Paging sound people, as knowledge of the boards themselves is not really my thing. For example, most of the clubs in NYC now employ digital SBDs, which for whatever they lack in sweet analog warmth or whatever, are much easier to use, with the ability to pre-set for an entire band, operate the SBD remotely, etc.
One thing that is more tricky with them is getting a patch. Some have assignable stereo outs, but I've encountered a few models, at one club in particular, that seems to only have firewire or possibly AES outs.
How exactly do new interfaces and recorders work with these boards? For example, let's say the SBD has 12 active channels. I plug in my recorder via FireWire or USB or AES. Does it digitally just pull in all the channels, or does the FOH still have to assign what goes through the digital outs? I'm a bit confused about how this works, and honestly, some FOHs don't seem to know either.
What recorders have people used that do this well??