Fletcher wrote on the new Toft:
So... it came, we played, we tested, we beat on it, used it in a variety of applications... as I said earlier, the equalizer alone is definitely worth the price of admission... the compressor is pretty damn cool for a bunch of applications [2 buss and overheads weren't among them... but really, what the hell do you expect for a grand?].
I guess we'll start with the shit I didn't like about it first... I am, afteral, a negative motherfucker so let's get this out of the way... the mic pre's suck.
They're just not up to what I like playing with... and seeing that we have pre's like
the Martech MSS-10 hanging around here... it's not necessarily a "fair" evaluation [my "GEO" doesn't handle like my Ferrarri... so the GEO sucks kind of an 'unfair' comparison].
They're certainly up there with shit like the Presonus and the Focusrite... they just don't measure up to a "real" pre-amp. There is also an "issue" with pushing the pre to extreme gain settings... but that's a bloody unlikely event in real use.... but a fairly commonplace event when we're "testing" things and looking for flaws with a microscope.
The compressor follows the equalizer which isn't how I particularly like to work. 99.5% of the time I compress, then EQ... but not everyone works that way [in fact... those that use shit like Neve 1073's on a regular basis don't work that way... unless they use two modules for a single sound... which doesn't happen all that often].
In talking to Malcolm about it there may be a revision of this in a future board layout which could include an 'internal' switch or perhaps one on the back of the unit... but who knows when this "modification" may [or may not] be done. The 'single channel' unit will have capabilities to switch the compressor in front of the EQ... but the equalizer is a different design... so that's still going to be a 'wait and see' proposition as far as M-A is concerned.
The compression has a very unique character to it... very similar to the original 1 RU Trident compressors [really... go figure...]. It can get very aggressive without being unmusical which is a nice plus... and it will work as a 'linkable dual mono' unit which can be very handy for things like parallel compression on a drum sub... but isn't a feature that really stands up to 2 buss use by any stretch of the imagination.
Which leads us to the equalizer... it brought back so many lovely memories it was ridiculous. Until now there was nothing like the EQ on an old Trident 80 series desk... and I really loved those equalizers.
You had to spend a good bit of time with the original 80 series EQ's to get the feel of them as they didn't sound nor behave like any other equalizer I've ever worked with ... but once you acquire a taste for them... there ain't nothing like 'um. On
the ATC-2, the 'Q' doesn't seem to get quite as tight when you push the mid bands to extremes... but that's forgivable... the overall tone is right on the money and that's the important thing.
Another interesting thing that kinda weirded me out a first... but after talkiing to Malcolm I saw the wisdom... when the compressor isn't engaged you can still meter gain reduction!! The reason behind this is pretty clever... this way when you have a singer singing [like during the 'getting sounds phase of the operation] you can set a rough compression setting, along with 'gain makeup' then switch the compression into the signal path and it won't fuck up the singer with a radical gain difference.
What I first thought was a 'bug' turned out to be a feature!! Overall... I have to tip my hat to Malcolm and Alan... they came up with a piece that is indeed a pretty servicable unit in the "real world", and an extraordinary value for the 'project studio/home studio' user.
The shop is going to order a bunch of them today... they should be up on "the website" within the week.
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and he wrote a little more what he meant about the mic pres
Again... a little perspective here... as I mentioned in the original bit... I'm running them up against some pretty heavy shit... yeah, in my world they're going to be shot out again stuff like a Martech MSS-10... or a Crane Song, or a Great River... etc.
Having riden in your talking car from ze fatherland... I find my '94 Dodge 'Shadow' pretty bland and unexciting in comparison... but it gets me to work and home most days if you catch my drift...
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Actually, it sounds like a pretty good piece.
Steve
www.mojopie.com
... or sell your bluetube and bluemax and the anteras and get a Sytek. (esp. if you're doing drums...)
