Under Tone Audio Custom Mixing Consoles: This EQ Will Freq You Out (Video)
Large-format analog mixing consoles seemed to be making something of a comeback at the 129th AES show. There were new offerings from Trident, ToneLux, Allen & Heath, and more, but we were most impressed by the desk presented by a relatively unknown brand, Under Tone Audio (or UnderToneAudio as it's styled at their official website. A labor of love for co-founder and recording engineer Eric Valentine, the board at the show was only the third built by the company (Eric and his partner and electrical engineer Larry Jasper), but we hope this console's radical design elements garner UTA the industry attention they deserve.
For starters, the board we looked at had some of the most intense equalization controls we've ever seen—in any format, be it console, rack unit, you name it. Eric gave us a detailed tour of his board's controls and explained how he solved the problem of early reflections resultant from board-mounted monitors. Suffice to say for now, but he found a way to make this mixer — for all intents and purposes — acoustically invisible.
Undertone console
This is just plain Sick!!!! Pure genius...I've never gotten quite that excited over a system that i'll probably never see or afford, but the concepts a from materials to eq to i/o subtle genius...Wow...
A Statement
This is a statement that summarizes everything that we know, and then takes it the next step. It is vintage, the best vintage and then, OK, where do we go from here.
Conceptually this is what audio products of the future MUST be like. We have saturation in the market, both of vintage, vintage design, and "modern". there is already 2 of everything under the sun. This OTOH is new. And if it sounds like it sounds like it sounds, then it is "worth it". What ever it might be.
Wish the guys all the luck in the world. They have advanced the state of the art. No denying that.
Cue Applause!
AES Visit
On seeing the Under Tone Audio Custom Mixing Console in good ol'SF, my Cal home and studio start (Wally Heider Recording circa 1972), I was thrilled with this console. Beside the audio re-stimulation, care for terrific sound, electronic elegance, and good old rock and roll fun, this was the real deal and an AES Highlight. I would love to spend some time with this baby to see what it does. I had lunch once with Wally Heider and Frank D'Mideo and I got the same vibe as with the Under Tone Audio crew and my talk with Larry Jasper was a gas! Sorry Larry for the grilling, but anyone crazy (and brave) enough to do this needs a regular reality check. Best of luck in this endeavor, you have my support and all best wishes.
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