Publison IM 90

Superb, clearly readable display on both the screens (one on the unit and the other on the remote control). Even though this unit has its renowned idiosyncrasies, it's still very easy to navigate and everything is laid out very intuitively. This unit is capable of some pretty complex processing, but even that kind of thing is just as easy to access as, say, a reverb preset.

OK. Absolutely second-to-none and TOTALLY unique. Pitch shifting a snare down a la Bob Clearmountain? There's your sound. Pitch-shifting vocals like Prince? There's your sound. Infinite reverbs with the Sound Hoarder? There's your sound. Flying vocals or doing vocal locs a la SAW? There's your sound. The list goes on. This thing has been on more hit records than any Google search will reveal. It's a unit with a classic, magic sound. There are very few of these around and I'm glad to have one of them. Mine gets used on every single track I record, produce or mix. It's utterly inspiring.

Even though these units have a reputation (due to their age etc) as being difficult, I've never had any problems with mine. ALTHOUGH I have heard reports of people sending a unit away to France to get repaired (because Publison do still exist - they just don't make the Infernal Machine anymore) and the owner not seeing the unit again for a number of years. I'd hate to lose my Publison for that long. Plus, they can't really be repaired by a general service technician because Publison are very secretive about the insides of these machines. But it doesn't matter anyway. Mine's as solid as a rock.

Never had cause to contact Publison.

This is one of the most invaluable pieces of gear I own. Without it I'd have to rethink the way I make music.