What is the best analog summing amp for a Mac DAW?

[mbradzick]

I'm currently confined to mixing ITB but want to bypass the limitations of ITB summing. Any ideas on which analog summing box I should get?

[malgfunk]

Just 2 weeks ago I upgraded my DAW to include a Neve 8816 Summing Mixer, Apogee Symphony, DA-16X, Rosetta 200 AD/DA, and a Tascam DV-RA1000HD Hi-Def Mixdown deck. I'm currently running Logic Studio with Waves Gold and SSL 4000 bundles. I didn't expect to spend this much $$, but I'm glad I did. I difference in my mixes from ITB to OTB is "Sick". The depth, width and overall character of the Neve mix bus is amazing. I now find that I can mix more efficiently and more aggressive due to the headroom. If you feel your at the limit with ITB, then it is time to move to OTB with quality DA conversion and analog summing.

[willvis]

I work a lot at Truetone Recording, a cool small studio in Nashville. David Henry, the owner/engineer, is a master of making Pro Tools sound great. He has an old Apogee Rosetta AD, a newer Apogee Rosetta 800, and a small 1970s Studer console. He uses the Rosetta AD for clock and A/D conversion, the Rosetta 800 for D/A, and the Studer for summing when mixing. Yes, the stereo field and depth of field are drastically improved.

The Studer's mic pres and EQs are also just fine for making records.

It's amazing how good it sounds in there with so little gear (no Neve, API, 1176...you know, the holy grail catchwords we all throw around on these forums).

It seems to me that the key elements are good A/D, D/A and the summing box. So yeah, you'll need to drop a few grand on a multichannel A/D D/A, like Rosetta 800, and a good summing box, like th Neve or the Dangerous Music 2 Bus.

Or...you could get the A/D D/A and find a cool small console.

I've read about the TL Audio Fat Track, but have yet to hear it or read a review about its summing capabilities.