Crane Song Trakker
The Trakker is a new mono compressor/limiter from Cranesong. Although similar in appearance to the STC-8 Stereo Compressor, the designer has taken a somewhat different approach.
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TC Electronic FireworX
I was intrigued. A couple of die-hard analogue-loving colleagues were salivating over some new equipment. I presumed it was another valve compressor or somesuch.
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Aphex 661 Expressor
A friend of mine has a theory that any audio equipment is guaranteed to be good if it is American and has an 'X' in its name.
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CLM Dynamics DB500s Expounder
In the area of studio outboard, there is always room for a new twist on an old idea, and Scottish company CLM have popped up, seemingly from nowhere, with this ‘Dynamic Equaliser’, an EQ with several new twists.
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dbx 160S
The dbx 160 was standard equipment in any studio worth its salt when I started in the business. Not for the faint-hearted, I always suspected that this half-rack, 2U machine was compressing far more than the meter indicated.
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Digitech Studio 400
The 400 is a black 2U multi-fx box, fairly shallow in depth. On first glance one is immediately put in mind of the Eventide H3000. However, this unit is about half the price of an H3000D/SX.
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DPA 3541
When scouring the microphone cupboards of the commercial studios I use, I am always delighted to encounter Brüel & Kjær models, (now available under the DPA name). Frequently, these are Type 4006 omni-directional condensers, known for their bright, clear and true characteristics.
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Drawmer Front End One MX60
In the high-end 'voice channel' market, one can easily forget that Drawmer were an early entrant with the Vacuum Tube 1960. They now enter the crowded budget end of this market with the feature packed 'Front End One' MX60.
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E.A.R. / Yoshino 660
Esoteric [es–o–ter'ik], adjective inner; secret; mysterious; taught to a select few – This is the dictionary definition of the ‘E.’ of E.A.R. (Esoteric Audio Research), which says much about the philosophy behind the company and its designs.
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Eventide DSP 4500
The Eventide name is synonymous with the studio harmonizer. Their more recent designs include many other types of effects, but the pitch-shifter remains central to all 'Ultra-Harmonizer' models. The most widely known Eventide unit is the H3000 and its variants.
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Fat Man 'Fat One' by TL Audio
I was just a few days into my health diet when the Fat One arrived, threatening to spoil things.
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Inward Connections Vac Rac TEQ-1
The Vac Rac was originally reviewed by Dave Foister in the March 1996 edition of Studio Sound. This revisit is to evaluate the new EQ module, but first, a quick recap..
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Joemeek MeekBox VC6
Since the introduction of the Joemeek Compressor a few years ago, Joemeek have been steadily increasing their range. They have found a particular niche with the all-in-one type of processor for use mostly as a direct-to-tape microphone processor.
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Joemeek MeekBox VC2
I have long been a fan of Joe Meek's productions. I even went to a Joe Meek Appreciation Society event a few months back. But until recently I had not tried any of the famous JoeMeek range of outboard equipment, designed by Ted Fletcher.
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LA Audio Classic Compressor
There are currently available many compressors and other outboard devices which use vacuum tubes and which have fairly hefty price tags. Some of these units have a limited range of useful features, and many lack the qualities of vintage valve designs.
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LA Audio Millennium Series
Outboard equipment - "Toys" to use the technical term - I love them. Big ones, small ones, red ones, blue ones, (thank you, Dr.Seuss!), and especially ones with lots of colourful knobs on them, and big flashy displays.
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