I'm curious too... bump! :)

There was article in MIX that kinda compared it to the Trident Series 80B. If I recall correctly, the eq was very simular, but the pre in the ATB had a slightly hyped mid range section.

yup, I've read about it, well, there are like 70k US in price difference, and I can live with that little thing with the mids... specially when I don't have 80k to get a Trident or a used SSL

Hopefully I'll be ordering my ATB32 very soon, so, then I'd tell you guys how it is....

I'm going to be so happy with it, I'm sure

keep posted!!!

It's a long read........ enjoy

http://thewombforums.com/showthread.php?t=611

Hopefully they have the quality control issues solved. I replaced one bus fader and 3 channel faders, and one complete channel board on my toft atb16 so far. They have updated the faders on the newer models.

The board sounds good but :x

but what but what???? :shock:

If you haven't already, you should take a look at the toft audio page and listen to the samples.

http://www.toftaudiodesigns.com/atb.html

yes I have, I see it everyday, I still don't get your "sounds good BUT"

that worries me, please elaborate your "but"

hahaha that sounds funny lol

"But" this...they are cheap crap under the hood. I, for one, posted this issue here a while back regarding my unfortunate experiences with an ATC-2 I bought last year. "Little things" like switches crapping out, meters going bad, etc. The internal build quality of the box was a hair bit better than one of the newer JoeMeek models, but not by much. Made in China by an outside contractor should be the first clue. That, and the fact that Toft has ALWAYS had power supply problems with his products, going back to the original Trident days. Look inside a Toft, then look inside a Midas Verona. BIG friggin' difference. Earlier this year some "pro" on this forum rated the Toft high marks over the Midas simply due to the fact that the patching was more convenient on the Toft. What good is that if the friggin' thing keeps breaking down? Or worse, generates alien noises under the slightest power fluctuations? There was just too much hype over Malcolm's products coming back to market to be true. You get what you pays for in this here world. Save your pennies for something more tried and true...

But ---- Everytime I turn it on and do a session I keep my fingers crossed that something else doesn't break. It's not even a year old and I had this many troubles?? I'm hoping the worst is behind me, because I really like the console.

Jonesey

oh my god!!!!!!! what should I do dammit!!!!

thanx for sharing your experiences

OMG!!!!!!

Same thing for Oram's stuff. I opened up the 4T channel strip. What a freakin’ nightmare! it looked like a prototype, I mean those really bad point to point wiring jobs that you do at three in the morning because you just have to try the idea out. It was a mess, and this was there production unit!

I would hate to work in his production plant.

Although I must contest a bit with the negative China vibe. I have to say I would have agreed with you 2 years ago. A lot has happened in two years though.

For example 2 years ago I bought switching transformers from Coilcraft for a project. Coilcraft had them mass produced in Mexico and China. 2 years ago they both looked the same, hand done and with the same haste. Basically not pretty but they worked ok.

Well last year I ordered the same product again. The Mexican made ones looked the same, the Chinese version was a bit different. Ok a whole lot different, they were freaking beautiful!

Apparently the Chinese plant had upgrade their assembly to process to a fully automated system. The tolerances where 10 times tighter, that equaled more consistency in my product.

My point is China has made major steps in quality department.

Anyway something to think about

I read that long review thread on the womb forums and it looks like PMI really takes care of the people who buy their Toft Audio consoles. I'm thinking if you buy from a reputable dealer or straight from PMI, they'll work with you to repair problems and replace parts that go bad. Everyone has their own experience with new products, so as it gets older, it'll improve and it sounds like it has improved from the first few consoles sold. I wouldn't be too concerned with it, but I'd sure want to try it out at my own studio first and check out its tolerance of 'dirty' power, as well as the sound quality. Many many people are very pleased with the consoles and their customer service from what I read, so I wouldn't be too worried about taking the plunge.

