| Content | The immense flexibility of software mixers notwithstanding, there’s nothing like the in-your-face punch, articulation, and dimensionality that a quality analog summing mixer can impart to your productions. The Phoenix Audio’s Nicerizer Series summing mixers rock proprietary Class A circuitry and smart features that make them legendary analog tone machines for a digital world. A 16-channel DAW summing mixer in a 2RU 19" rackmount chassis, the Nicerizer Junior puts critical elements such as circuit gain staging and panning back into the analog realm where they handily outperform their digital emulations.
Hi-fidelity transformerless input stage
With their Nicerizer summing mixer, Phoenix takes a decidedly modern approach to Class A circuit design. The company’s proprietary transformerless input stage delivers the full frequency spectrum with crystal-clear clarity and punch. Transformers tend to slow things down a bit, which can sound amazing in certain cases; but then slew rates take a hit, delivering sluggish transients and limiting your tonal palette.
Driven conservatively, Phoenix Audio’s electronically balanced input stage serves up ultra-clear high-fidelity sound. If you’re after fatter, more saturated tones, engage the +8dB switch individually on any channel to drive the circuit hotter for a punchy in-your-face sound that only discrete Class A buffer amps can deliver. The Nicerizer Junior captures articulate, full-bodied input signals, allowing you to drive the output stage for an immense range of pure Class A tone, from modern audiophile clarity to vintage-flavored warmth.
Masterful transformer-balanced output stage
Phoenix Audio couples their custom-wound DB694 output transformer to a fully discrete, proprietary DSOP-2 output amplifier, itself a direct descendant of the renowned TF1 amp that Phoenix chief designer David Rees developed as an upgrade for vintage Neve 80 Series console modules. Outperforming the TF1, the DSOP-2 represents a pinnacle of Class A output circuit design, offering a seamless tonal range from ultra-clean to gorgeously saturated. With its big iron and massive headroom, you can drive the DSOP-2 to taste. Crank the Nicerizer’s output stage to elicit beautifully saturated tones, back off for a cleaner high-fidelity sound, or dial up any flavor in-between.
Balanced/unbalanced
If your inputs come from a variety of sources, you’re bound to be dealing with both balanced and unbalanced signals. No worries! The Nicerizer Junior’s 16 inputs can accept either — without any of the gain loss all-to-common with many mixer inputs. This amazingly useful feature lets you easily execute many functions that are fast becoming standard practices, such as looping through guitar pedals or recording MIDI-driven synthesizers in real time while mixing.
Phoenix Audio Nicerizer Junior Features:
- 16-channel DAW Summing Mixer in a 2RU 19" rackmount chassis
- 16 channels of discrete Class A balanced transformerless input stage
- Discrete Class A transformer-balanced DSOP-2 output stage
- Phoenix custom-wired transformers on both outputs
- Individual detented pan controls on each channel
- 16 balanced XLR inputs accept balanced or unbalanced inputs with no -6dB loss
- +8dB Boost button on each channel
- Master mix bus output level controls
- Main Outputs on balanced XLRs
- Maximum Output Level of +26dB
- Generous headroom available on all channels
- Wired with PTFE silver-plated mil-spec cable
| SPL MixDream Analogue Summing Unit
- Analogue outboard summing mixer
- Active Class A/60-volt stages
- 16 inserts for mixing external effects
- Individual and overall bypass relays
- Reduced of A/D conversions
- Efficient resampling individual tracks
- Latency-free monitoring
- Stereo expansion control for additional transparency
- Analogue peak limiter for gain optimisation
- Lundahl output transformers and inserts
- Adjustable insert levels, output levels and peak limiters
- Multiple units linkable for larger mixes
| The A-Designs Mix Factory takes a fresh approach to analog summing, delivering analog warmth with the depth and imaging needed to make your mixes truly stand out. Mix Factory inputs 16 channels and sums to balanced stereo outputs. All channels are fitted with gain controls, pan pots, and mutes. Two 8-channel groups are provided, each has an insert with mute button, and there is a master insert for all 16 channels. Mix Factory lets you switch between "clean," which bypasses the transformers, to "tonal," which introduces the harmonic enhancement of custom Cinemag output transformers. The Mix Factory is linkable, letting you expand to 64 or more channels. Take your studio to the next level with the A-Designs Mix Factory.
