UTA consoles

[freeBase]

Originally Posted by Cris

I'm in the market for a top of the line console. I've been looking at older SSL and Neve consoles but recently I was told about UTA consoles. Any opinions here from people that gave actually heard one if the Units?

I have had the pleasure of doing a mix on one of UTA's prototype consoles at Barefoot Studios (Eric's personal facility). Although I wasn't familiar with the room and spent more time "playing" than doing super critical listening... I was absolutely BLOWN-AWAY by how cool the console was. The EQ is unlike anything I've ever used (or even heard of). Super flexible (GML like), but has a very musical vibe that is flattering to most sources. You can really do some tricky stuff with this EQ. The mix-bus is 'off-the-hook'! There's a little switch that calibrates the level going into the tube-based mix bus that instantly lets you really push the level (I think I stated that somewhat accurately Nonetheless, after I was finished my mix, I flipped this switch which completely saturated the mix bus... it was SO BEAUTIFUL Probably would have been a little too much to print a master with... but I'm sure you'd get a handle on what level you liked for your tastes... the point is has a big sweet spot level-wise... everything from pristine to over-driven tube saturation. Eric and his team have really designed this board from an engineer's perspective. So many cool and logical workflows that make perfect sense. I know he's sold a few boards already and is capable of customizing them somewhat to the needs of the client... which is a nice option when spending money on a large-format-console. One thing I've heard some people refer to as a negative is that there aren't any mic preamps. I personally don't see this as a negative. I frequently use SSL's and barely use their preamps. I prefer the options of outboard anyways and the workflow of not needing to tie-up a channel (a la Neve 80xx's). Most people in the market for this board probably already have a ton of pre-amps! You'd be really missing out if you didn't at least contact UTA and get a demo before making a purchase. They even have a small "demo" console that can be rented...

[freeBase]

...oh... I almost forgot... make sure to check out one of the coolest features: once you have your mic levels set, you can record a test pass, setup the EQ's on the monitor return and then once you have everything sounding the way you want, switch all the processing to send to tape (instead of the return). The band will thank you for not having to play over and over while you're trying to get your EQ's tweaked

[work2do]

Greg Wells has one:

Undertone Audio console

[Arthurelletson]

Originally Posted by freeBase

...oh... I almost forgot... make sure to check out one of the coolest features: once you have your mic levels set, you can record a test pass, setup the EQ's on the monitor return and then once you have everything sounding the way you want, switch all the processing to send to tape (instead of the return). The band will thank you for not having to play over and over while you're trying to get your EQ's tweaked

Thanks, that's a great tip, our console has switchable eq's and I hadn't even thought of doing that.

[jono]

Originally Posted by freeBase

...oh... I almost forgot... make sure to check out one of the coolest features: once you have your mic levels set, you can record a test pass, setup the EQ's on the monitor return and then once you have everything sounding the way you want, switch all the processing to send to tape (instead of the return). The band will thank you for not having to play over and over while you're trying to get your EQ's tweaked

That's a very cool feature...

[cianthreetimes]

Hey, I'm an engineer at Barefoot – where the UTA consoles are built – and am lucky enough to sit in front of one almost every day.

Are you in or near LA? You're welcome to come check it out! We'll also be at AES in SF this year

[alerte338]

Yes im very interested in this console , but in europe there is no undertone console to demo ....


fab

[drew]

Originally Posted by freeBase

...oh... I almost forgot... make sure to check out one of the coolest features: once you have your mic levels set, you can record a test pass, setup the EQ's on the monitor return and then once you have everything sounding the way you want, switch all the processing to send to tape (instead of the return). The band will thank you for not having to play over and over while you're trying to get your EQ's tweaked

Not to take anything away from Eric's console but this is a VERY basic feature consoles have had and engineers have done for decades.

[cianthreetimes]

Originally Posted by drew

Not to take anything away from Eric's console but this is a VERY basic feature consoles have had and engineers have done for decades.

Absolutely. It's just cool to have the features of an in-line console without the added real estate.

