If you haven’t visited us in the last year or so, you haven’t realized we completely swapped out the Solid State Logic 4032 analog console for a Lawo Mc56mkii 48 fader digital desk. Why you ask, well lets dig into that a bit.
First of all we went Lawo because they were generous and are loaning me the desk since I work for them. This allows me to do testing and provide training at my studio. It was a B stock console that was just no longer in a condition where we could sell it to a client. There were a few rips on the arm-rest, big scratches on the sides of the frame etc, all cosmetic, nothing that effected how it sounds or operates. We were more than happy to take the desk for as long as we are allowed to have it and give it a good home as it is the single best digital console we have ever heard.
So what happened to the SSL? Well we didn’t get rid of it just yet, currently its in the shop getting worked on and fixed up so that one day we either put it back in, or sell it so it can continue to make someone else happy.
What are some of the advantages of the Lawo “digital” workflow over the traditional SSL “analog” workflow? Surprisingly, they are vast, one of the biggest advantages is recall and speed at which we can work now. All equalizers, dynamics, fader levels, aux sends and even mic preamp levels are all instantly recalled based on the song we are currently working on. We are able to switch around quickly and efficiently between a client’s songs and use their time wisely instead of having to spend 30 minutes or more breaking out the recall sheets and manually setting all the knobs on 32 channels of the SSL.
Channel count is another big advantage with the Lawo. With the SSL we had 32 faders in the analog realm we could work with and that was it, yes we could get creative on the desk and utilize the small faders during a mix-down session to get more faders, but we were always limited to the desk processing of 32 channels. On the Mc56 we have over 256 channels of DSP all with full processing. This allows us to work in a different manner, we can setup our record channels, typically 128, and still have room for tons of FX and additional tracks should the song call for it. What this means is we now have created a starting template where we already have Reverbs, delays, harmonic and esoteric FX built into the session and landed on faders for many different instrument types and situations. This reduces the thought process and the interruption when starting a project when we had to sit down, think about what FX we wanted to add and start building it as we go. Now all we do is turn up the appropriate knob and we are already in a good starting place. Obviously we will need to go into the session and tweak the settings of the FX to suite the song but the initial building process is already taken care of for us, letting the creativity flow more freely.
Next, because the Mc56 has built in automation, we’ve been using the console to create the mix and working within Protools much less often. This may seem like a step backwards in terms of technology as the trend of late is to do the mix in the box, however having come up on the older SSL and Neve desks that also had built in automation, its really a better way to work and feels more creative as we aren’t digging around with a mouse and keyboard, we stick to using our ears and pushing the faders. I know some of you will say, Seth, you mentioned the SSL consoles typically also had this feature, how is this a new advantage with the Lawo. Well yes, SSL did have their Ultimation system however the 4032 we own did not have the computer, yes we had the cards and yes the console technically is capable of it, but we didn’t own the brains so we couldn’t utilize it. We typically was using the SSL as a glorified summing mixer, mixing in the box to stems and spilling them into the analog world to be summed together.
The absolute biggest advantage however is surprising, it is 100% sound quality. From the mic-preamps to the mix buss, the Lawo just sounds incredible. Its super low noise and I can’t explain it any better than sounding “more real”. Everything that passes through this desk just feels like you can reach out and touch it. You hear the depth, width and detail in every sound and it doesn’t collapse on itself as you build larger complex mixes. The SSL sounded great and will always have a sweet spot in our hearts, but, it is a certain “sound”. It’ll always remind me of 80’s and 90’s records as the SSL was a common console of those days but it imparts that specific tonality to the sound, not something you always want. Now with the Lawo, if I want a specific analog flavor, I can turn to the SSL buss compressor in the rack or the Neve 33609 or anything else. Since the Lawo is so clean and “real”, anything you push through the outboard gear, you truly hear what that box is doing to the signal.
Its like having the best of both worlds, I can work faster, not as hard and get an incredible end result with the Lawo all while still feeling like I’m using a classic large format console. We at Mintz Productions are truly thankful Lawo has been so kind to loan us this desk and will happily give it a good home for as long as we are allowed to have it. We think we better start saving our pennies now, because it’s going to be very hard to go back. Let us hope that day never comes.
Give us a call to come see the studio and discuss your musical endeavors.