Sirsalliyan Small Air Compressor

Microphone Compressor

Recording Electric Guitar

TUBES ON 10

Nothing sounds as good as a tube amp turned up to 10. You can do this with some old amps, and they will sound fairly clean; others will explode. Use caution and keep an eye out for plumes of smoke. Newer tube amps generally have separate preamp and master-gain controls that can duplicate the gritty anarchy of yore, minus the lease-breaking SPLs. For jazz and other clean guitar styles, it's okay to turn the volume down a bit, as long as you don't "underdo" it.

But having hot tubes is only half the recipe for getting great tone. Room sound is the other ingredient necessary for obtaining a full-bodied guitar track. It didn't take me long to figure out that the guitarists on my formative blues sessions were slyly contributing to my "education" by nudging the mics away from their amps as soon as I left the room. Thanks to their clandestine efforts, my ears opened up to an entire new world of electric-guitar sounds (El Gtr).

I've since developed several recording techniques that are a sure cure for the El Gtr blahs. Try the following four tricks in their order of appearance, as they are progressively more complex.

SIMPLE DOES IT

Once you have the essential elements in place-a great amp, guitar, and guitarist-you almost can't help but get a great guitar tone. Crank the amp up to the appropriate level and begin with some mic comparisons. It's especially telling to audition different types of mics: for example, dynamics, ribbons, and large-diaphragm condensers. (I rarely use small-diaphragm condensers for miking guitar amps; on the other hand, I've found that almost any microphone will strike gold once you find the right spot for it.)

My favorite dynamic mics for this application are the Sennheiser MD 421 and 441 and the Shure Beta 58 (which has a fuller sound than the SM57). My favorite ribbons are the Royer R-121 and Coles 4038. For large-diaphragm condensers, I lean toward tube models, in particular the Lawson L47MP and Neumann M147.

Start with all of the mics clustered together three to six inches from the grille cloth, pointed at the center of the speaker. On a multiple-speaker cabinet, don't assume that all the speakers sound the same. Rather, listen to each of them at a sensible volume, and then mic the one that sounds best. If the speakers sound alike, a miking position close to the floor will generally provide a little more low end.

Back in the control room, audition each mic, preferably as the guitarist plays along with the other instruments. Listen carefully to how each microphone sounds on its own and, more importantly, to how it works in the mix. Usually, one microphone will come up a winner on the first pass. Don't stop there, however. Instead, leave the "winning" microphone where it is and experiment with the placement of the other two mics. Time-and mic selection-permitting, you may also wish to do a second round of testing with other microphones.

The key elements of mic positioning are distance from the source and orientation to it. Moving the mic closer to the amp provides more definition, increased highs and lows, and less room sound. As you pull the mic back, the sound becomes less detailed, more "midrangey," and more blended with the ambience. Depending on the room you're in, a distant-miked amp may gain a natural presence and unique character in the mix, despite an apparent decrease in definition. On the other hand, placing the mic too far back will result in a washed-out, murky, or hard-to-control tone.

Mic orientation, or the angle of the mic in relation to the speaker, becomes more critical as the mic is moved closer to the amp. Pointing the mic at the center of the cone will yield more active highs and better transient detail but fewer lows. As you move the mic toward the outer rim of the speaker, maintaining a 90-degree angle with the grille cloth, the low frequencies gradually increase because of proximity effect and other factors, resulting in a sound that may be warmer, softer, or more powerful. Many engineers like to blend these complex characteristics by angling the mic between 30 and 60 degrees off-axis from the center of the speaker.

Of course, it is vital that you experiment and let your ears be your guide with all the techniques mentioned in this article. Don't hesitate to try a crazy placement or an unusual mic such as a PZM (pressure-zone mic). With persistence and a bit of luck, you will likely discover some tricks of your own.

TAKE TWO

Once you've mastered the intricacies of single-transducer miking, it's fun to start working in stereo. For true stereo recording, you need a matched mic pair as well as a twin-speaker amplifier, preferably one with built-in stereo chorus and vibrato (such as a vintage Magnatone or a Roland Jazz Chorus). Two separate amplifiers fed by the same stereo delay or multi-effects unit will also work.

