Does anyone have pict of the Focusrite FORTE console ?

[pw8888]

Not the studio console but the FORTE console (only 2 made) :

I found one here :

http://www.manleylabs.com/ghost.html
Rupert Neve Designs - 1980’s

P.

[pw8888]

Anyone would have the name of the person to speak to at focusrite ? (and the email)
thanks
Phil

[allencollins]

I know sonic circus actually has the Electric Lady Forte console.
I think they split it up

I worked on the one at ELL

[tone delux]

here's a pic of one of the buckets. very nice sound.

[tone delux]

You'll have to e-mail me your address. the photos are too high in resolution and file size.

[pw8888]

sent you a pm

[pw8888]

Originally Posted by allencollins

I know sonic circus actually has the Electric Lady Forte console.
I think they split it up

I know they are selling it.already sold in fact.(I bought the sidecar...and I am looking as more info as possible.)
Do you think focusrite still has some info ?

[XSergeantD]

I looked for my photo albums, but have only found one photo from when I worked at ELS and was recapping the board with Jim Gillis.. (Just after Hutch left for Manley) - not worth posting
But I did find this old reprint of the Mix Magazine article so I scanned the image. Not the best quality, but here it is. That console was freaking hot, literally. If I remember right, we had ducts running into each bucket to try and keep the console cool

[pw8888]

Thanks !
I just bought a sidecar made with this console.... 16 tracks.

[T_R_S]

Oceanway has nice one

[Chaellus]

theres more than 2 ever made...a studio in south africa has one...Oceanway has one were JJP was he recently rented the other room out

[Lindell]

[search] Focusrite console (Forte and Studio)

[airmate]

Here's two photos of the console at Ocean Way Studio A. I took them earlier this year when JJP was still renting this room.

This desk has been heavily modified, though. Allen Sides gave me an explanation of what they actually did. Especially the architecture of the input channels has been rebuilt with the aim to have as few amplifiers in the signal patch as possible. Pretty impressive. (As a side note: To me the console in Studio B - although it is smaller - is even more impressive...).

[pw8888]

sorry Chaellus you are wrong .....tutt

2 Forte console
and about 15 "STUDIO" console

ocean way has a " studio" console (modified obviously...)

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by pw8888

Thanks !
I just bought a sidecar made with this console.... 16 tracks.

If you pull out any modules and there are -inc- stickers/sharpie marks, then I screwed that module up.... I mean, I worked on that module years ago. (inc was a nickname because I never finished anyth

Originally Posted by airmate

Here's two photos of the console at Ocean Way Studio A. I took them earlier this year when JJP was still renting this room.

This desk has been heavily modified, though. Allen Sides gave me an explanation of what they actually did. Especially the architecture of the input channels has been rebuilt with the aim to have as few amplifiers in the signal patch as possible. Pretty impressive. (As a side note: To me the console in Studio B - although it is smaller - is even more impressive...).

This is NOT a Forte.
Notice the differences between the Ocean Way's 'Studio' Focusrite and the 'Forte' Focusrite

[neilio]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

Oceanway has nice one

Originally Posted by Chaellus

theres more than 2 ever made...a studio in south africa has one...Oceanway has one were JJP was he recently rented the other room out

no the forte, was the first ones with dynamics on every channel, a million each, in the 80's!!!...it bankrupted the company...later on phil dudderidge, of soundcraft, bought the rights and produced the later "studio" consoles, of which their were at least 8, two went to south africa, 3 stayed in england, and 3 went to america, these consoles did not have any on board dynamics, but still were very special indeed...the conway board is what i had the honor of working on for a few years, and it was the of the "studio" series, not the "forte"....

[neilio]

i also worked with hutch for a few years, and got some good stories, sort of, of his days at electric lady, i got the feeling that the board itself was a pain for that tech staff, and it was so massive, that it actually had a flip top surface...

it really was the blueprint for the g,j,k at least in layout and workflow...

say, did the electric lady board use flying faders or gml? or nothing at all?

the studio ones had the option , i think at purchase, and the conway board used gml, which was actually pretty cool, once you got used to it...

