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Custom Master Sections Custom Master Section Product Details: The master section is configurable but in all cases it will consist of two parts. A 4RU card cage contains all the amplifiers, relay switchers, etc. and handles all input and output interfacing as well as audio routing and switching. The customizable control panels have local switching logic and straight-ahead high quality analog audio level controls.
The first control surface we built replaces the entire bottom center section of the Oram BEQ-24 and consists of three panel sections.
These are shown as a finished product for an Oram or as an example of features and layouts for other versions.
Custom mastering consoles versions are already in progress.
Please email us with your needs.
Panel 1 - Cue Sends (optional)
Panel 2 - Source Select, Oscillator, Solo Functions.
Panel 3 Control Room and Studio Loud Speaker selectors, Communications section, and 2 Mix Buss controls.
The Aux return controls disappear.
Panel 1 Cues Three Cue Send Masters, identical, each have
Four SOURCE SELECTS
Column A Source (Explained Below)
Column B Source (Explained Below)
Stereo Buss
Patch
MUTE
SOLO
LISTEN BACK on/off for each cue "area"
LEVEL control
Panel 2 Sources / Oscillator / Solos Two columns of SOURCE SELECTS.
Stereo and Aux are in both columns
The one source from each column can be selected.
These two sources can be summed and offset or either source can be offset to match levels.
AUXES are available mono or if you hold one in row A and one in row B you get stereoAUTO takes care of the auto mute function on the aux panel (this is ORAM specific)
(In the 40 input we are replacing the aux master so it sums so you only have 10 pots instead of 30)
SOLO LEVEL and indicator
SOLO FRONT - allows you to solo OVER and adjust balance between your control room source so you can solo and still hear things in context
Panel 3 Control room / Studio loud speakers / Communications / 2 Buss
Control Room
LEVEL
MUTE
DIM with a DIM LEVEL controlSELECTS for Column A, Column B, Stereo Buss
SPEAKER SELECTS Four pairs A-D. D can be jumpered to engage mono automatically
MONITOR Swap Left / Right, Cut L, Cut R, Mono
SLS
LEVEL
MUTESELECTS for Column A, Column B, Stereo Buss, Control Room Follow
Communications
COMMS - two way talk back with listen back
you can turn off the listen back on the cue panel
LB is listen back only (you can SPY)
All buttons are momentary, except when you are in "latch" mode
A single tap of any Comms function will latch that function.
Holding it down will not latch it.
An infrared remote is also available2 BUSS MASTER
P&G 3000 series stereo fader(1100 series optional)
Buss Meter - Follows 2 Buss or Control Room
Insert 1 in/out switching
Insert 2 in/out or Buss Cut - your choice
The background on Oram or why did you pick the Oram?
Names have been removed to protect the innocent.
There is a use of collective "We" to protect the guilty, not to steal credit.ORAM - Background.
When the Oram BEQ-24 console was introduced, we thought it looked pretty good. The equalizer sounds good. The preamps hold their own. We never looked "under the hood".
One of our good friends bought a 32 channel BEQ-24 on the used market. It was one of the first of the BEQ-24 consoles to leave the factory so it had a few more 'issues' than later ones. For a surface-mount and ribbon connector console the channel strips.
The power supply was terrible. Not only did the supply not like to turn on but the acoustic noise from the transformer was horrendous. It eventually smoked. That was the first thing we replaced.
The internal power and grounding distribution was dreadful. Power was connected to one of every eight modules and then carried to adjacent modules on ribbon cables. Ground was done with a piece of 1/2" copper water pipe that had automotive "Fast-On" tabs spot-welded to it. The 32 input console our friend bought had two bad welds where the pipe turned corners to go meet the main console ground point. This, in effect broke the ground to most of the desk.
Here is the power and ground distribution system we put in the console: Power & Ground Distribution page.
Here is a picture of Oram's power distribution point for the console.
Here is our power distribution point.
A friend and client of ours was building a new room and decided to purchase a brand new 40 input BEQ-24 console. He ordered it with automation and had specified some additional things he needed but most of those additions were not delivered except for some balanced inputs for two track returns. These were added at the factory in the form of some small off-the-shelf balanced line input cards from Radio Spares UK. These were mounted to the bottom of the console "frame" with double stick tape.
This console arrived with the same terrible power supply the first console came with. The ground was done with the same copper water pipe bad solder joints and welds. The power distribution was somewhat improved with four circuit boards in the belly of the frame that provided local filtering. The power was brought up from those boards to one of every four modules instead of every eight. In the new console, as stock, the broadband noise floor was a little better than the 32 input console but crosstalk and bleed between the inputs and busses was worse. It turned out that this was mostly due to the fader wiring and some grounding issues around the channel mute circuit.
Both consoles have received new larger and silent power supplies. Both consoles' ground distribution systems were replaced with a quarter inch by two inch copper ground bus bar that runs the length of these desks.On the newer 40 input console the circuit boards in the belly pan were reworked to allow power connections to every channel. On the 32, NEW circuit boards were made to allow local filtering and power distribution to every channel. After all that was done the console inputs became quite useful. The broadband noise was reduced by a minimum 10 dB and crosstalk/input bleed was reduced by 30dB!
What remained was some sort of fix for the master section. The master section on the BEQ-24 is easily one of the worst we have ever seen. The list of things wrong with that master section is LONGER than the list of functions it performs. We quickly realized that nothing in this master section was worth "fixing". If you have used one of these consoles, you probably know some or all of these failings. One of many issues and one of the more annoying we found was that on neither of these consoles had control room level pots that tracked left to right. As you changed the monitor level the "center" would shift left and right quite noticeably. Usually when one runs in to this they can just replace the control but here we would have had to hack the big circuit board and do other surgery and there were so many other things that the board would cease to exist really.
In discussions over the past few years the owner of the 40 input console was looking at what to do and where we would start. We finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing to "fix". The solution was simply to build a new master section for both consoles. It took some time to get going on that project but when we finished the 2RU master section for our modular line mixer system it seemed to be the right time start on his request and step into the custom master section market.
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There is plenty more to fix on these consoles - if you really care.
Take a look at the output caps of all of the circuits - they are all 22uf - now put a square wave through that.
Probably more important is the fact that Oram uses a TL074 to drive the pan, post fader auxes and the direct out.
iIf you know anything about opamps - this is not the choice.
That is it - I'm done.
This is the 32 input BEQ-24 console with the new master section. That console is now for sale with the new master section and all of the upgrades mentioned above for $25K
SOLD
Below is the console as it was installed at Cloud 9 Recording.
The gate was removed and replaced with a large mute. The old mute switch became an insert defeat.
