This is an interesting article that asks various questions of some big names in the industry:

QUOTE:

For answers, Sound and Video Contractor assembled a panel of authorities in the field, drawing representatives from a cross-section of users and manufacturer/developers. Those experts include Wolfgang Ahnert (principal, ADA Acoustical Design), Jamie Anderson (product manager, SIA Software, a division of Loud Technologies), Pat Brown (president, Synergetic Audio Concepts), Bengt-Inge Dalenbäck (owner and software developer, CATT-Acoustic), Kevin Day (senior consultant, Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams), David Kahn (principal consultant, Acoustic Dimensions), Ted Leamy (director, engineered sound, JBL Professional), Bob McCarthy (president, Alignment and Design), Perrin Meyer (software R&D manager, Meyer Sound), Roger Schwenke (staff scientist, Meyer Sound), and Robert Scovill (concert sound mixer/producer, Eldon’s Boy Productions).

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creativeplanetnetwork.com – Acoustic Measurement and Predictive Modeling

The very last response is from Robert Scovill which I think is worth a quote of it’s own:

QUOTE:

Scovill: Again, from the perspective of a mixer, I would love to see FFT and spectral analysis built into the onslaught of coming digital console platforms. It will be an invaluable asset for latency measurements within the desk and input and output stage analysis completely integrated to the package. I’ll take all of that you can give me.

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Indeed. Once we can compare any two signals at any point in a mixing console, we will be able to do things like phase align the bass DI with the bass mic or the bottom snare mic with the top, etc… Then the optimization process will continue from the sound system right into the performance.