[skythemusic]

I just watched a video and have to say this console has features that I have asked "why don't they do that" for awhile. The hpf/lpf ideas would be a godsend and the master section is setup exactly how I WISH I could have on the consoles I typically work on. If I ever come into that kind of money I know where to go.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by freeBase

...oh... I almost forgot... make sure to check out one of the coolest features: once you have your mic levels set, you can record a test pass, setup the EQ's on the monitor return and then once you have everything sounding the way you want, switch all the processing to send to tape (instead of the return). The band will thank you for not having to play over and over while you're trying to get your EQ's tweaked

You can switch eqs between monitor and record paths on just about every inline console, from mackies up to ssl/neve vrs...

[freeBase]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

You can switch eqs between monitor and record paths on just about every inline console, from mackies up to ssl/neve vrs...

True, but how do you do this on other consoles that aren't in-line consoles and using outboard mic pre's ?

C.

[freeBase]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

You can switch eqs between monitor and record paths on just about every inline console, from mackies up to ssl/neve vrs...

Hey Jules, have you had the pleasure of using one of Eric's consoles?

C.

[freeBase]

UnderToneAudio

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by freeBase

True, but how do you do this on other consoles that aren't in-line consoles and using outboard mic pre's ?

C.

Well, I was referring to inline consoles! Eg ssl e/g/j/k or neve v3/vr/88r, or down to the mackie. Plenty of inline consoles, and you can do this on just about all of them.

As for outboard pres, return them into the inserts, and you can do the same thing. Very common practice - gives you small faders as a final send to tape.

[freeBase]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

Well, I was referring to inline consoles! Eg ssl e/g/j/k or neve v3/vr/88r, or down to the mackie. Plenty of inline consoles, and you can do this on just about all of them.

As for outboard pres, return them into the inserts, and you can do the same thing. Very common practice - gives you small faders as a final send to tape.

Like I said earlier... a little tougher to do in an efficient way on a "non inline console". Check out the link I posted to read about the workflow it was supposed to apply to.

I guess you could minimize the value of just about any feature on any piece of gear if you wanted to (and many do)... but what I was trying to share with the OP was that Eric has put a lot of thought into this board and after actually using it (unlike 99% of the people on this forum), I found a bunch of the features on this console to be very useful and efficient. Not to mention, this thing sounds amazing!

C.

[jordanvoth]

I spoke with Eric on the phone a few months back regarding his consoles and something custom for my private setup. He's a very smart guy and he's very thorough. This alone would make him my first choice for anything. The fact that he himself has engineered some of my favourite albums would be another. I'm just not really needing an analog console or any gear for that matter at the moment. I'd love to try one those Unfairchild things though.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by freeBase

Like I said earlier... a little tougher to do in an efficient way on a "non inline console". Check out the link I posted to read about the workflow it was supposed to apply to.

I guess you could minimize the value of just about any feature on any piece of gear if you wanted to (and many do)... but what I was trying to share with the OP was that Eric has put a lot of thought into this board and after actually using it (unlike 99% of the people on this forum), I found a bunch of the features on this console to be very useful and efficient. Not to mention, this thing sounds amazing!

C.

It's not that at all - I was just pointing out that's it's a feature common to just about every inline console, not some revolutionary idea.

Not casting any judgement on the rest of the package....I'm sure it's a great desk.

[blindjoni]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

It's not that at all - I was just pointing out that's it's a feature common to just about every inline console, not some revolutionary idea.

Not casting any judgement on the rest of the package....I'm sure it's a great desk.

Prices on these consoles?

[Mike O]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

It's not that at all - I was just pointing out that's it's a feature common to just about every inline console, not some revolutionary idea.

Not casting any judgement on the rest of the package....I'm sure it's a great desk.

Not revolutionary all and as you say almost every in-line desk can do this; but not at all common on desks that are not in-line (split). I could be wrong, but I don't think the UTA is in-line and therefore the eq flip is (IMHO) worth mentioning as it is somewhat unusual for the topology of the desk.

[toneguru]

I had the pleasure of meeting Eric at the AES show.

He was patient, informative and downright brilliant.

I just want to thank you Eric for taking the time and also for creating what seems to be the finest console to hit the scene in many a year.

- Cheers