Interesting Kickstarter mixer project

[ruffrecords]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manamodular/mana-modular-new-way-to-build-your-dream-mixing-co/description

Cheers

Ian

 

[living sounds]

Wow, and it's going to be deliverd in 2016!

 

[ruffrecords]

Wow, and it's going to be deliverd in 2016!

Yes, I realise they are no longer around. It seems like a good idea. Anyone know what happened to them? Their web site still works but their Facebook page is gone.

Cheers

Ian

 

[iampoor1]

Looks like they fell off the face of the earth.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Yes, I realise they are no longer around. It seems like a good idea. Anyone know what happened to them? Their web site still works but their Facebook page is gone.

Cheers

Ian

I guess it wasn't that good of an idea...

I looked at and dismissed a modular mixer kit project back in the 70s/80s. It was GOP (good on paper) but a nightmare to execute.

JR

 

[ruffrecords]

I guess it wasn't that good of an idea...

I looked at and dismissed a modular mixer kit project back in the 70s/80s. It was GOP (good on paper) but a nightmare to execute.

JR

Well, there are quite a few of us here who know just how hard it is to build a mixer.

Cheers

IAn

 

[Brian Roth]

I guess it wasn't that good of an idea...

I looked at and dismissed a modular mixer kit project back in the 70s/80s. It was GOP (good on paper) but a nightmare to execute.

JR

Some folks are currently making a "go" with a console frame to house 500 series modules, with their own routing/master section wrapped around it.

https://vintageking.com/tree-audio

http://www.arkconsole.com/

http://www.arkconsole.com/Purchase/

And, they ain't cheap!

Bri

 

[ruffrecords]

Some folks are currently making a "go" with a console frame to house 500 series modules, with their own routing/master section wrapped around it.

https://vintageking.com/tree-audio

http://www.arkconsole.com/

http://www.arkconsole.com/Purchase/

And, they ain't cheap!

Bri

Thanks for the links. I am aware of the Tree Roots but the Ark is a new one on me. They are expensive but the Ark looks to be better value for money to me and the Tree Roots is plain ugly.

Cheers

Ian

 

[cyrano]

I'm afraid there's no market for this kind of mixers. I've seen at least four projects like this in the last decade and they all failed to get to market.

And even last century, it wasn't a big success. Philips had a kit set that was on the market for at least a decade, but it only sold a few hundred mixers. These still surface now and then, over here. It's more of a disco mixer tho...

 

[Mbira]

I guess not enough people wanted to pay 800 pounds to play with the mixer for four hours.  :

 

[boji]

On the 'Ark':

The IP516 is a multipurpose 8 stereo (or mono) input module.
It replaces one row of 500/51x slots, and can be used as effects or groups returns, or for any stereo or mono source.

That's a little nifty, being a 500 slot. I didn't make fx returns, so a bank of these might be nice.

Thanks Brian

 

[JohnRoberts]

Well, there are quite a few of us here who know just how hard it is to build a mixer.

Cheers

IAn

And how hard it is to sell such a product, for a price that the customers will pay.

JR

 

[PRR]

Maybe the nearest thing to a successful mixer kit was the Gately SM6 MicroMixer.
http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=6030
2nd image on page.

6 in 2 out, mike transformers and decompensated '301 chips, 15 pin Molex for jumping to optional EQ and Reverb sidecars. Compact and slick. $500 assembled but $250 kit. Very tedious build. The company was around for most of the 1970s. It is a very different world today.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Maybe the nearest thing to a successful mixer kit was the Gately SM6 MicroMixer.
http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=6030
2nd image on page.

6 in 2 out, mike transformers and decompensated '301 chips, 15 pin Molex for jumping to optional EQ and Reverb sidecars. Compact and slick. $500 assembled but $250 kit. Very tedious build. The company was around for most of the 1970s. It is a very different world today.

Yup I ran a kit company back then and even with the more favorable business environment for kits, I still punted on a modular mixer kit series...

Too many variables and the customer support would be unending. To price it high enough to support all the hand holding involved with each sku being effectively a custom mixer, would make pricing unattractive (IMO).

Something like a 500 series design, based on existing defacto standards sounds easier, but probably still isn't trivial. Arguably the old school API consoles (second or third iteration ) were somewhat modular using mix and match modules.

I used to manage a mixer engineering department with millions of dollars in sales and the concept of cut and paste generic modules is a management wet dream. : 

Reality never quite cooperated.

JR

 

[cyrano]

DIY has taken a backseat to saving old analog electronics and modding them. Building your own mixer is very time-consuming and requires a lot of skill in different fields. Even when I can hold a soldering iron and read a schematic, making a case isn't my forte.

