Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition 72 Ch Inline Console is a 72-channel fully analog in-line recording console with 24-bus routing — the largest standard configuration of the ASP8024-HE platform, comprising six 12-channel bays plus the master section, spanning 331 cm wide and weighing 234 kg. The 72-channel version requires two ASP8120 Ultra power supplies, both included. The preamp circuit, EQ topology, Retro Iron mix bus, and VCA bus compressor are identical across all Heritage Edition configurations; what the 72-channel format delivers is simultaneous access to every signal source in a large-scale session without patchbay reconfiguration — the natural territory of orchestral recording, large ensemble tracking, and permanent high-throughput studio installations.
In-Line at Scale — 160 Inputs From a Single Console
In the 72-channel configuration, the in-line architecture delivers 160 inputs to the stereo bus at mixdown: two independent signal paths per channel (long fader for mic/line, short fader for DAW or tape return) plus four stereo returns in the master section. The four-band Dearden EQ — two fully parametric mid bands spanning 40 Hz to 20 kHz with ±15 dB and variable Q, flanked by low and high shelving bands — is splittable independently per channel: it can be assigned to the mic/line path or the tape return path without affecting other channels. Fourteen aux sends (12 mono plus 2 cue) accessible on both fader paths per channel allow simultaneous management of studio headphone feeds, outboard effects, and stem routing across all 72 strips. Penny & Giles 8000 series faders are fitted on every channel.
Retro Iron, VCA Compression, and Installation Modularity
The Retro Iron circuit — Carnhill output transformer and John Hardy 990C discrete op-amp on the stereo bus — operates identically to smaller HE configurations: independently switchable Retro and Iron modes, each adding a distinct character, with Low Bump and High Lift mix bus EQ available before the output faders. The VCA stereo bus compressor with adjustable threshold, ratio, auto-release, and GR metering operates post-insert, pre-fader. The console is semi-modular: each of the six 12-channel bays and the master section are independently serviceable and replaceable. Bay order, master section position, patchbay integration, DLC placement, and Producer's Desk inclusion are all determined at order — every unit is hand-assembled to specification at Audient's Hampshire factory. At 72 channels, power is distributed by two ASP8120 Ultra supplies running in parallel, both deployable in the control room without a separate machine room, thanks to low-noise transformers and low-RPM fan cooling.
KEY FEATURES
- 72-channel in-line, 24-bus routing, 160 inputs to stereo bus at mixdown
- 72 discrete Class A mic preamps (Dearden design) — same circuit used across all Audient products
- 4-band splittable EQ per channel: 2 parametric bands (40 Hz–20 kHz, ±15 dB, variable Q) + 2 shelving
- Retro Iron: Carnhill transformer + John Hardy 990C output amplifier, Low Bump / High Lift EQ on mix bus
- VCA stereo bus compressor — adjustable threshold, ratio, auto-release, GR meter
- 14 aux sends (12 mono + 2 cue), 8 subgroups, 4 stereo FX returns
- 5 pairs of monitor outputs (Main + 3 Alt + Studio LS)
- Penny & Giles 8000 series faders throughout
- Semi-modular layout — six 12-channel bays + master, each independently serviceable
- Two ASP8120 Ultra power supplies included — control room installation, low noise, low-RPM fan
- Built to order: bay order, master position, patchbay, DLC, Producer's Desk, armrest, top trim all configurable
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Channels: 72 (160 inputs in in-line configuration)
- Buses: 24-bus, 8 subgroups, 14 aux (12 mono + 2 cue)
- Frequency response, mic in to mix out: +0 / -0.3 dB, 20 Hz–20 kHz (at 6–40 dB gain)
- Frequency response, line in to mix out: +0 / -0.3 dB, 20 Hz–20 kHz (at 0 dB gain)
- THD+noise at +20 dBu output (mic in): below 0.005% at 1 kHz
- THD+noise at +20 dBu output (line in): below 0.005% at 1 kHz
- THD+noise at +20 dBu output (tape in): below 0.003% at 1 kHz
- Mic EIN (20–20 kHz, 150 Ω source): below -127.5 dBu
- Bus noise (no inputs routed): below -93 dBu
- Bus noise (36 inputs routed): below -78 dBu
- Mic CMRR: 70 dB (min gain) / 75 dB (max gain)
- Crosstalk / mute attenuation (short fader, long fader, mix assign, bus assign): above 90 dB at 1 kHz
- Maximum input, mic: above +21 dBu (min gain)
- Maximum input, line: above +30 dBu (min gain)
- Maximum output into 2 kΩ (mix, bus, aux): above +26 dBu
- Width: 331.0 cm (130.5 in) — 7-bay configuration (72 channels, no DLC)
- Depth / height: 106.5 x 99.9 cm
- Weight: 234 kg (515 lbs)
- Power: 2x ASP8120 Ultra (included)
