500 series console

[Peter Montessi]

Originally Posted by rll

Hello--

I've done searches knowing that this has been discussed before, just wondering if there is any recent info about a new console that fits 500 series pre's, eq's, compressors. There are more and more of these modules coming out every month. As far as a modular system where you could have a number of different flavors sitting right in front of you, it could be a dream come true for some of us that are dead tired of patching, and want a board that you can more fully utilize-- not just a glorified strereo system. I've also heard rumours of a Chandler board, any news? Thanks,

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/image...ood/bouncy.gif

rll

Peter Montessi
A Designs Audio
www.adesignsaudio.com

[Mike O]

I did run across this http://primalgear.com/noname4.html

[jebjerome]

How about a modular console frame that holds 500 sized modules a la Tonelux?

[RoundBadge]

I was told API had one in the works last year..
When I asked the API rep at AES 2 weeks ago about ti,he looked at me like I was nuts..

F*kk em.. i got a Tonelux rigthumbsup

[rll]

Thanks for the responses and links... yeah I figured API had flaked. Tonelux's look great and sound great, but with the many 500 series modules I already have, it would be awesome to be able to drop them into a new board, plus the variety of flavors. Who is making what for the Tonelux spec? Any new info on the Chandler board?

rll

[artbeat77]

This will be the beauty of the Primal Gear console. Hopefully, Steve Mabee will chime in.

[pan60]

well i have heard rumors of a couple 500 frame console that my possibly materialize.
i just hope they have plenty of aux's and a balanced buss section.
my thought have been along the lines of a nice console but having 500 frame buckets for the pre's, eq's, and or comps of choice.
have a bucket for the aux's section and the faders.
have them so they will fit a standard 19'' rack and have the master section in a 19'' rack as well.

[primalsteve]

Originally Posted by artbeat77

This will be the beauty of the Primal Gear console. Hopefully, Steve Mabee will chime in.

Hey man how are you?


We have 3 sections that are 500 series frame format.


1. The EQ section: The base model has 24 channels and each channel its own 500 series slot for EQ.
2. Alternate Preamp: Although our consoles come stock with discrete mic amps each channel has a 500 series slot for an alternate preamp. This will allow different flavors per channel and provides the secondary pre on your console work surfaced rather then at your outboard gear rack.
3. 8 Channel alternate bucket: This is a 8 channel bucket located in the master section dedicated for EQs, comps, etc… We will offer an alternate voltage for this section. Our guess is that with more manufacturers’ creating 500 series equipment we will run into more that will not use the standard voltage requirements found in the VPR alliance.

Steve Mabee
--
Primal Gear
1622 16th Ave South
Nashville TN 37212
P: (615)-269-0704
F: (615)-269-0905
info@primalgear.com
http://www.primalgear.com/

[pan60]

Originally Posted by primalsteve

Our guess is that with more manufacturers’ creating 500 series equipment we will run into more that will not use the standard voltage requirements found in the VPR alliance.

Steve Mabee
--
Primal Gear
1622 16th Ave South
Nashville TN 37212
P: (615)-269-0704
F: (615)-269-0905
info@primalgear.com
http://www.primalgear.com/

not sure but i think this will prove a mistake, my feelings would be that the 500 form needs to remain standardized.
the last thing someone wants is to grab a 500 form card shove it in a bucket and it not preform due to voltage issues.
if a company feels the need to make a card that requires different voltage they should look at a different platform.

[WidgetNinja]

Originally Posted by Peter Montessi

Peter Montessi
A Designs Audio
www.adesignsaudio.com

fuuck and to Wade, and Paul, and Dave Derr, and Daking and,,,
I love you guys all so much, but damnit if I don't hate you too! It's getting to the point of impossibility making any decisions lately!

This brings up a thought I've been having, because I'm interested in the old fogies' take. I've only been watching this for the last 8 years, but from my standpoint as a basement musician trying to chronicle his music, and not any industry presence, this HAS to be the second renaissance of pro-audio. There may have been cool stuff before, but never so much cool stuff, and never so accessible! I mean maybe people won't remember the particular models like they do 1073's, but they are at least going to have to refer to it like BC/AD, the time before gear choices grew on trees, or just in the ether(net).

Crap, just look at all the stuff the last 5 years, summing, seriously cool pres of twenty flavors available to anyone, ribbons galore, vintage "remakes" of virtually everything worthwhile, Tonelux, 500 series everything, DIY kits, 20 different U47 approximations, the new RND stuff, Adams, Barefoot, convolution effects, all the horsepower in sampling available on computers, entire orchestras!... It's phenomenal!

I look forward to the coming years... I already knew I couldn't commit to the Tonelux yet, just because he is the first, the pioneer for better or worse. The modular concept and cooperation between manufacturers is a real thing. Of course, I would really love it if you all would actually sit down and agree on some design specs like the 500/Tonelux that everybody would be happy to play within, where not conforming to the pack would be a really dumb decision. The consumers see the economic benefit inherent with the 500 series. Let's get swappable bussing, routing, EQ, pres, comps, Txfmr/without, etc. In other words, let's see the "Tonelux" working consortium (like we have the W3C for the web).

Otherwise we're still gonna want 8 channels of this, 8 channels of that, and a bunch of little mini-mixers daisy chained, sonically great, but a hindrance to workflow (and just the pimp factor ).

[primalsteve]

Originally Posted by pan60

not sure but i think this will prove a mistake, my feelings would be that the 500 form needs to remain standardized.
the last thing someone wants is to grab a 500 form card shove it in a bucket and it not preform due to voltage issues.
if a company feels the need to make a card that requires different voltage they should look at a different platform.

