Harrison is one of those real-deal audio names, a heritage studio brand straight out of Nashville 🎸. Best known for their iconic 32C mixing console, they’ve been shaping the sound of hit records since 1975 baby!
Founded by Dave Harrison, whose career kicked off at the legendary King Records in Cincinnati, the company continues to honour its roots while adapting for the modern studio. Today, we’re diving into two of their latest 500 series offerings: the 32Cpre+ and the MR3eq, inspired by the original 3232 console preamp and the MR3 console EQ section respectively.
🔌 Harrison 32Cpre+: The Preamp With Vintage Soul
The 32Cpre+ is a clean, characterful preamp built to give you that big-console energy in a portable format. It delivers up to 70dB of gain — enough to handle delicate ribbon mics, aggressive dynamics, and everything in between 🎤⚡
Standard features like phantom power, phase flip, and a -20dB pad are all there. But it’s the front-panel input that adds real flexibility, with both XLR and Hi-Z DI options 🎸🎚️
What sets the 32Cpre+ apart is its dual filter section:
🧼 Low-pass filter: Sweeps from 20kHz to 160Hz
🧽 High-pass filter: Sweeps from 25Hz to 3.15kHz
Both operate with a 12dB/oct slope and a musical 3dB corner frequency — perfect for cutting out mud or taming brightness before it hits your DAW 🎯
Tonally, this unit is warm and subtly polished, thanks to the Jensen transformer in the signal path. It brings a vintage smoothness and transient response that feels refined without sounding overly coloured 💎✨
At $1315 AUD, the 32Cpre+ isn’t cheap, but you’re paying for a piece of Harrison’s legacy — a studio workhorse that delivers world-class sound every time you press record 🎧✅
🎨 Harrison MR3eq: Sculpt With Style
If the 32Cpre+ is about clean input tone, the MR3eq is about shaping that tone with musical finesse. This 3-band EQ takes cues from the MR3 console’s classic EQ section and packs it into a 500 series module that’s both flexible and fun to use 🎛️🎨
Each band gives you up to ±10dB of gain — and thanks to overlapping frequency ranges, you’ve got plenty of room to carve, boost, and sweeten your sound:
🔊 High band (800Hz–15kHz):
By default, it operates as a shelving EQ — great for air and presence. Press the bell-shaped button 🔔 and it becomes a parametric band with a Q that tightens as you boost, giving you more control over upper mids and highs without introducing harshness.
🎯 Mid band (400Hz–8kHz):
Fully parametric with adjustable Q, this is your surgical tone-shaping zone. Whether you’re enhancing vocal clarity or carving space in a mix, this mid band is responsive and musical.
🌊 Low band (40Hz–800Hz):
Switchable between shelf and bell mode, this band lets you dial in deep, powerful lows or clean up unwanted sub frequencies — ideal for bass, drums, or beefy synths.
You also get a high-pass filter identical to the one on the 32Cpre+ — sweeping from 25Hz to 3.15kHz with a 12dB/oct slope, giving you one last layer of clean-up control before hitting tape (or DAW) 🎚️🧹
At just $715 AUD, the MR3eq brings serious sonic flexibility to your rack — with the warmth and heritage you’d expect from Harrison. Whether you’re tracking, mixing, or sweetening a final bounce, it delivers every time 🎵🛠️
🏁 Final Thoughts
Both the 32Cpre+ and the MR3eq are modern classics — bringing the legacy of Harrison’s consoles into today’s studios with elegance, musicality, and precision.
✅ Clean and rich preamp tone
✅ Musical, intuitive EQ curves
✅ Iconic sound from a trusted brand
✅ Solid value for serious studios
Whether you’re building your first 500 series chain or upgrading your current setup, these Harrison units deserve a spot on your radar. Vintage soul meets modern control and they sound damn good 🔥🎶
