I love our XL desk. Makes recording workflow smooth, sounds amazing and is super fun to mix on. I can get close in the box but it just doesn’t compare to the analog mixes on the board.
Consoles are definitely not necessary but part of me gets a tad confused seeing some setups where someone has spent more than the cost of a good console just to have various products that together basically mirror a console. Monitor controller, lots of the same preamps and eqs, summing mixer with faders, it ended up being more expensive than an audient asp4816he! That being said, I still find i work significantly quicker on a mix in the analog domain but I've also managed to acquire gear in disrepair amd fixed myself so i have a lower investment. These days a few ssl controllers and you're like 90% of the way to console workflow and sound.
For my commercial studio the answer is ABSOLUTELY! Having the Wow factor when people come in for the first time is a big sales point. Plus the majority of patch points, CR monitoring, head phone mixing and inserts all happen on the desk and that’s waaay more fun. I edit and automate in the DAW….
I'm really tempted to invest in this console, but my priority is time! I know a console can really speed things up and essentially have its own character, but biggest worry is if it truly will be redundant in 5+ years time. These days things are changing so fast and I'm seeing many studios and my colleagues in the business ditch their consoles, but keeping hold of their analogue processing gear. What do you think?
