Some of our fantasy Christmas presents in this series have been rather restrained. Not so for Steve DeMott. He’d better have been on his best behaviour this year to qualify for this haul!
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+
If you don’t know the story behind the Mesa/Boogie amps, they started out as hot rods of Fender Princetons, famously surprising guitarist Carlos Santana who tested the first one remarking, “this thing really boogies!” Hence the name was coined. Founder/owner/designer Randall Smith then came up with the, now famous, cascading gain preamp stage that became the basis for all high gain boutique amps to follow. That cascading gain preamp stage allowed for super high gain at the preamp to achieve a smooth, round saturated tone.
Boogies were all made to order, and as Smith came up with improvements he would increment his model name. From the original Princeton Boogies (affectionately known as the SOB, or Son of Boogie until they were renamed the Mark I), to the Mark II, Mark IIB, Mark IIC, and then the Mark IIC+.
When I was a young guy, just starting to play music & becoming interested in recording, the Boogie Mark IIC+ was the sound of rock guitar. Aggressive, yet sweet & round with sustain that would last seemingly forever. Very different from the Marshalls that were the familiar sound of ‘70s rock guitar. And while the IIC+ gained a lot of popularity in the hard rock & metal worlds, it was also a favorite of more rootsy bands like The Rolling Stones and even session guitarists, like Steve Lukather. Fewer than 3,000 Mark IIC+s were made during its production run of January 1984 to March 1985, and now they can fetch up to $15,000 USD on the used market in excellent condition.
This was the amp I dreamed of owning as a young guitarist, but by the time I had saved enough to buy myself a Boogie, the Mark IVa that was the current model. And while I still own & enjoy my Mark IV, there is a part of me that always wanted a Boogie IIC+, in the Koa wood cabinet with the wicker grill with the reverb & 5 band graphic EQ options. A beautiful looking & beautiful sounding amp, that defined the tone for a generation of rock guitarists.
API 1608-II
When I first started studying Music Production & Engineering it was still the days of tape machines, analogue gear & large consoles. At my college we had 2 studios. Studio A with an SSL 4000E and a 2” 24 track tape deck, and studio B with a custom API desk and a 1” 16 track tape deck. These were 2 very different sounding consoles and it was really fun having the experience of working on them both. I’ve already outlined my thoughts on tape & some of the aspects of tape that never seem to get glorified in this article.
When it comes to consoles, I still think they are useful as a front end for recording. There is nothing more conducive to achieving that ever elusive “mix glue” than recording everything through the same console into your DAW, despite the marketing of imaginary problems like “preamp buildup” that started in the ‘90s as boutique preamps started hitting the market en masse. And while the SSL gained prominence for its comprehensive automation, I would have to opt for an API as the front end console in my studio.
I somehow just gravitated towards the API and felt like the projects I did on that console just felt better, bigger, and more impactful than what I was getting when I recorded through the SSL. And, since it was the smaller studio, it was just easier to get time on API than it was in the bigger studio with the SSL. See, I can be practical (though, if you want to continue to believe that, you may need to stop reading now).
With that said, I included an API console on my wish list to use as a front end for my recording setup. As luck would have it, one of these would fit in my mix room at home. We’ll just ignore the fact that I don’t intend to use it to actually mix (preferring to stay in the box once I’m there) and that another of my wish list items is an Avid S6 for mixing, and pretend that isn’t unrealistically extravagant..and those 2 items would definitely not both fit in my mix room.
My API 1608-II would be 32 channel. If it came in a 24 channel option I would do that, but it seems to be 16, 32 or 48 channels only, and 16 channels is just cutting it too close for a full band recording. I mean, I could probably make 16 channels work, but this is a wish list and I don’t have to be practical.
Avid S6
Ignoring the fact that another of my wish list items was an API console for the sole purpose of being used as a front end for recording, but not for mixing, it was inevitable that I would need something to help with mixing duties. I mean, that's only reasonable, right?
A while back I went on a quest to remove as much mouseing & typing as possible from my mixing workflow. Not that you can’t mix that way, I simply missed the immediacy of mixing on a console, but had no desire to go back to a hybrid workflow & complicated recalls & last second changes. For me, getting my eyes off of plugin parameters keeps me from over thinking & moving fast. I tried HUI/MCU units, but they only scratched the surface of Pro Tools control, so I eventually landed on the Avid Eucon surfaces. I do like my Avid S1s & Dock setup and find them indispensable, but this is a wish list so let’s get a little crazy. Dreams have no limits, right?
For me, the ultimate in “just like having a console” is a fully cherried out Avid S6. It’s the ultimate control surface that gives you the feel of an old school console setup, but lets you remain 100% in the box. The S6 is completely modular, allowing you to configure the surface that best suits your needs & workflow. I originally imagined mixing on an S6 after being at the movies with the family & dreaming about converting an old movie theater into a mix room for myself. The center of that dream was an S6. So I am finishing my wish list with a fully loaded S6 control surface.