Union Audio made its name in high-end rotary mixers, with hand-built machines like the orbit.6 from Cornwall. The brand widens its reach with the area.6, a six-channel analog performance mixer designed to live on a desktop as happily as in a Eurorack case, and above all controllable by control voltage.
Six channels, an analog path, CV everywhere
Each area.6 channel has a level control, a tilt EQ to shape tone in a single move, an assignable AUX send, and a mono/stereo switch, with cue and mute. The machine’s real signature is its integration of control voltage: the level, pan and AUX send of every channel can be modulated in CV. That turns a mixer into a genuine modulatable instrument, where automation comes from the patch rather than the hand.
Routing isn’t bare-bones: two AUX sends, each with its own stereo return, plus a master insert. The master section adds a compressor with a sidechain input and a CV output, a mono mix output and a headphone output with its own level. The signal path stays fully analog, true to the brand’s DNA.
Desktop or Eurorack, your call
The area.6 comes as a desktop unit, wooden cheek included, but its 52 HP also let it sit in a Eurorack case. That dual nature is clever: the same unit serves as the main mixer on a performance desk and as a patchable mixing hub at the heart of a modular system. For anyone building a hybrid live rig between machines and modular, it’s a logical point of convergence.
The philosophy echoes other structural Eurorack building blocks, like the Befaco ARK production computer: no longer just a module among others, but a centre the rest of the system organises around. The area.6 plays that role for mixing and output.
Where it sits
Unveiled at Superbooth 2026, the area.6 lands around 1,200 to 1,400 euros depending on market. This is no utility mixer: it’s a high-end performance tool for the demanding electronic musician who wants analog colour and CV flexibility in one box. It extends a Union Audio range already known for its rotaries, with an approach aimed more squarely at modular and the electronic stage.
My take
Pairing a carefully made analog mixer with pervasive CV control is exactly what many hybrid rigs are missing. You automate your sends and pans from the patch without leaving the analog domain: the kind of simple idea that changes a performance. The desktop/Eurorack dual nature saves you from choosing, and the bus compressor with sidechain and CV output shows the master section was built to play, not just to sum. The price targets a knowing audience, but the promise is coherent and, on paper, well kept.
Frequently asked questions
What can you control via CV on the area.6?
The level, pan and AUX send of each channel can be modulated by control voltage. The master-section compressor also has a sidechain input and a CV output.
Can the area.6 be installed in a Eurorack case?
Yes. It comes as a desktop unit with a wooden cheek, but its 52 HP also let it be mounted in a Eurorack case, depending on the intended use.
How is the AUX routing arranged?
The area.6 offers two AUX sends, each with its own stereo return, plus an insert on the master bus, to patch external processing across the whole mix.
Is the signal path analog?
Yes, the audio path stays fully analog. Only the control is handled by voltage, combining analog colour with CV modulation flexibility.
