Amazona.de Reviews the TSM Analog Summing Mixer
- 08.02.2023
- Gabriel Maceu Faria
- TSM
- Review
Amazona.de has put the analog summing mixer with tubes through a thorough test – reason enough to sum up here what the editors heard and what's technically behind it.
A few years ago, the Amazona.de editors got a 32-channel version of our Tube Summing Mixer, and they tested it thoroughly in a brilliant review.
Now, they have also reviewed the 40-channel version of the TSM with Sub-D outputs, and you can read the article right right here (in German).
If you are interested in reading about how the TSM can glue your tracks and bring out beautiful harmonics from the depths of your mix, look no further.
What Amazona.de Hears in the Analog Summing Mixer
"The audio material loses corners and is significantly more compressed, especially in the midrange, than without analog summing. Short, percussive sounds are only slightly decanted and experience a comparatively small change in sound. On the other hand, pads or already heavily compressed material experiences a significant increase in pressure, it becomes softer and more balanced in frequency. It is also worth mentioning that the sound coloration does not affect the treble or bass range. Failures, such as a treble cut or lack of punch below 100 Hz, are therefore not to be feared." – Axel Ritt, Amazona.de, January 2023 (translated)
That matches what the TSM is meant to do: the tube summing mixer densifies and rounds off without taking anything away at the top or bottom. Amazona.de had already reviewed the 32-channel version back in 2015 – see our news item from that time.
The Tube Summing Mixer in Numbers: 40 Channels, Tubes, Transformers
The Tube Summing Mixer is an analog summing mixer with 2×20 channels: 2×16 balanced inputs sit on four sub-D connectors in Tascam layout (XLR or TRS via adapter cable), plus 2×4 balanced inputs on stereo TRS jacks. The output stage is active and built around tubes and transformers, the internal mix bus handles up to +22 dBu, the frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 40 kHz, and the dynamic range is 110 dB. Two illuminated VU meters show the level. If you need more than 40 channels, you cascade several units – which also makes analog summing of surround mixes possible. Mono signals are handled simply: plug into only the lower TRS jack of a channel pair, and the signal is automatically routed to both channels, placing it in the phantom center.
Analog Summing Mixer vs. In-the-Box: What It's About
Many people miss the sound of the analog console era but don't want to give up total recall. That's exactly the gap the Tube Summing Mixer closes: the individual tracks come out of the DAW, are combined in the analog mix stages made of tubes and transformers, and go back as a stereo sum. The result is a typically analog sound – open and defined, yet warm – and the mix is no longer trapped between the speakers but opens up into the room. To keep the mix exactly reproducible anyway, the TSM has a stepped output switch instead of a potentiometer, reducing the level in -3 dB increments. More on that philosophy in "The Single-Knob Mix: Tube Summing Mixer TSM".
Thank you Amazona.de for another great review!
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Related: What Does Analog Summing Add? TSM Video Review · The Single-Knob Mix: Tube Summing Mixer TSM · Interview: Andrea Cichecki on TSM and EQP-1
