Console Sound: Tracking & Mixing

Alas, I was half-informed. It's emulating a Mackie 1202. Granted, with the intention of being bad... but still... couldn't you just pull a Sylvia Massy by cutting a mic cable in half and placing each end in a dirty cat litter box instead?

The low end on good consoles still can't be beat. You can of course get monster low end ITB, but it's different. The problem is, it doesn't matter that much.

In my private fantasy studio, I'd have a cool board to track a band live through. API, Neve, Trident, etc. Well chosen mics and good room acoustics. Then, I'd go ITB for mixing, no way I can do what I do without instant recall. I would possibly use a few outboard pieces for the final mix, like a hardware vocal compressor for the main vocal.

Good one... liner!

Actually I find learning a bit about the various Console choices... "Fascinating".

To my amateur ear though, the first time I heard the Silver Bullet, I thought it'd make an excellent alternative to one.

Let alone the other LTLO 500 additives...
Chris

Proves OTB is better than ITB.
I had a beloved Westie.
Named "Dickens".

A most literary pup.
Started with the newspaper first, at a very young age.
To better stay on top of things.
Chris

- I do think that consoles have a sound. People market it all the time. I think those truly experienced on different consoles (not me) have an idea when listening to stuff, maybe not every time but certainly at times.
- I think using the same pre is a start ( I prefer that ) but as Skip Burrows pointed out at some point on the purple site, it is more about all the different gain stages that cumulatively provide the console sound. Quite a bit is missing between preamp and full consoles gain stages.
- If ITB is like all channels having the same line-amp, it is the cleanest console ever with no personality. 
- People do use different pres for every type of input - drums, bass, guitars, voices, etc. Works all the time but I don't care for that workflow.

Chris - I call the SBullet the "2 channel console".  heh heh. My 2 FAVORITE consoles of all time in 2RU.  . The mk2 now has 3 Consoles.  We added the favorite that all the kool kids love.  I like it, but it's not my FAVORITE.  

You and me having a serious discussion is rare, but If I was still selling gear and Brad and Bill sold through dealers the Silver Bullet should be “ baby’s first outboard “ you have tonal options, it can teach you options and is probably the most versatile 2 rack spaces out there ( I don’t get a dime or free gear).

If someone ever tells you the can hear the console, they lie there is sooooo much stuff in every signal chain that you can’t. I love working on a console, but I think Bill and I and I know Ward and I have had this discussion; it just really isnt about the sound it’s about the fact that I see it all can quickly grab a knob and back off if my instincts are wrong. On a console I see it all I can see the the relationship between EG EQ and lead vocals.
I’m still at heart a live guy, I love the idea I can just grab something each hand can cover a possible problem and you will never notice. Funny that I just fing bought a DM1000, but here is the thing I can move it solo, don’t need an EFX rack and if the snake has a problem get something to make do at Office Depot or a well stocked Walmart ( it’s always the damn snake).

Eye and ear candy !

bonus question: is pluginland already „there“? simulating mixing through a console? maybe a plugin combination?

Don’t knock your little Mackie, the small ones are great little boards, it’s when you expand the bus to 32 ch ( think Sr or 8 bus as an in-line). The 1604 isn’t a Neve or API but find me a better small board that came before it. Do you have any idea of how many small tours were done on 1604s? Guys loved them before hand a decent 16 ch meant a Soundcraft delta or DDA. Suddenly I could pack a 1604 in a checbale case. Video guys loved them, remote guys. People just assumed the 8 buss was going to be a 1604 in build and Sonics. Greg Mackie and company just didn’t understand they need to think bigger not just expand the little guy, the frame of the 1604 was rigged but when you expanded it to 4xthe size you needed heavier metal for the same durability. The PSU worked, but all the big console manufacturers knew it should have been twice the size. Oh and those blurbs where the pre is better than N—— or A—, I know for a fact that a couple of those were from guys who never used the real deal, of course Mackie never delivered on the promised Meterbridges or Automation they were supposed to get for those blurbs.

I was one of the annoying punter Freshman Class of the early-to-mid 90's, annoying the seasoned studio dwellers with using Mackies, ADATs, and really pushing ProTools - even back when it wasn't quite ready for prime time. And I had the CR-1604, then the 1604vlz, then the 2408 8-Bus. 

Now, it's been a looooong time, but I always remember getting the latter all set up, hooked up to my patchbay, monitors, and adorable collection of sub $1000 outboard (why did I sell that ADL and dp/4 tho?!?). I mostly needed the extra inputs and was mid-project on something that was between 16 tracks of ADAT and 8 more of Digidesign Session 8. 

I thought something was wrong with the thing. Everything seemed really, really... I think the actual term in engineering parlance is "meh". Everything was there, but it seemed so microwaved. Then two weeks later a channel died and I learned that the channel PCB's were in groups of 8. Ugh.

I was already getting ready to dump it when I was working with a guitarist who wanted to record direct. I said "we need to plug a DI into the console", which he interpreted as "take the 100w output of your Mesa head and plug it into the line input". Before I even realized what was happening, he'd already turned it off standby and a literal black cloud of smoke disappeared out the back.

On the upside, I was able to sell the board right then and there.