As a DJ of a certain vintage, I have earned the right to utter the clichéd “they don’t make them like they used to”. And sadly the aesthetic of wood and analogue VU meters is missing from mainstream DJ gear. As a style, it seems to have remained the domain of the niche rotary mixer market, and only the rotary mixer market. But now it seems that you can add a small slice of wooden analogue goodies to your setup via Hayakumo’s Forma Stereo VU Meter.
For the Japanese speakers out there, here’s a video:
To save you jumping straight into Google Translator, here’s a rough translation of the product page:
FORMA STEREO VU METER (VU meter)
¥ 32,184
※ This price includes consumption tax.
※ Shipping costs 800 yen per order for each order.This item will be shipped from 8/8 (Tuesday).
■ Compact, high quality, fully limited production Made In Japan stereo VU meter ■
Mr. COLDFEET Watusi, a producer who handles major scenes to underground, invited Mr. COLDFEET Watusi as a development advisor, It is a VU meter that clears all the elements required in “VU meter.”
Regarding the performance, we realized the specification considering the current private studio environment, condensed the necessary and sufficient functions for the compact size also on the design, we produced in Japan.■ Main features ■
By tilting the design front panel by 15 degrees from the vertical, the visibility improves more than the general VU meter. The size is compact size of about 200 mm in width, it can be installed anywhere
INPUT LEVEL / calibration
INPUT LEVEL allows switching between + 4 dBu and -10 dBV according to the connected equipment.
In order to further improve the accuracy of the meter, a left-and-right independent calibration is prepared.INPUT, THROUGH OUT
NEUTRIK terminal is adopted. Moreover, by dedicated circuit design, by suppressing deterioration of sound quality at the THRU OUT to the utmost limit, it can correspond to any studio environmentSMI indicator
“Sound Motion Indicator” is audio input, 0 dB,
Peak level display visibility well ■ Specifications ■
INPUT terminal: XLR (female) / TRS Phone (stereo phone jack) Equipped with both COMBO input terminals THROU OUT terminal: Equipped with XLR (male) type throughout terminal
Input impedance: L / R 47 kΩ for each channel Balanced type
regulation Input level: + 4 dBu (1.23 V) / – 10 dBV (0.32 V) Switchable
maximum input level: +10 dBu (2.54 V)
Input level changeover: +4 dBu (1.23 V) Equipped with slide type ATT changeover switch of 10 dBV (0.32 V)
Input level fine adjustment: Approximately + 6 dB / – ∞ for specified input level,
semi-fixed VR (Cal.) For Lch and Rch
VU meter Frequency response : 1 kHz = 0 VU 50Hz (-0.2VU), 100Hz (-0.1VU ) to,
150 Hz ~ 30 kHz (0VU)
LED indicator: lights at about -20 dB ~ -1 dB (green) ~ 0 dB (yellow) + 3 dB or more (red)
power source: Input AC 100 V to 240 V (0.58 Ammax), output DC 24 V (1A max) adapter used. (DC output cable length = about 1.5 m)
Power consumption: maximum about 3.
5 VA External dimensions Shape: Width 205 × height 85 × depth 72 mm (iron painted finish equipped with about 12 mm thick wooden side plate on the left and right)
Weight: Main unit = about 780 g, power adapter = about 130 g
Accessories: power adapter, Written, warranty※ The specifications of the main body may change without notice. Please note.
※ For the side wood panel, because it is a complete handmade item, wood grain etc differs from the picture, please understand.Warranty period: 1 year (excluding consumables)
It’s VU meters in a box
That’s pretty much all this is, and I love it. It sits in your master output chain does nothing but give you a classy master output level display. Imagine a whole range of components like this such as an isolator, or an isolator with VU meters and lush wooden trim. Be still my beating heart.
The above translation does use the phrase “limited production”, so I suspect that this will be a short run handcrafted piece to buy and keep forever. Personally, I’d have t on my desk and run my antique leather clad iPhone 7 through it.
Price wise, ¥ 32,184 translates to £222/€245/$291 plus ¥ 800 shipping. So it’s not a throwaway purchase for everyone. It is however deeply appealing to an older gentleman with an eye for handmade classically styled DJ equipment.
GALLERY
