FarewellOldFriends's video: Studiomaster Diamond 8-2 Mixer - Overview

Old Friend No. 6 - Studiomaster Diamond 8-2 Mixer has left home. This mixer served me well for a few years when recording live orchestras, choirs and other classical ensembles straight to stereo. I modified the unit in four ways: 1. Incorporated a headphone amplifier since the original design has the headphones hung straight off the output stage, giving minimal headphone volume. Also incorporated a headphone level control, although this pot is very noisy now. 2. Implemented a switchable phase splitter on the output of Channel 2, allowing it to be used as the Side channel of a M-S (mid-side) pair, thereby decoding to conventional X-Y stereo. This restored a conventional stereo spread, and allowed the other channels to be used for spot mics. This was really useful when recording direct to stereo (DAT in the day). 3. Replaced all the linear faders with smoother components. 4. Put a multi-pin connector on the rear to take individual channel signals in and out (now removed and all cables disconnected - just the mounting hole remains). The unit has detachable rack wings. As shown in the video, these are bolted on in reverse, acting as feet for the mixer, protecting the table surface from scratches. This was a useful, solid - if basic - unit.