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I've been looking the Toft Audio Designs ATC-2 for a while, reading, researching...but the only info i found was the Fletcher's rewiew on Mercenary...i'm interested onto hear a comentary or rewiew (Kurt?) of this device...looks like its a good deal...what about the EQ? compresor? better than the RNC? and the pre? i have an ISA and been toyn around with a Manley so i have a little idea bout a nice sounding pre...what can you tell me? :roll:

PD: please, dont tell me: borrow one or ask Fletcher to sent an unit...i dont live in the USA 8)

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KurtFoster Fri, 12/17/2004 - 16:25

I most likely will not be reviewing this unit unless Alan Hyatt or Malcom Toft solicite a review from me. While it seems to be very good in the mid range it's aimed at, it's not the kind of thing I would go out and get for myself.

Reports are the mic pre isn't that good but the EQ and compressor section rock ... that's good enough for me ...

KurtFoster Fri, 12/17/2004 - 17:57

yes or worse ... non dimensional and flat sounding is the word. This was from a dealer that sells it!

I use a Sebatron VMP 4000 for toms ... between the pads which change the sound consideably and the eq lifts on the low and high freqs are it's usually enough for me ... If you need more than that, there's probably something wrong with the toms or the mic choice and placment... It all starts at the source.

anonymous Sun, 12/19/2004 - 13:14

i have a pretty decent sound on toms, and i´m working with pretty decent drummers too (some of the best of my country), with great instruments and nice tuning...i have to admit that my room is not that great...too small :roll: it´s just, i thought to have more control sculpting the sound i want on each song (wich can be totally diferent) and the atractive of the compressor...another point is the posibilitie to work with guitars and other instruments...you know a low cost all in one pakage...but i know that just a dream...so, i learned, that if you dont have a good preamp your sound can be a little esteril, no matter what you do...so, i´m still looking, can you tell me an alternative? with some eq or something? i looked to sebatron...do you think it´s enough to do some aditional eq with my 1642? thanx for the help Kurt!!! 8-)

Guest Sun, 12/19/2004 - 19:14

Kurt Foster wrote: Reports are the mic pre isn't that good but the EQ and compressor section rock ... that's good enough for me ...

Right... there has been one report that the mic pre's ain't that good... here's the quote:

I guess we'll start with the shit I didn't like about it first... I am, after all, a negative motherfucker so let's get this out of the way... the mic pre's suck.

They're just not up to what I like playing with... and seeing that we have pre's like the Martech MSS-10 hanging around here... it's not necessarily a "fair" evaluation [my GEO doesn't handle like my Ferrari... so the GEO sucks kind of an 'unfair' comparison].

They're certainly up there with shit like the Presonus and the Focusrite... they just don't measure up to a "real" pre-amp. There is also an "issue" with pushing the pre to extreme gain settings... but that's a bloody unlikely event in real use.... but a fairly commonplace event when we're "testing" things and looking for flaws with a microscope.

It's from: (dead link removed)

Unfortunately, I'm the idiot who made the statement so I guess I should be the defender of clarity for the statement.

I have well over $25,000.00 USD in microphone pre-amplifiers at my disposal at any given moment... sometimes way more, hardly ever less.

That I didn't like the mic pre in a $1,000 for two channel box that also has EQ and compression vs. some of the $2,000 USD per channel units in my arsenal isn't surprising.

The pre's in the ATC-2 are better than the Focusrite pre's, they're better than anything I've heard from Presonus, they bury the Grace Designs stuff.

In the words of my mentor, Phil Greene... "they don't suck"

FaderJockey Sun, 12/19/2004 - 19:38

Well I'd have to say I disagree with Fletcher......I did a test with the ATC2 along with Chandler LTD-1, Great River MP2, 9098, Vintech 1272, Presonus M80 and Eureka and Joe Meek ThreeQ, and The Studio Projects VTB-1.

The ATC2 lost against all that. Even the Presonus....But what did shock us on Drums, Vocals, Acu gtr, Elec gtr was that cheap little VTB-1. That thing rocks for $129.00 bucks...

I just was mixing trying out the Toft DC-2 dual comp. I put it on overheads sounded nice did what it should but there was to much noise come from it. So it didn't make the cut.

I did think the ATC-2 was dull. I know guys that have told me they love it. But that is why there is so much to pick from. I've used the VTB-1 on 3 sessions now on toms and sounded great. :lol: