Harrison: 32Classic MS Mix Strip

Harrison consoles are beloved by many engineers, and after I had the opportunity to work with four of the new Harrison 32Classic MS Mix Strips, I understand why. While the Harrisons are not as colorful as offerings by some of the other notable consoles in recording history, they definitely have a warm, smooth character and sound fantastic. This flexibility means they've sounded excellent on albums by artists as varied in genres as Iggy Pop, The Smashing Pumpkins, Janet Jackson, and ABBA.

The 32Classic MS Mix Strip is essentially a combination of a channel strip and an analog summing unit, meaning they can be pieced together to form a stripped-down console of however many channels are needed. Separate XLR mic and line inputs are located on the rear of the 19-inch, single rack space unit, with independent switches and volume controls for both on the front. Also on the front panel is an XLR combo jack with mic/line and hi-Z (for instrument DI mode) switches. The mic and line inputs share polarity and insert buttons. A tri-state LED indicates signal presence and level (green to amber) or peak (red). The mic section also features buttons for a -20 dB pad and phantom power. In my home studio, I ran four channels from the snake in the tracking room (aka my kitchen) to the mic inputs on the rear of all four units. But when it came time for overdubs in the spare bedroom I use as a control room, it was conveniently lovely to plug mics or instruments into the front panel.

I was producing demos for the next record by Reno indie rock band Fine Motor when the Harrisons arrived. I soon fell in love with the 32Classic MS Mix Strip for tracking. As my earlier comments suggest, these are not the most colorful preamps on the market, but they certainly aren’t boring. The clarity and heft of the preamps improved everything I ran through them. The Fader (rotary output control) at the end of the 32Classic MS Mix Strip’s signal chain opens a wide range of possibilities for gain-staging, including running the preamps a bit hot for transformer saturation and attenuating the Fader to compensate. A 0 dB null fader button is also available that removes the Fader from the signal path. Variable high- and low-pass filters with a versatile four-band, fully parametric EQ section follow the input section. For tracking, I used the high- and low-pass filters to clear out some unwanted rumble or harsh high frequencies, depending on the source. Coupled with the filters, the Harrisons are ideal go-to preamps on everything, from drums to bass to guitars to DI keyboards to vocals. Boost some highs via the onboard EQ, for example, and enjoy airy vocals that sit perfectly in the mix. But the Harrisons are equally fantastic on drum overhead mics and DI keyboards, too. I typically save extreme EQ moves for the mix stage, but when tracking with the MS Mix Strip, I often deployed the EQs to carve out a little bit of 400 Hz, mildly boost some lows around the fundamental pitch of the instrument and add a bit of air. For years, I was afraid to EQ on the way in, but I’ve learned over time to trust my ears, shape sounds until I’m happy with them, and commit.

Once I had the basic tracks down, I switched the Harrisons to line input mode for mixing. The Mix Strips include Bus Link and Sum Link ribbon cables that allow for cascading multiple units together. I had four 32Classic MS Mix Strips on hand, so I decided to run mono bass through one, mono lead vocals through the second, and a stereo spread of everything else (drums, percussion, keys, guitars, and so on) through the last two. Engaging the red Mix button on the top three units ensured that the Fader level on each fed the stereo output of the bottom unit. I kept the bass and vocals panned to the center, but I appreciated the inclusion of a Pan knob (between the output Fader and Mix Out knobs), which was essential for achieving the stereo spread of the bulk of the tracks on strips three and four. Once I patched the stereo output of the bottom MS Mix Strip into my interface, I was ready to print some mixes and stems.

For the DI’d Fender Precision bass track, I engaged the filters to clean up sub frequencies and then boosted the lows. The high-pass filter (which offers a slight boost at the cut-off frequency), in conjunction with the low-frequency EQ boost, strengthened the fundamental, which I then enhanced with another boost at 5 kHz to bring out some presence. For singer Casey Bell’s vocals, I was more aggressive with the hi-pass filter as well as the high frequency band on the EQ, boosting everything over 13 kHz to bring out some air. Let me note that the "air" is incredibly pleasing on the Harrisons. It’s no surprise that these EQs are so ubiquitous in pop music. I was conservative with the filters and EQs for the catch-all stereo tracks, but I nonetheless noticed an improvement in sound thanks to modest EQ boosts on the low and high frequencies and a touch of attenuation around 400 Hz to tame muddiness. Once I printed stereo mixes through the MS Mix Strips, I realized I could also easily print stems with them by engaging the Mix button on only the tracks I wanted in a particular stem. This process, completed in the physical world, was much easier than mousing around in my DAW to mute and unmute tracks.

With the Harrison 32Classic MS Mix Strips put to work in my home studio, I’m now convinced that a stereo pair would be helpful for tracking in any configuration, from a humble bedroom setup to a large commercial space. But simply tracking through the Mix Strips, a rewarding experience, to be clear, is to miss half the fun! Cascading MS Mix Strips to build your own small (or large!) console is a welcome proposition, providing access to the famed Harrison sound at whatever size and budget makes sense for your needs. I wish I had 8 to 24 channels of these to play with!