ROAD
TEST
Radial Engineering SAT-2 & MIX
2:1 Studio Tools
By Adam Gallant
SAT-2 Stereo Audio Attenuator & Monitor
Controller
he SAT-2 by Radial Engineering
is designed primarily as a studio
monitor controller to connect
between your audio interface and
powered studio speakers; however,
its simple design gives this box a whole host of
other, equally useful applications. I’ll run down
a few features then give examples of how we
put it to use in our studio.
Like all of Radial’s products, this unit is
robust enough for use on the road and built to
last a lifetime. The case is built from 14-gauge
solid steel with a lip that protects the front
panel switches from damage. The finish is a
quality glossy black and very clearly labeled.
The back panel features both TRS and XLR
inputs as well as XLR outputs. The front panel
consists of a mono switch, mute switch, vol-
ume knob, and a DIM switch with adjustable
level control.
When I’m mixing, I like to avoid touching
the playback volume as much as possible.
Having the master volume remain constant by
using the DIM switch for checking at low levels
has allowed my ears to trust a certain volume
threshold, which has been great for bringing in
new elements to a working mix. The DIM level
control is also recessed to avoid accidental
adjustment.
The SAT-2 is completely passive, requiring
no power source and offering a transparent
sound. As a studio monitor controller, the SAT-
2 is zero fuss and much cleaner sounding than
the small-format mixer I’m used to using. The
SAT-2’s volume knob is of high quality and en-
sures consistent left to right tracking over the
entire range of the trim pot. With lower quality
trim pots on stereo material, you’ll often find
a slight pan to one side as you attenuate; the
SAT-2 is void of this issue, offering a consistent
stereo image all the way down to zero volume.
The mute, mono, and DIM switches are silent
as well.
As a simple volume attenuator, the SAT-2
can solve a lot of gain staging challenges. We
have a pair of the traditional API 512c preamps
at our studio and they are often run at a very
safe input level to avoid clipping the input side
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20 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
of our interface’s A to D converters.
The SAT-2 can be added to the
output of any preamp to
attenuate the signal, allow-
ing for colouration of the
microphone preamp’s input
while keeping within safe limits
on the interface side. Hearing
the APIs driven for the first
time was great and I suspect
tube preamps would be given an
extra level of versatility with the attenuator in
the chain.
MIX 2:1 Two-Channel Audio
Combiner & Mixer
The MIX 2:1 is a two-channel
passive mixer that essentially
allows you to take two mono
sources and sum them to one
mono signal with clarity and
detail.
The back panel of the MIX
2:1 houses two TRS inputs, two XLR
inputs with independent ground lift, and one
mono XLR output. On the front we have on/off
switches for each input, trim pots for each in-
put, and a 180-degree polarity switch on input
two (which is great to help identify frequency
cancellation issues between inputs). The front
also houses a bypass switch, which sums
inputs 1 and 2 equally and prevents unwanted
level adjustments via the input trim pots.
With the same build quality as the SAT-2,
the MIX 2:1 is the kind of hardware that will
outlive most other tools in your arsenal. A
military-spec circuit board and high quality
components deliver a transparent sum in a
totally passive design. As with the SAT-2, the
bottom of the MIX 2:1 has a thick no-slip pad
that provides mechanical isolation and holds
the box in place on top of your desk, key-
board, or on the floor (ready to be accidentally
jumped upon without missing a beat).
As is common in many studios, we tend to
use two microphones on a single guitar cab
and blend to taste. The MIX 2:1 handles this
job nicely with a pair of dynamic microphones.
We used a Shure SM57 and Sennheiser MD412
with great results.
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SA
MIX
2:1
The MIX 2:1 is also perfect for use on stage
for a keyboard player blending multiple sources
or a bass player combining a microphone and
DI signal. Quickly fix ground hums with the
independent ground lift switches and quickly
mute the box to remove patch cables that
might otherwise play through loudspeakers.
Summary
The SAT-2 and MIX 2:1 are quality tools with
very simple designs that make them very
useful to have on hand. Completely passive
and transparent in sound, these boxes can
be trusted to endure many hours of use over
many years. Thanks to the folks at Radial for the
specialized designs.
Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital
audio production, from music composition to
location and post audio for television and film.
He currently owns and operates The Hill Sound
Studio in Charlottetown, PE.