Mic each speaker or amp, pan the two channels apart, and let the effects work their magic. Hard-panning to the extreme left and right produces the most dramatic results; should this prove too dizzying, try panning one microphone toward the center, or move the tracks toward a more centered symmetrical position.

You can use similar two-mic techniques, minus the effects, on a single amp to capture a variety of larger-than-life guitar sounds. One trick that I stumbled upon involves miking a twin-speaker amp with two mics that are close in response, but not matched. The first time I tried this, on a session with guitarist Paris Slim, I used an Electro-Voice RE20 and a Sennheiser 441.

Place one mic on each speaker at the same distance and orientation, and check the pair for phase cancellation by panning them to the same spot and listening in mono. The minute differences between the speakers, mics, and mic positions, combined with double-tracking, creates a monstrous presence when the tracks are hard-panned in the mix, and opens up a world of possibilities for separate EQ and effects processing. If you don't need the guitar to dominate the mix, you also can sum these mono-compatible tracks together to a single pan position for a noticeably bigger sound.

To capture aggressive, distorted guitar sounds, my studio partner Bart Thurber likes to use two mics in an XY configuration on a single speaker: a Shure SM57 aimed at the middle of the speaker and a Sennheiser 441 (with the high-end boost switch engaged) pointed at the edge of the cone. The SM57's signal is sent to a compressor, and the two mic signals are then mixed together and recorded to one track. This technique provides some compression for the harshest high frequencies and strong, midrange volume peaks picked up by the SM57, while simultaneously delivering full highs and lows through the 441.

Another variation on the two-mic technique involves miking the front and back of an open-backed cabinet. For this application, be sure to place the mics at an equal distance from the speaker itself and reverse the phase of the rear mic.

TO AIR IS HUMAN

Forget Risky Business (remember the famous scene of Tom Cruise rockin' out in his boxers?); this technique, which I consider real air guitar, is serious business. It entails capturing the airy, percussive sound of the plectrum strumming or picking the electric guitar's strings-either in acoustic isolation or combined with the ambient sound from the amp-and then mixing this sound with the recorded amplifier sound. The addition of just a little percussive plucking can enhance the presence wonderfully for any style of guitar playing. In my opinion, it's the greatest studio-recording innovation since John Bonham's distinctive drum sound.

The blues was my inspiration-specifically, the late-'40s solo recordings of John Lee Hooker. "Hobo Blues" is an excellent example of early Hooker on which his violent string slapping-clearly audible in a blend of amp sound, haunting vocals, and trademark foot stomping-creates an indelible realism and engaging intimacy. My recording of Paris Slim's "The Day I Met The Boogie Man" (see the sidebar "Selected Discography") was one of my early experiments with this technique. Since that time, I have used a discrete "air-guitar" mic whenever I have had an available track for it. Guitarists may initially be skeptical of such unusual miking, but it's always a treat to watch their faces light up as they listen to the monitors deliver the bright, transient sounds that they have been accustomed to hearing during their years of practicing their instruments.

I have achieved my best results with this technique when miking resonant hollow-body guitars, getting the mic in as close as possible to the guitarist's picking hand. Large-diaphragm condensers, especially the Neumann U 87 and Manley Cardioid Reference tube mic, have proven superlative performers on big-box guitars such as the Gibson ES-175. The small-diaphragm Oktava MC 012 and medium-diaphragm Shure KSM32 have worked wonders on solid-body instruments, most notably on improvisational-guitarist Ron Thompson's seven-string custom axe.

Mix magazine columnist Stephen St. Croix recently documented his own variation of this technique. He uses two "air" mics-one each on the low and high strings-with the resulting tracks panned hard left and right in the stereo spectrum.

An overdubbing session is ideal for air-guitar miking because there is no leakage from other instruments. I usually prefer to maintain total isolation between the two sources, placing the guitarist and amp in separate rooms. But for some production styles, the acoustic air mic can also do double duty as a distant room mic for the amp, with the ratio of pick sound to ambience determined by mic placement and amp volume. I've recorded some very hefty-sounding rock 'n' roll power chording this way, as well as a variety of vintage-style solos and rhythm parts. At the board, a low shelving or low-midrange EQ cut, combined with a subtle high-end boost around 4 to 6 kHz, will usually help these tracks jump out of the mix.