Agreed but there are certain manufacturers making current gear at voltages of more than twice the standard. A piece of gear running at 25-40 volts would most likely not be easily redesigned. Some of that gear we would rather see exist at an alternate format rather than not at all.


For instance what about someone attempting a neve clone running at 24 volts?



Steve

[Tim Farrant]

There are spare pins on the 500 series edge connectors that could be used for additional power rails, but a standard needs to be introduced. The best people to set the standard would be API, as after all, it's their format.

I would suggest that a regulated +28V dc rail would accomodate most single rail designs.

Tim.

[pan60]

Originally Posted by Tim Farrant

There are spare pins on the 500 series edge connectors that could be used for additional power rails, but a standard needs to be introduced. The best people to set the standard would be API, as after all, it's their format.

I would suggest that a regulated +28V dc rail would accomodate most single rail designs.

Tim.

how dose the increased voltage effect the present line up of 500 form cards being made now?
we are talking a console with a 500 form bucket why not simply use a separate format for the higher voltage and make that the option on a console.
could the power supplies be increased to handle larger current draws then use a step up trany to increase the voltage for a particular module?
i just feel it is a mistake to change this format, i know it is limited he i would like to see higher voltage as well as more pin-outs, but it is what it is and it has caught on as is.
we just need a console.
if i want a neve type pre i will just go line in

[TRW]

Hmm what if someone was to make a new rack format with larger card depths, multiple higher rails that could take +24v Neve-esque designs, digital control, balanced buses plus all the usual suspects, with an adapter card housing voltage regs to drop the rails to +/-16V allowing shorter 500 series cards to be plugged in as well??!!

Hmm I wonder....



All one would need would be a bucket to house standard 19" subracks to build a console and you could add whatever fader packs you wish...

Hmmm

What? I didn't say anything....

-Tom

[primalsteve]

Originally Posted by pan60

how dose the increased voltage effect the present line up of 500 form cards being made now?
we are talking a console with a 500 form bucket why not simply use a separate format for the higher voltage and make that the option on a console.
could the power supplies be increased to handle larger current draws then use a step up trany to increase the voltage for a particular module?
i just feel it is a mistake to change this format, i know it is limited he i would like to see higher voltage as well as more pin-outs, but it is what it is and it has caught on as is.
we just need a console.
if i want a neve type pre i will just go line in

In our case we wouldn't be increasing voltage on current modules in our frame. We would just offer a particular bucket to be wired with an alternate voltage. This would be a custom thing and have nothing to do with the format.


I don't think the format will change, as a matter of fact I'm sure API won't allow it to. The format itself doesn't need to change. Tim certainly has the right idea with spare pins. I'm not a tecnician but in our case I'm sure I can have our techicians wire buss bar to the spare pins and we can power those pins with whatever the modules need as long as the mfg's are powering off of those pins. It is something a few of the manufacturer's talking about different volatges should discuss.


Steve

[JB872]

I know very little about the technical side of the 500 series and what's needed to make this work...but wouldn't a 500 series version of the V-Rack be the answer to the 500 series console?

[limestone]

A 500 series console would make a killing...

Wouldn't it be easiest for an existing console manufacturer to build this console? Like API or Daking? Leave everything as it was on your original console (routing, master section, faders, etc), but take out your pre's and eq's, and redesign your frame to fit 500 series eq's and pres.

Say Daking would do this. Their 24 channel 1112 console costs around USD 48000. Take out the pre-eq on each channel (they're like 1300 USD I believe) and you're left with a 17000 dollar console without any pres and eq's.

Hopefully they can add flying faders?

I'm probably way off, but this should be possible for around 20k? A top notch console with 24 channels, master section, routing, flying faders and two empty 500-series slots in each channel?

mmmmmmm....

Who knows!

Once it's filled with all different pres and eq's it sure as hell is gonna look like a colourful mess!

Cheers,

Louis

[max cooper]

I kinda have to laff at the idea of a 500 series console.

What do you guys think 500 series modules were designed for?

I believe the lunchbox was a convenient way to take modules around without the whole console.

Next you'll be asking for a console for your 1073 modules.

Here's a cute one, though.

http://www.boutiqueaudio.com/pictures/API-CONSOLE.gif

http://www.boutiqueaudio.com/customconsoles.htm

[JB872]

Originally Posted by max cooper

I kinda have to laff at the idea of a 500 series console.

What do you guys think 500 series modules were designed for?

I believe the lunchbox was a convenient way to take modules around without the whole console.

Next you'll be asking for a console for your 1073 modules.

Here's a cute one, though.

http://www.boutiqueaudio.com/pictures/API-CONSOLE.gif

http://www.boutiqueaudio.com/customconsoles.htm

Does boutiqueaudio sell empty sidecars or do you have to buy it with the modules? And what 500 series module is below the 550a in that pic?

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by JB872

Does boutiqueaudio sell empty sidecars or do you have to buy it with the modules?

I don't know but it looks like with the right credit card number, they'll do what you ask within reason.

It looks like $25,000+ worth of 550's in there, and then some preamps, maybe $15,000 worth. Now you're at $40K just for the modules. So maybe you get a package deal, I'd guess this thing has to be $50K roundabouts.

But that's 16 channels, although just a sidecar. 50K is starting to get into some other options.

Originally Posted by JB872

And what 500 series module is below the 550a in that pic?

API preamp, it looks like.

[limestone]

Wasn't the 500 series designed to fit the API consoles? And to make those more modular?

I think it's a great concept; something I would seriously consider if it were available.

[stellar]

what if someone were to make a line module and a fader module. then we could diy the frame. it obviously wouldn't look as nice as the one pictured above. and would probably still be mad expensive.