Sad but true ... I'm giving up my ol' Tascam M-320, certainly one of the ruggedest legacy solid state mixers, if not the quietest ... in favor of my Presonus FireStudio 26x26 (I/O) digital interface. It'll free up at least 10' sq, floor space in the control room, and if I can't hang onto the studio (rent), I can get it into a rack on my boat.
I'll miss it ... over 90 db gain in the channel pre's, enough to power a ribbon mic, compared to 60 db gain in the Presonus unit. All the 120mm faders still glide like angels.
I'll cry in my pillow tonite ... for awhile ... I'll get over it.
Ken, --My curiosity gets the best of me on this...
First, I had to google "OT" (="Off Topic")!
But what really got me was your comment of gaining "at least 10' sq, floor space in the control room" as a result of parting with your M-320.
How? why? wha?
10 sq foot gained?
Well, the board itself is 8.6 sq. ft. In my Control Rom (CR) space, the corner of the platform is no good for the computer monitor, so is wasted because of the board, plus the rack to my left and back against the front and left wall of the building needs to be there because of accessibility.
With the board gone, I can rearrange the space with a desk, everything will fit on top with space to spare, except the rack, which can now go underneath and still reach all the gear, but including the CD library currently in use (mostly backup stuff).
The desk is only 2' deep, so I gain nearly 4 sq. ft. to my left (where the rack will be moved from), and approx. 1'x6' (6 sq. ft.) between the desk and the front wall. .... =10 sq.ft.
Sorry about the "OT" thing, It's a widely used standard acronym on forums and group lists so people who aren't interested can skip over the message. I should've put in the blogs area.
Good thing that got clarified..for a while it seemed like you were implying OT..Over Time, and at that point I would have said.."at what rate of payment". :p
This is part of what's wrong with our society today..too many people are using acronyms instead of plain English and that stems from text messaging.
When everyone starts to speak acronyms instead of words, well at that point everything is truly lost since acronyms can mean anything. Wow..doesn't that sound familiar with this new use of the blank line dictionary!!
RFB
Personally, I don't mind the use of acronyms when used judiciously, i.e., the most common uses. There y'go ... i.e., e.g., etc., ... the list goes on, but everyone knows what they mean in context ... it saves unnecessary typing.
Virtually all the other group lists and forums I belong to know what OT means in a subject header; this is the one and only time its use in a subject line has been questioned in 17 years... its one of the most common acronyms there is, and there should be no mistaking what it means in this case.
Compare that to this blurb posted on a local event calendar --
"SJI DAR CHAPTER Meeting". All locals who use this calendar will know SJI = San Juan Island, but I couldn't find anyone who knows what DAR means. Still trying to find out. Its full name is not mentioned in the text.
Having said that, I admit again it should've been posted in the blogs area, no need for the use of "OT".
Words and how they are used is an interesting subject to me, and are a big part of every website on any topic.
There are many acronyms used here I am not familiar with and OT was one of them. So I enjoy it when the full definitions are sometimes given.
I am even confused whether acronyms are the same as abbreviations, and I'm not kidding about that. But I think they are both forms of shorthand.
But back to the topic of the off-topic audio mixer, I always hated huge audio mixers that required whole rooms, but they were the style for awhile. I think now everything is on a smaller scale, especially rooms, so we need smaller equipment.
A family member gave me a TV set that weighs 150-pounds and takes an entire wall. It has a beautiful picture, but it can't exactly be opened up and worked on. We would need a scaffold.
Do executive secretaries still take dictation from their bosses by jotting things down in shorthand? Maybe with computers and mini-disks there is a better method.
Talking about these things, i.e, acronyms, abbreviations and shorthand, has reminded me of a day during youth when I decided to "get smarter." I got hold of a booklet "Learning Secretarial Shorthand" and began studying it. It wasn't actually a very smart idea, since I had no intention of becoming a male secretary, and all I remember is little swirls and jots that stood for words and phrases, so that a secretary could keep up with a bosses rapid dictation.
Should have studied Morse code.
My ol' Tascam console is really small compared to those used in large live venues for Front Of House (industry standard acronym - FOH). One of my former mentors runs 104 channels in an analog console for a mega-church every Sunday (128 for concerts). But I was using mine strictly for small recording studio and radio work. It has extraordinary routing possibilities for a board of that vintage, but mostly I'll miss those channel pres.
Compare that to:
1) The new Presonus StudioLive 24 console, which has a plethora of built in effects, all of which can be adjusted to taste. It has its own memory and we're using it as standalone in church, but it's also a FireWire (FW) thing to connect to a computer, where all of the parameters can be controlled and memorized, plus the Capture software can pull the audio and record to disk, and the Artist series Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) multi-track software can create and mix with any of the computer-based Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), Virtual Studio Technology (VST plug-ins invented by CuBase originally for their DAW software, but now a standard used by lots of sound design software manufacturers) instruments and effects stuff (whatever you have in the computer), which can be dealt with inside the console via its own Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
A few years ago, a board and accompanying hardware to do what it does would've cost more than $20,000. Plus there is one thing none of those older ones could do ... you can run the whole show wirelessly from an iPad or iPhone. That will give me a lot better opportunity to get a handle on stage monitor levels and EQualization (EQ), as well as FOH sound in different areas of the room.
2) A radio studio console like Arrakis, AudioArts, Radio Systems, etc. Radio consoles have things like automatic monitor cutoff, cue switches, etc, but they don't need effects (outside a computer) nor bunch of mic inputs, rarely need more than 12 channels, no groups or other extensive routing stuff ... but they do need to be tough as nails and hold very tight tolerances and no noise from the get-go, which tends to make them pricey.
Sorry this message is so long ... I felt the need to type out all the words with accompanying acronyms 😉
I'll still miss all those faders, buttons, and knobs ... I am definitely a "knobbit" - not a real word, just something some of us made up 😉