API 1608 16-Channel Console #5480126 (Used)

The API 1608 is used in professional and project studios the world over, including Blackbird Studios in Nashville (who purchased the first one), and over a hundred others; from larger studios like Telefunken USA, Signature Sound, University of Michigan, and WAX Ltd ...to smaller project studios like Dan Auerbach's Akron Analog and Steve Miller's home studio. What these venues all have in common is a desire for simplicity, flexibility, reliability, and analog warmth, and they all get it with their API rig.
Numerous albums have been made on a 1608, including the Foo Fighters latest #1 record "Wasting Light" -- tracked and mixed in Dave Grohl's garage on an API 1608.

Building on API's rich heritage of extremely high quality recording consoles, the Model 1608 is a full featured small format recording console based on the vintage API 1604 console, which has held its demand and value for over three decades.

The API 1608 gives all of the advantages of the 1604 Vintage Consoles while adding new, modern features valuable to today's Engineers, Producers and Musicians.

The 1608 is built to the same exacting API build standards as our Vision consoles, Legacy consoles, and modular products.

Details:

• Headroom is +28dBU
• 16 channels mic/line
• 500 Series slot per channel (8 spare, can be normalled to FX return or patchable)
• 16x 312 vintage style mic pre’s (as in 3124+)
• 4x 560 graphic and 12x 550a included
  
• 2x 525 compressor modules
• 24 line return at stereo mix
  
• Access to stereo line in at mix
• Discrete classic 2520 op-amp design
• Legacy type logic throughout
• 8 buss
• 8 aux
• 8 FX return
• 5.1 monitoring
• 3 position speaker selector (dim, dim volume, mute, mono)
• Inserts on all input channels and mix buss
• Direct line inputs per channel like 512/3124+
• 16 channel expander (up to 32 channel total, links via Elco multipin)
• Built like a tank

Item Includes:

• Sound Construction Furniture Included
  
• API Automation Included
  
• (6x) Bittree Programmable 968 Series Patch Bay's
• Rear connections are E3 (3 pin Elco connector)
  
• (1x) MOTU Midi Express XT
  
• (1x) Middle Atlantic Products Power Center
• Dimensions (including furniture): 82” wide x 43” deep x 43” high

Question 1:
"Can you describe what’s balanced, what’s unbalanced, and what has transformers?"

Answer:

• Line in: active balanced discrete API 2520 amplifier
• Pre-amp out transformer balanced
• EQ in is EQ dependent (the 1608 motherboards are setup to accept a 2510 balancing amp card which is NOT stock, as you would only want them if yourEQis unbalanced in): 560 is balanced, 550a is unbalanced, 550b is unbalanced.
• EQ out: transformer balanced
• Insert return: active balanced discrete API 2510 amplifier
• Direct out: transformer balanced
• Multi Bus Outs: transformer balanced
• Multi Bus to PGM Bus assign: Passive resistor balanced assign
• PGM summing amp outs: transformer balanced
• PGM Insert returns: active balanced discrete API 2510 amplifier
• PGM Outs: Transformer balanced
• Echo Sends: transformer balanced
• Echo Returns: active balanced discrete API 2510 amplifier
• CR outs: Transformer balanced
• Oscillator out: active balanced output

Question 2:
"Has the summing design changed? If so, why?"

Answer:
The old 1604/2488 summing busses were not balanced, and therefore much noisier than the New 1608, so it's not the same as the old consoles, it's tons better (it's certainly not cheaper, it's more expensive, but it's the right thing to do...). The 1608 uses discrete 2520's and transformers for the summing amplifiers, just like all the old API's do, but with balanced summing buses.