Is the Model 12 digital or analogue?

[JonHunt]

To clarify, obviously the onboard multitrack recorder is digital, as is the interface/controller functionality and built in effects unit. I am asking about the console. I assumed at first that the console was analogue like the 16 and 24, but things I’ve read in the forums here make it sound like a digital mixer that just *looks* analogue. I even saw a YouTube review that referred to it as a digital mixer and said it had “digital compression.” So what’s the verdict? Analogue console and people don’t know what they’re talking about, or digital mixer fundamentally different from the 16 and 24?

 

[JonHunt]

Also, do the compressors on channels 7/8 and 9/10 work on stereo sources?

 

[JSchmo_Bass]

The mixer is definitely digital. Block diagram in the manual clearly shows analog signal conversion to digital occurs right after the pre amps.

the Model 16 and 24 are analog except the multitrack recorder.

 

[JonHunt]

How disappointing. How does the mixer side sound compared to the 16/24? And does it have any inherent latency? (when used standalone, not as an interface obviously)

 

[JSchmo_Bass]

The Model 12 sounds great…it’s amazing how much great music it can produce in short amount of time and with little fuss. I have both the 12 and the 16. The 12 it’s actually quite a lot easier for non experts to use because, being all digital, you can record tracks at lower volumes and the crank the faders later during mixing and not add noise. Also the ability to apply the compressors in playback is HUGE. I use the 12 a lot more than the 16.

with the 16 you need to really pay careful attention to gain staging at every step, especially starting from tracking, to get the the levels optimal. When I have been able to nail it, the 16 does sound a little bit better (slightly warmer, richer etc). However on those occasions when I don’t pay attention it’s easy to end up worse off too… in those cases I’ve had to either bounce and boost or bring the stems out into a DAW for level adjustments and compression and then back to the 16 for mixdown, or just mix down in the DAW.

where the 16 shines is as a mixer for a fill band…

 

[-mjk-]

How disappointing. How does the mixer side sound compared to the 16/24? And does it have any inherent latency? (when used standalone, not as an interface obviously)

Why? The Model 16 and 24 do not have DAW control because they are analog. The '12 was designed differently for a different workflow. Digital console sound great.

 

[JonHunt]

Hi -mjk-, I’m not sure how to respond directly to your comment. It’s disappointing to me because I was interested in using the model 12 to mix from my TSR-8. Although I usually use digital effects and mix down to digital, I would have liked the ability to do 100% analog mixdowns on occasion. Of course I could use a 16 or 24, but the 12 is the perfect size for me for other applications. A lot of the time I track clients at a different location then mix at my home studio. The Model 12 still seems like a perfect machine for me in a lot of ways, I just wish I could do analog mixdowns on it

 

[-mjk-]

OK @JonHunt. That response was just fine

Truth is, at some point all those consoles convert analog to digital and back. You can still do those mixdowns but your engineering skills will have more of an effect on the final results than the domain where the audio resides.

 

[JonHunt]

Oh sure, that’s definitely true, engineering is always more important than gear. I’m just an analog guy and got excited when I thought there was an 8 channel analog console with the 12’s flexibility being made. But it’s an incredible machine, and I know that almost all of my projects will end up digital eventually. So I might try to pick one up some time.