Benefits of the hybrid studio
Producer/engineer Tony Shepperd came up with the idea for Mix Factory, and it was brought to life by noted circuit design wizard Paul Wolff. Mr. Shepperd had been one of the modern engineers who subscribed to the "all-in-the-box" school of digital music production. At some point, however, he came to believe that digital and analog could very well coexist in the contemporary studio in a synergistic union that delivered additional "best-of-both-worlds" sonic benefits. This hybrid approach worked exceptionally well for Tony, taking his mixes to a new level. So much so that other engineers took notice and started asking him for tips. Today, most high-end recording facilities (including Sweetwater Studios) are hybridized in one sense or another. A-Designs' Mix Factory is a smart and cost-effective way to realize the many advantages of this approach.
A-Designs Mix Factory Features:
- 2RU 16-channel analog summing mixer
- 2 x 8-channel Groups
- All channels fitted with gain controls, pan pots, and mutes
- Switchable Cinemag output transformers
- Linkable, for easy studio expansion
- External power supply (included) switches between 120V and 230V
| The Dangerous Music 2-BUS+ is a 2U, 16-channel analog summing mixer with both XLR and D-sub inputs. It raises the bar on its legendary 2-BUS predecessor with even lower crosstalk, distortion, and noise-floor performance, along with stunningly precise soundstaging and center focus. Dangerous spent over two years developing three onboard audio processors that, with a simple push of a button and twist of a knob, add tone and color to your stems or across your entire mix directly from the 2-BUS+. The 2-BUS+ is smartly designed, extremely useful, and sounds incredible.
A trio of custom audio processors
In sync with Dangerous Music's doctrine of tonal coloration as a per-project artistic choice, the 2-BUS+ features three separate custom audio processors that selectively add tone and color to your mixes. In parallel processing mode, you can deploy Harmonics, a tuned harmonic distortion generator, and Paralimit, a FET limiter on steroids. At Sweetwater, we've applied both of these across stereo mixes and on pairs of stems. X-Former kicks in a pair of custom transformers with core-saturation control on your stereo mix outs. You can have all three tone processors active concurrently, and you can flip the order of signal flow through distortion and limiting.
Outstanding flexibility
Dangerous Music knows that each engineer — and session — is unique, so they designed the 2-BUS+ for outstanding professional flexibility. They spec'd it with an XLR stereo insert before the outputs for adding a separate compressor or processing chain that you can bypass at the touch of a button for a quick reference comparison. Channels 1/2 and 9/10 can be set to mono to rout; for instance, vocals/bass and kick/snare each to its own mono input. They also gave the 2-BUS+ an output control stepped in 0.5dB increments from -4dB to +6dB, and included XLR connections for both the main and monitor outputs.
Gang 'em for high channel count
Need a full-on analog "console" summing experience? Gang together multiple 2-BUS+ units via the stereo expansion inputs XLR to create a customized channel count. For the ultimate in tonal flexibility and control, the custom audio processors on each unit apply across the ganged group output. With three units, for instance, you'll have 48 channels of analog summing, with the first two units employing Harmonics (distortion), and Paralimit (limiter) across two separate stereo stems, and the third unit applying X-Former transformer saturation on the master stereo outputs.
