Mac Computer Fire Breathing Update

Dangerous Music 2-BUS LT Analog Summing Mixer

Analog summing is a hot topic these days; it seems as if every day there is another story or press release about some “name” engineer making the move to using an external summing box or mixer with his DAW. But aren’t DAWs supposed to be the “one-stop” tool for all audio creation? Does analog or external digital summing really sound that different from in-the-box summing in your DAW?

A few years ago, when I was the editor in chief at EQ magazine, I reviewed a product called Awesome DAWSUM. It was a 2-CD set created by engineer/producer/gear guru Lynn Fuston, and it contained stereo WAV files of the same mix done using 29 different platforms: various DAWs, digital mixers, analog mixers, and dedicated summing boxes. Nothing changed from mix to mix, except for how the final stereo summing was accomplished. The idea was for you to load the mixes into your DAW and attempt to identify which was which based purely on the sonics. Could you pick out the DAW summing? Hear a particular mixer? How about detect when a summing box was used?

Manley Laboratories 16x2 Analog Mixer

Listening blind, the test was tough. However, with repeated listening, I did learn to identify particular tracks. And when I sat down with the key to what was what, and learned the sound of particular summing hardware or software, I was then able to pick out more of the various platforms.

But I won’t tell you that the differences were significant, or that it was easy — even under very controlled conditions — to pick out different mixes, let alone determine which was “better.” Would a “casual” listener hear the difference? Maybe, maybe not. I came away skeptical of the value of external summing. Still, what I couldn’t argue was that there were subtle sonic differences between the various summing platforms.

Tube Tech SSA 2B Stereo Summing Amplifier

Then, about six months ago, I had a chance to install a couple of Dangerous Music summing boxes — a D-Box, which was later replaced with a 2-Bus LT and a Monitor ST — into my studio and to live with them for a while. After redoing a couple of mixes I had previously done entirely in the box, I was convinced: summing is the way to go — but maybe not for the reasons you expect!

So, what happens when you add a summing box? There are several areas where you may or may not notice changes.

Sound Quality

You will likely notice a change in the overall sound quality of your mixes; I encourage you to try some blind listening tests to see just how much real difference you can perceive. Some engineers suggest that the biggest difference results from the increase in headroom that a summing device can provide over a DAW’s summing bus; others dispute this.

TL Audio Fat Track Tube Summing Mixer

External Processing

Incorporating external analog processing, such as compression or EQ, into a system using external summing works well — and it eliminates an extra set of digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversions that your audio would go through if you were to incorporate an analog processor into a DAW insert loop. Not long after I added the summing box to my rig, I began lusting after analog processing hardware — compressors and equalizers, to be exact. And once you start incorporating analog gear, a patch bay is the next item you may find yourself wanting, in order to be able to route the audio through the processors flexibly.

Toft Audio ATB16 Analog Console

Using analog hardware in your mixes moves you out of the realm of modeled coloration — which, admittedly, can sound awesome — and back into the world of real analog coloration. Real tubes and real analog circuits will impart a “sound” to your mixes. The tradeoff is that you’ll need to carefully manage gain staging, control background noise, and…horrors…have to make your own settings by hand, without using presets.

Feel

This may sound strange, but the biggest difference I noticed when switching over to a summing box was the feel of doing the mix. It took me back to my days of working on an analog console. There was a “feel” and a response to making EQ changes using a console that is different from making those changes in a DAW — not better, not worse, just different. Even when using a plug-in EQ through a summing box, there is a difference to how it feels and how I perceive it. I find I enjoy it.

Along the same lines, I found myself using less compression when I used a summing box than when I made an in-the-box mix. Whether this is because of the analog sound, the headroom difference, or some other factor, I don’t know. But I do know that I ended up compressing less, which resulted in more open, clarified mixes with better dynamics.

Dangerous Music 2-BUS Analog Summing Mixer

The biggest thing you give up when you go to an external summing device is the recall of all your mixer and processor settings. If all you’re doing is summing externally through a dedicated summing box, then your DAW’s recall will still work fine. But, as soon as you incorporate any kind of analog processing or analog mix changes, if you then want to recall a mix, you’re going to have to manually reset the knobs and buttons on the analog pieces. This means keeping careful records of all the settings and routings you’re using for a mix.

Using a summing box has definitely made a big difference in how I work and in the results I achieve. If you’re looking for a huge sonic difference from summing alone, then you may or may not get your wish. But the other benefits are well worth exploring. Whether you go with a mixer for summing or use a dedicated summing box, moving outside the box may be just what you need to bring your mixes to life.

filed in Issue 1 on May.20, 2009

Analog summing is a hot topic these days; it seems as if every day there is another story or press release on some “name” engineer making the move to using an external summing box or mixer with his DAW. But aren’t DAWs supposed to be the “one-stop” tool for all audio creation? Does analog or external digital summing really sound that different from in-the-box summing in your DAW? A few years ago, when I was the editor in chief at EQ magazine, I reviewed a product called Awesome DAWSUM. [...]

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