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Middleman
Professional Amateur
Yeah I saw that and watched the experts video testimonials. Pretty interesting and may be just the thing for a project studio. Will have to see some reviews and thoughts from people who have that kind of money.
M
Mr Funk
New member
Like everyone reading about this box and listening to the testimonials, I am still dubious that it can replicate the vintage gear well enough to satisfy the experts, but what if it can? If this really can do a good enough job of convincing the ear that you are using a certain bit of kit, then it would have to be the greatest invention in music technology in a long time right? And even if it can't fool the experts, what about the music buying public?
Still, I remain sceptical, but as I cant afford to own more than one or two of the boxes it emulates, I hope it can do what it says on the tin!
Even if it only gets reasonably close to the originals, it would still be a nice bit of gear and well worth the cash. For those engineers who do have the original boxes it is replicating, it could be used to quickly find which pre and comp fit a certain source and then they could patch in the real components!
Still, I remain sceptical, but as I cant afford to own more than one or two of the boxes it emulates, I hope it can do what it says on the tin!
Even if it only gets reasonably close to the originals, it would still be a nice bit of gear and well worth the cash. For those engineers who do have the original boxes it is replicating, it could be used to quickly find which pre and comp fit a certain source and then they could patch in the real components!
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Pha'dur
New member
Has anbody seen a price quote for it?
C
chessrock
Banned
I wish they would stop trying to make things that sounds like the classics . . . and focus instead on trying to make something that sounds better.
F
Flatpicker
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MSRP US $3,495. That's why I'm betting it's pretty serious. I doubt you'll find one in a project studio. Well... maybe a big, expensive project studio...Pha'dur said:
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69ShadesofRed
New member
Chessrock,
Can't agree with you more. Seems like nostalgia is everywhere. It's become the fad since 2000 in everything from cars (Thunderbird, PTCruiser...yuck) to audio. Sigh, makes one think that everything that could be done was done back in the second half of 20th century.
Plus, everybody claims that their virtual emulation of some doodad sounds just like the original, which in most cases is rubbish. In some way I guess it's kind of similar when synthesizers were asked to sound like acoustic instruments, which they never do.
I never believe when I hear lines like "our new and improved thingamajig captures the essense of the classic Roman Charriots without requiring to be two horses' a$$ wide".
Can't agree with you more. Seems like nostalgia is everywhere. It's become the fad since 2000 in everything from cars (Thunderbird, PTCruiser...yuck) to audio. Sigh, makes one think that everything that could be done was done back in the second half of 20th century.
Plus, everybody claims that their virtual emulation of some doodad sounds just like the original, which in most cases is rubbish. In some way I guess it's kind of similar when synthesizers were asked to sound like acoustic instruments, which they never do.
I never believe when I hear lines like "our new and improved thingamajig captures the essense of the classic Roman Charriots without requiring to be two horses' a$$ wide".
C
chessrock
Banned
69ShadesofRed said:
Yea, but does it have tubes? ? ?
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69ShadesofRed
New member
Yah, but they are tied 
Middleman
Professional Amateur
Flatpicker said:
I don't know, if it does what it says then you can have almost $10K-$15K worth of virtual rack gear on a budget. I could sell off all my pres, compressors and limiters then next Christmas save up $1000 and I'm there.
Neves, APIs, Distressors, 1176, LA2A, any pro device in one box just at the flick of a switch. Hey I'm there.
Now if it sucks, which it probably does, its another black hole in your rack.
S
Simmons
New member
Great product or marketing?
Not knowing the company's history, I wonder if Focusrite has ever released a product that sucks? I find it hard to believe that a company with their reputation would spend two years of "pure research" (if that's the truth) to release a product that doesn't deliver what they say it can. The pro audio market is a tough cookie to crack, full of incredibly knowledgeable and experienced engineers. Surely Focusrite knows this and if they've produced a lemon, it wouldn't take long for the word to get out....especially at that price.
Simmons
Not knowing the company's history, I wonder if Focusrite has ever released a product that sucks? I find it hard to believe that a company with their reputation would spend two years of "pure research" (if that's the truth) to release a product that doesn't deliver what they say it can. The pro audio market is a tough cookie to crack, full of incredibly knowledgeable and experienced engineers. Surely Focusrite knows this and if they've produced a lemon, it wouldn't take long for the word to get out....especially at that price.
Simmons
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foreverain4
New member
i think i would rather have 8 channels of HD3's 
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fenix
New member
Man, I thought Mackie was bad. We've reached an all time high of phony claims with this focusrite toy.
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Dot
New member
I don't think it's a stretch if you look at what Crane Song did with the Trakker. All the high-end Focusrite Red and ISA series products are serious tools.
I saw the Focusrite Liquid Channel at AES, and I'll be reviewing it.
I'd actually been involved in some talks with another company about the basic idea of including many pres in one box. I told them that what the market needs is a mic pre version of what the Trakker does for compressors.
If the Liquid Channel does anything even remotely close to what Focusrite claims - things could get interesting.
Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions
I saw the Focusrite Liquid Channel at AES, and I'll be reviewing it.
I'd actually been involved in some talks with another company about the basic idea of including many pres in one box. I told them that what the market needs is a mic pre version of what the Trakker does for compressors.
If the Liquid Channel does anything even remotely close to what Focusrite claims - things could get interesting.
Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions
M
Mr Funk
New member
Don't forget that it emulates compressors too!
Fletcher
New member
Dan, you're comparing apples and oranges... the Trakker emulates the compression characteristics of the gain reduction cell of the various units, not the tone.... not the tone!!!
Compression cell characteristics are easily measurable and recreatable, there are just too many variables that go into the tone of any specific unit to recreate it in the digital domain without the processor power you would find at like NORAD.
Whadda we got? Mic Modeler?
Compression cell characteristics are easily measurable and recreatable, there are just too many variables that go into the tone of any specific unit to recreate it in the digital domain without the processor power you would find at like NORAD.
Whadda we got? Mic Modeler?
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Dot
New member
Fletcher, that's a good point, and it seems that the Liquid is more of a Pod-style type of digital emulation. I'd still like to see something that works more along the lines of the Trakker or the Sansamp. Still analog technology.
Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions
Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions
Middleman
Professional Amateur
Completely agree on the tone thing. I mean, how many individual circuits can you emulate? If it is a digial approach i.e downloading software emulations, which it is, then its going to be difficult to capture a big fat tube compressor. Plus the mic pre emulation. Wow, this might just be an overpriced POD for studio use.
Now if they had various circuilt cards that plugged in an out of the unit and had averaged the designs of the numerous big boy compressors, then I might be convinced they actually pulled this off.
On the other side of the fence, with the lower standards in audio that the public is used to these days, it just could be good enough. Only time will tell.
Now if they had various circuilt cards that plugged in an out of the unit and had averaged the designs of the numerous big boy compressors, then I might be convinced they actually pulled this off.
On the other side of the fence, with the lower standards in audio that the public is used to these days, it just could be good enough. Only time will tell.
F
Flatpicker
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Looks like a little of both. The literature seems to imply that the compression techniques are modeled, but the mic pre part seems to be digital controlled analog. I guess we’ll know more when it gets into the hands of more users. Supposedly it’ll be out by the end of the year.Fletcher said: