Hey, folks! I've got a studio question for you! I state and ask this as an amateur producer and an intermediate musician, so bear with me, here.

With the annual growth of increasingly ridiculous and amazing quality boosts in Direct Digital Interfaces for recording music, is it worth it to even include a mixing board with studio recording anymore? Obviously (or as far as I understand), mixing boards are still pretty nifty (and standard) for recording live concerts, but with the capability of digital mixing and mastering, couldn't one ideally just input and record all of the instruments in the studio directly into an interface or two, mixing it accordingly, and record it right there, mastering as necessary with the same tools from there? Ideally, you can still even monitor out to the recording musician with these same interfaces.

In the same breath, digital recording and Digital Audio Workstations like Pro Tools and Logic Studio negate the actual need for much of the external equipment required to make and produce material, such as mixing boards and tape decks, correct?

I speak on the assumption and use of Apogee products, by the way, especially ONE and Duet 2.

So my question is, what do you think? How do you record? Do you just record right into an interface, and mix to your hearts desire all on a central computer? Or do you prefer having a more concrete, physical, and all around more huggable approach to mixing your masterpieces?

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts. Also, on a slightly unrelated note (and by no means in any sort of offense to the pros here), are there other boards that you would recommend sharing this discussion with?

Thanks! Meow!

- Xavan.