Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 Summing Buss

Roll Music

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Product Code: 1761
$775.00
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The Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 Summing Buss is a high quality passive summing mixer intended for multichannel analog summing of digital mixes. It uses no active circuitry and provides no gain or level controls.

The idea is to control the level, panning, EQ, and effects sends of your mix from within the DAW, and send as many as 16 different tracks or submixes to a high quality multichannel outboard DAC which in turn feeds the Folcrom. You then perform only the summing in the analog domain. This enables you to maintain absolute repeatability from within your DAW.

Are you a candidate for a Roll Music Folcrom? Then ask yourself: Are you dissatisfied with the harsh, sterile sound of your Digital Audio Workstation? Do individual tracks sound good while full mixes sound flat and lifeless? Are you having a hard time deciding between an API or a Neve console for creating lush analog mixes from your DAW? Are you unable to afford either one? Do you have a rack full of expensive vintage and esoteric microphone preamplifiers sitting unused at mixdown time? Perhaps the Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 can help you find the sonic glory you've been missing.

Each of the Roll Music Folcrom's input channels features a balanced connection on standard 8-channel DB25 connectors and a pair of pushbutton switches to assign that channel to the Left or Right output, neither, or both. The output of the Folcrom is a stereo pair of balanced, 150-ohm signals on XLR connectors and requires approximately 30-40dB of make-up gain (program dependent). This signal is ideally suited for feeding into an outboard microphone preamp of your choosing. The Folcrom is therefore able to assume a wide variety of tonal character dependent on your choice of amplifier. The Folcrom itself has an extremely simple, pure, and transparent signal path. The absence of faders, EQ, aux sends, pan knobs, or any other superfluous features allows for an entirely passive circuit. There are no amplifiers, ICs, transistors, capacitors, or transformers in the signal path whatsoever. The simplicity of the fully balanced, symmetrical signal path allows the use of no-compromise passive components for ultimate fidelity. The unit passes signals "from DC to daylight" without coloration. The "sound" of your mixer is up to you and your preamps. Chances are your mic preamps just sit there unused at mixdown time anyway, so why not put them to work?

By excluding the make-up gain amplifier from the Roll Music Folcrom, we are able to provide an ultimate quality summing buss without compromise and at a price that's less than you paid for your car. At the same time, it provides a unique opportunity for wide tonal control by allowing you to choose your flavor of make-up gain. Put those old Telefunken or RCA tube preamps to work when you want super thick warmth; or plug into your Great River MP-2 when you need pristine clarity. What other analog console can give you so many options, in such a small space, and at such a reasonable price?

Special Note

The Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 Summing Buss requires make-up gain to be provided from the 2-channel microphone preamplifier of your choice! This design really gives you quite a bit of flexibility to tailor your sound, but also can present a bit of option anxiety. Never fear! We here at Front End Audio have in-depth experience with the products that we carry and we can help you select the right preamp to fit both your needs and your budget. Give us a call at 888-228-4530 and we'll help you get your Folcrom matched up properly!

Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 Summing Buss Specifications

  • Input channels: 16
  • Input impedance: 10k ohms balanced
  • Recommended source impedance: <100 ohms
  • Maximum input level: +42dB rms
  • Output channels: 2
  • Output impedance: 150 ohms balanced
  • Recommended load impedance: 1300 ohms
  • Output level: -35dB nominal
  • Frequency response: 0-500kHz
  • Crosstalk @1kHz: -90dB
  • Power requirements: none - just add a stereo microphone preamplifier for the make-up gain

5 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews

  • 5
    Warm and Wonderful
    Peter Scartabello

    I have been looking for a summing box for quite sometime to get back all that headroom I was missing with my Pro Tools setup. Although camps are divided between those who mix in the box and those who mix out of the box, there is a reason why all the major studios mix PT through a board. The analog distortion adds a beautiful warmth to the mix, especially the extreme highs and lows. But, the main thing I noticed in my mix was that every instrument now has it's own sonic space in the mix!!! Great unit!! Can't wait to try it on more mixes!!!

  • 3
    Not bad
    Dwayne Mitchell

    It added a little something to my mixes, but did not meet my expectations.

  • 5
    Thanks great Service
    Raul Ivan Talamantes

    Thanks For your fast delivery and excelent products, 200% trustworthy IvánTalamantes.com

  • 5
    Less is more
    KL

    It's rather wonderful what this slim, surf green box can do. With just 3 options - L, R and centre and passive circuitry, the Folcrom breathes life into my mixes and it's a difference that can be heard. The whole is just bigger than the sum of its parts. The sometimes rude harshness of digital is tamed into a musical, can I say more fluid mix, where everything seems to sit better as an analogue-sounding whole. Better definition, but more 'glued together.'

  • 5
    Summing
    Stephen Leiweke

    There are tons of debates raging about outboard summing for DAW's. For me it's all about the sound and flexability. The Folcrom let's me choose the "color" of my mix. Using either Neve, API, or ??? as a make up gain stage, let's me choose the right tonal setting for each project.

What We Think

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The Roll Music Folcrom RMS216 Summing Buss is a great choice for those that want flexible analog summing at a reasonable price. I personally use the Rolls Music Folcrom in my studio. The reason is that it is extremely simple to set up, it's compact, it gives you all the bennifits of analog summing (headroom, imagining, smoothing/musicality), and it is tonally flexible. Being 100% passive the downfall is that you lose a lot of level at the output. However, that is where the tonal flexibility comes from. Since you have to use a mic pre on the output to boost the level back to line level, the sonic character is only limited by your mic pre collection. So you can pick and choose your tonal character based on what preamp you put on the output of the Folcrom. So you can a compact 1U rack unit, connect some db25 snakes to the input (nice cable manangement), Set each input to Left, Right, or Center (set it and forget it), then run out to whatever preamp you want to make us your character. You are done. Simple and super effective.

 

Ryan Ferris, Pro Audio Sales

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