In 1977, the Village Recorder installed Harrison Audio’s new 3232C mixing console, with its revolutionary inline channel design and world’s-first 32 multitrack buses, in two of the studio’s three rooms. Over the following three years, projects recorded at the Village — Steely Dan’s Aja album (1978) and “FM (No Static at All)” single (1979), and Supertramp’s Breakfast in America album (1980) — consecutively won the annual Grammy Awards for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical.
Fast-forward to 2024 and Harrison has begun shipping its new 32Classic console internationally. The 32Classic supports traditional or modern hybrid workflows, combining the brand’s renowned 32C four-band parametric EQ with variable high-pass and low-pass filters and 32 transformer-balanced Harrison mic preamps with 64 channels of built-in, high-end AD/DA conversion, 7.1.4 immersive monitoring and a Dante AoIP interface.
Harrison 32C: The first inline design for multi-track recording
The 32C, introduced in 1975, was the manufacturer’s first console to offer company founder Dave Harrison’s innovative inline design, featuring both an input and a monitor return path through each channel module, and was the world’s first desk with 32 multitrack buses. At the Village in 1977, a Harrison 3232C (with 32 inputs) replaced an MCI console in Studio A, Steely Dan’s favored room, while a 4032C (40 inputs) was installed in place of a Quad Eight in Studio B. Clients and the studio’s engineering staff were quick to take advantage of the novel inline functionality and large number of output buses on the new Harrison consoles.
