But since the 32cs harkens back to a product from 1975, I concentrated the comparisons on two other vintage-style preamps, the A-Designs Pacifica, and the Universal Audio 2-610. It would have been great to have had the time and ability to compare this channel strip to many different preamps with every type of circuitry, but that wasn't possible. I compared the 32cs to a couple of other preamps on various sources. This creates a latency-free input and playback monitor for simple overdub situations without having to use a console - pretty slick. The purpose of this is to allow for a stereo cue mix from your DAW, which can be blended with the live signal from the channel strip. This is routed to a blend knob that outputs to a headphone jack as well as to a stereo pair of XLR jacks on the rear of the unit. Next, the unit has a stereo pair of XLR inputs on the back panel. Since the send is always active, and the return is activated by a switch, there are several ways to get in and out of the circuit path. This can be selected to be pre or post-EQ. First of all, there is a differentially balanced send/return insert. Now, let's get to some of the other cool features. In peaking mode, the EQ exhibits proportional Q, so that the bandwidth is wide at small gain adjustments, while getting narrower at larger boosts or cuts. The 32cs matches the later versions of the console, with switchable peak/shelf on both the high and low bands, and peak on the mid bands. The original console used a high shelf, two peaking mid bands, and switchable low peak/shelf. The channel strip's four-band sweepable EQ is certainly reminiscent of the console's. This adds about a 5 dB boost just above the selected HPF frequency setting, to add a bit of thump even when thinning out the low end with EQ. Another interesting feature is the Bump button. Next comes the not-as-common feature of fully sweepable high and low-pass filters, as was found on the original console. A large input-gain knob sits over a multi-colored, multi-segment LED meter, which makes gain- setting very easy - a welcome step up from a "signal" and "overload" light found on some equipment. Other pushbuttons include polarity flip, pad, phantom power, and output mute. The Neutrik Combo jack on the front serves as both the XLR mic input and the 1/4'' instrument-level input. Since this is a rackmount piece, Harrison has thoughtfully included front and rear mic inputs, selected via a front- panel pushbutton. The differentially balanced outputs are capable of driving 600 Ω loads.Īs for the feature set, it also is based on the original layout, with some nice additions. The EQ section uses MC33078 chips for the active stages, while SSM2142 drivers are used for the transformerless outputs. The mic preamp provides up to 70 dB of gain, so it can handle even gain-hungry ribbon mics. The mic preamp uses a Lundahl transformer and 5534 op-amp. The new 32cs channel strip is certainly in the spirit of the original console, but not necessarily a part-for-part copy. The later and more popular Harrison 3232 consoles used the somewhat more modern 5534 op-amp, which specs a bit better but runs on a slightly lower rail voltage, which may affect headroom by a small amount. Other versions used the HA-911 op-amp, which is similar to the MCI 2001 chip used in early MCI 400 consoles. Some of the earlier designs used the 4741 op-amp chip, a slightly better variant of the not always popular 741. This gets a bit complicated, so bear with me. The reason I say "a version" is that the circuitry changed a few times over the life of the console, so Harrison had to make a decision as to what approach they were going to use for this channel strip. The Harrison 32cs is a channel strip that includes a version of the original mic preamp, EQ, and filter circuits in the 3232 console. So, since not all of us have the space, the budget, and the desire to restore and own one of these, we now have a rackmount option. It became common knowledge that Bruce Swedien still used a Harrison 3232 for his projects. Then, I began to see posts online regarding 3232 restorations. For years, I didn't hear much about these consoles. Well, the digital age meant that consoles fell somewhat out of favor, especially the large-format variety. A four-band semi-parametric EQ with sweepable high and low-pass filters? Automation? FET switching? 64 channels on remix? And so forth. I remember looking at the channel strips and seeing the dizzying options and features, and being amazed that such a beast existed. That was in the days before non- linear recording, so a lot was required of a console in terms of routing and control. At that point, I didn't have much experience on a large-format analog console. I remember the first time I saw a Harrison 3232 console when I was a young engineer visiting Southern California.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |