focusrite green series vs platinum series

ljgmsun

New member
I'm looking for a new vocal preamp and I'm not sure what the differences are between the green series and the platinum series. I'm debating between picking upa voice strip / voice box in the green series or a voice master or vm pro. Does anyone know the difference between the two besides the fact that the green series is discontinued? Anyone ever use both ?

Right now, i'm leaning toward the green series strictly based on the fact that they used to retail much higher than what the platinum series retails for currently.
 
I'm not sure either. I believe that the Green pres are a notch better than the voicemaster -- somewhere between the Red (Blue?) and Voicemaster series. The reason why they've been discontinued is that the ugly green finish was rejected by the markt, and they were not cheap either (they retailed for $1,500; Ebay prices are around $400 these days)! I use a Green channel strip and I am very happy with it. Very clean and transparent sound. I'd suggest to get a Green instead of a Voicemaster. At least you'll have something not everyone else has ;)

Here's a quote from the Focusrite History web site:

Until 1996, when Focusrite launched the Green Range, their customers were typically commercial music recording studios, post-production studios, broadcast facilities and high-end project studios. The more affordable Green Range addressed serious recording musicians and project studio owners.

The Green Range included mic/line preamplifiers, EQ's and dynamics processing in a number of different configurations, for a total of six products. The designs incorporated Class A circuitry, Focusrite sonic and build characteristics, and were competitively priced. The unique look and feel of the units themselves was quite different from previous Focusrite designs and provoked both positive and negative reactions, younger buyers particularly liking the controversial front panel design.

The Green 3 – VoiceBox was an outstanding success for three years, setting off an ongoing demand for Voice Channel Processors.

While the Green Range products enjoyed an excellent reputation for their sound characteristics (the Green 1 Dual Mic-Pre won a TEC award in 1997), they were still above the critical price point for their intended market. As a result, the product range was eventually replaced by the even more affordable Platinum Range. By addressing the project studio market, Focusrite was definitely on the right track.
 
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