Audioscape 260VU

You mean that annoying transient and late clamp down that the dox does? Sure, it will do that but doesn't have to. The controls actually work the way they were supposed to!

There will be demos available soon . . . just don't have to post at this very moment.

I have one as well. When I'm using two coincident mics on snare top, it's the one I use. Mine was rebuilt be a dually based on the revision F.



You aren't the first to mention the 175/176! The collective thought it is to hold off on that possibility for the moment because there is a notable high quality one on the market from Retro Instruments.
audioscape's V-Comp and Retro's stay level are similar takes on the old Gates' Sta-Level. So we'll just leave that at that for now . . .
I haven't heard a 'no' from the boss yet!

The 260 is the new must-have tool for this autumn. This is what the 160 should have been in the first place, but a twin version that can interact!

Next up is a real surprise!

After that, the 1178 will be coming down the pike...that's also going to be really awesome!

But in the meantime, there are tools everyone wants like the EQP, Opto, V-Comp, D-Comp and Buss Comp. And we have to keep those in production. And the DA3a is coming online . . . and EVERYONE should own at least two MEQs and the 1290 is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s like, it's one of my favorite preamps, along with the GOLDEN.

Check in early on Wednesday, keep getting ready! I wish the team could make more but everyone is doing the best they can. And Trevor just got married!

They became cool because everyone trashed them years ago. They kept the LA2 and 1176 but the 175 and 176 went in the dumpster. A couple of guys found them cheap, they were different/ cool and unubtaineable, then Retro made reissues that were cooler. Everybody forgets UA had the rights and all the documentation yet the Putmans never saw a demand.

It honestly wasn't a gripe (so to speak) more of an observation - I know Audisocape are very genuine people, I've emailed Chris in the past and he's a lovely man, super friendly and kind.

I hear what you're saying, for example Retro Instruments always have stock at dealers because they're products are far more expensive - ok so that makes sense, I get that.

But I'm left with the impression (reading audio forums) that Audioscape can sell everything they make in an instant so your point about,

Add more staff ? Okay but they have to make sure they can justify that staff based on sales

That has me a little confused, are you saying that the demand isn't a big as it seems and demand would quickly be met if they had more staff with units left on the shelf if they made them at a faster pace?
I can believe our market is way smaller and more niche than it seems sat here in it.

The boutique outboard gear I've bought from Crane Song (these days Dave Hill units are unobtanium!) Thermionic, Retro, BAE, Millennia, all available at my pro audio dealers but you're 100% correct they were all way more expensive and therefore coming from bigger companies (or so I imagine the case to be)

Still, I think a better approach than a web page of products all "SOLD OUT" 99.9% of the time and STAM's approach of "only order if you're young" would be possible by a bunch of guys as friendly and honest as Audioscape.

I think they could have a traditional and genuine waiting list running a traditional "made to order" system. You put in your order and pay for it up front in full and then you get a proper allocated and updated place in a manufacturing queue.

My wife and I have bought boutique "made to order" furniture like this and it truly works well. It removes endless visits to a website waiting for that magic moment (for me in the middle of the night) when 
a product is suddenly and fleetingly for sale and there's no frustration with deposits, unanswered emails and never ending unknown ETA's.

I might be completely wrong here (I often am) but I certainly wouldn't of minded putting in an order for an Opto Comp (when I had the money before this crazy cost of living crisis) and getting a monthly update as to my place in the manufacturing queue, even if it took 3+ months to get the product. 

And yes it would mean paying up front in full for the product but I personally don't see that as an issue as it has to be payed for anyway.

