‘I like analogue outboard,’ says Dharma Studios owner, Paolo Tubia. ‘I like a tasty compressor and some boutique preamps to be a part of the mix, so I need a centrepiece to manage the various control room components effectively and creatively.’

And, with the arrival of his ASP4816, he seems to have exactly what he needs – the key features of a large console in an ergonomic package for his facility in northern Italy

‘We all know how hard it is to stay in budget when looking for a reliable and high-quality analogue mixer,’ he says. It wasn’t the pricing of the console that won his confidence, however. ‘I love the clean punch that comes out when you start to push it a bit, allowing me to have 16 clean preamps – incredibly useful for recording acoustic instruments without adding colour. Thanks to the routing design, with balanced inserts everywhere, it is still possible (if necessary) to colour tracks, stems and even the mix bus with my outboard.

‘The foldback section is also useful and intuitive,’ he continues. ‘I don’t have to waste time creating strange ways to allow musicians to listen to what they are playing, The compressor does a great job of gluing the whole mix together and above all the build quality is exceptional, right down to the smallest component.’

‘The Audient definitely has the wow factor,’ he adds noting his clients’ reaction to the desk. ‘A real analogue console at the heart of a control room, surrounded by mystical and esoteric machines full of LEDs and gauges really helps customers get into the mood. It encourages them to do their best in the professional environment.