Glen Sound Services MX6/2/222

[bugbrand]

Hi,

I've come along here 'cos I'm building a couple of the Gyraf SSL comp clones (..very much appreciate all the wondrous help & info available here.!.)

So, I figured someone may know a bit about this desk I was given last week::

Glen Sound Services MX 6/2/222

Its an old BBC desk - very compact and very heavyweight.
Its def. from the mid 70s. Glen Sound still make broadcase desks (probably quite expensive)

I changed the power connecter - it was something that looked like an xlr before (!strange!).

Its certainly working though I haven't fully tested.

Just wondered if anyone knows about such desks...
Have I got something nice?
Worth tidying it up?
Will the preamps be any use?

(..so many questions.!.)

The guy who gave it to me also gave me a pair of AKG D109s - little dynamic lapel mics - dinky as hell! The only info I've found says they've got a spherical pick-up pattern - never come across that before!


Mighty appreciates if anyone knows much about these things..
Very best,
TomBugs in Bristol UK

 

[Guest]

Roddy may know a bit more about the BBC side of things but..


It was originally an OB mixer (tried out in the Late 1970s in the Radiophonic workshop but not used)
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/whitefiles/b2_h/4_radiophonic_workshop/rws/pgs/r04.htm

Still used in BBC OB vans
http://www.bbcradioresources.com/ob/Ctypes/Bristol/specification.html

http://www.btinternet.com/~roger.beckwith/bh/locrad/lr5.htm

 

[bugbrand]

Thanks for the insight!

I've got to do some tests and see how the preamps sound...

 

[strangeandbouncy]

I've got one!



i use it every day - but just for the pre's. Available direct on the insert sends. Awesome pre's. Unfortunately 741's on the mixbus. quite noisy. Pre's are all discrete, and wonderful. Kinda dark. Nearest thing to EMI/Chandler imho. Not good for everything, but great on Acc gtr, toms, hh, which is what I use them for.


Enjoy! I know I do.


ps - cant believe you got it for free! I paid £8 for mine - the fuse had gone!

 

[bugbrand]

[quote author="strangeandbouncy"]I've got one!



i use it every day - but just for the pre's. Available direct on the insert sends. Awesome pre's. Unfortunately 741's on the mixbus. quite noisy. Pre's are all discrete, and wonderful. Kinda dark. Nearest thing to EMI/Chandler imho. Not good for everything, but great on Acc gtr, toms, hh, which is what I use them for.


Enjoy! I know I do.
[/quote]

You've just put a big smile on my face.!. Many thanks indeed for the pointer - a mate had said that the pres would probably be interesting, but your recommendation makes me very excited. COOL!

But I think I've got to replace some of the connectors::

The ones on the preamps LOOK like normal 1/4inch sockets, but don't fit 1/4" plugs
The ones on the output don't look like normal 1/4" sockets, but they DO fit 1/4" plugs

Strange.

Probably I will replace them all...

And when you say 741s on the Mixbus do you mean the opamps? And, if so, surely I should be able to replace them with something better?

Have you rehoused your preamps at all or just kept them in the same case? -- its rather big and cumbersome..!..

[quote author="strangeandbouncy"]ps - cant believe you got it for free! I paid £8 for mine - the fuse had gone![/quote]

I know! My eyes popped when the guy showed up with it - they popped even more when he got out the little box with the AKG mics too.!.

Hey, mighty thanks!

 

[strangeandbouncy]

Sockets are GPO (A-type?) 1/4" sockets. DO NOT RAM A REGULAR 1/4" in, 'cos you'll permanently bend the connectors out of shape. These are reasonably common, and much easier to replace on the cable than the socket. Neutrik do 'em for instance.

I have not racked mine up. PSU built in, and relatively compact on the desktop.

I tried replacing 741's with 5534, an a couple of other opamps. Just as noisy! and unsstable to boot. I only need the pre's, anyway.


Enjoy!


ANdyP

 

[bugbrand]

Thanks again Andy,

I *did* change over the sockets on one preamp and, yes, its not such a quick job..

This preamp seems to have problems -> certainly a mic through it does not work well. There is def something wrong 'cos the mic sounds really thin and tapping on the case of the mixer makes sounds in the preamp output - that's gotta be wrong.?!?!.!.

