Unless you are way into audio production (read: geek) you don’t have any good reason to care what the EMI TG console was (it was essentially a giant mixer for recording music and several were installed at Abbey Road Studios and used on the Beatles album of the same name). Regardless, I’ve posted these images since these consoles have always intrigued me from an aesthetic point of view as well. I really enjoy the industrial design they put into this old equipment, such functional design and usually built to military spec.
It has always been a dream to have a Neve, API, EMI, or SSL console in my studio but they run around $50,000 – $100,000+ so it’s going to keep being a dream until I find a bag of money at the park like in that one after-school special about being honest minus the honesty part. A company called Chandler now makes clones of these things and they look almost as good. My friend who does the post production work on my music uses a couple Chandler pre-amps and swears by them, but they’re pretty damned expensive too. I currently use a set of Neve clones, but it’s only 2 channels so still not coming anywhere near these massive old consoles.
My last computer just wasn’t cutting it anymore performance-wise so I’ve spent the weekend building a new one. As a result, not much bloggery going down, but I’ll be back on it tomorrow. So for now, here’s a random picture of some sort of bad-ass record player. I’ll do a post on Photoshop / Media Production performance as it relates to hardware configurations once I’m done with the new machine.
Here’s a shot of the full Bang & Olufsen Beo System from 1974. I posted the Beogram a while back but had yet to find a decent shot of the full system. This one appears to have been resized, so the qulality isn’t the best. If anyone knows of a press archive for 70’s B&O stuff let me know.
Some vintage Braun goodness from the Dieter Rams Flickr Pool. Rams was the head of design at Braun A.G. during the heyday of industrial design. I think his philosophy is one we can all look to for inspiration:
Rams once explained his design approach in the phrase "Weniger, aber besser" which freely translates as "Less, but better." – Wikipedia
Elea 9003, calcolatore elettronico, developed in the Borgolombardo research laboratory headed by Mario Tchou – design:Ettore Sottsass, 1959. Detail of the console. Via Olivetti SPA History. I think the calculator on most cell phones would blow this thing away.
Some great shots of the Carl Zeiss Universarium IX from the Griffith Observatory in LA from Metroblogging LA via FFFFOUND. Someone needs to start producing scale replicas of this thing, I’d be first in line.
Italian manufacturer Brionvega has reissued Richard Sapper and Marco Zansuso’s iconic TS502 portable radio, now dubbed the TS522. These things go for $250 which is a bit steep, especially considering I haven’t listened to the radio in years, but with this kind of style who cares what it does. Images via Anthony Mark
This is the sign out front at the Camper Hotel, Barcelona. Camper is a Spanish company that makes great shoes and although I’m not sure what they’re doing in the hospitality industry, I’m all for it. This place was amazing, very nice design throughout. If you have a chance be sure to visit, it’s in the El Raval which is a very cool neighborhood with great design shops and one of the best book stores I’ve seen at the CCCB (where OFFF is held each year). Loved this sign, was a nice take on Americana via the venerable motel sign.
