Any Toft ATB rev 3 users?

[kslight]

My business partner wants to get a new Toft ATB16 for his studio. I've never used one but I've used a couple different Trident desks...though I realize this is not at all the same thing.

The appeal to him I think is the size (his studio is very small and drum oriented, not big enough really to track a whole band at once...the control room is also small) and the fact that it's not 30-40 years old and requiring tons of upkeep...and obviously a lot cheaper than an API or 5088.


I believe his goal is to mix through it (using Pro Tools for automation and editing) more than actually track through it.

The preamps are of no consequence to him, he's already got more channels of Chandler and API than he would want to record simultaneously. Mainly I think he wants to run tracks or stems to the board, EQ and mix, and record that back to Pro Tools.

I've sort of read mixed things about this board...noise and headroom, long term reliability...I'm aware that Jim Williams does a master section mod but I'm guessing that still isn't enough to really take this into the territory of a real pro board.

I also remember these boards being a lot cheaper..seems like you're about $6k now with a meter bridge? And of course he's going to have to buy some more DA and cabling to make it work. I personally think that's a lot of money for what might not be all that great of a board anyway...but he's not real comfortable mixing in the DAW so he wants to get away from it. Money is not really an issue for him but I'm not going to be able to convince him to triple his budget and I don't really want a big old board in there that only half works. The studio is in Iowa so there are not a ton of talented techs or good used boards around. There might be room for a small sidecar type board, there is absolutely not room for even a 32 ch MCI or whatever.

Any thoughts...especially those that have gotten the mods?

[honkyjonk]

I had a version 1 for awhile. It sounded alright. The eq's are very good. Indeed the headroom isn't that great though. I imagine you could get it sounding pretty rad with real careful attention to gain staging.