What the pros are saying about the 2-BUS+:
- "The Paralimit and X-Former appear to be magic knobs. Special mention goes to the Paralimit because it does that lovely thing of bringing up the general ambience without slamming the track, something I particularly love on drums. Plugged it into my system along with my old 2-BUS and Dangerous MONITOR ST, and wow ... it's fantastic! Bags of air and space around the mix." — Chris Blackwell (drummer/composer)
- "Since the 2-BUS has so much headroom, it's really easy for me to decide that I want the entire vocal submix to be brighter or warmer, or more or less compressed." — Michael James (producer/mix engineer)
- "The Dangerous Music 2-BUS is one of the reasons my studio delivers a killer sound that grants the edge on the competition." — Alberto Rizzo Schettino (engineer)
- "Between SSL, in-the-box, and 2-BUS ... in blind tests ... it was a unanimous decision that the Dangerous mixes beat out everything. The 2-BUS mixes ... were simply cleaner and warmer than the SSL or in-the-box mixing ... I just don't miss my console." — Gina Fant-Saez (mix engineer)
- "With the 2-BUS LT, elements have their own place. You end up with a quicker, bigger mix and retain a more natural, less processed sound." — Phil Greiss (producer/engineer)
- "The Dangerous Music equipment is the centerpiece of my mixing rig. Everything I do goes through a Dangerous MONITOR, 2-BUS, MASTER, and BAX EQ. Everything." — Fab Dupont (mix engineer)
- "I don't understand how the 2-BUS has been in the studio for so long, but hasn't gotten to live shows — the sound is unbelievable." — Horace Ward (FOH engineer)
- "The harmonic and transformer flavors are great options to have and the parallel limiter is a genius idea." — Chris Tabron (producer/mix engineer)
Dangerous Music 2-BUS+ Analog Summing Mixer Features:
- Stunning 16-channel analog summing mixer injects your mixes with exceptional headroom and dimensionality
- 3 analog options (Harmonics, Paralimit, and X-Former) for adding tonal coloration to your mix
- XLR and D-sub input connectivity and flexible routing allow for a customized workflow
- Integrate your outboard gear easily with the switchable stereo analog insert
- Output control is stepped in 0.5dB increments for perfect recallability
- High-quality components ensure audiophile-grade sound
| Add the undeniably vibrant sound of analog summing to your DAW with the SPL MixDream XP 16 x 2 analog summing mixer. Take one of your past projects and mix it through the MixDream XP and you'll hear more depth, enhanced stereo imaging, and noticeably punchier dynamic impact. The Class A design and 60-volt rails in the MixDream XP provide amazing headroom and ultra-low noise, rivaling the sound of full-featured analog consoles. Once you've got your submixes sounding just right, Sweetwater can highly recommend the SPL MixDream XP summing mixer to take your mix over the top.
SPL MixDream XP 16 x 2 Summing Mixer at a Glance:
- Deeper, wider mixes from analog summing
- Premium analog design for top-notch sound
- Expandable for higher channel counts
Deeper, wider mixes from analog summing
While the debate over analog vs. digital summing is not new, most engineers agree that summing your mix through high-quality analog gear sounds awesome. Compared to the exact same mix summed in your DAW, you'll notice that the SPL MixDream XP sums your mix with greater depth and enhanced stereo definition, with an undeniably vibrant quality.
Premium analog design for top-notch sound
SPL designed the MixDream XP summing mixer with 60-volt rails for an outstanding 125dB dynamic range, with a very low noise floor too.The discrete Class A topology was designed to give you essentially the same sound as a high-end mixing console, in a convenient rackmount form factor.
Expandable for higher channel counts
Need more than 16 channels of analog summing? It's easy to expand your summing capabilities with additional MixDream XPs. Just use the expansion inputs to daisy-chain your MixDream XPs, or even mix and match with SPL MixDream model 2384 summing mixers.
SPL MixDream XP 16 x 2 Summing Mixer Features:
- 16-in, 2-out analog summing mixer
- Amazing dynamic range and ultra low noise, thanks to discrete Class A design and 60-volt rails
- Multiple units can be linked for surround operation
- Allows you to achieve an analog vibe that's difficult to create with plug-ins
- Ideal for mixing and mastering applications
| KORG MW 2408 MIXER MIXER |
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