ABSTRACT
A large mixing console arguably represents the most demanding area of analogue audio design. Two primary requirements of modern consoles are very low noise and minimal distortion. The internal signal levels of any mixing console are always a compromise between noise and headroom. A higher level means that the signal is less compromised by circuit noise but makes inadvertent overload more likely, and vice versa. A mixing console has a number of input channels that can be summed into groups, and these groups again summed into a stereo mix as the final result. Small mixers often have no groups and mix directly to stereo. In complex mixdowns it may be necessary to return a large number of effects to the mix. The returned effect, which may well now be in stereo, such as the output of a digital reverb unit for example, is usually added to the stereo mix bus via level and pan controls.