Just my 2 cents (as they say)

The cost of adding labor is seldom equal to the profit they will generate. Ask anyone who has experience with the growth of a small business, making that choice to add a body to the pay roll is one of the most expensive and quite often for a buisness itself one of the most dangerous. You never know if you indeed can generate that income.
I get that you were not griping, I know many who are frustrated with this method, but I also know many who respect the idea of no back orders, anyone who has chased back orders at either end knows how much time and effort it takes ( consider this for the first 3 months I was in a coma I was in the running for sales person of the month at Full Co based strictly on back orders). The Audioscape method also means less of a real estate investment, you don’t need much space for stock if you are selling out in hours.
It also means a hell of a lot less stress for the guys in charge, a good guy building and selling gear feels pressured by waiting to get product out the door that he is holding money for. I’ll never forget the guys who put money down for the first Mackie 8 buss’es those guys had nothing but a drawing for over a year. It just felt wrong, or guys waiting for the highend Panasonic SVHS pro deck the the Alesis based the M20 ADAT on, man this things took months to get and Alesis thought they were going to ship like the warehouse full of discontinued JVC transports.
I kind of like these guys method, it’s like that hot food truck you know when and where not sure what or how much, but everyone lines up. In some ways it’s very much like some of the higher end builders except there is no dealer holding your place in there line and your money.
Are they probably missing some sales opportunities? Hell yeah, but the goods they deliver at the price they are delivering ( I don’t think we have seen much of inflationary increases). Respect.
No buisness model is going to make everyone happy but if it works for those behind it it works and it doesn’t feel like a ponzy scheme.

The bottom line is this, you have guys trying to make gear everybody wants and hold the price down. They seam to really care about both. Any and every step to grow or speed things up costs money. In the end the buyer sees those costs and these guys are doing what they can to hold the line and have fun. When companies in our world quit enjoying it or give in to the pressures to grow in the past Sidney Harmen and more recently Uli Behringer come knocking.

I would love the X32/ M32 would love it if it was built like a XL200, but as one of my favorite custom case builder says “ they keep me busy building cases so they will survive” I am afraid to see what does to Lab Gruppen and Lake. While Midas survives Digico is what Midas was and their parent company is building SSL in China.

Some times it’s price or allocation, went down to my favorite produce supplier who is also a distributor looking for grape tomatoes. He didn’t buy any because they wanted $7 dollars from him. Stopped at ALDI on the way home bought some for 50 cents.

He didn’t use no stinking manuals he just copied the boards, even the original manufacturers name, true story.

Y'all are using the B word again, and I'm telling dad.

Sorry, thehightenor

Absolutely no Bears inside this one.

They are a feature rich console but there are 2 things Dan is getting at
First it’s digital, at some point it will give up the Ghost probably be obsolete. While there isn’t much unobtainable parts in there you must realize many professional companies jumped on them for the same reason you did, so when parts get discontinued they will jump on them to keep them running.

Second while many touring Companies have bought in because of price the bought in on the Mackie principal “ yeah it’s not built that great but for the money I’ll just buy another” they don’t they repair them if at all possible.
The thing is and this has more to do with the relabeled bigger screen M32, it’s not built like a Midas of Of the past. Just the Chassis of an XL24 ch expander weighs more than your M32. Those things were built for the road. An analog board when things get weird you either take off the back or pull the module and first re seat the ribbon say the prayer of sons and light ( help! Please! Thank You!) and if it’s modular pull the module and swap. If that isn’t it you change routing. With digital and specifically affordable digital problems are most often global.
Now here is why I dislike it, well the other players in this price range all followed x/m32 build quality, A&H, Presonus, Yamaha! Look at the build of an old Yamahs DM1000/2000 and anything that isn’t Rivage that is currently made! I can’t afford a Digico!!!!
I want one but I can’t afford it. In the world of guys who don’t need to meet riders the DM1000/2000 have had a resurgence because they were built for the road, well except the faders and encoders, but they are through hole.

The few I have seen that survive heavy use are installs, I like the functionality it’s the build if you have to take it on the road every night. Nothing worse than “ sorry we can’t do the show the boards down” this coming from a guy who has mixed wedges and FOH from the side of the stage because the FPH console PSU’s both died, not fun.