Allen & Heath console

[DeeDrive]

The bass player in my band has got an Allen & Heath board sitting at his house right now, and he suggested using it for recording. All we've got now for a front end is a couple of ART tube pre's and a 002. Do you guys think the Allen & Heath might be an improvement? I wish I could say more about it, he just told me it's a pretty large board, probably 24+ tracks, and it costs around $3000.

I've never used Allen & Heath, and don't know much about them, do you think it's worth a try? We're basically just looking for 8 channels of fairly clean sound to do drums and percussion, then do the overdubs with either the ART's or the A & H, whichever sounds better.

[Waylon]

well... since you have one there, why not try it?

I am actually a big fan of thier stuff in that bracket of the market.. it generally is much friendlier to audio than Mackie and yamaha stuff at that price point.

[UPRYZ]

use it. It should be a step up from the 002 pres and I wouldn't use the Art at all unless you wanted that particular effect. How old is the board. Are we talking something that cost $3k now (GL2400 32 channel) or something that cost $3k a long time ago but doesn't quite cut the mustard now (SR series, System 8)?

Dan Fox

[Jason Poulin]

A&H



Jason

[Giganova]

I've always like recording through my A&H set prefader and using the direct outs. Sounds really nice.

[lefthando]

Just take note that some of those A&H boards are unbalanced -10db.

I had a GS3 for a while and I was always trying to make up gain on the output. Noise became a big problem.

[(DC)]

The Allen and Heaths are great... but I don't find THAT much difference between mixing using that or in PT.... but yea it's great for the pres.

[dim light]

I got the GL2200 and Mixwizard - Works great! I use them all the time and I like both the EQ and Preamps.

Give it a try - if it sounds good...

Good luck!

[nathanvacha]

The GL2400 is a recent addition to my lust-list... hopefully this week. It will serve double duty for me (well, triple duty... live, studio, live recording) and I fully plan on using the pre's & eq and all the routing...
I hear the older one's hade more noise problems, though.
If it's in good shape, and all you have are 002 pre's, then I'd say definetely go for it.

[uvc1977]

Ive only ever used a GL2400 but if its that then id have no hesitations using that for recording. Great sounding board and very easy to use.

[aussie_techie]

it depends on which model you have as to how good it will be but any of the GLs or series 2 or 3 mix wizzards will give you great pres and EQ for drums etc
you have to watch you gain staging on some of the odler ones as they have a bit more self noise but its not a big problem.

unless its a GL4000 or similar i would likley still mix in Pro Tools, pres and EQ for drums

[DeeDrive]

Thanks for all the input! Good to know this piece might be pretty usable. I'm going to check it out this friday and see what model it is.

How would you guys describe the sound of A&H? Cleaner, or more of a colored sound? What other brands would you compare it to? I'm thinking I want a pretty clean sound, because there's going to be a lot of layers in this music, and I don't want the tracks competing too much for space.

If you guys want to check the band out here's the site:

http://www.myspace.com/froghollowdaycamp

[Mudnoc]

I would describe it as a very clean, transparent sound.... I use the MixWizard series...great board

[kingofswing]

A&H stuff is great, sounds very British.

I own a few A&H Xone DJ Mixers including the 92, and it sounds very sweet. The thing with A&H, its design team consists of people who worked for Neve / Focusrite, and the sound of A&H boards are reflective of that IMO. Signals passed thorugh an A&H come out very nice.

[DeeDrive]

I went and checked out the board this weekend, it's a GL2200. Wasn't able to hook it up, it was all boxed up, but it sounds like this should sound pretty good.

[dbbubba]

I have used a friend's A&H 2400 through our Nexo S Series line array rig and it sounds VERY good, so I'm sure it would be a decent recording console.

The Nexo will reveal any weak sounding piece of equipment REALLY quickly!
We use our Midas conoles on that rig in most instances, but once when a band wanted to use their Mackie console through the Nexo it was startling how bad the console sounded!

Hell yeah! Use the A&H!!!

Danny Brown

[ObnoxiousTyrant]

A couple of months ago, I was in the process of moving my studio and had already moved half the preamps. I got a call from a friend who needed a quick demo recorded. I told him I wasn't set up yet and if he wanted it right away, we'd have to use some of the preamps on a $900.00 A&H Mix Wizard I only used for monitoring purposes. He didn't care and we ended up recording the overheads through a couple of Manley Cardioid reference tube mics and the A&H pres. I even shelved 300 with the A&H onboard EQ. When we finished and listened back to the tracks, I was astonished. The tracks were clean, detailed and warm, not harsh at all, some of the best overheads I've ever recorded. In my book, A&H is tops. No one sells gear of that quality for that price, no one. To all you guys on a low budget or live bands needinig a small live board, screw Mackie, Go Allen & Heath.

[aussie_techie]

Originally Posted by ObnoxiousTyrant

screw Mackie, Go Allen & Heath.

as i have said since the first time i used an A&H desk

if the 2200 is more than 24 channel it is best to use an external PSU with it if you can.

[nathanvacha]

Originally Posted by DeeDrive

I went and checked out the board this weekend, it's a GL2200. Wasn't able to hook it up, it was all boxed up, but it sounds like this should sound pretty good.

You should be good. The 2200 is what was recently followed up by the 2400. There shouldn't be too many differences. You don't get the routing matrix the 2400 has... but oh well. I don't know what's up inside, though...

[gizeh12]

Ive had a GS3 a few years back, when listening to the songs i produced on that console im always surprised by the tightness of the sound, very nice crisp highs. The only problem i ran into was the low channel headroom.


Isnt the GL2200 more aimed at the live recording market as opposed to studio???

