Walt Jung biasing opamps in class A

[paulcheeba]

Calrec Neve and Audix mixers had a common 'theme' for a time because all 3 companies were making desks for the BBC who 'published' a design (mechanical layout really) for various modules that would form channel strips and other random stuff like telephone interface units so that a SOUND Engineer could walk into any studio and work immediately without having to learn wgere all the controls were. the 3 companies could implement the electronics as they felt fit with Audix and NEVE plumping for 24 Volt DC rail and Calrec plus and minus 24 Volts. These were the 'GP' desks and the facilities offered suited live radio, TV (I think) and production desks for recorded programming. The frequencies used for EQ and filtering , cut boost etc were defined by the BBC and as inductors were the standard way to get bell response all were pretty similar. I worked on (test and commissioning) GP desks at Audix and then Calrec.

I don’t know why the Calrec’s sounded the best to me but the older Sowters sounded better to me and they seem to have been built with more love in that era. The EQ’s were called RSA’s frequency response amplier but yes broadcast layout all very similar but Calrec sounded better than Neve to me.
One of my first jobs when I wasn’t working in the studio was going to auction’s and collecting Kelso’s, Melbourne’s and other broadcast Neve stuff that would be stripped and sold to American resellers at a massive mark up. Pretty depressing looking back. Lovely little console’s left with only headphone amps and echo sends etc.