Tube mixer (powered)

M

Major415

New member
I found a tube mixer and wondering how many people have used tube mixers.

My experience in mixers has been all solid state, so wondering how the tube mixer might change the sound? For the price and the repair I need to do, this could be a fun project to mess with.

Anyone else?
 
My opinion, I think this whole "gotta have tubes in it" thing is way overblown. It started out as a guitar player thing and true, the old valve amps towered over solid state amps. The whole thing changed when Gibson came out with the "Lab Series" amps back in the 80's. These things truly rocked, but they never caught on. Now everyone wants tube warmth in their amp, preamp, microphone, next it will be tube powered toasters!

I want a good strong clean signal into my computer. If I want to color the sound or give it "tube warmth" there are 4 million saturation plug-ins to choose from!

Man, I have had way too much coffee today!
 
Tube doesn't have to mean colored by nature they have a clean sound in a preamp until they are driven real hard .... Washburn, I've had a lot of coffee today as well no sleep tonight!






:cool:
 
This is for a small place that we are doing more of a "retro" look, older looking mic's, making things look old school. Have toyed with designing some big power tube amps, not so much for the performance, but for the sake of it being tubes and the retro style.

So a tube mixer would be sorta fun for the retro idea.

Washburn100 said:
My opinion, I think this whole "gotta have tubes in it" thing is way overblown. It started out as a guitar player thing and true, the old valve amps towered over solid state amps. The whole thing changed when Gibson came out with the "Lab Series" amps back in the 80's. These things truly rocked, but they never caught on. Now everyone wants tube warmth in their amp, preamp, microphone, next it will be tube powered toasters!

I want a good strong clean signal into my computer. If I want to color the sound or give it "tube warmth" there are 4 million saturation plug-ins to choose from!

Man, I have had way too much coffee today!
Click to expand...
 
Major415 said:
This is for a small place that we are doing more of a "retro" look, older looking mic's, making things look old school. Have toyed with designing some big power tube amps, not so much for the performance, but for the sake of it being tubes and the retro style.

So a tube mixer would be sorta fun for the retro idea.
Click to expand...

LORD TUNDERIN JESUS. My friggin wife is always coming into my studio to "freahen things up" Fluff the friggin throw pillows I never wanted in the first place. Try making a decent bass trap that also is "pleasing to the eye, and fits the decor". She recovered my friggin wall panels with some dam art deco friggin fabric and now thinks we should paint!

Well you know what is retro. My friggin 1972 100 watt HIWATT was friggin retro. When it blew a tube, everyone hit the floor and hoped no one lost an eye. Then we had the "retro" burnin PCB transformer smell - AH PCB TRANSFORMER BURNIN SMELL!!! Now that's friggin retro!
 
Major415 what is the model tube mixer?

I like tubes a lot. What I'd be concerned about is that the whole thing would need lots of hours searching for an odd tube etc...

Most old stuff like that needs new capacitors.

Would 1950's gear really cut it sound wise and be clean enough? Sooner or later you need to dump the sound into a computer. Would it really cut it? Digital seems to make defects stick out.

For a tube sound I think you'd be better off geting a modern pair of tube compressors and running a modern low noise solid state mixer through them... of course that wouldn't look the same. I've never been real concerned with looks... I gave up a long time ago. :(

It sounds interesting though, if it's got tubes it's interesting.

* just noticed the title of this thread and I'd be very curious to hear a non-powered tube mixer. :confused: Do you mean that it can power speakers? Shure Vocal Master?
 
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All I know is it is a Sunn 12 channel. Plans are to go get it tomorrow or Thurs.

Sounds like it is partially working, at least some channels and the main amp is. Yes, it has a 400w tube amp in it... :)

dintymoore said:
Major415 what is the model tube mixer?

I like tubes a lot. What I'd be concerned about is that the whole thing would need lots of hours searching for an odd tube etc...

Most old stuff like that needs new capacitors.

Would 1950's gear really cut it sound wise and be clean enough? Sooner or later you need to dump the sound into a computer. Would it really cut it? Digital seems to make defects stick out.

For a tube sound I think you'd be better off geting a modern pair of tube compressors and running a modern low noise solid state mixer through them... of course that wouldn't look the same. I've never been real concerned with looks... I gave up a long time ago. :(

It sounds interesting though, if it's got tubes it's interesting.

* just noticed the title of this thread and I'd be very curious to hear a non-powered tube mixer. :confused: Do you mean that it can power speakers? Shure Vocal Master?
Click to expand...
 
There's an interview with guitar legend Leslie West of Mountain and he talks about being an endorser of some amplifier company in the 60's. He mentions that he was about to do a gig and the amp company shipped him what was supposed to be a guitar amp and turned out to be a pa, and a tube one no less. He said he used it at the gig and because he was able to go through a channel and overdrive that into the power amp on the pa that he "discovered" his overdriven sound.

Funny thing is for some reason I think it was a Sunn pa...
 
Maybe it was a Traynor. I had one of those Traynor tube PA heads. I sold it on ebay to someone in Canada. Ahh the things that come and go.
 
SteveM - I remember Traynor amps - they were great tube amps. :)

Check this out, I just found the interview -it was a Sunn Coliseum pa!

 
I guess I'll have to check it out later. I just broke out my laptop and it's missing all the plug ins. I can't even get on aol to check my mail:confused:
 
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