Has anyone heard the GS3 side by side with the GL2200??

[juicylime]

I have an old A&H Saber. I like it alot for the pre's. Although the tape sends are a little noisey. I did a little research and found out that this desk, that cost me €350, cost over €45,000 new in 1989. And that they were used in many studios (although often in the B & C studios). Parr St's studio 3 in Liverpool had one and Coldplay recorded Yellow on it apparently. I think there are some good A&H desks out there at some good prices if you can find them. I hope yours sreves you as well as mine.

[LAVLAB]

wish i had an a&h that i didn't know what to do with!

[krisstoff]

Hi there


Anyone care to offer an opinion of the GL2, would it be a step up from my Mackie 8 buss sound wise and does it have a decent mix buss

Many thanks
K

[aussie_techie]

only used a GL2 for small live shows so i havnt been able to compare it closely but basically its a nice little desk. it feels more solid then the modern mix wizards and low end GLs (damn those GL2400 feel cheep) but otherwise its pretty much the same. pre fade aux sends are pre eq which you have to keep in mind but otherwise it didnt seam to have any problems.

[Mr. Man]

I worked with an ML5000 for a while doing live.
The EQs are great like a little brother to the SSL's. I thought the pre's were slightly dark and was always adding a little HF. Great pieces of equipment though.

[Pr.tiouz]

I had a GS3000 too and that was a very nice console to mix on, once i bought a Digimax from Presonus to inprove the pre's of the console and sold the presonus because it wasn't any better...

The GL line is another story, a friend of mine inproved the the PSU (i don't know how)
put a cooper bar for grounding, and changed the op for some SSM...

[wineredno1]

Originally Posted by juicylime

I have an old A&H Saber. I like it alot for the pre's. Although the tape sends are a little noisey. I did a little research and found out that this desk, that cost me €350, cost over €45,000 new in 1989. And that they were used in many studios (although often in the B & C studios). Parr St's studio 3 in Liverpool had one and Coldplay recorded Yellow on it apparently. I think there are some good A&H desks out there at some good prices if you can find them. I hope yours sreves you as well as mine.

Coldplay did not record on a Allen & Heath at Parr Street. They recorded through an SSL in studio 2.

[AllAboutTone]

I owned a Allen and Heath, in fact a couple of them, my latest one was a GL2400, they are very good boards and stand far away from mackie and others, the only thing i found out later about them after buying another baord was the preamps the Allen and Heath have no depth (not big sounding ) . I sold it on ebay and got a Tascam m2600, the Tascam blows the Heath out the door in every way, the pres in the Tascam are amazing and warm too.
Allen Heath is still good but not good enough once you find something better. Im talking Studio boards here, Allen and Heath would be really great for a live board.
My dream is to have a API or a Studer 089 board as a desk.

[studjo]

LOL - I disagree on the Tascam pres - I owned a m2516 (or however that thing was called) - it was nice for it's time but the Mackie pres blow the Tascam out of the game and the A&H are even better than the Mackies IMVHO.

But as all things regarding audio - check it out for your self.


Jo

[Steffmo]

Back in the day......when I was a drummer in a band, Chuck augustowski, ur sound guy, and myself used to get the Brit audio mag Studio sound. We were browsing one day and came across the allen and Heath mini mixer. We were totally intrigued by it, and chuck ended up ordering one. This thing was tiny, kind of like the soundcraft Foloi is now, but had eq everywhere and sounded great. We retired our altec 1592 mixers and went with Minimixer. Every band that saw ours wanted one, and Chuck began to import them.

Next scene....Chuck ultimately became head of Allen and Heath US, Untim Harmon bought A and H, and did, well, a Harmon. I was doing some prduct consulting, and our bud John Petrucelli was head of US engineering. No one wanted to more to freaking Utah....all left. I was running my studio, so I didn't continue, but Chuch and John went on to found Crest Consoles with funding from John Lee, and when Crest floundered and was snapped up by Peavy, who did a ....Peavy, they left and founded APBDynasonics with former Trident guy Taz Bogosian.

Check out the astonishing review of their desks in the last PAR. Its the cover story.

ANYWAY, what I wanted to point out was that many US folks don't realise that Allen and Heath has been around so long, and that they have had such a wide ranging line over the years.

The allen and Heath Sigma ia a full sized studio board that sold in the 80K range mid 80's. Before thaat the Syncon A was a discreet console that was a little cumbersome to run, but sounded fabulous. Followed by Syncon B, which sorta took a step back sonically while fixing the ergonomics.

They also made a lot of mid range recording desks.....System 8 being one of the first consoles to recognize that folks didn't need 24 busses to record, CMC, a console with microprocessor assign and a John Simonton designed SMPTE interface that allowed mute and route automation of the under 10K desk (In 1988), and a bunch of others. They also had a presence in the European broadcast market. When Harmon bought A and H, they steered the company away from recording products, preferring Amek or soundcraft to address that in their family of companies. A few years ago A and H chief Glen Rogers, and terrific designer himself, and the rest of the crew bought A and H BACK from Harmon successfully, and sit where they are today.

As a sidebar, Alan Hyatt....now of the famous ATB console was a long time A and H rep who always had input into design and application.

All of which is a round about way of saying that MOST and A and H consoles had a very good sound. I recently decommissioned my 44 input Sigma and am having a hard time parting with it......I ran I believe 2 million dollars in sessions on it.

A and H has a lot of history, and in general even the weakest A and H gear will mop the floor with the Mackie/Behringer ilk.

Sorry to be so long winded...but we all had some great times with that company, made some good gear, and met lots of great people. If anyone ever has a question about A and H gearm feel free to PM me.

Vic Steffens