Unit Audio has introduced the Milli-Unit and Micro-Unit, two new 8-input by 2-output compact passive summing mixers for studio/recording applications.
Both units are outfitted with eight balanced line-level inputs and two balanced microphone level outputs, all with Neutrik TRS connectors.
Input impedance is 20 Kohms, while output impedance is 220 ohms. Resistors are hand-selected, metered Xicon 1/4-watt, with 1 percent tolerance.
The units are hand-wired at the company’s headquarters in Nashville, TN, and are housed in rugged aluminum cases.
The Micro-Unit is also outfitted with two pan switches that allow for placing channels 1 and 2 in monaural (center), or hard left (channel 1), or hard right (channel 2).
“Is analog summing going to make your recordings sound like a Nashville studio with a billion dollars worth of equipment? Probably not, but you will notice a difference in your mixes using a Unit Audio summing mixer,” states Terry Auger, Unit Audio design engineer.
“Loosely quoting Shakespeare, one might say ‘To analog sum or not to analog sum?’” Auger continues. “This has been a point of controversy with digital recording for quite some time. With modern DAW software, mixing within the computer has resulted in some great sounding recordings, but I have long been intrigued by the concept of analog summing. I was not prepared to pay $800 or more to test that theory, so I engineered and built my own.
“Then to test the theory, I set out to see if there was any difference in the mixed sound. Much to my amazement and pleasure, I did notice a subtle but very pleasing difference in the stereo separation and placement of the instruments compared to my ‘in the box’ mixes.”
The Milli-Unit is priced at $149, while the Micro-Unit carries a price of $189. Both units can be ordered directly from the company website.