The key to capturing any kind of ambient tracks is a good reverberant space, although a narrow or dead room can also work, as long as there is sufficient distance between the guitarist and the amp. I usually put the air mic at least ten feet from the amp, positioned off-axis, or in an omnidirectional pattern to pick up as much reflected sound as possible. Placing a baffle between the guitarist and the amp will increase the apparent room size, as will making the amp sound pass through a doorway or turn a corner into another room.

Should space restrictions or volume levels make these methods impractical, try adding an air-guitar part as an overdub to a conventionally miked guitar track. The principle is similar to vocal doubling, for which the same part is performed twice; you may not be able to do this for an improvised solo, but for rhythm parts or composed lines, it's a snap. In addition, double tracking with a bright acoustic guitar or a smooth-sounding hollow body will add extra richness and some slick, big-budget zing to your mixes.

MULTIPLICATION ROCK

After you have the hang of mono and stereo miking, room miking, and air guitar, you may be ready for the final frontier of El Gtr exploration. The time-consuming technique that I call "multisourcing" combines all the aforementioned methods, multiplied by the infinite possibilities created by splitting the guitar output and sending it simultaneously to different amps (using, for example, a Whirlwind Selector splitter box).

About the Author

John Ditzel

http://voodoosound.us

http://dmark.us

j.ditzel@dmark.us

 

Used Universal Audio Ua La610 Mkii Mic Microphone Preamp Compressor @778 $1249.99 In Store Used USED UNIVERSAL AUDIO UA LA610 MKII MIC MICROPHONE PREAMP COMPRESSOR @778

Drawmer 1960 Mic Pre/Tube Compressor 889406476844 $1125 Combining eight active tube stages and the low noise and reliability of solid state electronics, the Drawmer 1960 provides the ultimate direct interface between the sound source and the recording medium. The Drawmer 1960 is a two channel unit with each channel comprised of a completely natural sounding "soft knee" vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low noise microphone pre-amplifier with switchable 48 volt phantom power. A further auxiliary instrument pre-amp with EQ is also provided. This powerful combination of the classic valve circuit, offering unsurpassed tonality, and the low noise balanced microphone input with up to 60dB of gain has allowed engineers throughout the world to exploit the full potential of high performance condenser microphones. An example of this would be the direct to digital stereo recording of live classical music without the necessity of a mixing console. The Compressor: Because the compressor is a soft knee type, it requires few controls. Strictly speaking, a soft knee design does not have a rigidly defined threshold but the title 'Threshold' has been retained for the "amount of compression" control for the sake of familiarity. The Threshold range is continuously variable between infinity and -24dB, the theory being that signals below the threshold are essentially unprocessed and the signals exceeding this threshold are subjected to increasing amounts of gain reduction dependent on by how much they exceed the threshold._The attack and release times are switchable rather than being continuously variable and this method of operation falls into line with that of its all valve predecessors. Attack simply offers a-choice of slow, medium and fast whilst release has six settings. Positions one to four have fixed release times whilst positions five and six are two different programme dependent release time modes making the unit ideally suited to programme material with complex dynamics such as complete stereo mixes and vocals. Interestingly, the attack times are further modified by the choice of release setting so the range of choices are wider than it might first appear. Because compression is a form of controlled gain reduction, a stage of make-up amplification follows the compressor section giving a range of +20dB. The VU meters may be switched to monitor either the amount of gain reduction taking place or the output signal level and the two channels may be used either independently or as a stereo pair, depending on the setting of the stereo link switch. The side chain access points may be used to patch in equalisers to enable the compressor to act as a de-esser. As with other Drawmer products, the by-pass switch offers a choice of Normal. By-pass and Side Chain Listen modes so that if you have patched in any additional side chain processing, you can easily monitor what effect it is having. In addition to the balanced microphone and line inputs on the rear of the unit an auxiliary input on the front panel gives dir

