ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Live mixing console

Altec 1567A Mixer

Altec Lansing · 1958 (in continued front-line service through the 1960s–70s)

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The Altec 1567A is a compact, three-rackspace, four-mic/one-line input tube mixer built around 12AX7 and 6CG7 tubes, launched in 1958 for broadcast, recording and sound-reinforcement use. Its octal accessory sockets allowed users to configure input impedances and add transformers, and an optional 'XL' cover fitted XLR connectors for portable field use. Several racks of 1567As were used by the audio crew that recorded the Beatles' August 1965 Shea Stadium concert, and the model's durability kept it in active touring and location-recording service through the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

Introduced
1958 (in continued front-line service through the 1960s–70s)
Category
Live mixing console
Intended use
Portable tube mixer for broadcast remotes, recording and sound-reinforcement mixing
Production
Manufactured by Altec Lansing; sold in volume from 1958, commonly used singly or racked in multiples for larger shows

Equipment photographs · 1

Two Altec 1567A mixer amplifiers racked at Savage Audio, alongside MXR outboard units

1 / 1 · Altec 1567A mixer amplifiers (rack-mounted pair)

Altec 1567A mixer amplifiers (rack-mounted pair)·Jake Mohan·CC BY 2.0

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    Demonstrates the reliance of 1960s touring/recording crews on compact tube field mixers before purpose-built live consoles existed.

  2. 02

    Documented, named use at a landmark rock concert (Beatles, Shea Stadium 1965) ties it directly to the era.

Engineering record

Inputs
Four microphone inputs plus one line input[1]
Tube complement
Three 12AX7 dual triodes and one 6CG7 output tube[1]
Configurability
Rear-panel octal sockets allowed plug-in transformers to convert inputs between high/low impedance and phono use; optional XLR 'XL' cover for field portability[1]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

Multiple 1567A units were used by the recording/sound crew documenting the Beatles' August 1965 Shea Stadium concert[1]

Manuals & original documents

Sources

  1. 1Roots of Pro Audio: The Altec 1567A Mixer (1958)FOH / Front of House Magazine · reference · 2022-08-09

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