So what's the deal with this Focusrite console?
There are actually only six in the world now. There were ten made, but three of them were parted out as preamps. The ninth console belongs to us at IIWII and was partially destroyed in the flood caused by Hurricane Sandy. We restored our Focusrite #9 console using parts from Focusrite #2, which was parted out after its stay at Paramount Recording. It originated at Conway Recording Studios in L.A. Ken McKim of Retrospec [Tape Op #86] helped me figure it out. The model we now own works like new, and we dubbed it #11, which is a combination of #9 and #2. The big deal is that the preamps are outstanding; they were designed and built by Rupert Neve [Tape Op #87] to the specifications of Sir George Martin. Those two heads together produced what I believe is the best microphone preamp for tracking, bar none. Focusrite's new gear is fantastic; but you can't beat the old Lundahl transformers in the original ISA 110 preamps, as well as the top of the line potentiometers and the genius wiring of [Focusrite's] Rob Jenkins.
When I saw the console after Hurricane Sandy hit, it was soaking in saltwater. Did you ever think it would be up and running again?
