Console Daydreaming

lo.fi.love

lo.fi.love

Functionally obsessed.
As I am wont to do, I'm looking at balanced consoles and I'm trying to figure out which one might be an incremental upgrade from my Tascam M-520.

The question "why?" doesn't apply here, just so you know :)

There are some Trident 65 consoles out there around $1,000 - $2,000. There's the Soundcraft 500 and 600 series, but I've read some mixed reviews on them. (Well, NOBODY on Gearslutz likes anything that doesn't say "Neve" or "Studer", so nuts to that!).

What are your opinions on this? I don't really know what's out there, and I'm interested to hear what y'all have to say :)
 
GS has extream people. Either they are digital freaks or super high end analog gear that a lot of people can't afford. Their is a Soundcraft on GS for 2K It's amazing looking. Anyway, good luck man.
 
lo.fi.love said:
As I am wont to do, I'm looking at balanced consoles and I'm trying to figure out which one might be an incremental upgrade from my Tascam M-520.

The question "why?" doesn't apply here, just so you know :)

There are some Trident 65 consoles out there around $1,000 - $2,000. There's the Soundcraft 500 and 600 series, but I've read some mixed reviews on them. (Well, NOBODY on Gearslutz likes anything that doesn't say "Neve" or "Studer", so nuts to that!).

What are your opinions on this? I don't really know what's out there, and I'm interested to hear what y'all have to say :)
Click to expand...


Getting an older "Pro" console has it's risks. A friend who worked at a studio with a new Trident TSM mentioned that it was very maintenance intensive. Switches and IC's failed on a regular basis. The owner knew of this would be the case but was willing to deal with it to get the sound of that board. Fortunately, these older units are fully modular and socketed so chip replacement is relatively easy.

I have no experience with Soundcraft but the units you mention, assuming they are in good condition, should be a step up from your 520. They may also be upgraded without too much grief.

Used, I'd be looking for a Sony 3036 without automation. But I have neither the money, time or space for one. New, it would be an Audient with 36 inputs and full patchbay.
 
am hotrodding a series 500 SC here... cant recommend it too much... would love a trident as well i'm sure... there's shitloads of data available on rrehabbing SCs... one place i can chat with the guy that designed my board... so hard to find better opinions...
 
dementedchord said:
am hotrodding a series 500 SC here... cant recommend it too much... would love a trident as well i'm sure... there's shitloads of data available on rrehabbing SCs... one place i can chat with the guy that designed my board... so hard to find better opinions...
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Can't recommend that board or any hot-rod attempts?
 
gabe roth and daptone use the trident 65 and their records sound great, so i would disregard the gearslultz stuff. a bunch of decent sounding records have been done on soundcraft 200/400/800/1600 series boards as well. my understanding (based on research as opposed to experience) is that these types of boards don't impart a whole lot of character into the sound but they do a good job of passing signal. trident 65 boards are very large compared to the smaller format soundcrafts ...

i was looking for a board to upgrade my teac 5 and it has been a real involved journey (still on it). i ended up going with an alice 828, which my neighbor is currently re-capping and fixing up.
 
RRuskin said:
Can't recommend that board or any hot-rod attempts?
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sorry rick are we crossing wires here??? are you saying you dont recommend them or are you questioning the way i put it??? as cant recommend it too much... sounds alittle off handed i suppose... i do recommend it highly... admittedly an appeal to authority is a weak argument but guys like jim williams love them... for the unintiated he's kinda a tech for all techs...
 
dementedchord said:
sorry rick are we crossing wires here??? are you saying you dont recommend them or are you questioning the way i put it??? as cant recommend it too much... sounds alittle off handed i suppose... i do recommend it highly... admittedly an appeal to authority is a weak argument but guys like jim williams love them... for the unintiated he's kinda a tech for all techs...
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It was a question. Your phrase: "am hotrodding a series 500 SC here... cant recommend it too much.." sounded like you were not happy about your decision.
 
how many channels do you need?
4 buss or 8 buss?
major brand or sleeper?
size of area you have to work with?
new or used?
these would help narrow things down a bit!
 
purerad said:
how many channels do you need?
4 buss or 8 buss?
major brand or sleeper?
size of area you have to work with?
new or used?
these would help narrow things down a bit!
Click to expand...

I would like 24 or 32 channels, because I may someday upgrade to a 16 or 24 track machine.

At least eight groups.

