Outboard-Gear
AOIP-Ready Hardware Processors (& More)
Dante-enhanced gear from mainstream manufacturers and boutique shops
Chandler Limited Abbey Road RS124
Mono tube compressor brings vintage flavor to the 21st century
Universal Apollo 8P Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface
16x20 I/O with UAD Quad Plug-in Processing
Black Lion Audio Micro Clock MkIII
Six Word Clock Outputs With Isolated Drivers—and Portable
Sound Devices 688 Mixer/Recorder With SL-6
12 Inputs, 16 Tracks, Wireless Receiver Control
Radial EXTC and Tossover 500 Series Units
Guitar Effects Send/Return and Frequency Divider
dbx 676 Channel Strip and PAU 805 4-Channel Preamp
Two Solid Front Ends for Getting Audio Into Your DAW
Maselec MLA-4 Stereo Triband Compressor/Expander
Unique Processor Offers Powerful Features, Superb Sound
AKG DMSTetrad Digital Wireless System
Clever Features, High Quality, Excellent Performance
Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 Power Amplifier
Innovative Design Promises Lowest Noise, High Efficiency
Thermionic Culture Phoenix HG15: Classic Valve Compressor
Thermionic Culture is known for producing high-quality pro audio pieces that offer atypical sonic qualities. My first experience in using its gear amazed me at how much I could alter the sound of the source with one device.
LaChapell Audio 983S Preamp: Dual-Channel Tube Gain with Personality Plus
LaChapell Audio is a Nashville-based company comprising designer Scott LaChapell and his father, a retired senior design engineer at Lawrence Livermore Labs who brings the electronics expertise. The 983S reviewed here is their fifth product and is based on the company’s 583, a 500 Series preamp module. LaChapell takes a no-compromise approach to design, fit and finish, and it shows in the 983S, which I was able to use across a range of sessions and inputs.
Great River 32EQ and PWM-501: 500 Series Processors With a Learning Curve
Great River is known for its high quality, solidly built products, the flagship being the MP-2NV 2-channel microphone preamp. It offers the personality of classic British preamps without the issues that come with 40-year-old electronics.
Q2 Audio ADR Compex Limiter F760X-RS: Faithful Reissue of 1960s Classic
The history of the ADR Compex Limiter F760X RS goes back to the late ’60s in England when Audio & Design Recording made the single-knob F600 compressor module.
SPL Crimson Interface: 6x6 USB I/O, Monitor Control, Great Sound
When SPL unveils a new product, it is often built around a one-of-a-kind new circuit. The company is probably best known for its Transient Designer, which allows the manipulation of attack and sustain in ways that sound and behave very differently than a traditional compressor does.
Universal Audio Apollo 16 Audio Interface: Portable I/O with UAD DSP and FW or Thunderbolt Connectivity
My first introduction to Universal Audio’s Apollo came two years ago at Winter NAMM. I was thrilled at the idea of having a single-rackspace unit that provided so many options for 8-channel, high-resolution recording with UAD plug-ins. This past year, UA introduced the Apollo 16, which is directed at the pro audio user looking for an alternative I/O solution. There is plenty to love about the new unit, including the ability to expand to 32 channels, Thunderbolt I/O, flex routing and more.
Prism Sound Lyra 2 Audio Interface: Upgrade Brings Deep Features, Stellar Sound
One of the hallmarks of the Prism Sound brand has been exceptionally transparent A/D and D/A converters. Products in the company’s recent USB interface line have varied in numbers of I/O channels provided, but in each case they offer high-quality mic preamplifiers, digital I/O and monitoring facilities. The second-generation release of the Lyra-family USB audio interface is its most affordable option, built on a foundation of features that should please a variety of users.
Bettermaker and Maag Audio: Two 500 Series EQs
Over the past two years, 500 Series preamps and processors have matured in design sophistication and sonics. Processors such as the Empirical Labs DocDerr, Elysia nvelope and xfilter have set the bar high, and others have answered the call. The two units reviewed here offer a unique look at EQ for the format and will ring the bell of those looking to step beyond plug-ins into hardware solutions. Both have their strengths and unique features that put them in the best-in-class category.
Solid State Logic Sigma: 16-Channel SuperAnalogue RackMixer for Your DAW
Solid State Logic’s Sigma Summing Engine is a remote-controllable 16-channel analog summing engine with a monitor section. It uses the same SuperAnalogue technology as SSL’s Duality and AWS consoles, accepting 16 stereo channels of line-level audio from any DAW I/O unit(s) over Tascam standard AES59 25-pin D-sub connectors—four stereo pairs per DB25 cable. No other hardware is required for basic summing of 16 stereo pairs to a stereo mix bus plus monitoring.
Focusrite Red 1 500 Series Preamp: Vertical Unit Brings Legacy Topology and Sonics
In a way, the Focusrite Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre is the modern return of the microphone preamp design and sound used in the original Focusrite Red Range line of 2U processors. The Red 1 Quad Mic-Pre, Red 6 Mono Mic-Pre Equalizer, Red 7 Mono Mic-Pre & Dynamics and the Red 8 Dual Mic-Pre variants all used that same preamp circuit topology. The Red Range was first released in 1992 and then discontinued in 2010, but its lineage goes back to the mid-1980s with the Focusrite ISA 110 Mono Mic-Pre & Equalizer. The vertically mounted ISA 110 was a Rupert Neve design from being commissioned to supply 16 extra inputs for a Neve console at AIR Studios in London.
Apogee Quartet and One Audio Interfaces: USB Audio I/O for iPad and Mac
When it comes to digital audio hardware, there seem to be two different classes: devices offering the most connections, features and best possible sample rates for the most affordable price, and hardware that shoots for the highest possible sound quality regardless of the resulting price. Apogee has always embraced the latter approach, taking great care to consider every component’s role, from clocking, to converters, to power supply, and the quality and cleanliness of the analog portion of D/A and A/D converters.
Rupert Neve Designs Portico 511 Preamp: 500 Series Unit With the “Rupert” Touch
Rupert Neve Designs has produced a number of signature products that bring Mr. Neve’s touch to the modern age of recording. While the price of these products are out of the reach for some, the newest offering from RND hits the affordability target dead center while maintaining quality and excellent sonics. The 511 preamp features a range of controls plus the signature Silk circuit.
Grace Design m905 Reference Monitor Controller: Stereo Unit With LCD Display, Remote and USB Interface
When I first began making records, I quickly came to the understanding that everything in the signal path contributed to the quality of my system’s output. In the recording and mixing process, I would typically listen through the monitoring section of a console, but when attending mastering sessions, I began to notice these studios had unique monitoring controllers that allowed them to interface different sets of speakers, clocks, converters, CD players and more. When DAW recording became more popular, many of my peers and the studios I worked in became more reliant on the same types of interfaces.