots, four aux sends per channel, and a bus compressor, The Box 2 transforms a home studio with a formidable front-end and mixing platform.
From here, stepping up to API's range of large-format consoles has several advantages. Besides the additional preamps and EQs, the basic configuration of the 1608-II has the added flexibility of eight aux sends per channel and eight summing buses, with the ability to add Final Touch motorized fader automation for a more comprehensive mixing system.
After moving to the US in the mid-1990s, audio pioneer Rupert Neve and his wife Evelyn joined forces with Joshua Thomas to form Rupert Neve Designs in 2005, a company that represents their values, as well as Rupert's legacy in audio. Within the RND lineup, there are a few options for mixing outside your DAW, before you enter large-format console territory with the 5088.
For summing, there are two 16-channel solutions, each with strengths that suit slightly different workflows. The 5057 Orbit is a 16x2 summing mixer with mono summing switches on the first eight channels and digital recall from your DAW. Meanwhile, the 5059 Satellite offers the flexibility of dual stereo buses and per-channel inserts.
The 5060 Centerpiece is the ultimate compact mixing platform with a total of 24 inputs, eight channels across four long-throw faders with inserts, DAW transport control, main mix inserts, monitor control, Silk Texture circuit, talkback, and support for three pairs of studio monitors. Overall, the 5060 provides a great balance of old-school sensibility and modern practicality.
Based in Shell Rock, Iowa, Chandler Limited was founded in 1999 and became the only manufacturer officially licensed by EMI/Abbey Road Studios to recreate their legendary vintage recording gear for today's musical landscape. Chandler's range of vintage-inspired tube and solid-state designs, with impressive options for summing and mixing.
With the Mini Rack Mixer, you get a central control system and 16-channel summing station for your studio, built with premium discrete Class A amplifiers and custom transformers. In addition, you have talkback and connectivity for two sets of monitors, as well as the option to expand your input count with the 16-channel Expander unit.
The flagship is the REDD Mixing System, a completely modular design inspired by EMI's famous REDD, TG, and RS consoles used by the likes of The Beatles and Pink Floyd at Abbey Road Studios. This allows you to configure a console using a selection of tube, transformer-balanced, and germanium transistor input and bus cassettes to create the ultimate vintage recording and mixing console.
While most people know Audient for its impressive range of audio interfaces, the respected British manufacturer actually entered the market in 1998 with the flagship ASP8024 large-format analog console. With the help of an innovative design from co-founder David Dearden, Audient launched the ASP4816 in 2011, a compact and more affordable version of this console, which is now available in two distinctive versions.
Both the Standard and Heritage Editions of the ASP4816 have a total of 48 inputs at mixdown with 40 faders, 16 Class A mic preamps, four-band EQs per channel, 16 record buses, and six aux sends per channel. In contrast to the clean, transparent summing of the SE, the HE uses John Hardy 990 discrete transistor amplifiers for extra punch.
Also, the standard VCA bus compressor is expanded in the HE with a Mix Processing section featuring discrete transformer drive, Low Bump, and High Lift EQ settings. Also, the bus compressor has an internal sidechain high-pass filter and a gain reduction VU meter. Overall, this gives the Heritage Edition a decidedly different flavour, which is bound to appeal to artists, producers, and engineers who want a little extra color and character.
The story of the premium boutique mastering manufacturer Dangerous Music began in 1992 at Dangerous Music Studios in East Village, New York. Here, producer and engineer Bob Muller and equipment designer Chris Muth collaborated to build the first custom mastering consoles and summing mixers that would become the foundation of the Dangerous brand.
While mastering is the primary focus, there is also a range of solutions for analog summing. The flexible D-Box+, for example, provides precise monitor control with connectivity for three sets of monitors, two channels of reference-quality D/A conversion for USB, AES/SPDIF, and Bluetooth sources, and eight channels of premium analog summing via DB25.
Meanwhile, the 2-BUS-XT provides a basic 16-channel summing solution with transformer warmth and Coherence modes that can be assigned to a pair of channels (15 and 16) or the main mix bus. The premium 2-BUS+ takes this concept even further with dedicated controls for adding levels of harmonic distortion, FET-style limiting, and transformer saturation.
Considering that the Polish company was only founded in 2010, WesAudio has had a major impact on the audio industry, especially in the area of digitally recallable hardware, where the ng (Next Generation) series has paved the way as a new standard for recording equipment in both 500 Series and 19-inch rackmount formats.
Besides its range of preamps and processors, WesAudio has also developed tools to streamline mixing workflows. To recreate the analog console experience, the ngLEVELER is a 16-channel analog VCA-based automation system with 2,500 steps of resolution per channel. With THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) saturation and HUI, Mackie Control, or Eucon controller compatibility, it becomes the ideal partner to the ngSumBox summing mixer.
The ngSumBox is an 18x2 with digital recall and plug-in control, as well as per-channel direct outs, two pairs of master inserts with flexible processing order, variable THD, stereo width control, passive IRON PAD attenuator, and a choice of electronically balanced or Carnhill transformer-based output stages.
TASCAM's popular Model series consoles (available in 12-, 16-, and 24-channel models) provide an affordable entry point into the world of analog recording and mixing with features like multitrack SD recording, a multichannel audio interface, and DAW control (depending on the model). Each channel strip has a source switch that allows you to move between the analog inputs, DAW returns, and SD card playback.
Input channels feature TASCAM's Ultra-HDDA mic preamps, single-knob VCA-style compressors, three-band EQs, and aux sends. Meanwhile, there is also a master EQ section, a bus compressor (on the Model 2400), and a built-in DSP effects engine with its own return fader and a range of effects such as delay, reverb, chorus, and flanger.
Besides the accessibility, the Model series is also extremely versatile, with standalone 24-bit 48 kHz recording that allows you to capture your rehearsal sessions without diving into a DAW. This is ideal for bands and electronic musicians who want a central connectivity hub that integrates into the DAW workflow when required.
While most of the analog mixers in the Allen & Heath lineup are geared towards live sound applications, they can still be incredibly useful in a home studio environment for connecting an array of instruments and routing them through the mixer's built-in effects or your own collection of outboard effects processors.
The compact mixers in the ZED series are ideal for beginners looking for a central connectivity hub for guitars, synths, samplers, and drum machines, with aux sends for effects routing and built-in USB audio interfaces for sending signals into your DAW. As you go up the range, you'll find models with built-in effects and even four-bus architecture in the larger formats.
Alternatively, if you need a higher standard of signal processing and more rugged build quality, the MixWizard series (available in 12-, 14-, and 16-channel versions) provides increased headroom, higher-quality preamps, and more extensive four-band EQs with dual swept mids. Also, having per-channel inserts, direct outs, and the option of two stereo subgroups adds plenty of flexibility.
