Being a guy who worked in analog studios throughout school, I was excited to see that Dangerous Music had brought analog summing to the doorstep of my digital world. Like an anxious child on Christmas eve, I couldn't wait to get back to my home studio and intertwine the D-Box into my humble setup. Before I knew it I had the unit patched in and I began my embarkment into the world of the D-Box.

After a few minutes wrangling with the IO settings in Logic I was up and running. The first thing I noticed about this box after pulling it out of the bag was the build quality. This thing is built like a tank! Not only is the chassis rock-solid, but the knobs and buttons are firm and accurate. After reading through the manual I decided to put the D-Box through it's paces on a mix I had been working on previously. The minute I pushed the "Sum" button on the D-Box I was sold. My mixes came to life! The mixes sounded the way I envisioned them originally. The summing portion of this box really glued my whole mix together, while adding additional headroom and clarity. The biggest noticeable change was definitely in the drums. They instantly became more dynamic and packed a punch big enough to leave any DAW user drooling.

Analog summing is definitely the mainstay of the D-Box; however, don't be fooled. This box is much, much more. I found the ability to switch between the four inputs (Sum output, analog input, DAW, and CD) extremely useful. Especially when switching between the output of the summing amp and the DAW. The quality of the D/A converter on this box allows any digital input source to shine through. In addition, having another set of monitors readily available, this makes mixing easier than ever.

The last feature I delved into was the headphone outs and the talkback mic. Unfortunately, I didn't get to use these features in a session environment; however, I did do some critical listening through the headphones and toggled the talkback mic on and off. The clarity of both the headphone amps and the mic is truly astounding. I have used many cue systems is the past, both as an engineer and a musician, and I have never heard a monitoring system as pristine as this.

The D-Box is a great addition to any studio. With an unbeatable price tag and features to boot, it can't get any better in a single rack space. I would encourage any engineer, producer, or hobbyist to take a serious look at this box. The D-Box is the thing that is missing in your mix that you can't seem to put your finger on. It is truly one of the best values I have ever seen in the arena of pro audio. I will be buying a D-Box very soon!

Since the dawn of DAW standalone consoles and programs, the recording world has been shaken and rocked in many different ways! In the earlier days of recording sound equipment could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000 just to own - not including the money you pay to learn the skill sets of how to use this highly expensive gear. Artists today can set up a comparable professional audio studio in their own house without the overhead of high hourly rates. You can be your own sound engineer and realize the fullest potential of your artistic abilities in the comfort of your living room!

Some people debate the merits of mixing or summing in the digital realm. Some argue that when you mix in digital you lose the necessary headroom to successfully create a great mix. There is an argument to be had, with benefits and drawbacks on both sides. It really comes down to personal preference. If you have trained yourself to mix in the domain of digital and do not wish to mix in analog, then by all means don't change to "jump on the band wagon."

However, if you enjoy the sound of analog mixing, or the "hands-on" feel that you can get by using analog hardware, have I got a piece for you! Allow me to introduce the Dangerous Music D-Box analog summing bus and monitor controller.
You can clean up mixes almost instantly (and save a little set up time) right out of the box! Imagine getting a better idea of where your vocals are placed in your stereo mix, or really getting a good feel for how your drums are mixed down. It's all right here in the D-Box.

With D-Box you gain a monstrous 6dB of gain which will bring you back to unity analog gain just by using this awesome piece of gear. Make no mistake about it, after you add this piece to your rig, you will mix better than ever before in just a short period of time. Try one out today. I used it for one day and now the craving won't go away! I encourage you to test one for yourself and see if you don't hear the difference!