Introduction
Input makes all the difference.
Modern audio production relies increasingly on digital systems for recording and mixing processes (DAW‘s, digital consoles etc.). The advantages of digital audio are manifold and include affordable storage, comfortable editing, recall capabilities and automation. On the downside, digital systems still do not offer the same audio qualities and sound characteristics of high-end analog equipment. Especially digital equalizers and other aspects of the mixing domain cannot compete with the open, transparent sound of the best analog gear. So today more than ever, your input signal has to sound as good as possible—the quality of your original tracks will largely define the end result. Lifeless or dynamically lacking signals are often over-processed with EQ, compression and other effects in an attempt to compensate—often an extremely tedious process in the digital domain that doesn‘t always produce the desired results.
Attacking this problem on the preamplification front, with the goal of noticeably improving a signal and sending it along its path with a healthy foundation, requires a great deal of thought and engineering effort. To this end, the GainStation 8 employs technologies that not only satisfy test equipment, but also—and most importantly—the user. Components and circuits were care- fully chosen and designed on the basis of extensive measure- ments and listening tests. In short, developing the GainStation 8 was a major undertaking that required immense amounts of time and experience.