yes, I think so too, thanks for the encouragement and positive point of view

the thing is that I'm kinda stuck here cause I don't live in the US and eventhough I'm buying the mixer from sweetwater or something, here in Mexico is not like in the US, that you can take back anything you buy if it doesn't satisfy you at all, so If I get it, it'll cost me about 40% more money than the US price just to get it here, and return it is out of the question

that's my concern

so it better work fine dammit!!!!

aaaaagggghhhh!!!!

by the way, what is a PMI??? I read the womb forum aswell but I didn't get the PMI thing...

thank U

PMI Audio Group is the company that owns and operates Toft Audio, JoeMeek, Studio Projects and Valley People as of like 2006:

http://www.pmiaudio.com/

I know what you're saying about the returns thing. If it's at all possible, try and find someone who has one, or a pro audio shop somewhere that carries it. A very permanent $6.5k investment would be worth a plane ticket to make sure it's the right choice, IMO.

that's a fine idea!!!!

I'll search for some one who is using it

Thank you so much

hello you guys

well I've got the ATB32, it's really beautiful looking, so damn heavy, sounds really good, it does have a couple of quality details, kinda "minor" but it shouldn't happen, 2 fader pots are not working properly, PMI sent me replaces for those already, they do take care of things, I appreciate that

I haven't tried it fully cause I had to earthground my electrical wiring and I'm having a furniture housing built for it...

anyway, I'm really happy with the mixer

That's awesome, Congrats!

I'm still saving my pennies for the ATB16 or 24. Depends on how much patience I have. ;-)

Let us (me) know how it sounds and if you can, post links to some samples!

Good luck with it.

TL audio

Maybe the TL audio consoles could be worth a look. I have heard good things about them and they are not too expensive.

I've been curious about the Toft mixer too and doing the same research as the rest of you.

I've been hearing good things about the sound quality.

Then I read the long (fairly entertaining) thread at the Womb and was just as confused as ever.

The bullet-points for me out of the exhausting read were these:

1. Everyone who is serious about this line of work/hobby should be using an AC filtering/conditioning system of some kind.
1a. As you'll find in another active thread here, often times getting rid of AC noise is a matter of tightening every lug from the utility pole to the receptacle.
2. Studio quality gear is supposed to be more accurate and will consequently be more sensitive to bad AC.
3. PMI went above and beyond the call of duty to satisfy this guy. Would they do the same for those of us 3000 miles away? I hope so. Probably if we were bad-mouthing their equipment in a forum and putting doubt in the mind of potential buyers.
4. The sound quality of the board was great, but the pre's need a lot of gain to get there.
5. The EQ is very musical and satisfying. *Best line of the whole thread ("The eq's will have you looking at the bottom of the board for a penis insert.")
6. After some time now, the user is having minor mechanical problems - loose fader knobs, etc. but will be the first to admit he's hard on stuff - *see previous quote.....

There. I saved you hours of reading 15 pages and 292 posts. If you ever have time it is a pretty amusing thread.

uhhh... minor correction....

bubba's ATB is holding up fine... the loose fader knob is slightly inaccurate... it was two aux pot knobs that were simply tightened by a set screw.

It's really a gem of a console. Nice sounding e.q.'s as I pointed out, like so many others.

When I was working with it, the thing I really didn't like is no PFL indicator on the channel strip.

I was talkin' with bubba the other night and he said he's peeked at the interface connection for the yet to be seen digital I/O... might be able to stick something like a lynx in there pretty easily.

Other than that... ATB #002 of batch 2 is holding up just fine.

I just wish that the bus connector would have come to reality... that way you could slave two ATB's together pretty easily.

I thought he mentioned a shaky fader in there somewhere too. - I'm probably completely wrong on that. After I read so much stuff it can start to blur together, must have been another user. I had no trouble remembering Bubba's line about the EQ, chuckled about that for a while - classic.

Yeah, it looks like he's been raising a stink with the PMI guy about that digital I/O, that apparently has been in prototype mode for years now.

I don't know the guy, but Bubba seems like the kinda guy who tells it like it is.

hehehe... bubba tellin' like it is???

yeah... a bit of an understatement... but, hey... the guy is genuine.