Studio 101 – Audio Terminology: Mixing Desks and Consoles

This month’s column takes a look at a broad range of terms related to the central component of most music and audio production—the mixer.

Mixers (also known as mixing desks or consoles) combine the individual elements of an audio production—microphones, instruments, prerecorded tracks and more, whether live or in the studio—into a finished, usually stereo, mix for listening and distribution.

Traditionally, an analog mixer is a standalone console with multiple channels or channel strips. In the digital age, most DAW-based, in-the-box virtual mixers are designed to look and function much like their hardware counterparts while offering the additional capabilities of a software-based environment.