who knows sound workshop desks?

[u b k]

i'm looking for technical info/mythical lore on the little 1280. i remember tracking with one several years ago, the pre's sounded like they had trannies in there. clipped easy like a neve, too. the eq was great, not an api but infinitely preferable to plugs as i recall.

i'm about to nab one in absolute mint condition and wanted to get familiar with its story.

any pointers or info? much obliged.


gregoire
del ubik

[beats workin']

i have a 1280 that i used as a sidecar with my 34c. giving me 60 inputs, although i rarely find myself using it. the pres are good- certainly useable. but compared to really high end stuff they sound 2 dimensional and a bit sterile. if you have a rack of great outboard, you won't be using the 1280 pres. on the other hand they're worlds better than mackie pres. i would say the same of the eq. soundworkshop eq is fine for cutting, but you have to be light handed with boosts. lows are not as tight as neve or great river eq, and the highs can "point out of the mix" if you know what i mean. again, they're very good compared to most of what's out there, but no match more the really good stuff.
be sure it has the "super eq" which is much much better than the regular. also nice are the +4 to-10 inserts that you can make use of more fx pedals etc.

as a console i love them. the routing is good and the master section rocks. they love to be hit hard, and have a lot of headroom.
also very reliable. once you service them, they won't give you any trouble.
best of luck with it,
david

[beats workin']

just re-read your post. yes, they are miles and miles better than plugs. not even a question. i didn't realize that's what you were comparing to. go for it.
i have a manual and some upgrade suggestions if you need.
david

[RoundBadge]

I have a 1280 with the "Super EQ" sitting gathering dust in the hallway..haven't turned it on in 14 years..almost threw it in the trash the other day..I just found out someone might actually buy it..
Brings back fond memories of learning to record on a Tascam eightrack reel to reel in the eighties

[bongo]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

Brings back fond memories of learning to record on a Tascam eightrack reel to reel in the eighties

Aah yes, I remember!

[u b k]

i don't know what's sexier to me, the analog desk with tape nearby, or the rotary phone next to an auratone.

saWEET.

so be honest, do your recent mixes sound as vibey as the stuff you did on that gear?


gregoire
del ubik

[MKR]

sorry to jump this thread!

Ubik, i sent you an email via gearslutz, just checking ya got it?

if not i can pm ya. Its just aquick chat about the soundcraft 6000.

cheers

matt

[sloanfiske]

i've got a 34 and just had the guy who built it at the factory give it a once over.

nice board. does everything i need it to do and sounds good doing it.

a multitude of questions and answers can be found here...

******//groups.yahoo.com/group/soundworkshop/

[NathanEldred]

I've got a series 30 (and a 1280 that's in storage) that's been modified a bit from stock. Make sure you have the larger PSU, it makes a huge difference. The output bus sounds a bit narrow, but considering the price you are probably paying for this board ($400-$500 USD?) there isn't too much to worry about. I would characterize my console as clean and extended sounding in both frequency directions with plenty of headroom. I'm glad it's transformerless because I use a lot of 'warm' mics and preamps and tape so the extra higher fidelity is a benefit for my setup. If I ever get a Trident 80 or API in the future I'm a bit worried things might get 'too soft', hopefully not. The EQ's on the 30 are the same as the 1280's also. They are way underrated. They are good enough to be packaged as a stand alone rack unit. I compared them to a large handful of high end EQ's, they weren't quite up to my API's (but not that different), however they sounded significantly better than the $3000 Ted Fletcher EQ. Just my humble 2 cents.

[Peter Gruden]

I still have one series 30 back from 1981 in the junk room. It will never work again, but it served well for a decade, except for the terrible plastic patchbay. I made several custom modules for it.

Take a look:

******//virtualaudio.tripod.com/Images/junk_mixer_lg.jpg

[u b k]

Originally Posted by MKR

sorry to jump this thread!

Ubik, i sent you an email via gearslutz, just checking ya got it?

if not i can pm ya. Its just aquick chat about the soundcraft 6000.

cheers

matt

matt, i haven't had email for a month or so. i'll get back to you when i'm back online in, shouldn't be long now.

[Prickstein]

Sorry to bring back this thread but there is a Soundworkshop series 1600 going in my local area and I'm not familiar with them.
Anyone know if they're any good?
Summing for my Mix cubed setup sprung to mind but wondering if the EQ's are going to be better than plug ins.
Also looking for a way to do parallel processing without latency (or forking out for HD)

[Fletcher]

Somebody called the other day about a 1280 manual... turns out we have one [along with a Series 30 manual] if anyone needs a copy.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Prickstein

Sorry to bring back this thread but there is a Soundworkshop series 1600 going in my local area and I'm not familiar with them.
Anyone know if they're any good?
Summing for my Mix cubed setup sprung to mind but wondering if the EQ's are going to be better than plug ins.
Also looking for a way to do parallel processing without latency (or forking out for HD)

the 1600 can be noisy, a good bit of love (recapping and rechipping) will help tremendously. of course, some of us do not fear analog noise...

the eq's in the 1600 are great, and the experience of having one on every channel will radically change how you mix, how good your mixes are, and how easy it is for you to do your thing. you will sound big and analog.

get a can of de-oxit, it will be your best friend.


gregoire
del ubik

[NathanEldred]

Originally Posted by u b i k

get a can of de-oxit, it will be your best friend.

Sprayable silicon (i.e. from Radio Shack) usually works a bit better IMHO. Had a little crackle on a patchbay point on the 30 series last night (that deoxit never fixes), the silicon killed the problem right away.

[Prickstein]

Hey Nathan, any chance you could post a pic of your desk. The 1600 I was talking about sold but I know of a series 30 but don't know what it looks like physicaly.
Thanks mate

[NathanEldred]

Look at the pics at the bottom of my post. Those are pics of my studios. It's also a link to my studio's website. The control room on the right (4th from the right to be precise) is a pic of the series 30.

[basscakes]

I am looking for one of these boards. Anyone know some one who has one?

[RKrizman]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

I have a 1280 with the "Super EQ" sitting gathering dust in the hallway..haven't turned it on in 14 years..almost threw it in the trash the other day..I just found out someone might actually buy it..
Brings back fond memories of learning to record on a Tascam eightrack reel to reel in the eighties

Wow, same here! A 1280 with the Tascam 80-8. I'm still trying to unlearn all the bad habits.

OTOH, the stuff I did then still sounds great.

I'd love to hear that board again with today's ears.

-R