Brand doesn't matter, as long as there's a good community of people who are familiar with the machine.

Size isn't too much of an issue, but I can't deal with a big huge MCI or anything like that.

Used, preferably, as it seems like a total waste to buy audio equipment new.

:)
 
lo.fi.love said:
I would like 24 or 32 channels, because I may someday upgrade to a 16 or 24 track machine.

At least eight groups.

Brand doesn't matter, as long as there's a good community of people who are familiar with the machine.

Size isn't too much of an issue, but I can't deal with a big huge MCI or anything like that.

Used, preferably, as it seems like a total waste to buy audio equipment new.

:)
Click to expand...

The number of channels doesn't answer the question. How many sub-group outs do you think you'd want. If it's 8, you can stay in the TASCAM family by checking out the old Model 16. Fully modular, 24 X 8 with sweep eq. It's a split monitor design and very easy to deal with.
 
If you're looking at boards like the Tridents and vintage Soundcrafts, be prepared to maintain them regularly...bit of a roller coaster...personally I AM aiming for a big honking MCI board and I know it's gonna be a big amount of work...wish I was closer to being able to foot the bill for one, I'll have a Tascam M3700 (32ch inline 8-buss) and a Studiomaster (24ch 8buss with a split 16ch monitor section) to get rid of...those consoles are NOT maintenance hogs but the Tascam isn't fully balanced without add-ons (the Studiomasters are switchable with jumpers), they're not large-format hairy chested beasts either; it depends on what level console you're aiming at and what you're willing to do to keep them functional.

Definitely not worth buying a new console these days, regardless...there are some reliable and very functional consoles out there for under a couple bills, but they're not going to have the heft (or relative panache) of the big balanced MCIs, Ameks, Neoteks, TACs etc of this world; more into that mid to late 90s project studio period, the Soundcraft Ghosts, Studiomasters, the lower Soundtracs, Tascams M3000s, egads, dare I say Mackie 8-buss etc...one other thought would be Otari, though--large format balanced boards but (if you're lucky) not quite as infamous maintenance-wise as the big boards of the 70s and 80s, and there can be some compelling prices on them since the name is out of favor and they never reached cult/hit status. Another I'd look out for is D&R. They don't pop up a whole lot and the sound is "clean" more than "character," but there's still support for them and something like a 4000 Series bight be up your street; maybe a Dayner.
 
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RRuskin said:
The number of channels doesn't answer the question. How many sub-group outs do you think you'd want. If it's 8, you can stay in the TASCAM family by checking out the old Model 16. Fully modular, 24 X 8 with sweep eq. It's a split monitor design and very easy to deal with.
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I'm specifically interested in balanced I/O boards. Is the Teac/Tascam M16 balanced? I'm not finding much information on the Web.
 
Jeff, when you say "balanced", what specifically do you need balanced on the board and why?

The monitor returns? The group outs? The line inputs?
 
sweetbeats said:
Jeff, when you say "balanced", what specifically do you need balanced on the board and why?

The monitor returns? The group outs? The line inputs?
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Specifically, I mean that I would want all of the inputs and outputs to be +4dB balanced. Line inputs, tape monitors, group out, etc.

I'm not actually shopping for a board right now, I'm just window shopping to see what's out there. What I have for now will likely last me another few years, but I'm always curious and wanting to learn more :)
 
lo.fi.love said:
Specifically, I mean that I would want all of the inputs and outputs to be +4dB balanced. Line inputs, tape monitors, group out, etc.

I'm not actually shopping for a board right now, I'm just window shopping to see what's out there. What I have for now will likely last me another few years, but I'm always curious and wanting to learn more :)
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Having a +4 console only makes sense if you also have +4 machines. Otherwise, you need to work around the mismatch. It can be done but why bother?
 
lo.fi.love said:
I'm specifically interested in balanced I/O boards. Is the Teac/Tascam M16 balanced? I'm not finding much information on the Web.
Click to expand...

As I recall, the only thing balanced was the front end. It was the last of the fully modular -10 boards TASCAM produced.
 
RRuskin said:
Having a +4 console only makes sense if you also have +4 machines. Otherwise, you need to work around the mismatch. It can be done but why bother?
Click to expand...

Right. That's also part of the daydream :)

Actually all of my machines at the moment have balanced I/O except my 34b.

Really what I'm trying to figure out here is what the logical upgrade from my M520 would be, all brands and makes considered, if I were to invest in a new round of equipment.
 
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