DIGITAL vs. ANALOG MIXER WORLD TODAY

[WK154]

Started in the 1980's by Rupert Neve DSP-1 and to the latest incarnations of digital mixers like the DL series and X32 series amongst others I looked at the Offerings today by some of the well known companies and how they stack up against the analog world. The analog world seems like it's not going away anytime soon. Based on current offerings and not quantities here is what it looks like. Companies try to invest in product that will have a ROI (return on investment) so the existence of a model is an indication of some need. Here we go and there are many more companies out there I haven't looked at.

Mackie 29 analog 2 digital that's 6% digital.
Behringer  84  analog 5 digital 7% digital. Uli do you really need another mixer? Not included are Eurocom's 8.
Yamaha 24 analog 16 digital that's 40% digital. Say's something about their commitment.
Midas 6 analog and 6 digital. 50% digital.

That's my list for now. Yamaha is due for a replacement of the O1,O2 line anytime, maybe at NAMM? Add your favorite Co. stats if you like.

 UPDATE:  I forgot Yamaha already filled that low end O1,O2 line with a fat check as they acquired Line 6. Wonder whose label will be on the units?
 

[RoadRanger]

It would be more meaningful to show how many of what type they released by year for the last five or ten years.

[WK154]

Not enough time in the day for that. That what you pay product research firms for. I'm not it. A quick snapshot of their website for product nothing more. I know you want to see the trend but Mfg. aren't about to release that stuff.

[Wynnd]

Might be nice to graph this with a look at what market price each of the mixers meet.  (Does Midas make anything for less than $5K?)  Anyway, thanks for taking a look, even if limited.  I have 2 analog mixers and 1 digital.  Guess that makes me 33% digital.  (And that is the mixer I expect to use most of the time.) 

[soundman]

Don't forget about most features of digital mixers depend on software and processing power. The best example is the DL1608. You get a digital mixer with much more features as you wold get from analog equipment of this size and price. To make variations of different mixers (e.g. analog console with or without fx) would mainly be a software issue.

I think manufacturers do not have any interest in selling the same hardware for a different price to only replace the software, as they will afterwords be hacked.

And: Why make a digital mixer which has no benefit compared a $100 mixer if it does the job the customer wants it to do. I think digital makes sense when you need lots of features.