Master Section: In the center or on the side?

Max Warasila

Max Warasila

Graduate
Feb 20, 2013
1,217
73
48
Richmond, VA
I was just wondering whether you, as an engineer, prefer a console with the master section in the center, or one all the way to one end. If I had to choose, I'd say for a console with less than 32 faders total, it'll almost always be better to have the master on the right side of the console as having channel 1 all the way to your left and the master fader/faders all the way to the right forces you to stay directly in the center (and therefore discourages you from moving to one side or the other while mixing) so that you can reach them both comfortably, but after about 4ft.+ it doesn't matter as much because you can't comfortably reach to any part of the console anyway.

What are your thoughts on this? Ergonomics are going to become a large part of my next mixer purchase since I already know what features I want and it really is going to come down to how the console feels in the end.

Thanks!
 
Re: Master Section: In the center or on the side?

Max Warasila said:
I was just wondering whether you, as an engineer, prefer a console with the master section in the center, or one all the way to one end. If I had to choose, I'd say for a console with less than 32 faders total, it'll almost always be better to have the master on the right side of the console as having channel 1 all the way to your left and the master fader/faders all the way to the right forces you to stay directly in the center (and therefore discourages you from moving to one side or the other while mixing) so that you can reach them both comfortably, but after about 4ft.+ it doesn't matter as much because you can't comfortably reach to any part of the console anyway.

What are your thoughts on this? Ergonomics are going to become a large part of my next mixer purchase since I already know what features I want and it really is going to come down to how the console feels in the end.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In the center, especially on a VCA console.
 
I am left handed. I remember lots of festivals where my band did not have to share faders because I was perfectly happy working on the right of the master section.

Of course there were a couple times I ran into problems with switches and knobs that hadn't been touched in years. (Nothing like the joy of an older large frame Yamaha analog with the little switches to turn each function on and no way of telling if the switch is actually working)
 
Re: Master Section: In the center or on the side?

I don't like orphan channels, so to me a center control bridge doesn't make sense until you get to a "full size" analog console. Even worse when it's pointless like the sixteen orphan channels on the right side of an M7/48.
 
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