If the perfect piece of gear for your live set doesn’t exist, well – why not build it? Or, at least, that’s what Stimming has done with his first piece of production hardware. Meet the Instant Mastering Chain.
Created as a partnership with DOCtron, the device is a fully analog audio processor chain that weighs 1kg and is easily portable for artists on the go. Plus, it’s also intended to be a go-to to use in a studio as a bus compressor. Designed specifically for a hardware-only live set (which is Stimming’s forte), it aims to offer traveling artists the opportunity to master their sound, their way.
As the artist explains:
“It fits in our carry-on luggage and makes the signal loud enough to compete against the DJ, add some creamy lows and highs, compress it to your taste but leave the fast attacks intact, add a splash of tube-warmth and then squeeze it into the transformers. Your music suddenly comes two steps closer.”
Tech specs
Some of the specs worth noting on the hardware feature front:
- British-style low and high-shelf EQ with dedicated bypass and VCA based bus compressor with FF/FB detector path
- Lundahl (r) output transformer with drive and gain reduction knob
- Headphone out with dedicated volume knob
- Sidechain send / return via 6,3mm stereo jacks
- 6,3mm dual-mono, unbalanced jack connectors for in- and output
- Weight: 990g
- Dimensions: 56 x 146 x 142,5 mm
- road proof carbon housing
- handmade in Mittelfranken, Germany
Check out how the IMC works with more details from Stimming:
The Instant Mastering Chain is available internationally for a cost of 2.799,00€. You can learn more and purchase on their website.
