Audio mixer consoles available today offer the basic feature of mixing down a relatively large number of audio channels. An audio combines a plurality of digital audio signal data samples into a single digital audio signal data sample. Audio signals are usually mixed over a wide band ranging from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. The mixed audio signal is taken from the mixer and is sent to an adder circuit followed by a line amplifier that controls the power amplifiers, which are cascade-connected to the line amplifiers. The definition of an audio sample is a value taken to record the amplitude at a given point of time. An audio mixing console has a plurality of audio input signals, denoted input channels, and producing a plurality of audio output signals, denoted output channels, the number of output channels being generally fewer than the number of input channels. Each mixing console comprises a plurality of input and output modules, each module corresponding to a single input or output channel. The output signals from one or more input modules may be combined at an output module to form a single audio output channel from the console. Mixers typically route audio input signals to individual channels, and each such channel has a repetitive layout of switches, knobs, and faders. For example, a single channel can have more than one input, such as a microphone input and an input from an instrument, a group of instruments, or a tape. Using the controls on an audio mixer an engineer can select microphone, line, and tape inputs, route the inputs to signal conditioning devices like faders and equalizers, and mix and route the output from the conditioning devices as well. The function of the audio mixer is to vary the strength of the signals from the various input channels for receiving audio signals so as to produce a desired "mix" of sound as the final product. There are two common mixing methods used to combine the plurality of data samples: the sum and hard clip method and the sum, scale by a constant value and hard clip method. Hard clipping is to a method for limiting the sum to the bit-size of the output by reducing sums which exceed a maximum value to that maximum value. Hard clipping generally produces a discontinuity that leads to high order and low order harmonics. Typically, high order harmonics are perceptibly distorted to the human ear. In the sum and hard clip method, samples from the plurality of audio channels are summed together and then clipped if they overflow the size of the output sample. In the sum, scale by a constant value and hard clip method, an attempt is made to limit the distortion by scaling the sum of the samples by a constant value and then hard clipping if the result overflows the size of the output sample. However, the scaling of the sum typically results in a lowering of the amplitude. Traditionally, mixing consoles have utilized analog style controls to monitor and effect changes to the signals resident in the mixing console channels. Although analog consoles have introduced various features such as motorized automated faders in order to meet this growing demand, the capability of the traditional analog mixing console is being stretched to its limit. Modern digital mixing consoles can apply computer power and software flexibility to enhance, automate and streamline the mixing process that has traditionally relied largely upon manual control. Processes and devices similar in general to the type described above are referred to as digital or digitally operating audio mixers. Digitally operating mixers make it possible to split incoming sound signals into a number of different channels or to transmit them all together to arbitrary outputs.

An audio mixing console consists of a table like layout having a series of dials and controls representing channel modules including knobs, faders, potentiometers, etc. A fader is typically a slide rheostat through which an amplitude may be adjusted as a result of the linear position of the input lever relative to a track. Typical audio mixer configurations include various input channels which are summed or mixed together onto a main mix bus. The audio signals from each input channel are also mixed together and sent to one or more effects sends. This signal appearing at the various effects sends are processed by various effects processors whose outputs are fed back into the mixer through effects returns and mixed with the audio signals fed directly onto the mixing bus from the individual inputs. Sounds may be played in live from the actual instrument, such as a guitar hooked into the mixer directly, or an instrument play live through a microphone hooked into the mixer. Three types of devices commonly used with audio mixers are compact disk (CD) players, tape players, and phonographic turntables which are with vinyl records. CD mixers are becoming increasingly popular as the CD is making the vinyl record obsolete. CD Mixers have features such as faster song searches, high resistance to scratches, high-quality audio reproduction, and precision cueing. Some commercially available CD mixers have precision time shifting in real time in which a CD player can skip a fixed time segment. Audio mixers used in modern recording studios are provided with a number of different input channels for receiving audio signals. To this end, audio mixers include a plurality of mixing faders which determine the strength or amplitude of each signal from each input channel. In addition, audio mixers include channel mute controls for selectively turning each selected input channel on or off, as well as a panning controls for determining the left to right stereo positioning of the final output. With advancement of digital technologies, digitization of video and audio apparatus has been promoted and a mixing process in which digitized audio signals or digital audio signals as they are mixed has been widely employed even in editing of audio signals. Digital audio mixers include devices having inputs connected in pairs or groups to digital signal processors (DSP) and positioned to easily perform such operations as addition, multiplication, and storage of sound signals. Digital audio has two aspects, a sampling rate and a value. The amplitude is recorded once every sampling period and that amplitude is stored as a value, generally an 8-bit or 16-bit resolution, known as the quantization factor.