Mix Bus

Ben -

Sounds like you're looking for a Silver Bullet.

realgearonline.com/thread/2368/louder-liftoff-silver-bullet?page=1

It's a do all box for injecting Analog mojo back into a DAW workflow.

Stepped pots for recall, ACTIVE electronics (very different than the Wooly as you can drive different stages, cascade them into each other, etc., and that's where the coolness lies), KILLER metering, a world class program style BAX EQ designed by one of the leading EQ designers on the planet (IMO), both API or Neve style mic pre's - all in ONE package @ a price that will be less than your individual pieces quoted. It's also got the ONLY Nev-Api mic pre (combo of both) in the world as far as I know (I LOVE this on drums and especially overheads or room), and workflow wise, the mic / tracking / mixing options make it one versatile piece.  All in a two RU space box - for a price that will be difficult to walk away from.

Disclosure. I AM FREAKING biased - especially as we are nearing final prototyping and headed into production.  After all, it has my name on it.  :-)  I designed it with Brad McGowan of Louder than Liftoff and we cut NO corners, and I can no longer mix without it. I used to use EZ1073's and vp28's in conjunction with each other on my mix bus.  Cool, but not flexible enough for mix bus duties IMO.  With your Overstayer and Conversion, if you added the SB, you would be rocking.

Pricing TBD, but it's getting LOWER not higher.  We initially thought it might be pushing 3 grand.  Now we've got it down below 2 grand - and that is for a STEREO box.  This will be a game changer for guys like you and I who are mixing ITB but not willing to sacrifice that analog sound.  I honestly believe that this "mic pre on the mix bus" thing that I started pushing 5+ years ago is going to redefine the way we work ITB, and that the Silver Bullet will be leading the charge in this exciting new style of working.  Maybe Brad will jump in and give us the latest on his pricing breakdown.  

Oh and as an aside, the new faceplates came in yesterday and the box looks significantly better than the previous prototype.  Woohoo....  :-)

Of course, as the man says YMMV, but I'm getting at least 3 of these by summer - Brad has me down for serial #'s - 001, 007, and 013!!!    One will be stuck on Mic OH duty, one will be on my D&R OrionX console 2 bus, and the other on my DAW 2 bus.

Hey drbill,

The Silver Bullet is definitely a piece that I see in my future as it really does seem to fit all of my needs. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I have a project that's starting up in the coming weeks so I really need to focus on products that are already on the market. The nice thing is that I'll be able to put all of the other gear to good use if a Silver Bullet finds it's way onto my mix bus in the future.

What's that say say?  Ty-MING is everything.....  :-)  Good luck with the project, and check out the Silver Bullet in the coming months....

was going to buy a ssl sigma and decided to go the silver bullet instead.

The sigma is a cool box, but if you're looking for Mojo and Tone.....then you've come to the right place.  The SB delivers.  In terms of work flow and user features, the two boxes really don't overlap that much, and if you're after "tone" as your major need, I'd choose API or Neve (or BOTH with the SB) over SSL any day of the week.

Back on topic, I have a Summit EQP-200 on my 2-buss and it slays. Sounds absolutely killer. I also have a Wooly Mammoth Quad, but have only used it on individual tracks so far. Bass, guitars, vocals, not on the 2-buss yet. I imagine that the Warm would be comparable to the Summit and would also slay. I think the pricing on the Wooly Mammoth is going up too, so if you're going that route, you should jump asap.

As much as I think the Silver Bullet is an amazing piece, I've already got a Sonic Studio Model 302 (Metric Halo ULN-2) interface with good preamps and signal path, along with the Sonic Studio Mastering EQ (and all the Metric Halo +DSP plugins) built in to the firmware.

So, I'm waiting on a Wooly Mammoth Deluxe from Mammoth Cave Audio to throw on the Metric Halo inserts.

Should be built and shipped in 1.5-2 weeks.

Well of course you don't. You're console is in pieces!

I totally feel you on this point, which is precisely why the Silver Bullet is equally capable of subtle for those times when you want just a little icing on the cake.  Piling on effects can sometimes be too destructive to the delicate balance of tone and texture in the mix.  I've experienced this myself.  As someone who enjoys mixing through an analog console it feels very satisfying to push into something that enhances the musicality of a production.  My D&R console with CAPI ACA mix bus allows me to do that.  The DAW, unfortunately, never gives me that same kind of satisfaction, nor does it have any tone to speak of (I clearly need all the help I can get!).  If I turn it up it pretty much just folds when you hit the point where you are getting obvious overs and inter sample peak distortion.  The Silver Bullet let's you push into something that creates pleasing "freebies"...like a nice analog console.

As for the SSL bus compressor, I could never figure out how to make those things work for me.  My mixes always sound way better when I rip it off and restore dynamics.  One of you guys is going to have to enlighten me what the trick is.  I do, however, really enjoy my GSSL as a drum overhead limiter or a vocal compressor.

Brad

May I ask what exactly Void Corp. is? I've always wondered and can never quite figure it out. jcoutu1