The dbx 162sl is looking pretty good atm.
For mix bus? Or just for general use?
Have you heard the 162SL? (I haven't.)
ogg is pretty good compared to mp3.
Sounds good to me!
There are also lossless audio compression formats these days. I can't remember the name of the one I heard about... FLAC or something? Anyway whatever your preference is A-OK by me.
how the hell did you spot that device in that(sorry) rather dull photo?
I have X-ray digital vision.
I hope more people post photos of their studios!
lots of mic-pre's is definitely the way to go.
Yes, that's the way to go... into debt.
The Mickie's pres are clean, so they're not exactly a hindrance to recording. They just have no character. Also I refuse to record other people's music. Tracking is too much work.

So the pres will have to wait for a while. My money is all being funnelled into mixing -- with the ever-diminishing hope of maybe making back just a fraction of the sales tax I paid on it all. Sigh.
Still I do dream of lunchboxes and sugarplums.
Sebatron has been getting rave reviews. You'll find them in a lot of big studios these days. Strangely people only seem to have adopted the preamps. I've never seen shots of the VEQC 2000 anywhere, even though I've heard a few people rave about it.
For anyone who's interested:
Sebatron. They also have a forum on recording.org.
This is unsolicited, but if I had the money to buy an outboard compressor right now, I would consider the following (as well as used vintage ones). I've never heard most of these units, but they all come with seals of approval from people whose opinions I respect. So for whatever it's worth...
Warning, don't look at the prices...
Non-tube compressors I would buy:
- The now-ubiquitous Empirical Labs Distressor, sounds good on everything
- Bill Skibbe maker of a cheap LA-2A clone, of which I just saw 2 rave reviews
- Purple Audio, whose older MC76 (1176 clone) seems to be quite popular among old school Urei fans
- Alan Smart, maker of the C2 "SSL G" style bus compressor
- Crane Song, makers of the very transparent STC-8 mix bus compressor
Tube compressors I would buy:
- Gyraf Audio mastering studio / tube gear maker
- Tube-Tech, makers of the popular CL 1B tube compressor
- InnerTube Audio, maker of the pricey bus compressor "Atomic Squeezebox"
- And of course the Sebatron VEQC2000
For what it's worth, if I were looking for a compressor to put on individual tracks or drum buses etc I would go with the Distressor, hands down.
Mix bus compressor would be more up in the air.
Anyway sorry for the completely off-topic and unsolicited round-up... Back to my humble cave now...
Johann