Allen & Heath’s ZED range anchors this category, running from the compact ZED-6 up to the ZED-24 and the four-bus ZED-436, with FX variants adding onboard effects and ZEDi models building in USB audio interfaces for straightforward recording and playback. Alongside the consoles sit the GR series zone mixers for installed background music and paging, plus RK19 rack mount kits for putting the smaller frames into 19 inch racks.

Start with what you actually plug in rather than the model number: stereo line pairs make up part of the input count on most frames, so tally your mono mic channels first, then think about aux sends if monitor mixes will run from the desk. FX models make sense where a small gig cannot justify outboard effects, and the ZEDi USB interfaces are the simplest route to capturing a live recording or podcast without extra hardware. The Console sub-category holds the mixers themselves, Accessories carries the rack kits, and Zone Mixers covers install work where per-zone level control matters more than faders.

Analogue still earns its place in hire fleets, community venues and houses of worship where anyone might end up behind the desk. If you are weighing analogue against a compact digital desk, the Digital Mixing Systems category covers the other side of that argument.