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mark4man 24 October 2004

Calling all Tracking Brains...

Is anyone familiar with the Trident S20 Mic Pre?

Have a chance to pick one up; & couldn't seem to find much info on the web at all (save for the fact that they are designed by John Oram.)

It sounded great...fat like a tube pre but with a lot of clarity & detail up & down the band.

So I'm wondering:

Is it FET or Xformer based?
Since it sports only one gain control, Is it a single stage?
What makes it sound so rich?
Is the design & construction as good as the sound?
How does it hold up in a studio environment?
How does it stack up against other British designs, like the AMEK System 9098 or the Focusrite Red 8?
Is John Oram really a genius? (just kiddin'.) [Did hear great things about the old Trident consoles, tho.]

Thanks all,

mark4man

Comments

AudioGaff Sun, 10/24/2004 - 21:13

Let's just say the trident S20 is not anywhere near the mic pre amp that was widely used in world famous Trident consoles of the past. If S20 or the channel strip version was anything worth while to behold you would have likely hearn so by now. It is a standard item in Guitar Center's pro audio dept. That tells me everything I need to know.

Doublehelix Mon, 10/25/2004 - 07:43

Funny that you bring this up...

I just went and visited a studio in my area a couple of days ago that has one of these, and he loves his. I didn't actually get to hear anything that he had tracked through it since he was in the middle of tracking a session when I was there. He swears by his...

It has an interesting front panel display that lights up as if to simulate tube warmth or something, but it is all solid state.

mark4man Mon, 10/25/2004 - 12:12

OK...continuing the controversy:

(& I know I'm sorta' answering my own question here...so bear with me)...

But from what I can gather, older heydey type Mix & Mastering Engineers are pissed of at Oram, claiming that he misrepresented himself in claiming to be the "Father of British EQ" (or even that there is such a postulation.) He supposedly bought out the Trident name; & is also disputed as having a major influence/contribution regarding the design of the legendary & acclaimed Trident consoles.

Having said that...I've ran into studio geeks, audiophiles & digital musicians since I posted, that love his current hardware! The S20 I heard was nice. It was big & fat & clear.

The reason I inquired in the first place was...I wanted to get a measure of the product line & the originator, so I'll know if I'll have a problem, if I ever have a problem, capish?

Thanks everyone,

mark4man

BTW – And also…I really had my heart set on a 2-610 (but they’re so much damn dough!)

anonymous Tue, 10/26/2004 - 21:13

AudioGaff wrote: It is a standard item in Guitar Center's pro audio dept. That tells me everything I need to know.

I'm not sticking up for the Trident S-20, but I was in a GC last weekend and saw a rack full of expensive Manley gear. Saw a lot of Universal Audio stuff as well.

Just because GC sells it doesn't make it crap--although a lot of the stuff they sell is.

AudioGaff Tue, 10/26/2004 - 22:59

I was in a GC last weekend and saw a rack full of expensive Manley gear. Saw a lot of Universal Audio stuff as well.

Was that used Manley gear that any store can sell or was it bran new gear? Not all GC stores are the same. Less than 6-GC stores total out of 136 are qualified to sell Manley gear. UA hardware being sold in GC has more to do with them selling plugs and the UAD PCI card than it does because of the analog hardware. And you will also find that very few GC stores stock any the UA analog gear other than a display unit.

And for the record, I never said just because GC sells it, it is crap. I also never said the S20 was crap. The S20 is not crap. It is a decent unit. It is above average and slightly over priced stuff, but it sure ain't the same stuff that was bearing the Trident name of days gone by and that is what Oram would have you believe.

anonymous Wed, 10/27/2004 - 21:01

[quote=AudioGaff]

Was that used Manley gear that any store can sell or was it bran new gear? Not all GC stores are the same. Less than 6-GC stores total out of 136 are qualified to sell Manley gear. UA hardware being sold in GC has more to do with them selling plugs and the UAD PCI card than it does because of the analog hardware. And you will also find that very few GC stores stock any the UA analog gear other than a display unit.

It was in Vegas. It was a rack full of new Manley gear (including a Vox Box, I believe), nothing used. They also had a Langevin Dual Vocal Combo. The UA stuff was analog. Perhaps it was all display stuff, and perhaps I was in one of the six. Like I said, I'm not sticking up for GC, although I have scored some good deals there.

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