On every large-format stereo sound mixer (with groups / submasters) I've seen and used, the PAN controls on the channel strips are labelled to pan between "ODD" and "EVEN" group numbers, not actual LEFT and RIGHT output channels.
The group strips themselves are actually mono, and each input channel's mixing bus assignment switches always select a pair of these mono groups... typically a locking button to feed the Group 1 + Group 2 mono buses, another locking button to feed the Group 3 + Group 4 mono buses, and a final locking button to feed the master stereo bus (the only case where the input channel pan control does behave as a Left/Right pan!).
Why are they built like this? Why are the groups not stereo, and then on each input channel have a bus assignment button for each stereo group? (And label the PAN control to pan between LEFT and RIGHT on a stereo bus within the assigned stereo group.)
I've even seen this bizarre but ubiquitous trend of mono groups on mixers that have stereo input strips (with BALANCE instead of PAN)! So obviously the mixer's controls (the switches and potentiometers) on these stereo input strips are double-ganged (compared to the mono input strips). Therefore there's no excuse why the manufacturers couldn't use the same double-ganged parts to build the group strips as stereo groups!
Stereo groups would sure make the mixer a heck of a lot more versatile, with 4 "usable" groups that are truly independent! As they are right now with mono groups though, you really only get 2 "usable" groups to work with, since you have to tape the Group 1 and Group 2 faders together and operate them as a stereo couple (with their pans taped full-left and full-right), and then likewise tape Group 3 and Group 4 together as your "second usable group" (with their pans also taped full-left and full-right). :-/
I'm curious what others think, and especially what the manufacturers are thinking for continuing to design their mixers this way.
The group strips themselves are actually mono, and each input channel's mixing bus assignment switches always select a pair of these mono groups... typically a locking button to feed the Group 1 + Group 2 mono buses, another locking button to feed the Group 3 + Group 4 mono buses, and a final locking button to feed the master stereo bus (the only case where the input channel pan control does behave as a Left/Right pan!).
Why are they built like this? Why are the groups not stereo, and then on each input channel have a bus assignment button for each stereo group? (And label the PAN control to pan between LEFT and RIGHT on a stereo bus within the assigned stereo group.)
I've even seen this bizarre but ubiquitous trend of mono groups on mixers that have stereo input strips (with BALANCE instead of PAN)! So obviously the mixer's controls (the switches and potentiometers) on these stereo input strips are double-ganged (compared to the mono input strips). Therefore there's no excuse why the manufacturers couldn't use the same double-ganged parts to build the group strips as stereo groups!
Stereo groups would sure make the mixer a heck of a lot more versatile, with 4 "usable" groups that are truly independent! As they are right now with mono groups though, you really only get 2 "usable" groups to work with, since you have to tape the Group 1 and Group 2 faders together and operate them as a stereo couple (with their pans taped full-left and full-right), and then likewise tape Group 3 and Group 4 together as your "second usable group" (with their pans also taped full-left and full-right). :-/
I'm curious what others think, and especially what the manufacturers are thinking for continuing to design their mixers this way.