ProAudio Review - October 2008 - (Page 36) STUDIO | REVIEW enlisted friend to help put the desk together — the bay was easily lifted from the pallet, to the floor, and rolled into the studio. In as much time as it took to screw in rack gear and plug in the cooling fan, my new rack was essentially ready for action. ly constructed more than once or twice. Secondly, the sheer amount of available desktop area is great, yet it doesn’t feel like it is terribly large; its open design allows air (and sound) to flow through and around it. While some users may find the speaker platforms best suited for their intended use, I found them to be better for holding other components — vertically-racked audio modules, EDIT CENTER Continued From Page 34 textured flat black look. The Side Bay has a nice wood grain texture and look. According to Middle Atlantic, the Side Bay’s internal acoustical absorptive material reduces noise escaping from the enclosure by up to 22dB (and I believe it). The rear door Dark Cherry features a low-noise cooling fan and removable filter kit for air intake; a brush grommet at door bottom allows cable in/out while maintaining good noise resistance. Like the other models within the Edit Center range, the ES desktop slightly resembles a kidney bean in shape and curvature. Twenty inches back from the front of the desk, an 19-inch deep overbridge hovers approximately seven inches from the main desktop; this overbridge perfectly supports small- to mid-sized nearfield speakers as well as a video monitor. Further, a pair of pivoting speaker platforms allow placement of monitors — or any other gear — at “optimum listening angles,” explains Middle Atlantic documentation. The outwardly rounded contour of the desk’s left and right ends allows the side bay’s extended, inwardly rounded desktop to fit together like two smooth pieces of a puzzle; thus, the side bay can be rolled closer or further way from the user — for a long straight desk or a near L-shape — for use on either side of the desk (the side bay’s top can be unscrewed to place the curve facing left or right). IN USE Before I could use the Edit Center, I had to unpack it; it arrived via freight in two very large containers: one 34” X 35” X 36” reinforced cardboard box nailed to a wooden pallet (152 lbs) and a 39” X 68” X 36” plywood case; these held the S12D and ES desk components, respectively. As “all Edit Center racks are assembled at the factory to save you time,” Middle Atlantic promises, getting the S12D up and running was as easy as cutting the box down, and – with the help of an Honey Maple Surprisingly, the ES was a breeze to put together. This was due to the clearly defined instructions included in the kit and the simple and intuitive design of the desk. To be honest, the desk could be put together with only two able hands and not a single tool other than a Philips screwdriver and the Pepper Stone headphone amps, and so on. Personally, the spread is a bit wide for my main nearfield monitoring habits (and a bit small for my nearfields), but I have used them for secondary monitors (Auratone-style speakers) a couple of times. Regardless, I love their easy accessibility and, like the form-fitting Side Car, their adjustability for any way I may be working on a particular day. SUMMARY You could say that Middle Atlantic’s Edit Center is one stylish looking piece of studio furniture, but it is certainly not trendy or disposable. With that, I mean that the company only makes industrial strength, professional grade studio gear built to last as long as you’re a professional. The Edit Center is built to use demandingly. The literally open architecture of the Edit Center series is its main attribute, as it can evolve as your workspace and audio tool collection changes over the years. None of us really know what will sit on our desks in a decade, but it is highly likely that it will fit on an Edit Center. Best of all, you can literally wrap yourself within the Edit Center and Side Bay — thanks to the form-fitting contour configurability of the two unit’s desktops — so everything is at a comfortable reach. The Edit Center is not cheap, but if you prefer to buy furniture only once and you can justify the financial investment, consider the Edit Center as a studio heirloom before confidently placing your order. Strother Bullins is a Contributing Editor for Pro Audio Review. Side Bay included Allen wrench (for those in a hurry, a power driver bit is also in the box). I was immediately struck by several attributes of the ES desk. First, the materials and construction of this desk’s components could easily be assembled and disassembled over and over again, thus allowing it to move alongside an on-the-go professional user’s workspace; it’s definitely not “mobile furniture,” but it’s hearty enough to be tight- 36 | ProAudio Review | October 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com
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