I did "sticky tape" PCB layouts in the 70,s, (using Bishop Graphics, Vector, Chartpak, Letraset, and others) and results were as easily as good as these modules,............ if-you-took-your-time.
Similar results exist for 70's Quad-Eight, Electrodyne, Sphere, ADM, Helios, Soundcraft, API, Neve and many, many others, with each successive design revision eventually achieving a "signature look" for each manufacturer, PCB layout engineer, specific era of design and available (IE: "affordable") features the PCB fab house could offer.
Early to late 60's to 70,s, 80,s and onward all had different looks as manual "tape and film" layout slowly gave way to computer/CAD layout systems.
Similarly, PCB fabrication technologies advanced and allowed significant manufacturing cost reductions for typically very expensive options like;
Plated through holes, solder mask, gold plated edge connectors and other features previously only financially practical for Military and Aerospace projects.
Quality of layout for early (often non-soldermasked) PCB,s is entirely up to the amount of care taken, and relative experience of the person doing the work, so it is literally impossible to judge whether this is a really good first try, or an experienced PCB designer who lent their skills to an attractive startup for their "good buddy",.... I have seen numerous variations on these themes.
The above is also true to this day, even with the availability of incredibly powerful PCB layout tools from open source vendors. Quality usually depends entirely on the skills of the operator, not on the quality of the tools used ("I can sound just like Jimi Hendrix if I buy his exact same gear"..........(not!)).
Available pictures of Loft consoles (see preservationsound.com) have very straight line control layout, no toggle switches and nomenclature that does not not look anything like the module pix posted, despite the presence of Vemaline knobs.
Auditronix typically used Rogan knobs, with the earliest designs employing Spectrasonics amp cards and eq,s, that were easily visible on internal pix. I have seen a few of these desks re-fitted with Vemaline knobs, as requested by the studio owner. Their main cards also had a similar PCB look to the cards pictured in this post, but a very different look (and parts selection) compared to the Spectrasonics PC cards inside.
I recently consulted on supposedly custom 1977 vintage "API console", that had a very similar mechanical look to classic API modules outwardly, but was in fact an entirely one-off custom build for A&M studios, with Quad-Eight EQ-444 equalizers, absolutely no API parts at all inside and a very different PCB "signature look" inside, even though all knobs were Vemaline brand and its PCB,s looked equally well laid-out as the "mystery" channels in this post.
It is often a simpler path to decide these modules were built by a known manufacturer, but the capabilities and quality of independent designers or builders should never be underestimated.
Almost every major console company was started by independent designer and thinkers who thought they could do a better job than what was available, with some of the becoming the pro-audio giants we know and appreciate to this day.
My conclusion (right or wrong....)
This looks like a really good one-off build and should be treated as what it is.....
Impressive work that should be appreciated for its attention to detail and quality of build,.. but evaluated on how good the channels actually sound.
Thank you,
Ken Hirsch / Director of Engineering
Orphan Audio
www.orphanaudio.com
Quad-Eight Electronics
www.quadeightelectronics.com
Electrodyne Audio
www.electrodyneaudio.com (a division of Orphan Audio)
"Education is the cure for everything"
