Big mixer, small footprint...

This is kind of an interesting concept in mixers I came across today. It’s the Blue328 from Renegade Labs. It’s a full 32-input 8-bus mixer in a package that is 12” on a side. The name makes me think of the Digital328 from Soundcraft, the most expensive boat anchor I’ve ever bought. (I could easily come up with 328 reasons to never, ever give Soundcraft another dime.) But that aside, this actually looks pretty fly. There are three card slots, and each one takes 8 channels of AES, AES SRC, SDI, or a four-channel analog card. A three-band parametric and dynamics for each channel, and presto.

I think it is primarily intended for NLE suites and the like, so there’s a dearth of normal features you’d see on a music production console, e.g. sends, inserts, etc., but if space is at a premium, and you just need to sum a bunch of inputs (like, for instance, a wall of modular gear) this might be the business for you. I couldn’t find a price for it, which leads me to believe that “your left nut” is the going rate. Something to consider, though.