I’ve had the ADDAC Quintet mixer for the longest time, but finally decided to try something new. I knew what I wanted that the ADDAC didn’t provide, which was proper mute/solo (the solo in the Quintet just routes that channel to a different out; it isn’t a proper solo, at least not as I understand solo from, say, DJ mixers).
So, with the ADDAC’s 12HP as my constraint, I looked around for possible replacements. There were some options, and in the end I decided to try to combine two modules to accomplish my goal. That led me to a combination of the Doepfer A-135-2 and the DivKid Mutes (which add up to 12HP). I finally got the time tonight to hook it all up, and they work well together. The A-135-2 has the benefit of per-channel attenuators, which I’m already in love with. One thing this combo doesn’t have that the ADDAC had (well, besides the obvious fact that this has four channels and the quintet had – surprise – five) is an option between linear and logarithmic.
The cool thing about the DivKid Mutes is that the vactrols smooth out the muting. The main thing I need to sort, and this will take some getting used to, is whether that smooth decay is quick enough to feel like the sort of muting I’m aiming for. So, while this doesn’t have solo, per say, it’s pretty easy to just flip three of the four off – not necessarily as easy as with, say, the Happy Nerding Mutes might be (I’ve never tried it), but close.
A cool thing about the vactrol-based nature of the DivKid Mutes is you can quickly switch from “on” (right) to “temporary on” (left) and then just let go, and it reverts to “mute” (center). Even though the switch passes over mute on the way between “on” and “temporary on,” the signal keeps playing (so long as you do it quickly). Awesome. (Major thanks to @DivKid for having discussed the Mutes module with me when I was pondering directions.)
