The Bench

A restored Soundtracs CMX4400 analogue console, sixteen VU meters across the bridge and the routing matrix at the right

How Africa Got Multitrack: A Continental Timeline in Track Counts

In 1975 three Rhodesia Television employees put a half-inch 8-track, a 12:4:2 Soundcraft and a Revox A77 in a converted...

How Africa Got Multitrack: A Continental Timeline in Track Counts

In 1975 three Rhodesia Television employees put a half-inch 8-track, a 12:4:2 Soundcraft and a Revox A77 in a converted...

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A dbx 160 VU compressor, the original half-rack model with wooden cheeks and a single VU meter

dbx 160, 160A, 160X, 160XT, 160VU, 160S: Which One Are You Actually Looking At?

Nine compressors have worn the number 160, and the ones at either end of the family share no gain-control element...

dbx 160, 160A, 160X, 160XT, 160VU, 160S: Which One Are You Actually Looking At?

Nine compressors have worn the number 160, and the ones at either end of the family share no gain-control element...

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A Roland Juno-60 analogue polysynth, sliders and chorus switches across the front panel

Juno-60 or Juno-106? The Honest Answer, Including the Chip That Kills Them

Same six voices, same filter design, same chorus chips, and roughly double the price. The difference that matters is a...

Juno-60 or Juno-106? The Honest Answer, Including the Chip That Kills Them

Same six voices, same filter design, same chorus chips, and roughly double the price. The difference that matters is a...

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A plywood shipping crate on a pallet base with steel corner brackets, the packing standard heavy vintage studio gear needs for international freight

What It Actually Costs to Land a Vintage Synth in Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi or Accra

South Africa charges no customs duty on a synthesizer, a microphone, a desk or a tape machine. The money is...

What It Actually Costs to Land a Vintage Synth in Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi or Accra

South Africa charges no customs duty on a synthesizer, a microphone, a desk or a tape machine. The money is...

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A highlife band on stage, the bandleader holding a guitar and pointing off-mic, singers beside him with a shaker and a gong-gong

Two EQ Knobs and a Fader: How the Golden Age of Highlife Was Actually Recorded

Francis Kwakye cut the records that define 1970s highlife with, in the Cambridge paper's own words, nothing but the console's...

Two EQ Knobs and a Fader: How the Golden Age of Highlife Was Actually Recorded

Francis Kwakye cut the records that define 1970s highlife with, in the Cambridge paper's own words, nothing but the console's...

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