I'll tell you, for the longest time I dreaded the thought of digital consoles, and insisted analog was the way to go. Now, having been trained on a PM1D by
Yamaha (which makes a BIG difference in understanding the thing, since their interface is less than intuitive), and having mixed extensively on 02Rs and DM1000 and 2000s, I really feel comfortable on them.
That's not to say that they're the right tool for every job. There are times an analog
console is the way to go, and times that a digital just makes things so much easier.
That said, if you haven't spent the time to really learn your way around one, it's easy to say, "Uck, everything's buried in menus...how do I change an EQ quickly during a show." In reality, though, on every digital
console I've used, it's quicker to change EQ than with an analog?
Why? Well, first, it's NOT buried in a menu. This was a complaint from live guys from day one, so digital
console designers have been very good about keeping EQ and the other things we need quick access to right there with controls on the surface, no menus to dig through. You do have to hit "select" on the
channel you want to change, but it's still quicker, at least to me. Why? (Note: The digital explanation looks longer, but that's because I get sidetracked with some explanatory notes...the actual process is quicker, as you'll see.)
Analog: Okay, change the EQ on the snare...well, okay, snare's over here, now
trace up the row of knobs to EQ....high, no, low mid, no, high mid---yup...not Q, not
gain, freq...there's the knob I want. Twirl. Ah, that's better.
Digital: Okay, change the EQ on the snare...well, okay, snares over here, left
hand reaches to hit the big honking select
button while,
simultaneously right
hand reaches for the super easy to find EQ section--the single EQ section that you reach for for any
channel you want to change, so you're always reaching for the same place on the
console. Twist the knob you want (which is much easier to find, since a fully parametric 4-band is now a single row/column of 2-3 knobs* for a total of no more than 12, whereas on a 32
channel analog (which is small for
theatre) you're looking at a field of 354 knobs, which run right into the 144+ aux knobs, which run into...), and you're done.
Anyway, that's my two cents...there's certainly no single right or wrong answer here, but coming from one who a few years ago loathed digital, and now has learned to love it, don't knock it till you've actually spent a little while giving it a real honest try.
--A