Does it matter if you use a digital mixing board?

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Outside of learning, teaching, or few long gigs where I took over or someone took over for me, I don't DJ with another DJ.
If I'm giving up an evening, I'm making money.
I haven't used an assistant/roadie in a long time either.
 
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You are asking whether analog or digital is better without defining your criteria for better. Generally speaking the answer on any measure will be "it depends." Analog and digital boards can be bad or good. It depends on the model. Digital boards tend to give you more features in a smaller size. However, to save money, they often reduce the number of tactile controls thus making the design of the user interface critical. A control that you can't find in a timely fashion because it is buried 3 layers deep in menus offers you no value. The operation of analog boards tends to be obvious upon first inspection. Then again, digital boards may offer the ability to lock down controls you don't want people inadvertently touching. Sound quality is going to be based on the circuit design and parts used. I have seen and measured it all. You can't say one type always sounds better.
 
Really digital, if you have issues with a iPad it would be crazy to do digital. You know a iPad is commonly used item with digital mixers. If you have tons of stuff to setup like multiple bands playing or need tons of effects and have to deal with a ton of channels then maybe. But unlike a analog mixer you may not have direct control of everything. And even less if you don’t use a tablet. Personally I was checking out the QSC digital mixer and it was too complex for my needs And I some experience with boards doing bands, track artists & AV work. Although now I’m just using the board for karaoke and light A/V work. Really fix or replace your old mixer. I have a old 8 channel Ross mixer, I’m not sure it works but I’d be happy to donate it. For some reason I replaced it put it aside
And forgot about it.
 
Personally I was checking out the QSC digital mixer and it was too complex for my needs And I some experience with boards doing bands, track artists & AV work.

That's how I felt too. I checked them out before I bought the Soundcraft EFX mixer and I've toyed with the idea since but in reality for most of us it's little more than an expensive toy we wouldn't use it to anywhere near it's potential

That being said I have used several digital mixers and you can do some sweet stuff with live sound with them
 
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A digital mixer is for live microphones and instruments. It really provides no benefit to a Disc Jockey because your "mix" is just a volume combination of two or more already recorded songs.

It is not necessary to have an iPad to operate a full featured digital mixer. However, because digital mixing is done by software rather than hard wire analog circuits - it is common to also have scaled down versions of a digital mixer (like the Mackie DL1608) that replace the control surface with some other device such as an iPad. This is best suited to installations and fixed use situations because, the iPad then becomes your only means of accessing mixer controls. A lot of the features on these scaled down boards are added as plugins via your iPad rather than being native to the board.

Other than a wedding ceremony or regular karaoke gig - I can't see any benefit to a DJ using something like the DL1608. The DJ would also have to be at least an A2 if he\she truly wants to make effective use of what the mixer could do for a given application. These scaled down boards in particular make extensive use of IT and the ability to setup routers and networks is also a key part of maximizing some of their control features.

I use digital mixers for ceremonies though this is to process multiple mics, instruments, vocals, fold back, and perhaps delay speakers as well. It is at that point no longer a DJ gig, it is live audio mixing. The benefit is I can setup the show days or weeks in advance on a PC or tablet and load that configuration into the mixer once on site. Full featured mixers also eliminate entire racks of external processing that is needed with an analog board, and a whole lot of cabling. Digital snakes allow me to run 32 or more channels over a single Cat 5 cable. I can have one or more a stage boxes at the altar and FOH up to 300 ft away using a single small wire or ANY available network. Add a wireless router and I can tweak and operate the mixer form anywhere in the space - even while seated as a guest.

That being said, if you are a DJ who does a lot of wedding ceremonies with three or more mics but no other live mixing you'd be better off with an analog auto-mixer than a digital mixer. An auto-mixer will expand your mic inputs and manage multiple mics better than you can even with a small analog board like the Yamaha MG12XU.

The Yamaha mixer mentioned is not itself "digital." The USB port serves the function of a modern tape deck allowing record and playback of a mix or other content. The on board digital FX processor simply replaces an external processor like the Lexicon and gives you that processor as a built-in send/return path. A mobile DJ is unlikley to need and FX processor for anything other than reverb on karaoke mics.

If you want to run two or more DJ setups simultaneously you really need only a line mixer with at least 2 stereo inputs. The Yamaha accomplishes that using channels 5-8, and for DJs mixing in and out of each other you can use the Aux sends for fold back cue monitors of the opposing DJ or combined output.
 
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You are asking whether analog or digital is better without defining your criteria for better. Generally speaking the answer on any measure will be "it depends." Analog and digital boards can be bad or good. It depends on the model. Digital boards tend to give you more features in a smaller size. However, to save money, they often reduce the number of tactile controls thus making the design of the user interface critical. A control that you can't find in a timely fashion because it is buried 3 layers deep in menus offers you no value.

You are correct!
A digital board is a like a big 4WD truck.
Lots of great features....
but if you're only driving 5 miles to work on paved city streets...
you're wasting your money buying one.
 
I think most DJ's would admit they ae guilty of wasting money.
Ummm....I do not EVER do that. (Unless you ask my better half, but please leave her out of this......[emoji2958] I like having a bed to sleep in.) [emoji2958][emoji23]

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Ummm....I do not EVER do that. (Unless you ask my better half, but please leave her out of this......[emoji2958] I like having a bed to sleep in.) [emoji2958][emoji23]

See, that's where you screwed up.
I've been a mobile DJ for as long as I've been married...
and the FIRST thing I figured out about balancing wife and work is....
DON'T TELL YOUR WIFE WHAT YOU BOUGHT OR HOW MUCH IT COST.

If your better half is like mine...she'll find out in April.
But, it won't bother her because you'll have something to write off on your taxes!
 
See, that's where you screwed up.
I've been a mobile DJ for as long as I've been married...
and the FIRST thing I figured out about balancing wife and work is....
DON'T TELL YOUR WIFE WHAT YOU BOUGHT OR HOW MUCH IT COST...

Doesn’t work with my CPA, Control-freak wife.[emoji1]... She pays all the bills and is an officer in our little DJ company.
 
Doesn’t work with my CPA, Control-freak wife.[emoji1]... She pays all the bills and is an officer in our little DJ company.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. My Mrs is also a partner in the company and has no issue with anything I buy so long as I can somewhat justify it for the business and can afford it. She actually buys me DJ stuff for occasions (Birthdays, Christmas) so that way she gets me a gift and a write-off :)