Yes, I purchased a CDM32 for the exact same reason. I wanted to leave Behringer/Midas x/m platform and wanted better FX and routing capabilities. You do not need a mixing surface to use the mix rack by itself.
Here are the challenges I have run into though:
-You must have a Dante Card and Dante license to record to a laptop.
-The official iPad app is a limited.
-Mixing station will control all aspects of the mixer from an iPad but it has it’s own issues/quirks.
-Director is Allen and Heath’s official non-surface control method.
A couple of my own thoughts:
It’s not easy to get requests for the iPad app or the director application to be updated for functionality so download them and try them to make sure they are going to work for your needs.
I have found limitations and I am still trying to get my requests for updates to be heard.
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