Soundcraf Spirit Powerstation Transistor mixing console

[AK]

regarding to soundcraft desks : You can grab a 6000 in nice condition for about €1000 - €3000. Mine has 36 Input Channels, 8 Aux Groups. You can then spend some money on modding your desk (Jim Williams is doing some mods) or you just modify it yourself (recapping a bit here and there).
It`s nothing compared to an API or whatelse, but it`s decent fun! The EQs are sounding nice and warm (especially with the mod), master section / summing (again with the mod) pretty nice with lots of depth and width. Mic Pres aren't that good, but hey, better sounding than an ordinary Digidesign 003 Rack =)

16 Channels from my DAW are going into 16 Input CHannels of the desk. This 16 Channels are routed to the 8 Groups which are going straight into my TL Audio Fat Track (So I can choose whether to sum via the desk or via the Fat Track). The Input Channels left are taken for effekt returns. That`s it, I am leveling with desk and doing some broadband eqing and little bit routing to outboard equipment. Makes sense and is very good fun But I am working hybrid, most EQ / Comp / Effects are done in the DAW and then send to the desk for "finalization"

Steevio : Did you do any mods on your ghost?

But it`s a big desk, so you should have enough space for it -->

Nice but I'm in a room in an apartment, I don't have a room the size of a board meeting venue. Where is your studio for that size desk?

[optX]

it`s located on an old military base, they`ve stored ammunition and such nonsense there. Just forest and no-mans-land around =) In my flat I had the same issues, space wasn`t enough and bad acoustics.

We were lucky and got the desk for free, the rest is studio sharing - I don't have the money for expensive toys myself =)

But from my experience it`s better to save some money for an old analog or slightly "better" desk than working with Mackie or A&H. You can get Tridents or even 8 Channel broadcasting Neves for under $5000. Well, a lot of money too. Actually I don't think that your music sounds better when mixed on a desk or treated with most of the affordable hardware. But it`s much easier and faster for me achieving a finished sound, I don't know why, I just have the feeling that analog EQs / Comps are masking errors. For example recording a distorted or overdriving synth through an A-Designs Pacifica - the artefacts are blown away and the synth is sounding so smooth and nice. sounds even better with a very good sounding synth.

sorry for all the offtopic!

[Hades]

your monitors look so ridiculously small in comparison to your mixer


anyone have any experience with midas mixers ?
I'm looking into getting a midas venice pretty soon.
I've had my eye on these for a while,
I'm under the mipression midas mixers are of the better medium quality mixers,
but I'd love to hear other opinions on this.

[::BLM::]

levon vincent and jamie jones both use midas venice desks. perhaps send them a mail on facebook, im sure they would reply.

[Opuswerk]

I've only been able to have a really good look at the midas desks. And by what i understood of them, they look like amazing mixers, ultra versatile routing, very ergonomic layout and the eqs sounded real good. But i never tested it in a studio environment. Wish i had though. It'll be my next upgrade, but that won't be before long.

[optX]

midas : a friend is doing a lot of live mixing with it, he loves it. For that money range I`ve read a lot of good words about that desk

hades : hehe yeah absolutely, but thank god they`re changed against Solo 6 now

[Hades]

levon vincent and jamie jones both use midas venice desks. perhaps send them a mail on facebook, im sure they would reply.

I knew Jamie Jones uses one from the RA interview a while back, didn't know Levon Vincent had one,
but I'm not sure I like doing this.
I'm not a big fan of facebook, and I'd hate it myself if some unkonw dude contacted me through facebook.
but it does seem like a good idea, I'll give you that.
thx for the suggestion !

[Hades]

I've only been able to have a really good look at the midas desks. And by what i understood of them, they look like amazing mixers, ultra versatile routing, very ergonomic layout and the eqs sounded real good. But i never tested it in a studio environment. Wish i had though. It'll be my next upgrade, but that won't be before long.

well, that's exactly why they seem perfect to me.
they have a very flexible setup, and aren't even huge in dimensions for the amount of channels they give you.
It looks like these are just as good for studio use as they are for live (which is probably what they were more designed for)
I've done years with a cheap soundcraft mixer, but now I have the cash for finally getting a big mixer that should last me for forever.
I honestly haven't seen anything comparable in that price range.
At first I was thinking about getting the 24ch version, but now I've decided to get the 32ch one.

I've seen them used at Labyrinth too.
I'm sure they're not using crap on that festival.