ABSTRACT
Large mixers are exactly the same as small ones, but with more channels and buses, so at first they can seem complicated. Most large consoles include individual switches to turn phantom powering on and off for each channel, though many smaller mixers use a single switch to send power to all of the preamps at once. The basics of surround mixing were explained, along with an explanation of summing and gain staging in both analog mixers and digital software and hardware. Many large-format consoles also include built-in patch panels that connect key input and output points within the mixer to outboard gear in racks. All recording consoles contain microphone preamps, basic routing, and Aux buses, and many also include a polarity switch for each input channel. Some consoles and digital audio workstation programs lower the volume by 3 dB for each side when centered, since that sends half the acoustic power through each loudspeaker.
