If you were to drop an audio engineer from the ’80s or early ’90s in front of a modern FOH or monitor setup, they would undoubtedly be surprised at what they saw, with their familiar giant real-estate of knobs and channel faders scaled down to a far more modest footprint of a digital console alongside numerous LED screens. There is no doubt that pro audio has come an incredibly long way since those days – from the PAs flown in the air to the tuning systems and mixing tools – but while systems have advanced massively, many engineers have been looking for a way of truly achieving the sounds and effects created by famed outboard equipment of yesteryear, in a stable and more compact setup.
However, with the launch of its first project, SEPIA, Karno aims to address that need. Created in collaboration with the original outboard manufacturers, Karno’s mission statement is that SEPIA is “not emulation or recreation; it’s the real deal”. With SEPIA, the company has created a way to put the signal path of some of the most well used outboard and effects units into a compact, modular, digitally controllable package optimised for live, theatre and modern studio workflows.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Karno
