Go ahead, push my board!

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fortress1w

fortress1w

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So I am getting into this new studio with a Toft ATB 16, which has a very tasty EQ and set of pre's I may add.

While experimenting with how to "push" these boards a question arose from the depths... This is pertaining to any board pushers, you know who you are..

These Toft's credit themselves to the lineage of the classic Trident sound and carry over this "ear" created design that Malcom Toft is so very proud of. These designs inherently have strange algorithms that mathmatically don't make sense but musically are very cool :cool:

So with this in mind, how many people are consciously setting up their signal before the computer/tape with these algorithms in mind?

I can see folks doing it sub-consciously as they become more acclimated to their board. ("like hey man, I just started turning knobs until it sounds good"...heard that before from some pretty good engineer btw.
 
you should probably give the "home" recording people a little more credit.

I am just trying to grab some good insight on Toft and trident boards and how people like to push them, as well as other boards
 
Unless I'm a complete idiot, the Toft is analog other than its optional ADAT/SPDIF card. So I don't think the standard board is running any algorithms at all.
 
I gotta be honest and say that I don't understand the question at all either way - analog or digital.

"Pushing the board"? What is this even supposed to mean that makes any sense? In thirty years of mixing I have never heard of a "board pusher". It's not like we're recording to analog tape and looking for saturation distortion or something like that. Nor are we (I assume) talking about somebody who just has no clue about levels and gain structure.

And as far as "setting up their signal with these algorithms in mind", I can only interpret that to mean "taking advantage of the unique sound of the board". To which the only answers I can think of are "doesn't everybody?" and "isn't that exactly why one selects that board to begin with?"

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
And as far as "setting up their signal with these algorithms in mind", I can only interpret that to mean "taking advantage of the unique sound of the board". To which the only answers I can think of are "doesn't everybody?" and "isn't that exactly why one selects that board to begin with?"
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no. HOMErecording.com. remember?
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I gotta be honest and say that I don't understand the question at all either way - analog or digital.

"Pushing the board"?
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does he possibly mean pushing the pres hard?

For example ..... sometimes I use a Mackie board and I notice a very big difference in sound when you push the pres right to the edge of level wise. If you're low enough that it never lights the clip light I find the sound to be thinner ..... starts to get much fuller sounding when you push it a little bit.

As for algorithms ..... not a clue.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
And as far as "setting up their signal with these algorithms in mind", I can only interpret that to mean "taking advantage of the unique sound of the board". To which the only answers I can think of are "doesn't everybody?"
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I think we're misunderstanding the original question somehow because I'm interpreting it the same way and coming to the same conclusion.

Either you purposefully set up for the best sound your gear can give you, or you set up with no purpose and cross your fingers.
 
Chibi Nappa said:
Why would you not purposefully try to get the most out of your equipment just because you are at home?
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i said no such thing.

SouthSIDE Glen said:
I can only interpret that to mean "taking advantage of the unique sound of the board".
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a budget home mixer to get your typical home recorder/hobbyist's music recorded doesn't have a distinct or unique sound. it's a tool. i don't waste time "getting the most" out of my fucking hammer, either. i grab it and smash shit.
 
RAMI said:
Walters??????
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I miss Walters . . .


. . . I guess technically an analog EQ, as a filter circuit, is executing a continuous differential equation, which is a type of algorithm . . . but I don't get the comment about the math not making sense. Math is math, it just is. I don't think it's possible for an analog circuit to not be ideally described by an equation.
 
ez_willis said:
a budget home mixer to get your typical home recorder/hobbyist's music recorded doesn't have a distinct or unique sound.
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If it didn't, everybody would use our stuff because it's so damn cheap. Just because the uniqueness isn't "good" doesn't mean it's not there. If anything we have to be more careful going about our sound selection.
it's a tool. i don't waste time "getting the most" out of my fucking hammer, either. i grab it and smash shit.
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You're not here to learn, are you? :D
 
Lt. Bob said:
does he possibly mean pushing the pres hard?

For example ..... sometimes I use a Mackie board and I notice a very big difference in sound when you push the pres right to the edge of level wise. If you're low enough that it never lights the clip light I find the sound to be thinner ..... starts to get much fuller sounding when you push it a little bit.

As for algorithms ..... not a clue.
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When I use a Mackie in live setups I like to keep the pre's as clean as possible and push things up in the mix if I need a little more volume. It's probably just a universal truth that any sound system that has a mackie never has enough power to get a clean vocal above the drums. :D
 
TexRoadkill said:
When I use a Mackie in live setups I like to keep the pre's as clean as possible and push things up in the mix if I need a little more volume. It's probably just a universal truth that any sound system that has a mackie never has enough power to get a clean vocal above the drums. :D
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well, I'm mainly talking about recording but even live I prefer the sound with the pres as hot as they'll go without clipping.
 
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