Any opinions on this console?

Where we discuss new analog design ideas for Pro Audio and modern spins on vintage ones.
Crusty
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Any opinions on this console?

Post by Crusty »

Likes, dislikes? What you'd do different if you were rolling your own?...

http://www.treeaudio500.com/configurations.html
emrr
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by emrr »

it's just way too porno to inspire work. It just makes one wish to remove ones pants. I mean, really, there's a large enough piece of well financed market share to warrant this sort of option lust as a production line product? People with so many 500 series modules laying about that they can custom fill the slots based on the session? Hey, I'm all for it. This is excess of the best kind, so long as it truly lives up to the promise.

It's hard for me to imagine being tied to the 500 series as a platform in this manner.

At what point does the patchbay configuration of the back panel become an issue?

I'm sure the mechanical integrity of the upper sloped portion is of concern. Hopefully the lessons of the big sagging Neve frames were well observed.

If I were rolling my own, it'd be minimal footprint long throw faders and pans, at most add some sends and returns and some busses. Minimal footprint with the assumption that the end user would assign their mountain of outboard and/or DAW processing ahead of the levels and pans. 4 feet long and 15" deep, maybe. More like some lighting boards I've seen.
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Doug Williams
Electromagnetic Radiation Recorders
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JR.
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by JR. »

It's interesting looking, in retro way. Patching in different gear looks a little scrambled up.

I didn't see any basic EQ, or mic pre's so I assume you have to patch in external after market units.

A front patch bay would facillitate that.

I don't get the small VU meters, they look too small to be practical.

I guess it could impress some clients who are into retro gear.

I have designed consoles- so;
Mic preamps

The pre/post fader, could be expanded to also be pre/post EQ with another switch, but then there would also be EQ.

For meters I like the LED bar graghs but would expand on that (Pk/VU).

Pretty much provide a normal feature set for a recording console.

JR
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MikoKensington
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by MikoKensington »

$40K?? Empty. Yeah, no thanks.
http://vintageking.com/Shop-New-Categor ... onnections

I'd sooner drop the money on an actual API console.
http://vintageking.com/Shop-New-Categor ... el-Console

I've often wondered how practical a console is these days. I do so much processing in the box and generally only use outboard on my groups and stereo bus. Having an intense DAW controller makes more sense, to me. Especially in my line of work. Having the capability of near-instant recall is so convenient.

Ideally, my dream rig would be a boatload of I/O, a full-featured DAW controller, large and well-populated racks of equipment, and a high-quality 24-input summing mixer with inserts all over the place and two sets of outputs. Hmm. I smell a new thread.
Crusty
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by Crusty »

It's definitely geared to a small market segment. And yes there will be the trust-fund-baby hobbyists buying these as display cases, but I do know two pros who've ordered the 12-channel versions for thier studios. These particular guys still do real tracking sessions, and a real console still flows better for that purpose.

The meter does have a built-in bargraph: http://www.treeaudio500.com/metermodule.html The analogs are small, and probably useless for a guy my age with the inevitable "mood lighting" that would be going on at a session...

I doubt there will be any structural issues; the guys who designed/build these are well-regarded techs in LA, specializing in racking old gear and console servicing and are very familiar with "Neve sag".

JR, this is essentially a line mixer with minimal auxillary functions; not even in-line monitoring. All the available slots (other than those aux modules) are compatible with the popular API 500-series format. Even the meter slots are the same format/pinout. If you want pres, you buy the modules. If you want eqs too you buy the module. It's an expensive way to go. Especially when you add in aftermarket patchbays and looms.
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JR.
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by JR. »

I have never had much luck or stomach for pursuing such esoteric markets.

I second the post suggesting if you want to look like an old API, buy one used..

The old API stuff is probably respectable enough if recapped or whatever. Not much need to upgrade old discrete opamps.

JR

PS: Yes I saw the meter... Peak is OK for modern tracking to digital media, VU better for mixing (IMO), but I have some strong opinions about metering that I have been preaching for decades so I won't repeat myself here.
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snatchman
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by snatchman »

Looks like a good console option. ( if you can afford/like it ).. I agree with just buying a whole used consoled tho'... Definately designed with small project studio or one room operation in mind..Me.., being from the " ole school" way of doing things.. :mrgreen: .. would have a "complex" from not being able to see across the top of the console..!.. :? .. " Down Periscope..!."........ :P
Crusty
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by Crusty »

Well, I've already had better than API, I had a Neve.
I'm not persuing a market either. I just like to do my own thing, even if I could buy it cheaper already made. I wouldn't want to add up the money I've sunk into building gear or hot rods over the years. I've built Heathkits, and I've built stuff out of the magazines (and then I've fixed them after the author made the necessary corrections in the next issue LOL). And believe it or not, I design and build audio gear that is sold through an actual dealer network. LOL So, let's not bother too much on practicality with this...

My plans are modest (at least scalable). I'm looking at providing the metalwork DIY'ers would need to create their own systems - whether that be an simple eight channel rack or a real 64-input desk. For the idea to work, it would need to be KISS; simple universal building blocks that can be configured as desired.

Metalwork is the bane of the electronics DIY'er. If an inexpensive source of chassis parts were made available, I think many interesting and innovative ideas would sprout up. It would be sort of an open-source console idea and ideally, a community (such as this) would be the incubator. It could take off in as many directions as it wanted to. Routing modules, discrete, vacuum tube, wiring harnesses, PSU's - whatever - would all develop without any sort of master planning or much guidance.
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JR.
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by JR. »

Since I used to publish a lot of kit articles in Popular Electronics, I have a funny story..

I was enlisted to make a CX record NR kit... I was promised a cover article and free license from CBS, so I said sure.

In the course of designing my kit, I found a mistake in CBS's documentation. They published pro forma consumer decoder circuits for
the mass marketers to copy.

I designed mine correctly and notified CBS of their mistake, and submitted my article to Popular electronics- there are several months lead time for such things.

later I was down at an AES show in NYC and struck up a conversation with one of the engineers from URIE, who designed the CBS CX encoder. He told me that there were tens of thousands of consumer decoders in the market already with the mistake ( a wrong time constant), so CBS decided to change the standard (and encoder) to make the mistake the new standard.

Arghhh,, so now I was the odd man out, because I was the only one who got it right... Luckily I was able to get in contact with the editors at popular electronics and correct my correct but now wrong, design to agree with the new standard..

CX deserved to fail, what a group of clowns...

JR

PS: I had mixed feeling about NEVE. I feel like they held onto iron too long, but they have a sound people liked, API had their merits too (headroom). While the later stuff, especially after Wolff is questionable IMO. Now it's all just fashion.
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emrr
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Re: Any opinions on this console?

Post by emrr »

Open source metalwork. I'm all for it.

Off topic a little; who the heck do I get to custom bend a chassis for me? Something like a Bud or Hammond open bottom 'cake pan' DIY'ers chassis, but in a specific size for a restoration?
Best,

Doug Williams
Electromagnetic Radiation Recorders
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