Digital mixing makes me happy. Sure, nothing sounds as sweet as a nice, old Trident or Neve console, but I haven’t the space, money, or maintenance facilities to deal with one of those beasts. On the other hand, the new breed of digital mixers offers pristine sonics, extensive features, and automation—all at a price I can look at without my blood draining to my feet. Modern DAWs offer real-time automation, EQ, dynamics, and other signal processing. The world is a beautiful place.

That is not to say that it’s a simple place. I find all the options to be confusing and often am left feeling (I am risking rotten tomatoes here) mixed up. Can I meet all my mixing needs in a DAW alone? If not, how extensive an outboard mixer do I need? Once I have an outboard mixer, which automation should I use: the DAW’s or the mixer’s? What about the card approach, like Yamaha’s DSP Factory? That’s a lot of mixing power and a DAW rolled into one affordable card.

There is, of course, no single right answer; there are many right answers, and a number of wrong ones, too. As always, you must analyze your own needs and resources, and use patterns to decide which way to go; here, however, are a few thoughts I found helpful.

Mixers are very complex pieces of equipment, but their most important functions break down to these: input/output, routing and combining, signal processing, monitoring and communications, and, most important, tactile control. The emphasis placed on this last function is deliberate and significant. Tactile control is so important that an entire genre of products has grown up to meet that need alone. From JLCooper and Peavey MIDI fader boxes to Mackie HUI, Digidesign ProControl, and the like, things you can touch and move are the kernel of the mixing process. This idea is the key to deciding on mixing equipment and procedures.

Consider the DSP Factory. It provides incredible functionality, but accessing it comfortably requires a control surface. Sure, you can use a mouse or trackball, but any serious number of mixing hours makes the necessity of faders and knobs abundantly clear.

Similarly, your total purchase price for a card and HUI-type control surface is close to that of a stand-alone digital mixer (more, in fact, than some digital mixers). The system might be a great value, but that extra cost could be a rude surprise if you fail to factor it into your budget.

The question of automation comes under the same scrutiny. DAW breakpoint editing with a mouse can achieve precision and subtlety that is difficult to achieve with a fader, but it is slow and awkward and can be a repetitive-stress pain in the hand for general-purpose mix moves. That’s a large reason that HUI and ProControl came into existence. But why should you have two control surfaces, one for your DAW and one on a digital mixer? The addition of preset HUI-like control capabilities between digital mixers and DAWs would make it nearly seamless to use the mixer and DAW automation in tandem.

There is no question that we are currently blessed with an embarrassment of riches in mixing. But purchase decisions can be bewildering unless you do your homework, and that starts at home. Take some time to sit down and just think, while not doing anything else. Visualize yourself mixing, and make notes (on paper or a computer, not just in your head) of the things you do a lot, the things you wish were easier to do, and the things for which you already have adequate tools. Armed with those notes, you will be pleasantly surprised how much easier it is to thread your way through the glorious maze.

Larry the O is a musician, producer, engineer, and sound designer whose San Francisco–based company, Toys in the Attic, provides a variety of musical and audio services. He does not have a TV, VCR, cell phone, or Web page, but he holds the distinction of introducing the term stud muffin to audio writing.