Drawmer 1960 Mic Pre/Tube Compressor $2250 Combining eight active tube stages and the low noise and reliability of solid state electronics, the Drawmer 1960 provides the ultimate direct interface between the sound source and the recording medium. The Drawmer 1960 is a two channel unit with each channel comprised of a completely natural sounding "soft knee" vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low noise microphone pre-amplifier with switchable 48 volt phantom power. A further auxiliary instrument pre-amp with EQ is also provided. This powerful combination of the classic valve circuit, offering unsurpassed tonality, and the low noise balanced microphone input with up to 60dB of gain has allowed engineers throughout the world to exploit the full potential of high performance condenser microphones. An example of this would be the direct to digital stereo recording of live classical music without the necessity of a mixing console. The Compressor: Because the compressor is a soft knee type, it requires few controls. Strictly speaking, a soft knee design does not have a rigidly defined threshold but the title 'Threshold' has been retained for the "amount of compression" control for the sake of familiarity. The Threshold range is continuously variable between infinity and -24dB, the theory being that signals below the threshold are essentially unprocessed and the signals exceeding this threshold are subjected to increasing amounts of gain reduction dependent on by how much they exceed the threshold._The attack and release times are switchable rather than being continuously variable and this method of operation falls into line with that of its all valve predecessors. Attack simply offers a-choice of slow, medium and fast whilst release has six settings. Positions one to four have fixed release times whilst positions five and six are two different programme dependent release time modes making the unit ideally suited to programme material with complex dynamics such as complete stereo mixes and vocals. Interestingly, the attack times are further modified by the choice of release setting so the range of choices are wider than it might first appear. Because compression is a form of controlled gain reduction, a stage of make-up amplification follows the compressor section giving a range of +20dB. The VU meters may be switched to monitor either the amount of gain reduction taking place or the output signal level and the two channels may be used either independently or as a stereo pair, depending on the setting of the stereo link switch. The side chain access points may be used to patch in equalisers to enable the compressor to act as a de-esser. As with other Drawmer products, the by-pass switch offers a choice of Normal. By-pass and Side Chain Listen modes so that if you have patched in any additional side chain processing, you can easily monitor what effect it is having. In addition to the balanced microphone and line inputs on the rear of the unit an auxiliary input on the front panel gives dir

Tube-Tech Cl 2A Dual Compressor $4230 If one channel of Tube-Tech compression isn't enough for you, here's the Tube-Tech CL 2A Dual Compressor, which features two independent optical compressors--it's like having two CL 1Bs, giving you the added advantage of stereo compression for keyboards, drum overheads, bass (mic + DI), stereo bus, and multi-mic recording. Of course, just like the CL 1B, it absolutely shines on vocals. Once you have Tube-Tech compression in your signal path, you'll wonder how you ever recorded without it. Tube-Tech CL 2A Dual Compressor, First Take: All-tube amplified optocompressor with non-degrading gain reduction element Two link busses allow up to ten CL 2As can be linked together Balanced I/O and floating transformers All-Tube Amplified Optocompressor The rack mount Tube-Tech CL 2A compressor is a dual optocompressor with the optical gain reduction element placed after the input transformer and then followed by an all tube-based output amplifier with a +10 dB gain. Therefore, the signal is not fed through any semiconductor circuitry on its way to the output, which contributes to the signal clarity of the CL 2B. Additionally, The optical gain unit does not experience any degradation over the long term, providing nearly infinite life. The amplifier is based on two tubes (dual triodes) in push-pull configuration (one ECC 83 as a differential amplifier, and one ECC 82 as the output stage), and an output transformer. The power supply for the differential amplifiers is stabilized and the heaters of all four tubes are fed with a stabilized DC voltage. Stereo and Multi Link Mode A switch with three positions (Link 1, Off, Link 2) is used whenever you want to use the two separate compressors in stereo mode or link several compressors together. The two link busses are identical. Sidechain sockets for interconnection of several compressors are located on the rear panel. A switch on the front selects which compressors are interconnected, and on which bus they are connected. If you e.g. have 10 compressors in a rack, you can select compressor 1,5,7 and 8 on link 1, and compressor 2,3,6 and 9 on link 2, leaving compressor 4 and 6 in the off position. Compressors 1,5,7,8 would now be interconnected and all four will perform the same compression. This applies to compressor 2,3,6 and 9 as well. Compressor 4 and 6 are independent. The interconnection implies that the unit that performs the most compression is controlling the others. Additionally, you can choose which one you want to control the others. Balanced I/O and Floating Transformers Microphone Input/Output are balanced and have fully floating transformers with a static screen. Floating a transformer (not referencing it to ground) provides maximum electronic isolation for superior noise rejection. The static screens shield the transformer's secondary windings from the primary and prevent RF (radio frequency) electromagnetic noise from getting across. The power supply and the sidechain circuits are based on

Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor Module $1982.89 The fully analog Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor Module combines the outstanding sound quality expected from a Rupert Neve design with the total flexibility required by modern recording studios. The Portico 5015 features independent transformer-coupled mic preamp and compressor-limiter sections identical to those found in the Neve Designs 5012 and 5043 modules.Available in both vertical and horizontal configurations, when used with the 5033 five band EQ it is possible to create a Portico channel strip with preamplification, dynamics processing and equalization. As an additional routing option, the microphone preamp output may be routed directly to the compressor section without patching by pressing the "To Compressor" switch.Portico Series Awards:Rupert Neve Designs has been honored with three TEC Awards since its inception in 2005. The Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor won for achievement in the category of Mic Preamplifier Technology. The Portico 5042 "True Tape" Emulator (#482649) won for achievement in the category of Signal Processing Technology/Hardware. The 5088 Discrete Analogue Mixer won for achievement in the category of Large Format Console Technology.Rupert Neve Designs received the Mix Certified Hit Award in 2006 for the 5088 Console and the Portico Range.Rupert Neve Designs received the Future Music Platinum Award for the Portico Range in 2007.Microphone PreamplifierThe microphone input is balanced but not floating, being a variant of an instrumentation amplifer using a "Transformer-Like-Amplifier" (T.L.A.) configuration with a toroidal Common Mode Rejection Low Pass Filter that excludes frequencies above 150 kHz. The T.L.A. is followed by an actual input transformer designed by Mr. Neve that permits a full +25 dBu input signal to be handled at unity gain without an input pad over the whole audio spectrum. This innovative solution combines the advantages of both an "Electronically Balanced" and true transformer input.In addition to the 72 dB of gain, the Neve Portico 5015 mic preamp includes individually selectable phase, mute, phantom power, a swept high pass filter from 20-250 Hz, and the "Silk" circuit which yields the rich warmth and presence of the renowned classic designs.The Compressor SectionThe Portico 5015 microphone preamp's compressor has fully variable threshold, ratio, attack, release and makeup gain with two selectable VCA modes that provide for exceptional control of any source material. How it Works. In order to control gain, a VCA or voltage controlled amplifier (or attenuator) is used. There are many types of voltage control including the use of tubes, discrete and integrated solid state circuits and naturally non-linear devices, each one having its characteristic behavior that reflects sonically on the final performance, and gives it a character or signature that can be musically attractive or not.The Portico 5043 makes use of a very accurate, low noise, low distortion V.C.A. having, essentially

Used Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor Module $1982.89 The fully analog Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor Module combines the outstanding sound quality expected from a Rupert Neve design with the total flexibility required by modern recording studios. The Portico 5015 features independent transformer-coupled mic preamp and compressor-limiter sections identical to those found in the Neve Designs 5012 and 5043 modules.Available in both vertical and horizontal configurations, when used with the 5033 five band EQ it is possible to create a Portico channel strip with preamplification, dynamics processing and equalization. As an additional routing option, the microphone preamp output may be routed directly to the compressor section without patching by pressing the "To Compressor" switch.Portico Series Awards:Rupert Neve Designs has been honored with three TEC Awards since its inception in 2005. The Portico 5015 Mic Pre/Compressor won for achievement in the category of Mic Preamplifier Technology. The Portico 5042 "True Tape" Emulator (#482649) won for achievement in the category of Signal Processing Technology/Hardware. The 5088 Discrete Analogue Mixer won for achievement in the category of Large Format Console Technology.Rupert Neve Designs received the Mix Certified Hit Award in 2006 for the 5088 Console and the Portico Range.Rupert Neve Designs received the Future Music Platinum Award for the Portico Range in 2007.Microphone PreamplifierThe microphone input is balanced but not floating, being a variant of an instrumentation amplifer using a "Transformer-Like-Amplifier" (T.L.A.) configuration with a toroidal Common Mode Rejection Low Pass Filter that excludes frequencies above 150 kHz. The T.L.A. is followed by an actual input transformer designed by Mr. Neve that permits a full +25 dBu input signal to be handled at unity gain without an input pad over the whole audio spectrum. This innovative solution combines the advantages of both an "Electronically Balanced" and true transformer input.In addition to the 72 dB of gain, the Neve Portico 5015 mic preamp includes individually selectable phase, mute, phantom power, a swept high pass filter from 20-250 Hz, and the "Silk" circuit which yields the rich warmth and presence of the renowned classic designs.The Compressor SectionThe Portico 5015 microphone preamp's compressor has fully variable threshold, ratio, attack, release and makeup gain with two selectable VCA modes that provide for exceptional control of any source material. How it Works. In order to control gain, a VCA or voltage controlled amplifier (or attenuator) is used. There are many types of voltage control including the use of tubes, discrete and integrated solid state circuits and naturally non-linear devices, each one having its characteristic behavior that reflects sonically on the final performance, and gives it a character or signature that can be musically attractive or not.The Portico 5043 makes use of a very accurate, low noise, low distortion V.C.A. having, essentially

