Tube mixing console

[Ronnie4416]

For some people tube amplifier sounds better than solid state (BJT, JFET, & MOSFET) amplifier; so are there recording engineers who use tube mixing console to preserve the tube sound characteristics? From what I know most (if not all) mixing console for recording or live application use solid state devices.

[ruffrecords]

Check this out:

YouTube - Universal Audio original 610 Console

Cheers

Ian

[HollowState]

Interesting video. Please keep in mind that great sounding console was filled with nasty carbon composition resistors, crude paper coupling capacitors, plain ordinary copper wire and, God forbid, 12AU7's. You know, that tube that can't be any good because of some dumb lines on a piece of paper.

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by HollowState

Interesting video. Please keep in mind that great sounding console was filled with nasty carbon composition resistors, crude paper coupling capacitors, plain ordinary copper wire and, God forbid, 12AU7's. You know, that tube that can't be any good because of some dumb lines on a piece of paper.

Nevertheless, it distorts sound less than consoles filled with opamps that should be much better according to lines drawn on papers.

[ruffrecords]

The UA console front end uses 12AX7 tubes which are much nicer sounding. Fortunately the 12AU7 is in the output stage providing little gain with lots of NFB to keep its troublesome distortion under control. That said, the UA channel amps were renowned for distorting, especially on mix down where the +4dBu nominal tape return is fed via something like a 50dB pad straight into the mic input.

Of course there are plenty of 'better' designs, I just mentioned the UA because it is one of the few all tube consoles that has actually been used in recent memory which is what the OP asked.

Cheers

Ian

[mashaffer]

Cool looking board. I like the big knobs.

[HollowState]

Originally Posted by mashaffer

Cool looking board. I like the big knobs.

They were known in the trade as Daven knobs, and sometimes as RCA knobs. I have a few stashed away in a box somewhere. They also came in a smaller size. Les Paul used them on his console.

Back in the seventies I was invited, along with a friend, to his home in Mahwah New Jersey to look at some Bruel & Kjaer equipment he was selling. We got the cooks tour while we were there, and I stood right in front of that console with the Ampex 8 track recorder just off to the right. There were Langevin tube preamps in the belly of it. Radio Electronics did a cover story of Paul and that console. And he showed me a large framed copy of that cover picture in his trophy room with all his gold records hung on the wall.

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by mashaffer

Cool looking board. I like the big knobs.

I like Camel cigarette pack that was holding a switch with bent fixation spring, or worn-out wheels in it.

[Ronnie4416]

What about tube CD player to preserve the tube sound? I think most records today have been amplified or processed by solid state devices like IC op amp before reaching a tube power amplifier thus contaminating the tube sound.

[Doz]

Originally Posted by HollowState

They were known in the trade as Daven knobs, and sometimes as RCA knobs. I have a few stashed away in a box somewhere. They also came in a smaller size. Les Paul used them on his console.

Daven knobs , fitting on your Daven attenuator, lubricated with Davenol... love the branding

My Gates Yard has Daven attenuators, but with different knobs ..