One of the great things about trade fairs like these are that you can actually grab the faders on a lot of things that you’ll never be able to afford yourself. Here are some of the consoles I enjoyed playing with.

SSL Matrix. This was one of the big news at the Messe. Lots of people talking about it. I actually filmed a video of it, but I kind of messed it up, so I can’t post it.

AMS-Neve Genesys. This thing was pretty impressive. I had of course read about it when it was introduced a while back, but being given the full tour by the (great) AMS-Neve guy as well as getting the chance to grab one myself was a whole other thing. It was still a prototype, so the rep mentioned some changes that will be made. Speaking of Neve, I heard the 4081 4 channel preamp will be shipping May-ish.

Toft ATB. As strange as it may sound, this cheapo (compared to the rest of the consoles mentioned here) is what really awoke the “gimme, gimme” feelings in me. This desk is old news by now, and there have been some complaints about it, but it looks really good, has a nice old school feel to it, is really cheap so that mere mortals can afford it… And Malcolm Toft is a really great guy to talk to!

Euphonix MC Pro. People are talking a lot about the new Artist series nowadays (and I understand why), but just a few minutes with a more high-end Euphonix a few hours after trying the former makes you understand why the Artist series controllers are cheap and the MC Pro is not. The programable buttons with little displays are just awesome, and the whole thing breathes flexibility.

Digidesign Venue. I’ve never had the pleasure to actually try out a Venue setup before. I didn’t really go into detail with it but it felt nice. I think I like the D-Show mushroom knobs better than the C|24 knobs, they have a whole other feel. While the feel of the D-Show is nice, there’s still something about the area below the faders of the Digidesign consoles (you know, where you rest your elbows or palms, and throw up your feet) that feels a tad too “plastic” for my taste.