Wow, Peter Gabriel bought SSL

Uh, OK. Rumor is someone is going to buy AMS-Neve too. Wonder who?

 

It will be interesting to see what direction they take the company in.

Will they stay very high end (even their "budget" console is what, 90 grand?) or will there be new products more suited to the project studio?

 

That explains why he's selling his current SSL at Real World - to make room for the bigger and better SSL he's about to give to himself.

I'm actually pessimistic about this deal. Artists that try to run high-end companies, like SSL, have historically only made things worse. The "low end" SSL was the first sign that they might be starting to sell out. The SSL channel strip is another sign. Maybe this is what it takes to compete in today's market, but they're such a legendary *high-end* company that I get nervous about this new deal.

 

Yeah, what are we going to do if the high-end rooms of the world all get equipped with _good_ sounding consoles for a change?

 

What's wrong with the channel strip?

 

Puts SSL within the reach of peasants.

Seriously, it would be suicidal for SSL not to acknowledge the huge impact of the home studio, erm, "revolution".

Me? I'm kinda curious about Rupert Neve's new Portico pre.

 

Yeah, no kidding. It would also be suicidal for them to compromise on the quality they're famous for.

Anyway, it's interesting that Gabriel is involved financially. If they can stay profitable, great!

 

I wasn't concerned that the quality would get better, but that it would get worse. Cheaper, and maybe more obtainable. The high-end rooms that you spoke of, if they're *truly* high-end, already have great sounding consoles. If they don't, they're not high-end, only expensive.

 

I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with the channel strip, but that the fact that SSL is selling smaller sections of their boards as racked units is a sign that they're starting to reach down towards the rest of the world - those of us in the audio ghetto - which means that they're no longer sticking to just their one gun: the million dollar console. It's a sign that times are changing. Not necessarily bad, but in this day where million-plus selling records are being produced in project studios, they MUST try to compete to stay afloat.

It's the same thing as Bentley's new "affordable" $150k cars. It's ALMOST reasonable to think that we might one day be able to own one. It takes the Best-of-the-Best and lowers it to a level where it starts to get lost a bit among the noise of the other high-end companies, and that's one way that companies go out of business.

 

G

 

Given the rate at which big room studios are shutting their doors and the proliferation of facilities with smaller desks it would strike me as crazy if they stuck with the large format only.

 

??

OK, but pronouncements about "selling out," like in your first post, make no sense to me, personally.

 

Don't misquote me. That's why it doesn't make sense to you. Read each word and it should be clear.

 

I agree, just as I have all along, but it doesn't mean that I'm happy about it.

 

I didn't.

 

example?

 

Heard last week that AMS Neve has been bought by the school of audio engineering here in the UK

http://www.ams-neve.com/news/pr/pr_sae.htm