And I always find stuff worth saving. I recently bought a DDA Interface mixer from 20 years ago. The seller told me it needed some TLC. I had visions of recapping, modding since these have very nice, well laid-out boards and a sturdy frame. They're also modular.

But when I tested it, it turned out to be fully functional. One knob was missing. I've never seen a mixer so clean inside. The outside, OTOH was covered in tape remains. At least five different kinds of glue. Took me 3 days to clean it.

Now I have another mixer I don't really need. But I love the thing.

I paid 50 € for it. There were two buyers before me and they didn't take it, as it looked very used...

So, no kits for me. At least for a while

 

[JohnRoberts]

DIY has taken a backseat to saving old analog electronics and modding them. Building your own mixer is very time-consuming and requires a lot of skill in different fields. Even when I can hold a soldering iron and read a schematic, making a case isn't my forte.

And I always find stuff worth saving. I recently bought a DDA Interface mixer from 20 years ago. The seller told me it needed some TLC. I had visions of recapping, modding since these have very nice, well laid-out boards and a sturdy frame. They're also modular.

But when I tested it, it turned out to be fully functional. One knob was missing. I've never seen a mixer so clean inside. The outside, OTOH was covered in tape remains. At least five different kinds of glue. Took me 3 days to clean it.

Now I have another mixer I don't really need. But I love the thing.

I paid 50 € for it. There were two buyers before me and they didn't take it, as it looked very used...

So, no kits for me. At least for a while

+1

the market for big desks, (and big tape machine, and big whatever) is well past its peak.  I have old friends who are amused by sending me ebay pictures of my old consoles selling at insultingly deep discounts  (this is not an invitation for you pukes to do the same). 

If you have the room, a strong back, and are willing to invest some elbow grease you can pick up bargains, but don't expect much resale value.  Kind of crazy to build one from scratch when these old soldiers are on the block for way less than the parts cost to recreate anything close. Anything built in the last 20 years or so is probably better than your ear (better than my ears at least). 

JR

 

[PRR]

Different world...... Looking on a BanjoWorld-like site, a 6-in mike mixer is passe, but they will sell me a Behringer XENYX 1202 "12 in 2 out" for $89, with 3-band EQ and reverb send on the four mike channels. Clearly 3X the stuff for 1/5th the price, even before you allow for ~~10X inflation of price of gas or meat since 1974.

Ah.... Nady RMX-6 Rackmount 6-Channel Mic/Line Mixer $89 IS 6-input mike/line like the SM6, except I don't see stereo outs (only hi/lo outs).

The $499 price of the Gately SM6 today buys a Peavey PVi 8500 powered mixer, 8 in, 3-band channel EQ, 9-band master EQ with howl lights, FX, 2x100W out, and BlueTooth(?).

 

[boji]

Kind of crazy to build one from scratch when these old soldiers are on the block for way less than the parts cost to recreate anything close.

Hey now. If you don't want the pukes puking, don't puke.  ;D ;D

But seriously, I need a time machine. I would sit myself down and plead, Don't do it.  I know what you're thinking.  Don't. Save.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Different world...... Looking on a BanjoWorld-like site, a 6-in mike mixer is passe, but they will sell me a Behringer XENYX 1202 "12 in 2 out" for $89, with 3-band EQ and reverb send on the four mike channels. Clearly 3X the stuff for 1/5th the price, even before you allow for ~~10X inflation of price of gas or meat since 1974.

Ah.... Nady RMX-6 Rackmount 6-Channel Mic/Line Mixer $89 IS 6-input mike/line like the SM6, except I don't see stereo outs (only hi/lo outs).

The $499 price of the Gately SM6 today buys a Peavey PVi 8500 powered mixer, 8 in, 3-band channel EQ, 9-band master EQ with howl lights, FX, 2x100W out, and BlueTooth(?).

Yes I lived through that rapid price deflation... For one notable price benchmark in my personal experience, I recall the first small mixer I designed for China only production. Before this SKU we built products in china for world distribution (who didn't object to made in china) and made product for US here in country.

That first small mixer was named the RQ200 highlighting the low for back then full retail price of $199. I joked I should call it the RQ199.  ;D   

This was the mixer that inspired Behringer to make a very similar version, including copying the specs from my data sheet (or one hell of a coincidence to come up with "identical" specs). 

I don't know if Peavey still makes it,  the real faders were a relatively expensive feature for a value mixer and $200 retail is no longer inexpensive.

JR