When we set-up and maintained our console one thing we got rid of was the old Yellowtec System 4 fader-automation. Developed by our studio technician ACI in the late 1980ties for his employeer Thum+Mahr, the system was implemented in a lot of console back than but never been updated to modern computer technology. And as much as we love vintage gear we really didn’t wanted to maintain an old 386 PC in the studio just for fader automation…

Rewiring 40 faders…

The digital connector has a pretty common wiring – 3 wires for reading the fader, one for detecting the touch on the knob and two for controlling the servo:

The idea

.Having all the faders rewired we tought it might be cool to have a new fader automation – just in case 🙂

After some online research we figured out that the market for fader automation is pretty dense. Basically the main manufacturers like SSL or Neve have their own systems but it’s really hard to get a reasonable priced after market automation. Only thing which was quite interesting was Fadermate – a UK-based company who developed a retro fit fader automation. But even that systems starts at 1.745 € for just eight faders – and on the other hands the technology is heavily based on midi and a lot of additional hardware. But a no-go for us was that you have to use their faders which doesn’t make sense for us.

We discused with our stuido technician ACI and pretty fast the idea was born that we should try to connect one of the standard DAW controllers with motorized faders to our faders. So just get rid ot the internal faders of the controller and connect the wires to our faders. That simple.

After some research to find a reasonable priced, future proof and easy to use / integrate DAW controller we stumbled upon the Icon X+ – a pretty nice, very basic but well designed DAW controller with everything we were looking for:

• 8-channel DAW controller usable as a standalone unit without Platform M
• Expandable to 32-channels
• 8 touch-sensitive motorized faders with 10-bit resolution
• Mackie control build-in for Cubase, Nuendo, Logic Pro and Ableton Live.
• Mackie HUI protocol build-in for Pro Tools

 And all that priced at 279 € incl. tax!

The Icon faders

 So we set-up a small test and just connected the P+G fader to the Icon and it worked surprisingly well! Even with the lower voltage the fader worked smoothly and was easily controllable through Logic X.

We also decided against using the additional DAW functionality of the Icon (Mute, record enable, dual function encoder knobs) as we do not want to built a DAW controller into our Raindirk but just a fader automation.

Another thing we have to try is to run the Icon at a higher voltage so the P+G faders get optimum voltage for the servo. As far we read the Icon design it shouldn’t be an issue to raise the voltage to 8 or 10 volt. Let’s see 🙂

The PCB for the project as designed by Glenn

So far – this is the actual status of the project and we’re waiting for the PCBs to move on!

Stay in tuned for the follow-up and the assembly of our k22 faderautomation.

As a console is the main centerpiece of any recording studio it also is the piece of gear you really should think about. When we discussed the budget for k22 studios we quickly came to the conclusion that a Neve, API or SSL console would be out of reach for us. Not just from the budget perspective but also in regards of cost of maintenance.

We therefore had a close look on the 2nd tier brands like Harrison, MCI, Calrec, Cadac, Audient or Trident and others. We finally very much liked the Raindirk Symphony consoles which Raindirk first launched in the late 1980ies. The electronic design of the consoles is astonishing, managing to keep the noise floor from 24 active channels 90dB below 0VU — a fantastic achievement, even by today’s standards!

In the early 1970ies he was asked to design a 24‑track recording console for the band Deep Purple, to be installed at the old De Lane Lea studios in Kingsway, London. That console went on to record the likes of the Who, the Animals, ELO, Iron Maiden, Leo Sayer, Paul McCartney and Wings, and many others. Shortly after that first console proved such a success, Cyril built three more for Olympic Studios in London. Cyril’s work was recognised by Rupert Neve, who purchased a console himself for his religious foundation work!

(Deep Purples Raindirk console at  De Lane Lea Studios 1973 – picture courtesy of Raindirk)

In Germany a couple of Raindirks are still at use – Mohrmann Studio in Witten has a nice LN1, Thomas D. from the Fantastische Vier has a Symphony in his private studio as well as Peter Maffey who’s Mallorca based recording studio houses a Symphony too.

We found a nice 56 channel Symphony in Montreal which was for sale but before investing in shipment we thought it might be a good idea to do some background check on the console. So we contacted Cyril Jones directly.

While long retired he very quickly answered and we had a nice chat about his old consoles and about the one in Montreal in particular. He also gave as the telephone number of a retired service engineer in Germany who installed most of the Raindirk consoles in Europe back in those days. Cyril said that „ACI“ might help us with more information or might know someone who sells a console. Fortunately ACI lives just 15km from our location!

ACI invited us to his home studio and showed his own 40 channel Raindirk LN1 which he bought from a client back in the 1990ies and installed it in his attic. 

(Christoph, ACI and Carsten at ACIs home studio)

During a long afternoon he finally offered us this console as he thought that this might be a good chance to finally reduce his home studio to a more suitable smaller console. Well – that was luck! Especially as ACIs Raindirk was very well maintained and he insisted on installing the console at our place himself!

During the last couple of month ACI also became a really good friend and our go-to service engineer. His knowledge about studio equipment and his ability to repair even the weirdest stuff is unbeaten! Big thanks tio Cyril for making this contact!

Over the years – when working in Carstens Ezy Sounds studio – we often discussed that we should build a „real studio“ – a studio like studios used to be in the good old days of recording.

On the same property where Carstens studio and his audio and video rental company Pelser+Schmidt is located there also used to be this old famous underground club – the KUFA. Hundreds of famous bands played at this venue during the 1980ies and 1990ies before the KUFA moved to a new location. Bands like The Fall, Monster Magnet, The Stranglers, Bad Religion, Die Ärzte or Einstürzende Neubauten used to stop at this venue long before the became famous and switched to larger venues. Some people tell that even Depeched Mode once played a show here.  Now abandoned for years the old sheds had a very special spirit but unfortunately were in a very bad shape.

When the Covid-19 crisis started in March 20 and concert and event business had an full stop we thought that this might be our one-in-a-million chance. If not now when should we find the time to build a recording studio?

In July 20 we finally signed the lease for most of the old KUFA – approx. 500 qm.