Anyone heard or used the TK Audio Blender???

[ORC]

I've got space and enough gear to start a second small mastering room. Thinking about taking in an intern, or letting a few guys freelance. I'm curious if any of you have heard or used the TK Audio Blender mini mastering console??? TK says its "mastering quality" for whatever thats worth.

Heres the link: TK Audio

[Tekay]

We started to ship them in mid May. Mercenary Audio will have their first unit this week so Adam will probably get back with some comments soon.
By "mastering quality" we meen low noise, distorsion and a good frequency response, and we leave the sound coloring to the connected units.

[streetbeats]

Looks very interesting thumbsup

[ORC]

Is the monitor volume control a stepped attenuator? This would be the clincher for me.

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by Tekay

We started to ship them in mid May. Mercenary Audio will have their first unit this week so Adam will probably get back with some comments soon.
By "mastering quality" we mean low noise, distortion and a good frequency response, and we leave the sound coloring to the connected units.

TK, we already sold one becasue of your ingenious!

The possibilities of this box mean a lot of things to a lot of people, and it hasn't even shipped yet!!!

[Tekay]

Sorry but no stepped controls.

Adam, then you should order more of them
First one should arrive today!

[kjg]

what a cutey!
stepped monitoring control would be a nice upgrade/option.
also, what kind of pots are in there? how is the tracking?

[Tekay]

The potentiometers are conductive plastic, as we are talking about potentiometers I guess the tracking will be around +/- 1 to 2dB? It doesn't matter if stepped potentionmeters are used as the steppes only are a mechanical thing. 24 stepped ELMA switches would be VERY expensive.

[priko]

No M/S insert option?

[Weiss]

Originally Posted by priko

No M/S insert option?

this option would be great!

[Tekay]

A M/S unit will be available later. The Blender started out as a blend box for parallell compression and then a few more functions were added. As we tried to keep the price down without making it in China we couldn't add to manny functions.

[ORC]

This is the type of stepped attenuator i was suggesting in place of the volume pot.

[Tekay]

Always nice to see what features people wants. Non of the asked functions are difficult to add it's just the matter of space.

[frenzy]

Originally Posted by ORC

I'm curious if any of you have heard or used the TK Audio Blender mini mastering console??? TK says its "mastering quality" for whatever thats worth.

I've just finished writing an article about the Blender for a Swedish magazine. And I like it a lot. It performs very well and sound absolutely transparent. I've used it for mastering adding parallel compression and a master EQ. By changing the MODE-setting the second stereo source moves around in the signal path making it fast and easy to try different setups.

But it's also a versatile tool for analogue processing when mixing. I used it along with a Chandler Germanium Tone Control and a Purple Audio MC77 compressor when mixing a track for a client. And The Blender made it possible to switch the position of the EQ and compressor really fast by just turning the MODE-knob. On some sound sources it's better to EQ before applying compression and on other sources it's the other way around. The Blender makes it fast and easy to try different setups.
But even more interesting was the fact that I could apply parallel compression with the MC77 and still be able to apply the EQ before or after the compression. It wasn't possible for me to do that without using a mixing console and that would most likely have affected the sound quality.

So, The Blender is more that just a mastering tool, because it enables you to use outboard in a way that you didn't think was possible, without affecting the sound quality in any way.


Cheers
Frederick
Sound On Sound article contributor

My www.ninja.se

[I.R.Baboon]

If it doesn't have stepped controls (preferably real switches), or at least an option for this, then the word "mastering" doesn't belong in the product description.

[ORC]

Originally Posted by I.R.Baboon

If it doesn't have stepped controls (preferably real switches), or at least an option for this, then the word "mastering" doesn't belong in the product description.

I totally agree!!!

[Suade]

Ok - has anybody had a chance to try this unit out? Any reports to share please?

[frenzy]

Originally Posted by Suade

Ok - has anybody had a chance to try this unit out? Any reports to share please?

