16-Channel Opamp Labs Restoration.
The Brief
A long-running Opamp Labs tracking console arrived at the shop tired, missing channels, and nobody had touched it in over a decade. The customer wanted it back in service — but more than that, wanted it modernized: inductor EQs added to every channel, transformer DIs in line on every input, and a refreshed feature set across phantom power, phase, pads, and aux sends.
What We Did
- Full visual and electrical audit of every channel, every PSU rail, every connector
- Recap on every channel and the master section
- Inductor EQs added — custom-built and matched to the existing signal path
- Transformer DIs in-line, balanced through to the patch bay
- Added 48V phantom and polarity switches to every input
- Pads at the input stage, calibrated against the gain structure
- Custom aux sends — added flexibility for cue mixes and effects
- Full bench calibration end-to-end before delivery
The Result
One of the proudest builds to leave the shop. The original Opamp Labs signal path was preserved where it mattered (the discrete op-amps, the basic gain structure), and modernized everywhere that helped the engineer running it. The console is back tracking sessions and we hear from the customer regularly that it's the rig they reach for first.
This is the kind of work we live for — taking gear that's been written off and putting it back to work. If you've got something similar collecting dust, we'd love to hear about it.