Well, Kyle, my view is you're playing into the manufacturers game. You're conflating functionality and quality with size and configuration of control surface -- exactly as they mean you to.
There isn't any reason why control surfaces for digital mixing engines *couldn't* provide hard controls for at least a working subset of the knobs you need to mix, rather than i-Driving you by forcing run-time controls down under menus. And, of course, not only do they bury functions under menus, they bury them under *different* menus that you access differently...
It's ironic: people always used to look at big desks and say "wow; that's *so* complicated". It wasn't, of course; it was pretty simple. Now, the desks *aren't* that big, and people *don't* say that, and of course they're still wrong... now it *is* complicated.
Eh, it depends. The 01V is a horrible
one off console for music. However, if you are doing a theatrical
cue based show or a mic and
podium it is fine. In both instances having instant access to every handle is not needed.
Modern (NOT the O1V or anything
yamaha made before 2013) do give you handles for everything. On my Pro2's you have every handle you could need within 6 inches of each other. Right
hand stays up there, left
hand stays on the faders. Even the little X32 for 2800 bucks gives you handles for dynamics, high pass, 4 sends, pan, and EQ. If you need to get to somewhere fast you have 3x 8 user keys and 4 pots that you can do whatever you want with. I wish the Pro2 had user keys. Hell, even SC48 requires some
button pushing to
switch between dynamics, EQ, and mixs.
The 01V and the LS9 are some of the worst digital consoles ever made. They sound thin, bury stuff in menu after menu, and make you layer way too much. The 01V was sold to hit a price
point. It did it. These days you would be stupid to buy one, however 5-7 years ago it was a lot of bang for the buck. For the right situation it worked fine.
Say what you will, but the sooner people get into the digital mindset the better. It is here to stay. The surfaces are getting better every day. The 01V is a great place to learn the basics of digital. It has its strengths... it has its many weaknesses.
Current desks don't have the same steep learning curve. Going digital is no longer a real fight. The war is over. The second Midas stopped making large scale analog and BSS stopped making comps the war was lost. Lately, whenever I'm behind a
console I am usually doing monitors. I NEVER want to go back to doing monitors on analog. You could not force me to. The speed and the easy or creating mixes on digital does not even compare... not to mention the ability to step out on the
deck with the artist and adjust a mix one on one.