Master Complete brings together the MASTER transfer console as the system's core, CONVERT-2 (D/A) and CONVERT-AD+ (A/D) converters on the input and output, LIAISON to expand the insert count, BAX EQ and COMPRESSOR as ready-to-patch processing tools, and MONITOR-ST for calibrated monitoring. Every unit was designed by Chris Muth as part of a single system rather than a loosely matched bundle, so levels, impedances, and XLR/D-sub pinouts line up without adapters.
Expandable insert chain and M/S processing
MASTER provides three insert loops with stepped switching — an EQ on insert 1, a compressor on insert 2, another processor on insert 3 — with the order of inserts 2 and 3 reversible at the push of a button, so it's instant to check whether an equalizer should sit before or after the compressor. Insert 2 also hosts an analog M/S matrix: any processor patched into that loop acts exclusively on the center or the sides of the stereo image, and a separate width control widens or narrows the stereo field without touching the processor itself. Adding LIAISON expands the available insert count from three to seven, and Input Monitor Offset matches loudness before and after processing, so A/B comparisons aren't skewed by a level difference.
A complete chain from conversion to monitoring, engineered as one system
CONVERT-AD+ brings signal into the system through two switchable stereo input paths — one can stay normalled to a D/A converter, the other left free for a patchbay or tape machine — with ClipGuard removing false overload information and an Emphasis circuit built around a pair of Hammond transformers for gentle saturation. The signal then runs through MASTER and its inserts to the two remaining stereo outputs, one feeding CONVERT-2 for reference D/A monitoring, the other feeding MONITOR-ST, where calibrated source switching, talkback, and the headphone amplifier close out the mastering engineer's decision-making chain.
KEY FEATURES
- Complete system: MASTER, MONITOR-ST, LIAISON, BAX EQ, COMPRESSOR, CONVERT-2, CONVERT-AD+
- Three insert loops in MASTER, expandable to seven with LIAISON added
- Analog M/S matrix on insert 2 with stereo width control
- Reversible order of inserts 2 and 3 (Flip switch)
- Input Monitor Offset for level-matched before/after comparisons
- Two switchable inputs and three stereo outputs on MASTER (one for monitoring)
- BAX EQ: Baxandall equalizer with phase-coherent relay-switched HP/LP filters
- COMPRESSOR: two-channel compressor with Smart Dynamics detection and sidechain EQ
- CONVERT-AD+: A/D conversion with ClipGuard and an Emphasis circuit (Hammond transformers)
- CONVERT-2: D/A conversion with automatic sample-rate detection
- MONITOR-ST: monitor controller with remote, talkback, and cue system
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- MASTER I/O: 2 stereo inputs, 3 stereo outputs, XLR connectors, +4dBu nominal
- MASTER input/output control: ±5dB in 0.5dB steps
- MASTER Input Monitor Offset: -2 to +8dB in 0.5dB steps
- MASTER M/S width control: -4 to +6dB in 0.5dB steps
- MASTER attenuator accuracy: 0.02dB (0.01dB typical)
- MASTER chassis: 2U rack
- COMPRESSOR frequency response: ±0.25dB from 15Hz to 80kHz
- COMPRESSOR THD+N: below 0.005%, IMD: below 0.007%
- COMPRESSOR noise: -93dBu, maximum level: +27dBu
- COMPRESSOR crosstalk: greater than 115dB at 1kHz
- Units in the system: 7 x rack (roughly 9U combined)
