Inside the Allen & Heath System 8: Part 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- More detail of the inside of my Allen & Heath System 8 MK II. I'm no electronics expert but I could understand the way this console was designed and built. These would seem to be good candidates for restoration and mods. They have a great reputation for good sound on a budget and have that cool vintage studio console look in a smaller size.
Great vid and really nice to see the system 8 get some love. I have been using one for 7-8 years. Mine is 16 channel -16 tape return config with an extra EX8 extension mixer botled on for 24 full channels and 16 extra tape returns. It's an MK1 unit. The faders are really hard to find.
I have modified mine quite a bit. I have the vu meters showing the signal level of the first 16 tracks. All meter bulbs are now orange leds. I have added eq bypass switch (missing on MK1). Rewired all the xlr inputs to pin 2 hot standard. All direct outs are now prefader for max colour when tracking & mixing. Fully recapped and various other small mods.
That is awesome! I love the System 8! Mine from the video is in storage currently as it quit working. Eventually I hope to restore and maybe make some upgrades or mod it as time and money allows. These things sound great and have really good preamps. I've also thought about cutting mine down to an 8 channel side car but it's complete so that would be a shame and I probably won't do that. Thanks for your comment and let me know how it goes with your System 8!
@@TwinCreekAudio well the work was all done years ago on mine and all good. Still needs maintenance every so often, tomorrow actually due to new year downtime.
Defo worth you putting some time and effort into the desk. I would stop short of crazy money as its not a neve or anything but certainly sounds really good for the proce they sell for. I paid £100 for mine and £30 for the ex8 add on. Pres are excellent.
Yours is in good condition so hopefully not too much work for you to get her going again.
@@MsZumoman the plan is to restore the System 8 when I can. I have a Soundcraft Sapphyre and a Soundtracs Topaz in good working order but I tend to collect these things so I'll be keeping it and eventually get it working well again.
I picked up a system 8 mk2 with the extra 8 tape rtns... I want to see what kinds of mods may be able to be done to the 8busses &/or the 8 extra tape rtns. The 16ch of the concole & the mst l&r buss, I want to keep too the original sound & design etc... So I can use the 16 direct outs into a interface, or use the recordings made out of the system8 mst l&r outputs as a better real analogue voltage summed glue for mixing. I make electronic music & these concoles just bring techno to life in awesome ways. I'd like to hot rod my 8 buses & extra tape rtns, so I've got more color, tones or drive as options for modding these sections of the concole?
It should have tie like connections to each of the subgroups, master and I think even the Aux sends. Maybe you can do some of what you want with those connections. I need to get the manual out and take a look.
Congratulations. Your Mixer looks like it has Already been Re-Caped. Those do not look like the Original Brand Caps.
I got it from a radio station and they said it had been gone through completely. It works fine other than some dirty pan and gain pots. It sounds absolutely awesome too. I passed it on to my close friend not long ago for his home studio since I have a Sapphyre and a Topaz.
Could I pay you to Have the Manual and Schematics professional scanned and copied. I really need a clear legible manual. most of the stuff online is like an 80;s Xerox copy.
I would but I sold the console a few years ago and included the manual when I sold it. I'm not sure what my friend who I sold it to did with it. I can try asking him if he made a copy of the manual or still has it to scan.
grady love your vids mate, i love this desk but so many scratchy pots. what do you suggest for fixing?
You can try cleaning them. There something that Jim Williams used to recommend for this called Stabilant 22a but he no longer recommends that. I'd think some Deoxit would be worth a try. You can flip the console over and remove the bottom panel to get to the pots to try and clean them. Let me know if you have any success.
@@TwinCreekAudio legend. will do thanks mate
These consoles sound so good, it's worth the maintenance. Some of the best preamps I've heard in a console. Thank you and best of luck!
@@TwinCreekAudio sorry Grady, appreciate your time should I be spraying the pots from the rear then twisting? Or get from the front after taking the knob off?
I would do that from the back with the module removed. It's pretty easy once you've done it several times like I have. lol