Harrison Audio was formed in 1975 after Dave Harrison’s innovative 1974 design of the world’s first “in line” console, the MCI JH-400. By combining the formerly separate recording and monitoring console sections into one strip, Harrison enabled console size to be cut in half. Studios strongly resonated to this, and this design became the de facto standard adopted by most console designers. Still made in Nashville, TN, a new version of the 32Classic Mix Strip brings the original sound of his 1975 era 3232 model console to 19” rack format for the first time. Notable recordings with these consoles were Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Steely Dan’s Aja, Led Zeppelin’s In Through the Out Door, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
Using the same design as the original 3232, the 32Classic MS features a Jensen JT-MB-CPCA transformer-coupled microphone preamp. The mic input offers 70dB of clean gain and features 48V phantom power, a -20 dB pad, phase flip, and a tri-color LED meter. The 32Classic MS includes dedicated Mic and Line XLR inputs on the rear panel and a front-panel input with selectable Instrument/Hi-Z and Mic options. There are non-detented independent gain controls on both the Mic and Line inputs.
The 1970s design 4-band parametric EQ is sweepable from 40Hz to 13kHz and offers ± 10 dB of gain. Each band features a proportional Q design whereby the Q changes as the boost and cut is adjusted. The LO and HI bands are Shelf bands by default and can be switched to bell mode via the bell switch provided. The Low Pass and High Pass filters offer a 12 dB/octave slope. The High Pass Filter, ranging from 25 Hz to 3.1 kHz, includes a characterful 3 dB resonant peak, while the Low Pass Filter spans 160 Hz to 20 kHz. The input stage of the 32Classic MS promises a full low-end, an open mid-range, and super-smooth natural highs.
An unusual feature for a mic preamp, several 32Classic MS’s can be chained together via the rear mixbus connectors to build a modular stereo summing mixer. Output signals can be balanced using the Fader control and Pan controls or engage the 0 dB Fader Bypass and record at unity gain. One Bus Link Cable and one Sum Link Cable are included with each unit. Again, no controls of the unit are detented, so users might want to use a tone generator to ensure that that pan controls are balanced, depending on our application. The setup is enhanced by the addition of AC power in and out, so that power cabling is easily looped. The rear panel also features a channel insert connection that is activated by a front panel switch.
The Harrison 32Classic MS is a time-tested high-end preamp and EQ combination that has been heard on some of the greatest selling records of all time. While still in a premium price range, it is on the more affordable side for a vintage inspired design and sound and should offer reliability and practicality for decades to come. Trusted by legendary engineers Bruce Swedien and Roger Nichols for its power and featured in renowned studios like The Village and Westlake Studios, L.A., and LSI Studios, Nashville for its flexibility, the 32Classic MS adds a vintage style renowned channel strip to your toolkit. $2,299
