Sometimes things just end up so simple its kind of silly. The Folcrom certainly falls into the easy to understand and use category, with the exception being that the ultimate sound it produces will be all about your makeup gain from your preamp choices during mixdown. The Folcrom is a very sturdy and well built summing device, it takes up to 16 balanced inputs via DSUB (Tascam standard) and sums them to a 150oHm rated stereo output via XLR connectors (150oHm being a common output impedence for microphones). You have the choice of left or right panning or center, and overall its easier to think in stereo groups.

There is no sound on its own really; its totally dependent on what you would use to makeup gain at the end of the chain (which is about +35dB needed from a mic preamp). Integrating can be very easy also as there really isnt any gain to adjust and all panning is hard switchable. Got a pair of Neve, API, Daking, A-Designs, Phoenix Audio or other preamps? Seriously, you can take great advantage of them to alter the tone of your mixes when desired.

Conclusion: An easy to use device for those seeking external summing for DAW setups, you could also use it to submix effects in any setup if that fits your work pattern. The ability to choose different preamps for makeup gain make it a unique choice, and likely the most versatile dedicated summing mixer around.

Is it just like tape? Well no, only tape is JUST like tape. However, it does tape-like things like saturates nicely and compresses the dynamic range in a very smooth way without requiring tweaking or setup like a compressor. The 5042 offers 7.5 IPS (inches per second) and 15 IPS emulation modes, and the amount of tape effect is completely variable from subtle to downright slammed if you like. The 5042 actually utilizes playback and record heads spaced apart inside the unit, kind of like a tape machine with no tape really. Im not a technical guy but it seems like a very reasonable approach to trying to deliver a legitimate tape machine sound.

The 7.5 IPS mode is a bit darker as a result of emulating a lower resolution tape speed, and the low end response is represented very fully. The 15 IPS mode allows more top end response yet lightens the low end response a bit at the same time. As a gentle compression type of device, the 5042 is very easy to dial in and help reign in some stray elements. You can certainly track with it if you want to continuously saturate gently like you would with a good tape machine. It does what most would associate the word warm with (I dont like that word much). It can knock the edge off of transients and gel things into a tighter picture, depending on how you hit it.

Conclusion: Its not a tape machine but as close to one in a half rack as I think anybody has ever achieved. Fans of out of the box flavor for tracking and mixdown would surely dig this flavor.