Summit Extension 78 and MPE-200S--Midi-Controllable Preamps, Plug-in

Summit Extension 78 and MPE-200S
Midi-Controllable Preamps, Plug-in

by Erik Hawkins

All sorts of MIDI gear can be controlled directly from your digital audio sequencer. From an armchair in front of the computer display, you can manipulate parameters and change patches on sound modules in other rooms, operate multitrack machines that are locked in a closet and even adjust the gain of your audio interface’s line inputs—assuming that you have the proper gear, of course. However, microphone preamps have remained largely outside of this world of remote-control magic. There just aren’t a lot of MIDI-controllable, high-end, studio-quality micro-phone preamps available.

The Extension 78 TDM plug-in controls the MPE-200 and MPE-200S preamps via MIDI; it can be used with any sequencer that will run Digidesign’s DAE engine, such as Emagic Logic Audio and MOTU’s Digital Performer
(click image for larger view).

Summit Audio recognized the need for such a product. Designed in cooperation with Rupert Neve, the Element 78 Series includes two MIDI-controllable preamps with built-in EQ, the MPE-200 ($4,495) and the MPE-200S ($3,895). The MPE-200 has a full complement of knobs and buttons for easy front panel control, while the MPE-200S is optimized for remote-control use with just one knob and a button on its face. Both preamps can be remote controlled via a TDM plug-in called Extension 78. Also part of the Element 78 line are two dedicated MIDI-tweakable, two-channel, parametric equalizers, the EQ-200 ($3,995) and EQ-200S ($3,495). They too can be controlled via the Extension 78 plug-in and are configured similarly to the preamps—the EQ-200 sports front panel controls, and the EQ-200S has a single knob and a button. (The “S” at the end of the model name stands for “slave” unit.)

The Extension 78 plug-in can be used with any digital audio sequencer that will run Digidesign’s DAE engine, such as Emagic’s Logic Audio or MOTU’s Digital Performer. The Element 78 products can also be remote controlled by any digital audio sequencer that allows the creation of custom MIDI control templates, so you can map an Element 78 unit’s SysEx and CC commands to your own virtual faders and knobs—a tedious task—but worth the effort. (The SysEx and CC commands are not published in the manual but are available from Summit Audio on request.) For this field test, I used Extension 78 in a Pro Tools environment to control an MPE-200S.

MPE-200S
The MPE-200S is essentially the same unit as the MPE-200 minus the front panel controls. Because the MPE-200 was covered in a previous issue of Mix (October 1999), I’ll focus on how the MPE-200S and MPE-200 differ and the use of the Extension 78 plug-in.
The MPE-200S is no lightweight. It’s only two rackspaces high but weighs in at a hefty 27 lbs., is solidly constructed and creates a striking image with its blue-gray anodized aluminum faceplate and minimal controls. The power switch is on the rear panel, near the removable IEC AC cable socket and 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz AC power select. And, like the MPE-200, the MPE-200S has a Standby mode that is entered by a combination of pressing and holding the front panel controls.

All the audio connections are balanced XLRs on the rear panel. The two preamp/EQ channels are designated A and B, and each is given its own discrete set of I/Os. This configuration makes using each processor independently a snap. Simply plug into the I/O of the processor that you need and voilà, all of the other electronics are bypassed. To use the processors in tandem, simply connect the output of one processor to the input of another. This flexibility also simplifies inserting a compressor or other effect between the unit’s individual processors.

As sparse as the front panel controls are, they are amazingly intuitive—the design is actually very ingenious. Tapping the unit’s single, large, square key steps you through pages. The key itself is backlit and does double-duty as the display window. A large, infinitely rotating dial lies just beneath the key and is used to enter values. Pressing the dial lets you scroll through the different parameters in the display window. The only catch is that the controls only address the preamps, filters and MIDI channel assign parameters and not the parametric EQ settings. To control the EQ, you need to use either the MPE-200 (which can be used as a master controller for up to 15 MPE-200S machines) or the Extension 78 plug-in.

Reprinted with permission from

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