The charm of vintage: “The M600 refused to die!” – Taken from “Stories of Gaudio Follia“.
The association uses the equipment made available by individual members to support the creativity and artistic expression of anyone who wants to be part of this community. Unfortunately, or fortunately, bizarre ideas in the “technical department” are never lacking. If you then mix them with technical expertise and personality, you can only expect a unique and distinctive equipment setup.
We want to tell the story of the mixing console currently available at StudioGaudio. It is a good-looking old-timer born in the very early 1980s, its name is Tascam M600. For years, the elderly mixer had a permanent home in a disused studio: sitting motionless in a corner, covered by transparent sheets that revealed its shapes and pale cream color. In the past, the mixing console produced great works with its faithful followers. Between tape reels and analog processors, it enjoyed producing commercials. In short, a glorious past from which it simply didn’t want to part!
Unfortunately, its former owner decided to turn it into a splendid artistic dining table to donate to some association. Its belly was soon to be deprived of its vital organs. However, its desire to process music and audio signals invoked destiny: one fine day, one of our members was called in to inspect this elderly gentleman. Salvatore Buzzerio, now an honorary member, contacted Francesco for support and company in checking this mixer. What can I say, it seemed to speak to him! It seemed to hear its voice saying: “take me with you!”. We don’t want to write a novel, but in the end, the two were struck by that vintage flavor of the Tascam: they hugged its 100 kg and took it to a garage. At first, it really looked in bad shape, but the two daredevils, with great passion, fully restored the mixer to bring it back to its former glory.
Moving to the present, the M600 is a professional mixer. In the 80s it was the alternative to consoles from crazy brands like SSL, NEVE, SOUNDCRAFT, AMECK, etc… The sound of the preamp is balanced. Beyond certain limits it introduces a very characteristic harmonic distortion. Furthermore, its equalizers are very musical. Personally, we consider it a very underratedmixer made in Japan and very well built. Using a control room like this, accompanied by a high-end converter, allows you to achieve fresh and captivating sounds. If you want to listen to something, we invite you to check out the multimedia section.
See you soon with more “Stories of Gaudio madness”.