Will try the other pres once I have half a chance..

Oh, but I did get the SSL clone-comp working last night! (worked straight off - no mistakes! Whoo-hooo)

 

[sintech]

Hi, hooked one also :thumb: Just curious if anyone ever found any schematics for this board?

many thanks.

 

[Tillmann]

I've got a Glen Sound 6/2/something or other in Berlin. I forget which model it is since I'm out of town, but of course it's the six channel with EQ. It's was a bit noisy right off the bat, but i need to do a recap on it since I managed to blow a couple caps in a not so genius move while cleaning it out and now it's really much noisier. Anyway, lots of carbon pots that need cleaning all the time and the like, but I like the sound of the preamp and EQ section too. It's not fantastic, but definitely cool and worthy of having around. I got mine for about $500 or so. Former BBC of course. Anyway, contact Glen Sound about schematics. I needed some help from them on something and the service department seemed enthusiastic about helping resurrect it. And if you're feeling really generous, post them here thereafter!

:grin:


Cheers,

T

 

[kevinnyc]

I love those Glensound mixers! An old friend of mine has one, and we used it on a remote gig a few months back. I'm trying to remember if his model was the MX 6/2/222. The nicest thing about the mixer was that it used Parmeko Transformers. Great pres. I'm absolutely crazy for the ex BBC stuff, and I personally love parmekos', the only problem for me is that it is nearly impossible to get any of that stuff in America, and importing is pretty darn expensive. I recently bought an old Audix MTX 500 mixer - similar design to the Glensound, but in a different chassis arrangement, etc. After a few dozen emails to Audix Broadcast (which is still around as a company), I have yet to get any sort of schematics for the unit. Maybe it's easier to track down the schematics and info on that stuff in the UK than it is over here.

P.S. Congratulations on the free "Glen"!

 

[sintech]

Ok, Schematics (part of a handbook in PDF format) are in the house. Thanks to Bugbrand who contacted Glen. :thumb:

If anyone wants these please email me and I'll get them straight out to you. This is for the MX6/2 console, but this will relay also to the Mx6/3 as it's based around the same building blocks.

 

[SSLtech]

"spherical" pickup mics are very common. They are usually called "omni".

Hemispherical puckup mics are usually called PZMs.

Keith

 

[strangeandbouncy]

hi,

any chance of the schemo's?



Many thjanks,


AbdyP

 

[sintech]

strangeandbouncy, emailed you the drawings.

 

[strangeandbouncy]

Dude!

supercalifrajalisticexpialedocious!

AndyP

 

[Bryson]

jpgs!

 

[strangeandbouncy]

Wow!


thank you so much for schemo. Now I understand why the mixer part is so damn noisey - 100dB of gain on tap . . .

I notice that the insert send is -15dB. Doesn't make any sense to me. The way I use 'em as mic pre's deriving my send to 'tools from the insert send, the signal should be distorted to buggery. ho hum I love these for kick snare, overheads, acoustic, guitar cabs, in fact just about everything. - except vocals. I do have a 20dB pad strapped across each mic input, except 2 which I keep stock for extra gain.

Also, i have been acting under the illusion that the mic-pre was discrete, with the 741 occuring AFTER the insert. Shows how ggod I am at tracing circuits! Now I am really confused. How can a mic-amp with a 741 in it POSSIBLY sound si F@@kin' good??????

i have tried other op-amps in stead of 741's to try to lower the noise. everything else just didn;t sound right.


most confused . . . . API slew rte is 3V/us, 741 is tinyweenyV/us - guess I'll just have to trust my ears afterall . . . . . .

ANdyP

 

[sintech]

ok, here's some Jpgs! It's a very cute 6-2 console, one aux (pre or post) 6 mic pres with direct outs. I've reversed the faders as the BBC style pull operation was too alien.

 

[philspectrum]

Just working on one off these little beauties for friend, anyone still got the schematics?

 

[mjrippe]

Just working on one off these little beauties for friend, anyone still got the schematics?

Too big to post here, but I put it in my DropBox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7izfwmuxkt9k3r2/GlenSound%20MX6.pdf?dl=0