Well, I've been using it for two months now and I'm very happy with it. What I like the most about it is the simplicity and the sound quality. Personally I don't have the need for stepped controls, because they wouldn't give me the same precision.

It's a basic mixing and mastering tool, and there are a bunch of features that would be very cool to have - like M/S-processing, stereo-width manipulation, switching of hardware inputs and outputs at the push of a button for fast switching between different hardware units, a monitor input for reference material etcetera.

But what it does, it does very well, and it's not expensive. Priced as a entry-level mastering tool, it's also a great mixing tool. Apart from mastering I use it when processing vocals and other important instruments. The fast switching and blend controls enables me to experiment with different kinds of processing in a way that wasn't possible before using The Blender.

The sound quality is absolutely transparent and the hardware units connected to the Blender will most likely add more distortion than the Blender itself.


Cheers
Frederick

[Tekay]

Thanx to the input in this thread I have started to draw on a "Pro-Blender".
All rotary controls will be made with ELMA switches, one of the inserts will have a M/S function. A second input for reference material.

Ideas are welcome as it's still in the designing stage!

[achaiss]

what a great idea!
But it will probably be very more expensive than the standard blender no?

Have you done an estimation budget yet or you are just in the "thinking design" stage?

[ORC]

Originally Posted by Tekay

Thanx to the input in this thread I have started to draw on a "Pro-Blender".
All rotary controls will be made with ELMA switches, one of the inserts will have a M/S function. A second input for reference material.

Ideas are welcome as it's still in the designing stage!

NICE!!!

[achaiss]

just a question...
With the 5th mode, when you blend the sound with channel 3 you turn up the volume no?

With all others settings you wet/dry the signal so it does not influence the output volume.
But on 5th mode with the channel 3 it seems to have the source signal and when you turn up the knob you turn up the process signal, not like a wet/dry but like inject signal

Am I wrong???


excuse my english

[Waltz Mastering]

Originally Posted by Tekay

Thanx to the input in this thread I have started to draw on a "Pro-Blender".
All rotary controls will be made with ELMA switches, one of the inserts will have a M/S function. A second input for reference material.

Ideas are welcome as it's still in the designing stage!

Being able to solo the side?

[Tekay]

just a question...
With the 5th mode, when you blend the sound with channel 3 you turn up the volume no?

With all others settings you wet/dry the signal so it does not influence the output volume.
But on 5th mode with the channel 3 it seems to have the source signal and when you turn up the knob you turn up the process signal, not like a wet/dry but like inject signal

Am I wrong???

Yes you are right about the level in mode 5, you have to adjust the main level when mixing in CH3.

Being able to solo the side?

Yes it will have a solo function for M or S.

[achaiss]

Originally Posted by Tekay

Yes you are right about the level in mode 5, you have to adjust the main level when mixing in CH3.



Yes it will have a solo function for M or S.

last question.
Do the pots have trend to spit/breathe with the time? Because if they are not stepped some knobs have trend to.
Any idea or the product is too young to know?

[Tekay]

last question.
Do the pots have trend to spit/breathe with the time? Because if they are not stepped some knobs have trend to.
Any idea or the product is too young to know?

All potentiometers in the Blender are conductive plastic so they should last for some time.

The Pro Blender will use ELMA switches for all level controls.

[achaiss]

Originally Posted by Tekay

All potentiometers in the Blender are conductive plastic so they should last for some time.

The Pro Blender will use ELMA switches for all level controls.

ok, any idea of date and price release???

maybe a little premature but I'm impatient

[elmolemon]

Great! I like the idea of a Pro-Blender with M/S-options, but if the monitor-section is supposed to substitute an additional monitor-controller, it requires the option to connect at least a second pair of monitors.
But with this feature it could be a great little "console".

[Tekay]

There will be a second monitor output, it can also be selected to control an external relay box for switching passive monitors.

No price yet but it will be a 2RU unit.

[elmolemon]

Wow, great news!

Now you got me really excited about the "Pro-Blender"!!!