hakanai
Well-known member
Ok so I have lots to talk about.
first the quotes came in on the new boards. It looks like the channel boards will be 16$ each and the new 4 channel input boards will be $30 each. I should see those in a week or two.
Now on to new business. I have been thinking about what this mixer is, and what it can be. The need for some sort of master section is becoming clear, but there is also the matter of stereo channels.
The primary center section functions could be panel mounted on leads for the most part, but a nice board with extra functions would be very nice as well. I have laid out these functions as my "wants":
1. master fader for Bus 1/2
2. master fader for bus 3/4
3. bus 3/4 assign to 1/2 switch
4. solo summing amp
5. solo trim knob
6. Monitor source select with - bus 1/2 - bus 3/4 - solo - other
7. Alt speaker switch
8. Monitor level knob
10. buffered meter out that follows the source select
11. headphone amp
12. headphone level knob
13. headphone source select
14. monitor mono switch
Then I was thinking an Aux master card would be nice as well. Again, my "wants":
1. 4 IC summing amps (IC is not a dirty word!)
2. 4 aux master level knobs
3. Aux master solo's
4. 1 stereo input with bus assign
And finally a stereo channel card. this would be 2 stereo channels in the same space as a mono but with no aux's. So:
1. stereo fader
2. mute
3. solo
4. bus assign
So there would be two sets of those controls per "slot"
If someone wants talkback, that is actually already built in. The input stage can easily get 12db of gain and the fader buffer can get 30db. So now it's a mic level channel, just without 48v. So channel 12 can be your talk back channel with any dynamic mic.
These are my thought as I go through the entire build in my head. These three additional boards would be horizontal across the top of the mixer in my head (enlarging the case to a 4RU). Although some of the funtions can be handled by other kits (JLM for example) having them all coherently laid out seems very appealing. But then I think I am not sure that I want to make so many specialized boards. I need some feedback here. What do you guys think? What have you been planning for your master sections? Have you been planing them?
Then there are the issue's of DOA's and knobs.
Jens over at Eisen Audio is a good friend of mine and I have been picking his brain all along the way, while designing this thing. He has a DOA that sounds excellent, is totally unique, and would be awesome in this mixer. What doesn't make sense however, is him making, and me selling one at a time. We have talked about doing a standing group-buy type of structure based around block of 12 units. The price should work out to be very competitive for a professionally assembled DOA. This thing would not be a 2520 replacement in any other sense than the footprint. It is a different animal. I'll expand on that later.
Knobs are another thing that begins to add up, and I really prefer a good collet knob. I have some samples coming from PDI for gloss black wing knobs and I will keep you posted on those as well. I have worked with PDI before and they make a very slick looking knob that feels very nice. Again as a group-buy type scenario I may be able to get the price per knob to about 5$ for a 13mm black wing with nut cover and cap. I have also toyed with the idea of a custom aluminum knob but that is a big minimum number of pieces but could yield a very finished and unique look. I think the aluminum knobs would work out to about 3-4$ a piece and I would only really need to have maybe 300 pieces committed, which sounds like a lot but a 12 channel version of this mixer is 72 knobs, and that's not counting the center section. Let me know if there is interest in these options or if you guys are happy with what is available already.
Hmmm the more I think about this the more I want to do a custom knob. Dammit
ok now back to all the things I have been neglecting
Don
first the quotes came in on the new boards. It looks like the channel boards will be 16$ each and the new 4 channel input boards will be $30 each. I should see those in a week or two.
Now on to new business. I have been thinking about what this mixer is, and what it can be. The need for some sort of master section is becoming clear, but there is also the matter of stereo channels.
The primary center section functions could be panel mounted on leads for the most part, but a nice board with extra functions would be very nice as well. I have laid out these functions as my "wants":
1. master fader for Bus 1/2
2. master fader for bus 3/4
3. bus 3/4 assign to 1/2 switch
4. solo summing amp
5. solo trim knob
6. Monitor source select with - bus 1/2 - bus 3/4 - solo - other
7. Alt speaker switch
8. Monitor level knob
10. buffered meter out that follows the source select
11. headphone amp
12. headphone level knob
13. headphone source select
14. monitor mono switch
Then I was thinking an Aux master card would be nice as well. Again, my "wants":
1. 4 IC summing amps (IC is not a dirty word!)
2. 4 aux master level knobs
3. Aux master solo's
4. 1 stereo input with bus assign
And finally a stereo channel card. this would be 2 stereo channels in the same space as a mono but with no aux's. So:
1. stereo fader
2. mute
3. solo
4. bus assign
So there would be two sets of those controls per "slot"
If someone wants talkback, that is actually already built in. The input stage can easily get 12db of gain and the fader buffer can get 30db. So now it's a mic level channel, just without 48v. So channel 12 can be your talk back channel with any dynamic mic.
These are my thought as I go through the entire build in my head. These three additional boards would be horizontal across the top of the mixer in my head (enlarging the case to a 4RU). Although some of the funtions can be handled by other kits (JLM for example) having them all coherently laid out seems very appealing. But then I think I am not sure that I want to make so many specialized boards. I need some feedback here. What do you guys think? What have you been planning for your master sections? Have you been planing them?
Then there are the issue's of DOA's and knobs.
Jens over at Eisen Audio is a good friend of mine and I have been picking his brain all along the way, while designing this thing. He has a DOA that sounds excellent, is totally unique, and would be awesome in this mixer. What doesn't make sense however, is him making, and me selling one at a time. We have talked about doing a standing group-buy type of structure based around block of 12 units. The price should work out to be very competitive for a professionally assembled DOA. This thing would not be a 2520 replacement in any other sense than the footprint. It is a different animal. I'll expand on that later.
Knobs are another thing that begins to add up, and I really prefer a good collet knob. I have some samples coming from PDI for gloss black wing knobs and I will keep you posted on those as well. I have worked with PDI before and they make a very slick looking knob that feels very nice. Again as a group-buy type scenario I may be able to get the price per knob to about 5$ for a 13mm black wing with nut cover and cap. I have also toyed with the idea of a custom aluminum knob but that is a big minimum number of pieces but could yield a very finished and unique look. I think the aluminum knobs would work out to about 3-4$ a piece and I would only really need to have maybe 300 pieces committed, which sounds like a lot but a 12 channel version of this mixer is 72 knobs, and that's not counting the center section. Let me know if there is interest in these options or if you guys are happy with what is available already.
Hmmm the more I think about this the more I want to do a custom knob. Dammit
ok now back to all the things I have been neglecting
Don
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