ProAudio Review - November 2008 - (Page 18)

studio review by Alex Oana Solid State Logic Matrix A big console maker gives project studios a new heart The student group files in front of the next exhibit. A few feet behind the glass, under orange-tinged, dimmed incandescent lighting, the broad outline of a metal dinosaur stands dormant in silhouette. Traditional accouterments to the era are visible in the background: a worn, plush brown couch, an un-emptied ash tray, empty Coke can, a pair of pre “true-black” Herman Millers, nest of wires, racks of scientific-looking equipment. “What was that for,” a normally shy sixth grader asks Mr. Alge, the museum's docent. “That, my young friend, that was the heart of rock-n-roll.” Giant consoles are certainly not extinct. They remain an invaluable resource to making certain kinds of productions and to making certain stages of productions. Sometimes the most innovative products are at first the most misunderstood. Through my process of reviewing the new small-format SSL Matrix console, I realized what a gaping hole of functionality there has been in project studio land ever since the diminutive DAW replaced the console as the producer’s production centerpiece. SSL calls Matrix “the new standard in project studio integration,” and I agree. There are other audiophile-quality analog/digital hybrid systems that interface with DAWs to a finite degree of repeatability and automation, as are there a multitude of dedicated digital audio workstation controllers. Matrix is the first offering from a top console manufacturer surgically aimed at the professional project-studio-based producer whose analog gear and DAW are equally integral to making records. Matrix will most immediately appeal to those who aspire to use or have used fullfeatured control surfaces or mixing consoles, but it might just convert some serious mouse draggers, too. The Console The Matrix for review arrived from Oxford, England in a heavy flight case sent by Alex Oana is an award-winning producer/engineer/mixer living in Los Angeles. www.alexoana.com. 18 ProAudioReview | November 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.alexoana.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - November 2008

ProAudio Review - November 2008 Contents Technically Speaking First Look 2008 PAR Excellence Awards New Studio Products Studio Sense Review: Solid State Logic Matrix Review: Arsenal Audio by API R24, V14, and R20 Mini-Review Review, Second Opinion, and Benchtest Review: A-Designs HM2EQ HAMMER Review: Sontronics Sigma Phantom Powered Ribbon Microphone Analog In The Studio: Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be New Live Products Worship Audio Review: Community VERIS Series Loudspeakers Installation Profile Single Slice

ProAudio Review - November 2008

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