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| Soundcraft GB8-40 mixing console fresh out of the carton |
We chose the Soundcraft GB8 for several reasons. It has a very neutral sonic footprint on the signals passing through it, you don't buy this mixer for color. It lines up perfectly on 0 dBu and provides 20 dB of clean headroom at .003% distortion. Unlike modern digital mixers this one does not stop at +20 dB, it can squeeze out another 4-6 dB before hitting 1% distortion on our analyzer. Even at that level it still sounds like audio where a digital-over sounds nasty and not at all like audio. The forgiving nature of analog is why our engineer keeps it in the loop.
Our console was custom ordered and purchased new, it has 40 full channel input strips plus four additional stereo input strips. Under the hood every channel is on a separate circuit card which make servicing much easier. All the input and output connectors are on the rear of the desk which keeps the top visually clutter-free.
Every channel has a discrete direct-output which can be pre or post fader. We leave them set post fader and bring them all up in the patchbay so they can be used as discrete effects sends.
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| GB8-40 Mixer, installed in the studio |
The GB-8 has eight subgroups which can easily be configured as four stereo pairs. Each of these stereo group pairs has a stereo effects return which can be fed from a stereo aux mixer for easy addition of multiple outboard effects like digital or tape delay and we give you several different reverb processors to choose from.
AUX SENDS
The GB-8 has eight aux sends which can all be assigned post fader, this makes the most sense when mixing effects in the studio. Since this console is set up for mixing and is never used during tracking all the Aux Sends just stay set to post fader. One nice thing about the way the pre and post fader switching works, sends are done with dual gang pots so there are only master switches to set, you don't have to go to every individual channel and configure all the sends pre or post. This eliminates a lot of switches that could get dirty and go bad.
MORE UNBOXING PHOTOS
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| There were foot prints on the outside of the carton, somebody walked on our mixer |
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| The shipping carton for this beast was seven feet long. |
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| The console was packed very well, no physical damage from shipping |
Our Soundcraft came from Sweetwater. We did have a problem with the console and Sweetwater jumped up very fast and completely solved it by replacing the mixer at no charge to us. That was no small feet due to size and weight. There is no better dealer for gear, they back what they sell!
GROUP EXPANSION AND PARALLEL COMPRESSION
The inserts on the GB-8 groups are the typical unbalanced type with send on the tip and return on the ring. This is not ideal for our application so Mark designed and built Bus-Boxes for each stereo pair of sub-groups. Each Bus-Box is a stereo processor interface for the group left and right signals, left on the top row of connectors and right on the bottom row.
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| LAYING OUT BUS-BOX DRILLING |
The Bus-Box splits the insert-send into two quasi-balanced outputs to feed the inputs of a compressor and an outboard line-mixer which is used to create parallel compression. The compressor output feeds another pair of inputs on the mixer, this allows the compressed signal to be blended with the direct signal. The output of the line mixer feeds back to the Bus-Box which has a Layered Audio 620X isolation transformer that connects the signal back to the insert-return on the GB-8. Did you follow all that? The audio transformer keeps the ground from the parallel-compression mixer from connecting to the chassis of the GB-8 console and this is what banishes hum and noise and gives the equivalent of a balanced insert.
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| WIRING UP A PAIR OF BUS-BOXES FROM DESIGN SCHEMATIC |
The Bus-Box completely eliminated ground-loops, noise and hum from the insert point because of the magic isolation capabilities that only a precision audio transformer can deliver.
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| TWO MORE BUS-BOX ROLLING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE |
The first Bus-Box worked so well that Mark quickly built two more so now we have three stereo sub-groups that each have their own parallel compression. The effect is really extraordinary in what it does for the dynamics and punch of a song.
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| THREE BUS-BOX SPLITTERS ATTACHED TO REAR OF CONSOLE HOUSING |
Here is a typical way we might assign the mix bus group outputs on the Soundcraft
GROUP 1-2 = DRUM MIX BUS (Bus-Box1 with dbx 166A stereo mix bus compressor)
GROUP 3-4 = MUSIC MIX BUS (Bus-Box2 with dbx 166XL stereo mix bus compressor)
GROUP 5-6 = VOCAL MIX BUS (Bus-Box3 with ART VLA mix bus compressor)
GROUP 7-8 = BASS MIX BUS
By having each stereo group processed separately each of the groups speak independently, the drums never modulate the vocals, music or the bass. The parallel compression can be individually adjusted for each of the stereo groups or bypassed completely. Once you hear it you never want to bypass it though.
With parallel compression the original signal passes through unaffected so all the original dynamics are preserved. The compressed signal is added in behind the original signal in perfect phase so that it just reinforces the overall punch without damaging the original dynamics like an overall compressor would.
Bus-Box is just one of the many analog innovations you'll find in the Proworkshop Recording studio, all designed and implemented to create recordings that are punchy and interesting to listen to.
HYBRID OR ANALOG
The combination of having a 32-input by 32-output digital programmable mixer, direct connected to our DAW via USB is like a god-send to someone who grew up in the era of tape recording.
Track limits are gone. Automation can be carefully programmed to achieve fader moves that would be impossible to do by hand.
You can mix straight out of the digital console analog outputs through our Neve headend, then right into our Tascam stereo master recorder for a very pure and direct sound. Or feed the AES digital output from the console right to the master recorder for an all-digital signal path.
Want more hands on?
Any of the DAW track outputs can be routed via direct outputs on the digital console to corresponding inputs on the Soundcraft analog console. This gives full access to all the parallel compression group options plus the patchbay which allows interconnection between any of the outboard processors.
It's all wired up and ready to go, no fiddling necessary. It's as much analog as you want or as little as you need. Full digital or instant analog with hands on control and four stereo subgroups to bring it all together, connected through a 1200+ point balanced patch bay.
The bottom line is this, you can mix any way you want. There is no more debate required about in the box or outside the box with a system like ours because you can very quickly configure it to be anyway you want it.
