Calrec desks?

[hywyn]

Originally Posted by drundall

They're not really sleepers anymore, word's getting out-prices going up!

Anyone interested in Calrec modules might want to investigate Brent's headroom mod...

Good luck.

Hi
very late to this party but....where can I find info on this "headroom mod"

cheers,
Steve

[Matt Syson]

Hi
You need to add a 'line output amplifier' stage with at least 6dB gain, preferably 14dB gain.
Matt S

[gyraf]

..we have a 48ch/64frame Calrec Polar desk put up for sale pretty cheap: DKK100K - Hoping someone will buy so it dosn't get chopped up for parts...

Jakob E.

[Telefunk]

Originally Posted by Jules

Abba had one during the 1980's at their Polar studios in Stockholm.

While Abba worked at Polar, they had Harrison 32c. Calrec came later...

[Matt Syson]

Hi
One of these desks would be relatively easy to 'reconfigure' to reflect the trend of smaller desks with generally fewer facilities.
Having the whole thing would provide practically all the parts necessary for such a transformation.
The 'Polar' desk was just one client for the UA8000 of which there were I think 14 built, although they were not all the same number of channels.
The one at Polar was one of the first 3 built I think.
There was a change made to the frame wiring at around number 5 or 6 to make it easier and cheaper to assemble although the modules were not changed or if so, only cosmetically.
Matt S

[gyraf]

Thanks, Matt!

Our UA-8000 is no. 2 - originally made for Danish PUK studios..

Do you have track on where some of the UA-8000's are placed now?

Jakob E.

[Matt Syson]

Hi Jakob
Sorry I don't know where any of them are now, it is 27 years ago.
The PUK desk was being delivered at the point I started at Calrec, as the people who had to interview me were away trying to make it work!
I can remember one going to a strange studio in an industrial estate between Cardiff and Swansea.
Abbey Road had one of course, originally built as a '48' but then using a new chassis and extra modules reassembled as a '64'.
Around 5, maybe a couple more went to the USA.
There were a couple of desks basically using the UA8000 modules built for the BBC, one went to Pebble Mill in Birmingham and was used for the serial 'The Archers' for many years, I forget which other BBC location the other went to, possibly Glasgow?
Calrec and Audix did NOT start out as a contracting company for the BBC, they both existed beforehand making other gear and mixers.
The 'similarities' between offerings from Neve Audix and Calrec mainly came about by a grand 'scheme' to have desks built for the BBC involving Marks 1,2,3 and 4 each having a 'variant' of A,B, C and D. Each 'variant' was to be built by 2 of the 3 manufacturers and the main layout work was done by the BBC and the specifications set so that they would be 'equivalent'. The actual electronic design was I believe up to the individual manufacturers. The Audix always used single 24 Volts. Not sure about Neve but Calrec used bipolar 24 Volts with mini, plug in discrete amplifiers. Use of similar transformers is also understandable with Marinair and Sowter being in the front line of decent quality transformers.
Matt S

[TRW]

Pretty sure a UA8000 was lurking in a storage container in nashville 3-4 years ago.

-T

[Matt Syson]

Hi
I have a feeling around 3 went to the Nashville area as the 'agent' for Calrec was based there at the time. One or more may have gone to the Florida area. My geography of USA is a bit limited apart from the few areas I have visited although even that was quite a few years ago. I have heard anecdotal reports about desks from several companies where stuff is shipped and spends time in 'quarantine' until duties are paid of which some don't make it to the original customer. Aa AMEK Mozart for example went to USA but spent a couple or more years in 'tax limbo' and was then resold and shipped to Switzerland. I knew of this one as they forgot to change the PSU voltage from 120 to 220 for the fans, which burned out!
Matt S