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by pw8888

Not the studio console but the FORTE console (only 2 made) :

I found one here :

ghost
Rupert Neve Designs - 1980’s

P.

I mixed an album on Forte #002

[pw8888]

How did you like it ?

[Lynn Fuston]

Originally Posted by pw8888

How did you like it ?

I worked on the Focusrite console here in Nashville several times.

All I remember is that it was eerily quiet for a console of its size.

I had cut tracks for this project on a Trident A-Range and we came to Music Mill to do overdubs. When I put up the 2" I was hearing things that I'd never heard when we were tracking, stuff that was below the noise floor of the Trident but showed through clearly on the Focusrite.

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by neilio

i also worked with hutch for a few years, and got some good stories, sort of, of his days at electric lady, i got the feeling that the board itself was a pain for that tech staff, and it was so massive, that it actually had a flip top surface...

it really was the blueprint for the g,j,k at least in layout and workflow...

say, did the electric lady board use flying faders or gml? or nothing at all?

the studio ones had the option , i think at purchase, and the conway board used gml, which was actually pretty cool, once you got used to it...

Yeah, the board was loads of fun to work on (read with sarcasm). The damn thing was so hot that we were constanly finding bad caps. That is until we started replacing the entire board with some Panasonic (if memory serves me correctly) caps that either Jim or Hutch found to have a decent life under such high temp situations.
No flip top surface. Maybe in the centre section... I don't recall (going back to around 1992 when I last worked at ELS). But there was no flip top for the module section. You may be thinking there was some sort of tilt/flip thing because of the Ghost photo of Hutch http://www.manleylabs.com/images/Ghost.jpg
I believe thsi photo was during the initial installation with all the undercarriage wiring was being hooked up and tested at the time... that was before I started working there.
As for the automation I believe was GML (again, a long time ago). But I do remember the module recall was awesome: a handheld video camera going up and down each module. lol

[OKden]

and we came to _____ (help me out here-Harold Shedd's place with the water wheel outside)

The Music Millthumbsup

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by neilio

it really was the blueprint for the g,j,k at least in layout and workflow...

I think that would probably go to the MCI 500 series.

So many hit records were mixed in the 70's on them that they really were everywhere. The layout, routing and EQ were useful for guys that wanted more out of the tracking consoles that were the norm then.

[Dave Summers]

Well after all this time I have actually found some interest in my console on the web, the great, quiet console I commissioned at Electric Lady, back in the eighties, shame it's no longer in use there, but I suppose time moves on. Hutch

[robertshaw]

Originally Posted by Dave Summers

Well after all this time I have actually found some interest in the on the web, of the great console I commissioned at Electric Lady, back in the eighties, shame it's no longer in use there, but I suppose time moves on. Hutch

I think Sonic Circus bought it?
someone here has part of it

really really cool

[robertshaw]

Originally Posted by pw8888

sorry Chaellus you are wrong .....tutt

2 Forte console
and about 15 "STUDIO" console

ocean way has a " studio" console (modified obviously...)

oceanway console is modded in what way? they look like the ISA110s similar to the old conway console and the 14 or whatever # of boars built. Are the modules modded? did they swap out transformers? or 5534? or what exactly.
Or is the mod to summing, ps automation or something other than 110 module?

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by airmate

Here's two photos of the console at Ocean Way Studio A. I took them earlier this year when JJP was still renting this room.

This desk has been heavily modified, though. Allen Sides gave me an explanation of what they actually did. Especially the architecture of the input channels has been rebuilt with the aim to have as few amplifiers in the signal patch as possible. Pretty impressive. (As a side note: To me the console in Studio B - although it is smaller - is even more impressive...).

Is that JJPs room??

[pw8888]

Yes I do have the 16 channels sidecar from electric lady....not running yet....

[Jess Jackson]

me on Pete Townshends forte

[Ol' Betsey]

Hahaha... That's funny.

"Jess? We just need to get a few pictures now. Can you sit at the desk or something?"

(Jess thinks to himself... Hmmm, I'll adjust the volume so I don't feel like a tool.)

I'm just pulling your leg. We've all been there!

R.

Originally Posted by Jess Jackson

me on Pete Townshends forte