Microphone $47.99 Spracht - Microphone

Summit Audio MPC-100A Tube Pre-Amp and Compressor/Limiter $1955.59 The single channel Summit Audio MPC-1OOA tube preamplifier and compressor/limiter accepts line, microphone, and Hi-Z input signals. Using both tubes and solid state technology in synch with the Jensen mic transformer, the MPC-100A lends a detailed sound with harmonically complex overtones. The ultra-fast compressor is ideal for optimizing signals prior to entering the digital domain. Other details include impedance matching (loading) control on the Hi-Z input so passive guitars and bass pickups have a whole new level of tone control, true VU metering, and multiple outputs. And with the Summit Audio MPC-100A tube preamp's 3 separate gain controls, you have endless tonal variations from clean to saturated for whatever sound you need.

TL Audio C-1 2-Channel Valve Tube Compressor $1999 The TL Audio C-1 compressor maintains its position among the most flexible, polished-sounding high-end compressors on the market today. Featuring a spectacular raven blue 6mm milled aluminum front panel, General Electric US military-specification valves, high retention gold-plated ceramic valve bases and circular back-lit VU meters, the C-1 is even fatter-sounding and more rugged than its legendary predecessor.All controls are continuously variable (unlike some other compressors with switched parameters) and high-quality onboard mic preamps allow direct-to-tape recording of microphone sources. Stereo front panel instrument inputs mean a keyboard or guitar can feed straight into the C-1 and down to tape with a minimum of fuss. Whether the C-1 compressor is tracking vocals and instruments or adding roundness and warmth to a complete mix, it will become an indispensable part of your signal path within hours.The TL Audio C-1 features a low-noise solid state preamp followed by two valve stages per channel. The valves are General Electric ECC83/12AX7A types, run from a stabilized 250v DC power supply. The first valve stage acts as a voltage amplifier, with the second stage forming part of the gain control element. The gain control is performed by TL Audio's own unique transconductance stage that avoids the use of VCAs, thus improving transparency and minimizing distortion, which is virtually constant at 0.05% over the full bandwidth. The frequency response of the C-1 compressor is virtually flat between 20Hz and 40kHz, and measured between -3dB points, the C-1's bandwidth is a staggering 5Hz to 70kHz.About TL Audio TL Audio began manufacturing audio products in 1990, when the company - founded by Tony Larking - was largely involved in the restoration and reselling of vintage equipment such as Neve and Trident recording consoles. The first TL Audio products were original Neve EQ modules, which were taken principally from broadcast consoles and repackaged to make them suitable for music production studios. A little later, Tony Larking joined forces with David Kempson, a leading designer at Neve for nine years. By 1993 the demand for used valve outboard equipment had become very strong but most models such as the original Pultec and Fairchild valve devices were already extremely rare and expensive. There appeared an obvious gap in the market for brand new affordable valve products and the result was TL Audio's first valve product - the EQ-1 Dual Valve Equalizer. This product revolutionized the studio market by offering reliable, flexible, great sounding valve processing that was within the budget of most studios. The EQ-1 quickly attracted the interest of mainstream engineer/producers, with the first two production models going to Roy Thomas Baker (who had produced many of Queen and Foreigner's early recordings) and Chris Porter (who was working with George Michael and Take That).

