And just in case for fun, you want to know about the other end of the spectrum from the recommendations you'll likely get, here is the Rolls Royce version of what you're asking about: https://teenage.engineering/store/tx-6
At the risk of sounding like a hater there is _nothing_ "Rolls Royce" about a six-channel digital mixer that sells for $1200. No mic pres, tiny unlabeled controls, and six channels of God-knows-what conversion tied together with rudimentary functions implemented in a decade-old $15 DSP SoC is a toy. This is a device for generating Instagram likes, not a serious piece of A/V or music production gear. Under no circumstances should OP buy this.
At least the Pocket Operators are reasonably priced and the OP-1 has some quirky uniqueness to it. The TX-6 is a brazen cash grab on par with their $1600 Ikea table [1].
You know that meme with the guy sweating looking at two red buttons? That was me before hitting post on my original post, lol.
I get it, but honestly, I actually think you're wrong about the TX-6, there is actually no comparable product to it on the market at all when you consider it's full end to end functionality, I also know one guy who has nothing else TE but sought out TX-6 because of it's pretty unique combination of attributes taking it's physical size/IO as part of the framing. I have a lot of their stuff because I enjoy it, but I do agree that everything outside of the OP-1, the TX-6 and the CM-15, are just toys. (The TP-7 is cool, but the most egregious all their products imo)
I think this guy totally nailed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woiCEx5nWZY
When it comes to hifi audio, $1,000 doesn't get you the Rolls Royce version of /anything/
No, that’s the Tesla Ctbwetruck version. TE is ridiculously overpriced and form over function. You can get way better compressors for a couple hundred bucks
I'd go get a pro rackmount compressor on Ebay first
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=audio+compressor
I had fond memories of using one at the KTEK college radio station where I was (first) the public relations officer and (later) the engineer. I was told we got it so that amateur DJs wouldn't saturate the transmitter. When I told my high school physics teacher (a classical music audiophile) about it I got a sharp talking to about how it hurts audio quality. Today I know it was an early shot in "the loudness wars".
(If you're listening in a car or other noisy environment, dynamic range is a bug and not a feature, however.)
6-channels would be enough for the typical 5.1 system but the "stereo" label on that expensive box makes it seem like it wouldn't do the right thing for home theater, where I think you'd want to reduce the gain in all 6 of the channel by the same amount.