Recall Your Analog Patches Instantly
PROGRAMMABLE PATCHING IN ANALOG
Instant recall is no longer just for digital. With the LIAISON from Dangerous Music you can store and recall complex analog patches that include up to six stereo or mono analog paths. You’ll experience the ease and quickness of digital plug-ins with your analog rig! Want to try your favorite mix-buss chain on a piano track? Or quickly compare two analog EQs within that chain? – just push a button. With the onboard, latency-free, audiophile-grade parallel buss, you can blend your processed and unprocessed signals for rock solid parallel effects that otherwise require elaborate large format consoles and patchbays. Recall any of your stored patches instantly, bring individual patches in and out of the signal path for gapless A/B comparisons, get your studio setup for the day’s tracking, mixing or mastering tasks in a flash, and do away with confusing, time-consuming patch recall sheets – all while getting crystal clear sound from all your favorite gear.
FEATURES
Hand built in the USA
Audiophile-grade components throughout
Chris Muth designed analog circuits
Six stereo insert loops with true-bypass
Two independent stereo busses
Parallel processing loop on Buss B
Four monitor outputs for pre- and post-insert monitoring of both busses
Instant A/B comparisons in the analog realm
Four onboard memory slots for instant recall of patches
Seamless integration with the Dangerous MASTER or another LIAISON
AWARDS
TEC Award (nominated)
Resolution Awards (nominated)
LET’S TALK ABOUT SHORT-TERM MEMORY
Many of us don’t realize that when we’re making comparisons between two or more sounds, we’re relying on our short term memory. Research has shown that the length of time between exposure to two different sounds greatly determines our ability to make useful judgements. The shorter the gap, the more reliable our judgements are, and for tonal judgements, we start to lose discernment after just fractions of a second! In the analog environment we’re usually forced into physically repatching gear when comparing different sounds, causing gaps so big that the human brain simply can’t make much use of the comparison. With the LIAISON, you get to compare your analog patches with no gap, making A/B comparisons in the analog realm far easier – and actually useful. the LIAISON takes the guesswork out of your critical decisions, helping you make the most of your analog investments.
COMPLEX PATCHING MADE EASY… AND PROGRAMMABLE!
With the LIAISON, previously complex patches of analog equipment are made simple, and they can be instantly recalled with the sophisticated, yet elegant, signal routing and user interface.
SIX INSERT LOOPS
The topology of the LIAISON is built around six high-grade stereo insert loops, each of which can be switched in and out of the signal path at the touch of a button. Use the “Flip” switches to reverse the order of inserts 1&2, 3&4 or 5&6, allowing for immediate auditions of new routing possibilities (compress that EQ, or EQ that compressor?).
TWO MAIN BUSSES
Two main stereo busses (A & B) allow you to route different analog gear chains simultaneously. For example, plug your mic pres into the input of Buss A and keep your favorite EQs and compressors ready for tracking while your favorite stereo mix buss processors live on Buss B. Or perhaps route your drum stems to Buss A, while simultaneously routing your entire stereo mix to Buss B. For even greater versatility, chain Buss A and B together!
PARALLEL PROCESSING LOOP
Send any combination of gear to the LIAISON’s onboard parallel processing loop, allowing latency-free blending of the processed and unprocessed signals. Parallel processing is standard practice today, but in the analog realm often requires a large format console and patchbay. With the LIAISON you can switch between in-series and parallel patches at the push of a button, and then blend to taste! Slam that buss-compressor and bleed in just a bit for sustain and edge. Put an extreme EQ curve on a vocal and blend it into the main signal to create urgency and articulation. Whatever you dream up, the LIAISON’s parallel buss will open up a whole new realm of creative uses for your analog gear. There’s even a polarity reversal button for the parallel processing loop, allowing you to correct phase or use phase cancellation creatively for various results.
FOUR MONITOR CHANNELS
Each of the two busses can be monitored before or after the insert loop, allowing you to hear the results of your inserted processing on either buss instantly. Intelligently routing these four monitor channels in your studio will open up all kinds of uses that minimize patching work and maximize your ability to make fast, reliable comparisons.
