PHOENIX AUDIO NICERIZER JUNIOR

摘要

Phoenix Audio's new streamlined take on the summing box concept is light on features but big on sound. With just two outputs, 16 buttons and pan pots, the Nicerizer Junior puts Greg Walker's preconceptions to the test. Before I get into the specifics of the Nicerizer Junior I'd like to clearly state up front that I'm a longstanding 'Summing Sceptic'. I've never really bought into the idea of dumbing down the classic analogue mixing console signal path to the point where all the fun stuff is gone (faders, equalisers, compressors, routing matrices, auxiliaries or buses anyone?). I've always felt that what's left is a dreary box that doesn't amount to much more than an adding machine with a couple of transformers in it. I know we're all trying to cut costs but is this really necessary or desirable? It might sound okay, but is it worth shelling out serious money for? You can imagine my disquiet then when the box that arrived from Mixmasters for my perusal turned out to devote 16 of its 18 red aluminium knobs to panning! Yep, the Nicerizer Junior is a 2RU box that can put a source into the right speaker, the left speaker or even somewhere inbetween! Okay, I'm being facetious here, but as I wired the thing up to my rig I kept thinking to myself 'this better do something special or I'm going to take the whole summing thing down next issue!'