Dynamix consoles??

by **Text_Edifice** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 4:10 pm

Hi all,

can anyone tell me anything at all about the Dynamix brand of analogue desks - looking for a cheap(er) second hand / vintage console that I can use for tracking / rudimentary mixes that will provide a good 'clean analogue' sound and will give me some usable EQ's, will a Dynamix deliver?

Cheers!

by **Henry** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:32 am

I got a 32/8 and electronically speaking the preamp design is fantastic. It was a budget 32 trk board when it came out so its not high spec components. However, it has a punchy sound, oxford belclere input transformers, the same you find in neve stuff of that era and the eq is amazing. There is a dead simple mod that copies a jensen input stage which increases the gain considerably ie. thereby lowering the overall noise level considerably. Replace 2 caps is all it takes. Star earthing on each channel to a common bus will lower the noise even further etc.

Great sounding desks and sought after by those in the know in the US. But they generally need recapping etc. Poor mans neve!

by **Text_Edifice** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:43 am

You've got to be shitting me :-) Why aren't they more widely recognised and why is info on them so difficult to find?

by **mfdu** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:40 am

i've certainly heard good thins about what can be done with them.

check out the Lad at prodigy DIY boards. if you're after headroom and performance, you can definately mod the unit to a higher level than you'd expect.

much like the venerable old studiomaster desks.

chris.

by **Text_Edifice** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:29 pm

Hey Chris, what'd you pay to get your board up to scratch? Am very interested in the Dynamix console now but want to know what sort of a commitment I 'm making...

by **mfdu** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:05 pm

a hundred bucks to have the studiomaster buses optioned to +4

time and effort to recap - priceless. but painful.

chris.

by **Henry** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:39 pm

Only 13 caps per channel so DIY is very easy. Already uses dual 5532 so there's not much point to upgrade there. Steve Crane at 301 told me he liked the circuit because of its simplicity, ie simple is better, purity of signal etc, said the real issue is getting the noise factor down (to modern broadcast standards). The desk already sounds great, just need to get them quiet enough for studio use.

by **Text_Edifice** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:16 pm

Sorry to be a gumby but I don't understand what exactly is involved in 'recapping' a desk... If it's something I can do with limited electronics experience I think it'd be a go-er but it sounds like it'd be an expensive job to have someone else do for me.

Thanks for the info so far - really useful!

by **harry** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:52 pm

hi

i used to own a dynamix 3000 in 32:16 format. I really liked it but i didn't have the room so i gave it (wiping tear from eye) to a mate who has coupled it with a 16 track reel to reel

I tend to agree with what henry has said regarding the sound and yes neve did use the belclere transformer in their comp i believe but i wouldn't call it a neve by any stretch. I think that it sound is great but it's construction is kinda crap. What i am saying is that any analogue desk this old needs work put into it. hours worth. but if you are prepared to do this you will have a funky desk.

i describe the sound as fat and thick. The eq is very powerful, i think of it as an effect eq - ie when you sweep the filters its like its a filter box. It isn't a neutral sounding desk so if you want that 70's sonic aesthetic its great. if you want a "clean analogue" desk this aint it - try an ssl "haha"

the main problem with these desks is that the power supply is under speced. My desk had a new one made up. Most certainly the capacitors in the supply will be bad by now - recapping the desk and powersupply will help considerably. This means replacing all the capacitors with new ones as over time they go bad.

the second problem is that the interconnect cables are pretty crap and become intermittent. So finding a set of replacements will be mildly expensive but more importantly very labour intensive to replace

Are you handy with a soldering iron? if no i would be hesistant as getting a tech to bring a desk like this into tip top condition is very expensive. If you are willing to learn however i would go for it.

pots also go bad on these desks - some are hard to get but they can be found.

personally, i'd keep one if i had the room but i would rather have 4-8 channels racked up in a box that is much more transportable.

i guess the short answer to you question is that - yes it is a cool sounding desk but comapring it to neve is like comparing a hsv to a ferrari.... although this desk is more like a rt charger than a hsv....

hope this helps

by **Text_Edifice** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:02 pm

Hi Harry,

thanks, very helpful. Not real handy with a soldering iron at present so one of these puppies might not be the best option for me at the moment (though I'd be interested in taking it on as a project if I had the time).

Something with a 70s sonic aesthetic is actually pretty much up my alley so that's a big tick, though I'm cautious of getting a heavily 'coloured' analogue desk... Then again the idea of a desk that can pull a nice thick fat 70s sound has me drooling.

Wasn't expecting a dynamix to sound anything like a Neve which is why I was surprised that a 'poor man's neve' was an appropriate descriptor.

Any idea if all dynamix desks use the same transformers or just the dynamix 3000?

by **Henry** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:25 am

I track drums with my Dynamix into the computer. That's what I mean when I say poor mans neve. You get that fat sound of the transformers which alot of ppl describe as neve-ish.

Don't read anything into it like some ppl do here! Alot of other Dynamix ppl I have known have made the same comment, in that it's obvious that Starsound(manufacturer) were attempting to emulate something neve-ish on the cheap. I actually worked in a Studio who bought one new back in 1981 precisely for this reason.

by **Alexi** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:30 am

Henry wrote:I got a 32/8 and electronically speaking the preamp design is fantastic. It was a budget 32 trk board when it came out so its not high spec components. However, it has a punchy sound, oxford belclere input transformers, the same you find in neve stuff of that era and the eq is amazing. There is a dead simple mod that copies a jensen input stage which increases the gain considerably ie. thereby lowering the overall noise level considerably. Replace 2 caps is all it takes. Star earthing on each channel to a common bus will lower the noise even further etc.

Great sounding desks and sought after by those in the know in the US. But they generally need recapping etc. Poor mans neve!

Hi guys,

i am new to this Forum and i have found it through researching on the Dynamix 3000 console.
I have recently bought a Dynamix 3000 24/8/2 console and would be very interested to know a little bit about those easy mods you mentioned Henry.
I know this is an old thread but there arent many infos on the net concerning the Dynamix consoles.

cheers and greetings

Alex

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