PROGRAMMABILITY
Once you’ve got a patch you want to keep around, store it on one of the four program channels for instant recall. Thinking creatively, you can use the two busses to accomplish any number of elaborate patches for tracking, mixing and mastering that you can recall effortlessly.
A MASTERING-GRADE SIGNAL PATH AND SWITCHING SYSTEM
At the core of the LIAISON is a set of no-compromise analog circuits developed by our head designer, Chris Muth. Audiophile-grade components are used throughout the LIAISON’s 100% passive analog relay switching system, offering up a truly transparent and robust topology for seamlessly hosting all your outboard gear. True hard-wire bypass relays remove any gear entirely from the signal path, including analog units that lack an integrated bypass, or hard bypass, circuit. All of the LIAISON’s components switch instantly and silently, providing true A/B comparisons without coloration, latency or disruptive noises.
STAY NIMBLE, STAY ANALOG
It seems ironic, but as digital audio continues to make leaps and bounds, we’re witnessing a simultaneous renaissance of analog gear. Now with the LIAISON, your analog gear can perform as nimbly as your digital plugins. the LIAISON brings the ease of programmable patches, hassle-free rerouting, plus the undeniable benefit of instant A/B comparisons, all in the analog environment. With the LIAISON you’ll unleash your creativity while keeping your studio primed for whatever tracking, mixing or mastering task comes your way.
SPECS
Frequency Response (Passive Section) +0, -0.1dB from 10Hz to 100kHz
Frequency Response (Active Section) +0, -0.1dB from 10Hz to 100kHz
Maximum level > +28dBu • Noise floor < -94.5dBu 22Hz-22kHz bandwidth
THD+N < 0.002% • IMD < 0.003%
Crosstalk rejection (Passive Section) > 124dB
Crosstalk rejection (Active Section) > 113dB
Input Impedance: 20K Ohms • Output Impedance: 20 Ohms
Replacement Fuses:
USA 500mA fast blow for 120V
Europe 250mA fast blow for 240V
Warranty: Free 2 year extended warranty with online registration.
Standard Warranty:
90 days parts and labor, subject to inspection.
Does not include damage incurred through abusive operation or modifications/attempted repair by unauthorized technicians.
DOWNLOADS
MANUALS
OTHER
VIDEOS
SETUP DIAGRAMS
TESTIMONIALS
ANTOINE “CHAB” CHABERT • MASTERING ENGINEER
“The LIAISON is really important – I can do a lot of combinations of chaining gear and I am able to work a lot faster. Before the LIAISON [I had to] switch the patchbay and compare the sounds. Now I am 20-times faster than before, I like the way the LIAISON allows me to still be in the energy of the music.
BOB POWER • MASTERING ENGINEER
“So happy with the LIAISON. Being able to switch gear in and out from the listening position without leaning over a patch bay is fantastic. After sitting in this chair for so many years, it actually improves my mixing ergonomics considerably.”
ADAM GONSALVES • MASTERING ENGINEER
“One of the best features of the LIAISON is the monitor outs…you can monitor the signal at four points in the chain: before and after Bus A and B. The usefulness of this feature is huge, and Dangerous deserves major props for including it!”
SIMON LI • MIXING/MASTERING ENGINEER - NOIZ
“Ultra fast switching, and the four memory locations makes comparing different inserts easy. Integrates with the MASTER seamlessly, and they work as one well-designed mastering console with lots of flexibility in routing. The cleanest and most transparent insert switching I’ve ever used.”
ROBERT VOSGIEN • MASTERING ENGINEER
“The LIAISON is such a hip device. To be able to choose between different outboard gear immediately, and change the order of it in the signal path immediately is so useful!”
ANDY HONG • WRITER/REVIEWER
“LIAISON has the potential of turning you into an audio ninja. I think of LIAISON not as an insert switcher, but as a creativity enabler.”