Have they mastered mixing with the
analog mixer? I am reminded of the recent discussion regarding people who know how to use the tools but not how to apply them properly or that start to rely on having tools they may not always have. If you are not already doing so then you might want to look at some of the many available ear training programs and tools out there so that the students can better associate what they hear with the corresponding frequencies.
It always comes up but one consideration with external audio processing via a computer is
latency. Getting the audio into and out of the computer as well as the audio processing in the computer takes time. When those signals are mixed with direct signals without the same delay then that delay or
latency affects how they mix. So external processing on a computer of some signals within a mix has some inherent challenges that are also very hardware and software dependent.
What are you trying to see? Many digital mixers show a graphic representation of the equalization but they are showing the equalization being applied, not the resulting audio or what you are hearing. And they are not showing what is appropriate or sounds good. So are you wanting to see the resulting signal or simply a graphic presentation of the EQ settings? If you want to listen to a
channel of audio while you apply parametric equalization with a visual representation of the equalization then
REW - Room EQ Wizard Home Page might be useful for you.
On the second
point, can you provide a
bit more detail? I thought you might be referring to analysis tools like
Smaart, SysTune and SIM that can provide detailed amplitude, frequency and
phase analysis using real world signals, but other than PreSonus starting to introduce the Spectogram functionality of
Smaart on their StudioLive software these are separate software and you have to understand how they work to use them effectively. There are some digital consoles that have
channel libraries of
preset settings for various applications. or perhaps there is some plug-in you've seen. But I don't know of anything available that can tell you how something sounds in the mix or tell you how to make it sound better, that is both the skill of listening and the art of mixing.