best digital desk

hi, What is the best Mid range digital desk out there now, either new or secondhand, for recording rock bands to orchestras....preferably with protools integrationl. I was thinking of the new Digidesign Icon desk? The desk must not cost more than £300,000 how many tracks would you say is ideal? for a pro level studio mike

with that budget range I would consider hiring a qualified consultant that can work with your specific needs within your studio. there are lots of options out there and in my opinion it's a matter of finding the right one for you as opposed to the "best" just a thought cheers, brady

mikeUK wrote:

hi, What is the best Mid range digital desk out there now, either new or secondhand, for recording rock bands to orchestras....preferably with protools integrationl. I was thinking of the new Digidesign Icon desk? The desk must not cost more than £300,000 how many tracks would you say is ideal? for a pro level studio mike

The ICON is a system, not a digital desk. It is a very expensive mouse. When pricing one out, consider that you not only need the ICON, but you need the monitor controller, Digi PRE's, Pro Tools HD 3 (bare minimum) Accel and a G5. This should add another $20k to $30k easily. If you want a digital desk (which I cannot understand why, as they are all just as obsolete as the computer's that drive them, then look at the Soundtracs, Euphonix (which a digitally controlled analog desk), Sony Oxford (great desk, but good luck getting support from Sony). SSL digital SUCKS and is too pricey. If it were me, I would get the API rack system and a good controller for Pro Tools. It is easier to break down and sell if you have to, plus you will not have a seperate machine room and AC for the electronics.

[/quote] The ICON is a system, not a digital desk. It is a very expensive mouse. When pricing one out, consider that you not only need the ICON, but you need the monitor controller, Digi PRE's, Pro Tools HD 3 (bare minimum) Accel and a G5. This should add another $20k to $30k easily. If you want a digital desk (which I cannot understand why, as they are all just as obsolete as the computer's that drive them, then look at the Soundtracs, Euphonix (which a digitally controlled analog desk), Sony Oxford (great desk, but good luck getting support from Sony). SSL digital SUCKS and is too pricey. If it were me, I would get the API rack system and a good controller for Pro Tools. It is easier to break down and sell if you have to, plus you will not have a seperate machine room and AC for the electronics.[/quote] What you say is very correct, but I would have to add that your comfort level with mixing with a mouse has to be taken into consideration. There are many things that are purchased in the studio that depreciate quickly, but a digital desk has it's uses. I agree that the Icon is expensive but many find it helps there workflow. I have 2 Yamaha 02R96's that I find invaluable for mixing. Having many projects running at the same time, the 02R helps keep things working smoothly. This does not mean to not get the API rack. I use a Crane Song Spider, Pendulum MDP1, Summit TPA-200b and other pres as front ends, but when it comes to recallable mixing, and faders at my fingertips, the digital mixer works well.

It depends on what your real needs are and what you plan to use it for. Budget is usually the first barrier. Then you have to think about dimensions for the control room. How many inputs do you require (tracking and/or mixing) What type of automation feature do you want/need? Are all your recordings going to be done via Hard Disk (such as Protools, Radar, or any other HD recorder)? Or will you be doing analog such as 2"? Do you want an all digital desk/controller or an analog desk w/ automation recall? Are you exclusively going w/ protools or ??

D icon is a controlar for the pro tools hd1 hd2 hd3 system's and very $$$$ ... :shock: My advice is YAMAHA DM2000 it is very goog digital mixer 8) Regards, Abdullah Al balushi

I know that you mentioned Pro Tools, but if you were to go the Cubase/Nuendo route, the Yamaha desks are amazing. Nuendo has recently added complete recall and save of all of the board's settings, including fx and routing, right within the session. And they'll go anywhere the project goes. Works the same all the way from the smaller digital desks to the big $100k live consoles they run.