Review

Reviews

By George Shilling and Russell Cottier

E.A.R. / Yoshino 660 Compressor / Limiter
Dec 23 2003 Compressor / Limiter
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 Ultra Harmonizer
Dec 23 2003 Ultra Harmonizer
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
Dec 23 2003 Stereo valve compressor
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 Modular stepped valve EQ
Dec 23 2003 Modular stepped valve EQ
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..

EQ
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Joemeek MeekBox VC6 Input amplifier and channel strip
Dec 23 2003 Input amplifier and channel strip
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 Valve channel strip
Dec 23 2003 Valve channel strip
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 Two channel compressor
Dec 23 2003 Two channel compressor
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 UK designed audio equipment
Dec 23 2003 UK designed audio equipment
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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Lexicon MPX1 Stereo multi-effects processor
Dec 23 2003 Stereo multi-effects processor
Lexicon MPX1

Hot on the heels of Lexicon's mid-range multi-fx PCM80 came tc's reply: the M2000. This incorporated many of the PCM80's innovative features, along with the much vaunted Wizard feature, and a price lower than the Lexicon unit.

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Lexicon PCM 90 Digital reverberator
Dec 23 2003 Digital reverberator
Lexicon PCM 90

Lexicon's top of the range 480L and its predecessor the 224X have for over ten years been held in the highest esteem. No high-end studio looks complete without the familiar LARC remote control on top of the mixer.

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Mackie 1604-VLZ 16 channel microphone / line mixer
Dec 23 2003 16 channel microphone / line mixer
Mackie 1604-VLZ

Without doubt, Mackie mixers have empowered an army of musicians and DJs to record their efforts with greater control and flexibility than could ever be imagined ten years ago.

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Manley Massive Passive Stereo valve EQ
Dec 23 2003 Stereo valve EQ
Manley Massive Passive

Manley have established a mighty reputation for their no-compromise outboard equipment. The attention to detail is astonishing, the manuals informative and entertaining, and the sound quality undeniably superb.

EQ
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SPL Tube Vitalizer Stereo program equalizer
Dec 23 2003 Stereo program equalizer
SPL Tube Vitalizer

The Tube Vitalizer looks impressive, with a nod towards vintage valve equipment. It is a 2U steel box, with a bare metal front panel. There are plenty of black knobs, and three grilles revealing glowing tubes.

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Symetrix 562E Windowing expander / gate
Dec 23 2003 Windowing expander / gate
Symetrix 562E

Gates have been around for many years, most offering the same features. The popular and fully featured Drawmer DS201 has remained cheap and unchanged in design for many years.

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Symetrix 628 Digital voice processor
Dec 23 2003 Digital voice processor
Symetrix 628

Want to sound like Dave Lee Travis? I thought not. However, if you are in the broadcast business you will need to apply some processing to your announcers' or deejays' microphones.

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T.C. Wizard / M2000 Multi effects processor
Dec 23 2003 Multi effects processor
T.C. Wizard / M2000

The M2000 is a 20-bit dual multi-fx unit in a shallow, lightweight, but solidly-built 1U box, aimed firmly at the Project Studio section of the market, in direct competition with units such as Lexicon's PCM80.

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