"I would not say tubes sound better but they do colour the sound of a vocal or a particular instrument and make it sound different," says DiGiCo's James Gordon. "This is something that sound engineers like to experiment with, so they insert them into their systems to provide characteristics they can't otherwise get from either analogue or digital mixing consoles. The D-TuBe offers an alternative to this traditional technology by making it part of a digital console. "
The D-TuBe was developed in conjunction with TL Audio and supplies eight channels of tube pre amp. It has been designed to fit neatly into existing DiGiCo systems by simply replacing the last input module on a stage rack and moving the output module along one. This keeps the full compliment of 56 inputs to the stage rack, with the last eight inputs now being TuBes.
"We've found that when engineers use our consoles they tend to use little or no outboard, as there is so much integrated and recalled within our system," says Gordon. "However, the common denominator that was always cropping up was the desire for the inclusion of a few channels of valve/tube technology to enhance and colour specific instruments or vocals. We're always keen to react to what the market wants, so the D-TuBe is a logical addition to our product line adding just the right amount of colour to the mix."
(Jim Evans)
