An OTB->ITB->OTB tale

[Kronos147]

I started my studio in 1998. Back then it was a Soundcraft TS-24 console and DA-98/38's (16 bit). I loved using the console for EQ (best feature of the TS-24) and got decent results but Pro Tools was all anyone asked about when the calls came in, and then I was unable to keep the Soundcraft going.

About 2001-2002 a friend gave me a G3, and I bought a Digi001.

At that point, it was an upgrade. Going from 16 bit to 24 bit made a big difference. I heard a lot of detail and clarity I had been missing. Soon I started learning about the busses and such in Pro Tools and I made it work for me, in terms of setting up a session and having reverb and cue mixes and all that.

About 2002-2003 I got a Mix plus system. I improved my monitors, got more outboard, got some nice pre-amps, and I used a Lexicon MPX-500 for reverb using a SPDIF insert off the #2 888. I bought the Waves Ren. bundle and thought the Ren EQ was quite usable.

In 2007 I did the Digi upgrade program and got Pro Tools HD|2. For the last couple of years I worked ITB except for some inserts and especially the main buss. I moved away from the MPX-500, as the SPDIF thing would not work at 96k. Switched to ReVibe but still had my Waves.

I was generally happy with my results but I felt that stereo imaging was always wrong (narrow) and sometimes it seemed to me it did not sound the same as the day before. Too many plugs? Computer working too hard? Not sure, but I don't think so. Also the mixes were not as 'separate' as I wanted, and the bass seemed to get smaller and smaller the higher the track count.

I started researching a small console again. I thought maybe just a summing mixer, but I knew I wanted at least a stereo Aux send for headphone cues. I must have read/participated in 10 or more threads on the subject here at GS, as well as reading on other forums as well.

It seemed that while someday what I wanted may come to pass (a line input console without mic pres but with busses, inserts, and auxes), but I was not sure I could wait. Then I looked at the Neve and I thought this might be the ticket, but I felt I would have needed two 8816/8804 combos. At that price, I thought there was a better option again.

I bid on a console on eBay, an auction with local pickup only. It was in the same town as my studio (Burbank) and the console looked cool, and the bid was at $500. Well, I won. I posted about it in other threads but I bought Larry King's old Wheatstone broadcast console. I ended up buying two more after that to make sure I had the mix of channels I wanted (Larry came with 8 mono channels, as did the other two, so now I have 24 mono and 8 stereo inputs). The sound of the board is nice. The EQ is more of a macro EQ than a micro, but it sounds nice. I pulled my favorite buss insert off the Pro Tools insert and patched it into the console main insert. Some nice discrete bocks and transformers is the icing on the cake.

I also won an auction for a bunch of wired TT patchbays. The lengths of the snakes were long, so I cut them and had one crimped with d-sub pins and I am waiting for the second one. The second one is basically inserts, so I do not have my inserts wired yet.

We have been running the console. At times, we just pull up an old session and just run it stereo out to a couple of channels of the board and run "like the old days." A couple of sessions we spread out to 16 channels (until I get another 192....) and used the board EQ and panning. WOW!

Just freaking WOW! I mean, common, why is there even an ITB vs. OTB debate? Ok, enough of that, everyone has their own opinion and YMMV....


Over the long weekend I soldered up my (old) tt patchbay. I wired up outboard EQ's and the outboard effects. Even as we spread out sessions across the 16 faders, we would save 2 of them for the output of the (plug in) reverb. It was better than being summed ITB (IMO), but still lacking. But yesterday we pulled up a few sessions and started turning off the plug in reverb and going through the Lexicon MPX-500 again. Again, WOW! Damn, I missed reverb!

I have been getting a reputation for mixing "pretty dry" since going ITB, I think I know why now, I hated the sound of the reverb. I find myself getting almost "too wet" again now that I have my old friend the MPX-500.

As it turns out my partner went home for his dad's b-day for a few days, and his brother in law was interested in the changes we made at the studio. Those two went online and looked at the pictures. Now, the brother in law does sound for commercials, but not much anymore as he is semi-retired. He also works ITB these days. He then asked my partner if we would be interested in his PCM70's (yes, two) and PCM41.

He is going to ship them out soon. Man, things are looking UP!!!!

Add to that our big client is getting so caught up in my partner and my upgrade fever she bought us a new 192! Thanks Poe!!!!!

Oh, and finally, I exchanged my Hafler P3000 power amp with a Bryston 4B over the weekend. That makes a world of difference too!

Life is good, must make more music now. In fact, I think I should head out to the studio right now!

[Kadden Heart]

good to hear.

it's always kind of funny hearing stuff like that
"i was analog,..then i went digital, got used to it, then i went back ot analog and realized how good it actually is"

now if only the music industry as a whole would shape up, and we could get back ot making red book qualit CD's as the main listening medium.

can't wait till i have enough money ot go analog on my own

thumbsup