3 best digital mixers to buy in 2023
3 best digital mixers to buy in 2023
Digital Mixers represent today the top of music technology, both for studio recordings and live performances.
They are an essential tool for any sound engineer that needs something rock-solid and trustable to work with to better offer the requested services.
On the other hand, digital mixers represent a very expensive investment, and every decision should be accurately pondered before spending one single penny on something that won’t be long-lasting at least for five to six years.
After the change of paradigm in music production and distribution, many recording studios have to optimize their investments to keep on being competitive in a very crowded niche, This also passes by the quality of the gear they work with.
If you are reading this article and you are thinking about investing in a new digital mixer for your studio, or you are a working sound engineer that is trying to raise the game, here you can find some useful information.
In this article, I will review 3 best Live/Studio digital mixers to buy in 2023
I of course chose the higher-level mixers, that represent the top-level quality in the market. As a consequence, they are also the most expensive ones, and not everyone can be able to afford to spend 50 to 100K on a digital mixer.
So, before starting this article, I also resumed in one single page all the best offers for digital mixers that you can find in Sweetwater (USA market) and in Thomann (EU and the UK).
If you need more information about your investment, for sure, on their page you can find accurate descriptions and detailed features for every item. I hope this will help you in making the wisest choice for your profession.
If you are interested in Impulse Responses, see also:
Disclaimer: the links in this article are simply affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you will buy something from the shop after you have been there. Nothing will ever change for you, and this is a way to monetize and sustain my blog activity.
Avid S6L System with S6L-24D Control Surface and E6L-144 Engine
The Avid VENUE | S6L live mixing system is probably one of the best live consoles out there.
It provides you with high processing power to support system scalability, Pro Tools integration, and hundreds of onboard plug-ins.
This extensive mixing control will give you all the power and flexibility that nowadays’s live mixing demands, all integrated into a very robust E6L-144 engine and Avid’s battle-tested VENUE software.
Equipped with multitouch screens, three banks of eight faders, and two banks of 32 knobs, the VENUE | S6L control surface allows you to access all the functions you will need in a matter of instants.
In short:
- Master multitouch screen
- Master Live central module
- Two-Channel Touch modules
- Three Channel Fader modules with eight faders each (total of 24)
- Two-Channel Knob modules with 32 knobs each (total of 64)
The Stage 64 rack provides you with 64 microphone preamps that deliver great sound with clarity, warmth, and presence and 32 outputs for monitor mixes, aux-fed subs, and zone mixing, giving you the output flexibility to send audio virtually anywhere you need to.
- 64 great-sounding microphone preamps
- 32 ultra-flexible outputs
- Send audio virtually anywhere you need to
It is also equipped with the VENUE Software, which can be easily integrated with Protools.
The VENUE software automatically creates a Pro Tools session from your current VENUE show file, complete with all track names and patching, giving you simultaneous control over your live mixing and recording rigs.
- Straightforward tabbed-page architecture
- Navigate pages quickly and easily
- Highly visible, easy-to-see interface
- Seamless integration with Pro Tools
The Avid VENUE | S6L live mixing system is most certainly the high-level choice for the most professional, high-profile gigs.
More information HERE
DiGiCo SD12 96 Digital Mixing Console
The DiGiCo SD12 96 is a compact size mixer with big features.
It is equipped with the latest-generation super FPGA technology and Core 2 software with a wealth of power.
SD12 96’s hood. Dual 15-inch touchscreens and 26 touch-sensitive, motorized faders give you tactile control and instant visual feedback. The SD12 96 includes eight mic/line inputs, eight line outputs, eight mono AES/EBU, and dual MADI I/O, along with dual DMI option card slots for added expandability.
This mixer is composed by 96-inputs which deliver 48kHz/96kHz digital audio for world-class sound. In addiction, it is equipped with digital effects processing for both inputs and outputs.
Each channel also comprehends channel delay, highpass and lowpass filters, parametric EQ, and dynamics processing.
You also get graphic EQs, multiband compression, and tube-style saturation.
Features:
- 96 input channels with 8 mic/line inputs and 8 analog outputs
- 8 mono AEA/EBU inputs/outputs and dual MADI I/O
- 48 auxiliary/subgroup buses
- LR/CR master bus with 12 x 8 full processing matrix
- Dual DMI (DiGiCo Multichannel Interface) option card slots for expanding your I/O (modules sold separately)
- Comprehensive digital effects processing on all inputs and outputs
- 26 touch-sensitive, motorized faders provide you with hands-on control
- 24-bit/96kHz native operation for world-class sound (can be set to 24-bit/48kHz)
- Dual touchscreens provide instantaneous feedback and control
- Integrated recording interface
Soundcraft Vi3000 96-channel Digital Mixer
Let’s finish this review by talking about the Digico SD12 96.
Among the 3 best studio digital mixers to buy in 2022, this is probably the one that offers the highest quality for a price that is half the highest range product in the same category.
The SD12 96 offers great accessibility in its controllers, and any setting becomes immediate and easy, without losing yourself in hundreds of pages and parameters.
The Vi3000 features 96 input channels with 24 mono/stereo mix buses and LRC master buses.
Features:
- Tactile control surface with 36 faders and 4 touchscreens
- 96 input channels with 24 mono/stereo mix buses and LRC master buses
- SpiderCore integrated DSP engine sounds amazing
- Streamlined Vistonics II knobs-on-glass interface is a breeze to navigate
- Faderglow color coding illuminates fader slots according to their function
- World-class Lexicon effects, including reverb, delay, and pitch shifting
- Modeled BSS Audio DPR-901II dynamic EQ supplies powerful sound shaping
- Built-in Dante interface gives you instant connectivity to other Dante-enabled devices
- MADI interface accommodates record feeds or Soundcraft’s Realtime Rack Plug-in engine
- 2 expansion bays for Stagebox connection or option card installation
- Onboard vMIX automatic microphone mixing is great for conference or theatrical presentations
- Ideal for live touring, install, and corporate AV applications
About me
My name is Ignazio Di Salvo, well, Iggy for all my friends as my name is difficult to pronounce for non Italian speakers.
I am an Italian Guitarist, Singer, Composer, and Music Educator living in Belgium.
I am passionate about music production and writing, I publish two articles every new week about music and music production-related topics.
Disclaimer: the links in this article are simply affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you will buy something from the shop after you have been there. Nothing will ever change for you, and this is a way to monetize and sustain my blog activity.