www.prosoundnewseurope.com
September 2012 l 29
Racking up 11
Number of 500-series modules a BAE Space Rack Lunchbox can hold
Offering cost and space benefits, the 500-series rack and Lunchbox can benefit studios but does this represent a return to analogue outboard? Mike Hillier finds out
ENTERPRISING ENGINEERS have long been racking up modular console sections in order to take their favourite preamps, EQs and compressors with them to whichever studio they’re working in. The first mass- market 500-series rack was produced in 1978 by Datatronics (who at the time owned the API brand) to house API modules, but also attracted the attention of other companies, such as Aphex who designed the 602 Aphex Aural Exciter for the 500-series.
This wider take up of the
format has seen many different modules built over the years. However, many third-party modules didn’t conform to the specifications of the original modules and could in some instances damage the power
AT A GLANCE
BAE 11 SPACE RACK By removing the power transformer from the rack and placing it in a remote unit BAE is able to squeeze 11 different modules into a single 3U rack space. The racks are all hand-wired and can be fitted with Jensen input transformers
CLASSIC API VP28 The VP28 is a two-stage preamp based on a full channel from an old API console modelling not only the preamp circuitry but also the fader and post-fader boost circuitry
AMS-NEVE 1073LB Based on the classic circuitry from the now
legendary 1073 preamp, the 1073LB uses the same architecture, matched components and hand-wound transformers. A separate 1073LBEQ module is also available
CHANDLER LITTLE DEVIL EQ The Little Devil series has been designed specifically for the 500-series as a four-band EQ and three-position high-pass filter in the style of classic British console EQs
RADIAL KOMIT
The Radial Komit compressor/limiter combines a feed-forward VCA
compressor with an old-school brick- wall limiter, which can be dialled in for
anything from mild harmonic overload to harsh analogue clipping
GREAT RIVER MP-500NV
A two slot preamp which boasts full-size custom-wound Sowter transformers,
FET-buffered hi-Z input and up to 70dB of gain with input and output monitoring
supply. So in 2006 API founded the VPR Alliance, which created a complete set of design specifications for the 500-series and has seen interest in the format from other manufacturers rocket, with even Neve now building 1073 modules for the format. While the format itself may not be new, the past few years have seen a surge in the format’s popularity, coinciding not only with the founding of the VPR Alliance, but also with the increasing popularity of small project studios. A single 3U rack, or ‘Lunchbox’ can hold up to 11 (with the BAE 11 Space Rack) 500-series modules, providing a wealth of options to the studio owner in a very small footprint. Marcel van Limbeek (Tori
Amos, Damien Rice), who owns The API Lunchbox
“Whereas before there was only us, API and a few others building these things, now there are a few hundred manufacturers, if only one unit isn’t biased right it can effect all the other channels in the rack” Mark Loughman, BAE Audio
a large collection of analogue outboard, sees this as a huge advantage for anyone getting into recording. “We (Marcel and Neil Pickles – Alchemea
College) have a little studio in London. Between us we have so much outboard gear and ideally we’d have it all installed, but the place is too small. Had
everything been available in 500-series format, we could have everything in three or four API Lunchboxes and have everything in a manageable rack. If I was to start my career now I could totally see why you would want to limit yourself to 500-series units, simply because they take up so little space, and the quality remains really good. With two of these racks I could have 20 modules in only 6U. That’s a lot of outboard gear.” Peter Janis, president of
Radial Engineering, which manufactures the Workhorse line of 500-series racks and an array of modules, also sees this as key to the format’s popularity. “Larger studios are typically equipped with processing racks that form an island. This presents the engineer with a ‘fruit stand’ of options that lets him pick the right flavour for a given track. “The 500-series does the
same, except in this case, the compact format is ideally suited for the smaller spaces that have become the new studio reality. The universal frame, shared power supply and wonderful rear-panel connectivity make it easy to mix and match modules and then emulate a patchbay
studiofeature
t
t
t
t
t t
t
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76