Mix engineer Dan Frampton invests in a Mackie Big Knob

Top mix engineer Dan Frampton has recently purchased a Mackie Big Knob for his project studio in Essex, which he is using in place of a traditional mixing console to bring essential control room functions into his software-based studio.
'Big Knob', a name inspired by its large centre-mounted volume knob, is an easy-to-use monitor switching, source switching, and level control box designed for studio owners who use computer-based systems. Designed to sit on the desktop, Big Knob allows engineers to switch easily between three sets of studio monitors, four different stereo sources, and even send musicians their own custom headphone mixes while communicating with them via the built-in Talkback microphone.
Dan Frampton, who has mixed projects for such well-known artists as Blue, Will Young, Liberty X and Lena Martin, is currently putting the finishing touches to an album for Natasha Beddingfield’s stablemate, Ben Adams. So far, Frampton is absolutely delighted with his new Big Knob.
“My studio is mainly used for preparation and pre-production before I go into a commercial facility for the actual mix,” he explained. “I own a large Pro Tools Accel rig, but I have no need for a full console.
“Before I heard about the Mackie Big Knob, I was using the outputs on Pro Tools to send audio to different sets of speakers. However, this wasn’t ideal as I had no Mono or headphone facility, a lack of input sources and no easy way of selecting speakers. I was looking around for ages for a piece of equipment that would solve this problem, while offering good sound quality. Then I heard about the Mackie Big Knob and asked for a demo unit try out. I was so impressed with its performance that I ordered one immediately. I can only describe it as fantastic. It has made an enormous difference to the way I work and I’m truly delighted with it.”
Frampton has already used his Big Knob to mix an album for the French version of Fame Academy on Universal. “We mastered in my room and everyone has been very pleased with the results,” he said.
(GB)