Do the new Trident boards bring us back to the old days?

[alexstringer]

Tell me if i'm wrong but based on those 3 evidents factors below...:

-The good days when records were selling by millions, allowing studios to invest a lot in big expensive boards seems over.
-The devellopment of digital technologies among musicians and engineers made the mix in a box a popular choice.
-Summing boxes or other similar "warming sound" analog devices seem to become the choice as a front end between the pro tools ( or equivalent) workstation and the recording device.

...the analog boards market has suffered considerably and continiously until now.

When i look around the average studio, it tells me that SSL and Neve which are the ultimate choice we all perceive as a sign of business successfullness(Is That English?).
Far away, the smaller analog boards like Mackie, Soundcraft or Allen & Heath seems to be surviving from being the best choice for " live shows" .

Last Friday, I was spending few hours at Double Take studio with my Friend Peter Lanzilotta who's been in the board business forever and he told me that since he's distributing Trident products in the States, he sold so many of those new Dream boards that it reminded him the old days...We've discussed all the facts i've wrote above and agreed that part of the success was evidently due to the fact that this board fills the gap between big tickets boards like Neve or Ssl, and popular analog boards like Mackie or equivalent. I've listened to the board and it truly sounds amazing: Big and warm!!!!
I'll be happy to extend in a more technical approach on a different thread that is more relevant.

Any comment?

[pianodano]

I sure would be interested in learning all I can about the Trident Dream console. I am seriously considering the 32 channel version for my home studio. I am glad to know it has a great sound ! Any other info you could offer would be appreciated.

Thanks

Danny

[thejook]

[quote=alexstringer]Tell me if i'm wrong but based on those 3 evidents factors below...:

-The good days when records were selling by millions, allowing studios to invest a lot in big expensive boards seems over.
-The devellopment of digital technologies among musicians and engineers made the mix in a box a popular choice.
-Summing boxes or other similar "warming sound" analog devices seem to become the choice as a front end between the pro tools ( or equivalent) workstation and the recording device.

...the analog boards market has suffered considerably and continiously until now.



Uh, I'm not sure your assumptions are quite correct. Record sales have never been *higher* (I'm talking about the last few years) - many multiples of the sales during the time that big boards were in their 'heyday' (?) and especially when the best Neve and API boards were produced. We're led to believe that the record industry is suffering greatly from mp3s and pirating, but the truth is that Britney Spears and acts like her will still sell a gazillion records to a demographic that has increasingly higher disposable income (i.e. their parents' money) and spending habits. I would say that in the last decade, the record industry has gotten better at making music a product, not worse. Part of that is multi-million dollar production, whether it's neccesary or not.

The mix-in-a-box and summing boxes/front ends are not primarily being used to replace giant productions that end up on TRL. Keep in mind that the Lord-Alges are still mixing every other song that ends up in heavy rotation on the radio, and they mix on old hotrodded SSLs with tons of old outboard gear.

In any case, though, the Trident sounds nice, but I'm sure it doesn't sound anything like an A-range.