Comparison of Analog and Software-Based Processors in the Mixing Processabstract

Year 2025, Volume: 12 Issue: 1, 159 - 178, 30.06.2025

Mehmet Özkeleş

https://doi.org/10.26650/CONS2025-1685187

Abstract

This research aims to comparatively examine the technical and auditory effects of analog-based and softwarebased processors used in the mixing process. The study targets evaluating the performance of software processors running on digital audio workstations (DAWs), which are widely used in modern music production, against physical analog devices during mixing. The research was conducted using a descriptive qualitative approach and document analysis method. The research universe consists of analog and software-based signal processors, while the sample comprises DAW-based mixing projects utilizing these processors. Within the scope of the study, both processor types were compared under similar conditions; level balances, input gains, and harmonic contents were standardized for evaluation. The findings reveal that analog processors provide a more natural harmonic richness and warmth in frequency characteristics, whereas software-based processors simulate these characteristics to some extent but sometimes yield a linear and fixed tonal outcome. Additionally, the research shows that software-based processors offer advantages such as ease of use and reproducibility, while analog devices impart a more organic effect on the sound’s dynamic and tonal character. In conclusion, the study assesses the role of both processor types in the mixing process from technical and aesthetic perspectives and provides an analysis capable of guiding user preferences.

Keywords

Plug-in , Analog Digital Signal Processor (DSP) , Music Technologies

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