EMT

This mixer have been ordered in the early 80s by Radio France for the recording of Concrete and classical music. EMT worked with a German company named ABE for its manufacture. The Mixsystem is very similar in look and in part in its design to the Studer 169 but unlike Studer, its design is simple (in a good way), making it easier to maintain / modify. As with the Studer, we can link more channels at will. Pierre Henry has a M100 20 tracks (See photo studio P. Henry: http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2007/12/29/03004-20071229ARTFIG00001-pour-ses-ans-pierre-henry-surprend -encore.php). Pierre Boulez worked with the M40, built around the same channels but with sub groups. For those who're interested into classical contemporary music you'll have an idea of what were their quest into sound quality ... In a more modern style, the studio "The Pool" has a M100 30 tracks and recently Nick Nave, bloc party, franz ferdinand, The Horrors have seen this base ... The basic configuration is made up of: 10 channel mono mic / line (A111) with: 100mn Fader Penny & Giles Mic and Line with excellent Beyer Dynamics Preamp XLR inputs Insert stereo jack A tape output (can be modified for direct output) Two AUX sends (one switchable pre / post fader, the other pre-fader) LPF Phase Reversal EQ very musical, somewhat rounded BF at 40Hz, A semi-parametric midrange for a 14kHz RF Panoramic PFL / Solo / Mute / Eq on-off A master section (2xA112) with: 100mn Fader Penny & Giles limiter Seen meter amplitude and phase correlation, balanced outputs (XLR) Insert (TRS) A slice of a stereo Aux return (A113) Fairly comprehensive monitoring section (A114) Internal power supply (A115) The table is rackable because it has the size but must be handy. It can be considered portable being quite heavy though. I put a Nine for the 2 fixed freq EQ but one can't be compact and have everything isn't? UTILIZATION Simple and direct SOUNDS Transparent, clean, "High Fidelity" oriented EQ sweet and musical Preamp with power energy while remaining very soft! Excellent SNR OVERALL OPINION I love this little beauty, unrecognized, rare. Having worked on a Sonny MPX200 then Amek Angela, the EMT, although being simplest, is by far my favorite. I would do this choice without a doubt, if it comes out when I'm solvent!

The EMT 140 is a real plate reverb that is enclosed within a huge case that has XLR connections to send this to your console. It is a strictly analog technology and is not rackable at all - it is huge. UTILIZATION The configuration of the EMT 140 plate reverb is pretty basic and once you set it up you don't really have to touch it again. The studio I have used these at has their 140s in the basement and don't ever touch them. It is easy to get an awesome sound from these, simply by setting the reverb send on your console, or whatever else you might have it hooked up to. I don't have a manual for one of these, so I can't speak to how helpful it is or not when setting the EMT 140 up or using it. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the EMT 140 plate reverb is outstanding, and is unlike any other reverb that I have ever used. I use this on all types of instruments, including for vocals, guitars, keyboards, snare drum, percussion, and drum overheads. It truly has the most realistic reverb sound that I have ever used beyond getting a great reverb sound at the source. This is better than any plug-in replication and definitely has its own distinct sound to it that has become recognizable around music. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the EMT 140 plate reverb for about four or five years and when I can use them, I always do. They really have one of the best reverb sounds I've ever heard and I can't say enough about how real they sound. The EMT 140 is the holy grail of plate reverbs, and has really become a classic piece of gear. These are extremely expensive these days, but if you are in a studio that has them, they are a must use. Overall, the EMT 140 plate reverb is a brilliant piece of gear.

The EMT 156 Compressor is an analog dynamic processor that can be used for both mastering and mixing. I'm not sure what types of connections this unit has as the one that I have used was already racked and I wasn't involved with setting it up. This is indeed a rack mountable unit and I believe it will take up approximately three rack spaces. UTILIZATION The make up of the EMT 156 Compressor isn't too hard to follow as the parameters are found on most compressors. You've got a variety of parameters including ratio and gain, as well as a slew of other buttons and other knobs that you have to work with here. While it would take too long to list all of the parameters available on the 156, suffice it to say that there is more than enough to work with here, making it a versatile compressor. I haven't seen the manual for this compressor so I can't really say anything about it... SOUND QUALITY The sound of the EMT 156 Compressor is absolutely top notch. While EMT isn't known for making dynamic processors like compressors, this is truly a great sounding piece of gear. When I usually think of EMT I think of their plate reverbs and not necessarily this end of their products, but this is overall a very impressive sounding compressor. It is great for a variety of applications since it has so many different parameters and buttons to play with. I've had a lot of success using this on vocals, guitars, drums, and electric pianos. I don't think I can think of an application where I wouldn't be comfortable using this, as it is simply an overall great sounding compressor. OVERALL OPINION While I can't say I would recommend seeking out an EMT 156 Compressor as they are hard to find, I would definitely recommend looking into this compressor if you are interested in getting a classic compressor with top notch sound quality regardless of the price. I've only seen this compressor in the one studio that I used it at and have yet to see one at all since using it. I love how many different buttons and knobs it has, and even though there is a lot going on it definitely doesn't have a convoluted interface. All in all, the EMT 156 Compressor is a top tier piece of outboard gear that I would recommend without a doubt - if you can find one!

This is a really solid record turntable, one that has been in my family for many years. My dad has had this table since he was in high school, which was 1971-1975. All I've ever had to do to get it fixed and working again (beyond the obvious point of replacing the stylus), was to readjust the belt one time. And that only took a few minutes! I think one of the best features about this is the arm. It has a cool adjustable feature that prevents skating on the table. It's a bar that raises the arm and drops the needle as low as it needs to go, so that you aren't scratching records. One thing I wasn't crazy about was that it doesn't have the protective plastic cover for the table, which makes damaging it a little bit easier. However, that's a minor complaint. As far as sound quality, this table is a pretty great-sounding one. Granted, 90% of the sound is because of the needle, but I've certainly heard record players that sounded far worse even with better needles. This is certainly a trusty table, assuming you have all of your needle issues figured out. The needle on this table is one that I haven't been able to find. I'm still looking into replacing some parts and seeing if I can get a different needle. I'd rather not go online and pay a ton of money for it, if it'd be easier to just to find another way to do it. All in all, a solid table that holds up well over time. As long as nothing on this table breaks and the cables are kept straight, it's a perfectly capable unit. The needles might be tough for you to replace, but you can get them online if you really need them. Or some people still fix them in local record shops.