I, audiophile

A look into the world of audio engineering and high fidelity.

[elliotbowles]

The Electronaut M97 Vari-mu Compressor Limiter. It's expensive and hey know it.

[elliotbowles]

"Seventy pounds and tactile"

First of all, this thing looks fantastic. Like something out of war-time 1940's. Though, don't be too quick to judge as it's not just an aesthetic aid. These switches have a very unique, high fidelity sound and are highly sought after. To quote it's designer and founder of Shadow Hills Industries, “It's seventy pounds and tactile". The mastering compressor is essentially two compressors in series. The first section is the electroluminescent optical attenuator cell – the optical section, followed by the discrete VCA section, and lastly, the switchable output transformer matrix. The entire compressor is hard-wire bypass-able and it's also possible to bypass each individual compression section, running only through the switchable output transformer matrix. The compressor works in dual mono or stereo. In dual mono, all of the controls are independent, whereas in stereo, the left side controls everything. The meter select switches being the only exception to this which are independent in order to monitor the output, the optical gain reduction or the discrete compression. The compression stages range from a ratio of 1.2:1 to past infinite. All of the controls are on discrete attenuators so that the difference between the left and right is exactly the same and also, the recall-ability is identical each time.

[elliotbowles]

Broad strokes

The API Vision Channel Strip Plug-In. The worlds first channel strip emulation to authentically model the pre amp section of an API console, as well as it's gate, filter, compressor and EQ modules. The API Vision plugin is comprised of five modules that can be used together or separately. Famous for it's warmth and high frequency detail, the 212L pre amp has it's roots in the classic API 2488 console which helped define the iconic “LA sound” in the 70's and 80's. While the EQ section has new, expanded controls compared to the already iconic hardware and the the gate is commonly known as one of the fastest out there, The pre amp section is the real star of the piece.

[elliotbowles]

Re(al)verb

Introducing the Bricasti Design M7 Reverb Processor and it's remote, the M10. This digital reverb brought the skeptics flocking, as is the general attitude when a new piece of gear is released carrying a hefty price tag, but has now changed the game forever. It quickly earnt it's stripes, gaining a reputation as a flagship reverb and finding it's place into every big studio still going. There are plenty of plugins out there that do a good job at emulating real life reverberation but, funnily, there is currently no substitute for the realism that this artificial reverb processor creates. This is down to all new algorithms, making up ten individual reverbs within each patch. Essentially, that's ten infinitely variable parameters for you to mess about with. Bricasti's lead designer, Casey Dowdell shares an anecdote on the M7's shocking realism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xQnKVJESIVU#t=378

[elliotbowles]

Let's start simple...

The pre-amp. A phrase I have become obsessed with relatively recently. There are so many out there. Big ones, little ones, cheap ones, expensive ones, versatile ones and boutique ones. The biggest distinction to be made between pre-amps is whether they are, what people refer to as, "transparent" or "colour imparting". This is usually related to the piece's reaction to transient information and to what degree harmonics and saturation are added, if at all.

Sadly, the relevance of high quality pre-amps and analog gear in general has been questioned, what with the incredible leaps and bounds technology has taken over recent years. Without the risk of continuing to sound too cliched, I think this is nonsense. If your aim is to produce pristine, sweet and musical sounding material from acoustic and electronic instruments, then an appropriate high quality pre-amp is a must for good transient detail. My mission for the last couple of years has been to find the ultimate, general use, high quality pre-amp for my current needs and budget. An affordable option is the 500-series format which is a modular format, initially designed by API (Automated processes, Inc.). The 500-series aimed to give people access to some of the individual components of their large format consoles at a slightly lower price. The format really took off and many third parties have since designed their own modules and racks, creating new and affordable options for the home and large studio alike. Enter the BAE 312A module. Because there are no capacitors in the audio path, the 312A is super fast and punchy, allowing transients to pass easily, making them a favourite for drummers. It's made with the highest quality Jensen input and output transformers and the handmade Avedis 1122 opamp. This is very much a bare bones, no frills piece, which cuts down on price, but the components that are used are the highest of quality.