I am more in favor of
a small footprint DAW control surface + a summing box (like a Fulcrum)
+ enough outboard mic pres & EQ's for tracking
using a FEW of those eq's at mixdown stage & doing the rest in the DAW with plug ins
I don't want a budget console sitting there
hissing & adding noise
with underwhelming eq's
crappy mic pre's
with no fader or mute automation possibilities
taking up space in my small control room
In reality I don't use much outboard EQ when I mix, I do 99% of that with plug in's..
So I advocate individual outboard pre/eq acquisition
The better you track it, the less manipulation it needs later..
(plus outboard classics will hold their value more than a budget desk)
