Dangerous Music MASTER

Dangerous Music MASTER — a two-rackspace mastering transfer console with three insert loops, an analog M/S matrix, and level-matched before/after comparisons, designed by Chris Muth.

MASTER continues the line of custom mastering consoles Chris Muth built for top-tier studios before co-founding Dangerous Music. The console ties outboard gear — equalizers, compressors, de-essers — into one coherent system using stepped switches instead of potentiometers, so any setting can be written down and reproduced identically months later.

Precise stereo and M/S control without leaving the chair

Insert 2 hides a fully analog, audiophile-grade sum-and-difference matrix: any equalizer or compressor patched into that loop acts exclusively on the center of the stereo image or on its sides, so you can tame a harsh vocal or snare in the middle without touching wide-panned guitars on the sides — or the reverse, calming unruly cymbals without losing air and articulation in the center. A separate width control stretches or narrows the stereo image independent of whatever's happening on the insert, and the Flip switch reverses the order of inserts 2 and 3 at the push of a button to check whether an EQ should sit before or after the M/S matrix.

Insert expansion and level-matched A/B comparisons

Three stepped insert loops cover the basics, and when more outboard room is needed, MASTER pairs with LIAISON to expand the available inserts from three to seven, along with parallel processing and instant recall of stored configurations. The Input Monitor Offset matches the loudness of the processed signal against the original, so the In/Out switch delivers a fair before-and-after comparison without the illusion that the louder version automatically sounds better — the same principle that lets peak-over-average meter arrays, like the one in the CONVERT-2, be read accurately.

KEY FEATURES

• Three stepped insert loops, each independently switchable
• Analog M/S matrix on insert 2 with independent stereo width control
• Reversible order of inserts 2 and 3 (Flip switch)
• Input Monitor Offset for level-matched before/after comparisons
• Two switchable stereo inputs (e.g., a D/A converter and a patchbay/tape machine)
• Three stereo outputs, one dedicated to monitoring
• Stepped L/R controls with high channel-to-channel gain-tracking accuracy
• Integration with LIAISON expanding insert loops from three to seven
• All connections on balanced XLR, +4dBu nominal
• 2U rack chassis, hand-built in the USA

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Inputs: 2 stereo, XLR connectors, +4dBu nominal
• Outputs: 3 stereo (one for monitoring)
• Input/output control: ±5dB in 0.5dB steps
• Input Monitor Offset: -2 to +8dB in 0.5dB steps
• M/S width control: -4 to +6dB in 0.5dB steps
• Attenuator accuracy: 0.02dB (0.01dB typical)
• Chassis: 2U rack