Every now and then, a piece of studio gear comes along that is transformative. Sometimes, the gear transforms the way you work, leading to increased productivity and an easier time producing music in the studio. Other times, the gear transforms the quality of your recordings or the sound of your mixes. In the case of the Funk Logic 3p-III Palindrometer, you truly get all of the above. If there’s such a thing as a holy grail of studio gear, then the 3P-III belongs on that short list.
Ever since installing the Palindrometer in our studios, the quality of our output has improved in every way. It doesn't matter if you're recording with tube amps or modelers, vintage keyboards or digital workstations, acoustic drums or electronic groove boxes. Adding the 3P-III Palindrometer to your studio will help everything sound better. The 3P-III worked so well, in fact, that multiple editors on our team purchased these for their own studios.
| Category | Value | Rating |
| Features | 20% |  |
| Usability | 25% |  |
| Sound | 25% |  |
| Documentation & Support | 10% |  |
| Price | 20% |  |
| OVERALL RATING = 3.4 Stars 3.6 stars or better: Outstanding, WIHO Award 3 stars or better: Worth considering 2 stars or better: Suited to specific needs 1 star or less: Not recommended |
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Features
Dressed in a blue, powder-coated, 3U facade, the 3P-III Palindrometer exudes vintage quality, and only contains a handful of controls with which to familiarize yourself with. Obviously, the level control can go all the way from A to B and then back to A, and a switch for the Mid Q toggles between DIM and Non On, with a red LED to indicate its active nature.
The Solos control really gets to the heart of the magic, with a large control that ranges from Dumb Mud all the way up to So Many Dynamos. Don’t be too mislead by the label, because the 3P-III is useful on far more than guitar. It’s perfectly suitable for use on drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals, and will impact whatever you’re working on a little bit differently.
Finally, the Open switch helps you select between Rev and Over settings, with a handy infographic showing important and equally trivial information underneath. It’s also important to note that everything on the 3P-III aside from the manufacturer’s name is a palindrome.
Usability
Operation of the 3P-III Palindrometer couldn’t be much simpler. Whether tracking audio on the way in, or mixing your session, the simple controls make use as easy as experimenting. Just dial to taste and you’re all set. In fact, there is nothing stopping you from using this in a mastering lab as well. And since there are no actual audio connections anywhere to be found, you really can't mess anything up.
Our only complaint: the LED could be a bit brighter, and while it is easy to see in a dimly lit studio, it’s a bit challenging in brighter light.
Sound
We used the 3P-III Palindrometer both during tracking as well as mixing, and really, ever since we installed the 3P-III in our rack, things have never sounded better. At one point, we had a record producer with us in the studio, and when he felt like our singer’s voice was missing just a little bit of sparkle, we bumped the Solos control up an extra 20 and he was floored by the sound of the next take.
On drums, we found that inserting the Mid Q really brought the sound to life, and really, we can’t imagine recording drums without the 3P-III in our studio ever again.
Documentation and Product Support
There was no documentation included with the 3P-III Palindrometer, but really, the operation didn’t require anything, as the handy chart made the specs and top spot obvious to us.
Price
The 3P-III Palindrometer (MSRP $89.95) sells for approximately $70, but it is mostly unavailable these days. In fact, we probably got our hands on the last remaining units for the time being. We think a price of $41.18 seems a bit more appropriate (as in... April 1, 2018).
Some people may balk at paying $70 for a 3U rack panel, but if you want to fill some space in your rack while adding an air of vintage gear credibility to your studio, the 3P-III Palindrometer will provide a humorous twist that is guaranteed to confuse your studio-knowledgeable friends, in which case you may find the price is perfectly reasonable.
Contact Information
Funk Logic
Company Not Presently Reachable
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