Tl Audio C-1 2-Channel Valve Tube Compressor $1999 The TL Audio C-1 compressor maintains its position among the most flexible, polished-sounding high-end compressors on the market today. Featuring a spectacular raven blue 6mm milled aluminum front panel, General Electric US military-specification valves, high retention gold-plated ceramic valve bases and circular back-lit VU meters, the C-1 is even fatter-sounding and more rugged than its legendary predecessor.All controls are continuously variable (unlike some other compressors with switched parameters) and high-quality onboard mic preamps allow direct-to-tape recording of microphone sources. Stereo front panel instrument inputs mean a keyboard or guitar can feed straight into the C-1 and down to tape with a minimum of fuss. Whether the C-1 compressor is tracking vocals and instruments or adding roundness and warmth to a complete mix, it will become an indispensable part of your signal path within hours.The TL Audio C-1 features a low-noise solid state preamp followed by two valve stages per channel. The valves are General Electric ECC83/12AX7A types, run from a stabilized 250v DC power supply. The first valve stage acts as a voltage amplifier, with the second stage forming part of the gain control element. The gain control is performed by TL Audio's own unique transconductance stage that avoids the use of VCAs, thus improving transparency and minimizing distortion, which is virtually constant at 0.05% over the full bandwidth. The frequency response of the C-1 compressor is virtually flat between 20Hz and 40kHz, and measured between -3dB points, the C-1's bandwidth is a staggering 5Hz to 70kHz.About TL Audio TL Audio began manufacturing audio products in 1990, when the company - founded by Tony Larking - was largely involved in the restoration and reselling of vintage equipment such as Neve and Trident recording consoles. The first TL Audio products were original Neve EQ modules, which were taken principally from broadcast consoles and repackaged to make them suitable for music production studios. A little later, Tony Larking joined forces with David Kempson, a leading designer at Neve for nine years. By 1993 the demand for used valve outboard equipment had become very strong but most models such as the original Pultec and Fairchild valve devices were already extremely rare and expensive. There appeared an obvious gap in the market for brand new affordable valve products and the result was TL Audio's first valve product - the EQ-1 Dual Valve Equalizer. This product revolutionized the studio market by offering reliable, flexible, great sounding valve processing that was within the budget of most studios. The EQ-1 quickly attracted the interest of mainstream engineer/producers, with the first two production models going to Roy Thomas Baker (who had produced many of Queen and Foreigner's early recordings) and Chris Porter (who was working with George Michael and Take That).The EQ-1 was the first of what became known as the 'Classic' range, and was

Used Drawmer 1960 Mic Pre/Tube Compressor 889406476844 $1125 Combining eight active tube stages and the low noise and reliability of solid state electronics, the Drawmer 1960 provides the ultimate direct interface between the sound source and the recording medium. The Drawmer 1960 is a two channel unit with each channel comprised of a completely natural sounding "soft knee" vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low noise microphone pre-amplifier with switchable 48 volt phantom power. A further auxiliary instrument pre-amp with EQ is also provided. This powerful combination of the classic valve circuit, offering unsurpassed tonality, and the low noise balanced microphone input with up to 60dB of gain has allowed engineers throughout the world to exploit the full potential of high performance condenser microphones. An example of this would be the direct to digital stereo recording of live classical music without the necessity of a mixing console. The Compressor: Because the compressor is a soft knee type, it requires few controls. Strictly speaking, a soft knee design does not have a rigidly defined threshold but the title 'Threshold' has been retained for the "amount of compression" control for the sake of familiarity. The Threshold range is continuously variable between infinity and -24dB, the theory being that signals below the threshold are essentially unprocessed and the signals exceeding this threshold are subjected to increasing amounts of gain reduction dependent on by how much they exceed the threshold._The attack and release times are switchable rather than being continuously variable and this method of operation falls into line with that of its all valve predecessors. Attack simply offers a-choice of slow, medium and fast whilst release has six settings. Positions one to four have fixed release times whilst positions five and six are two different programme dependent release time modes making the unit ideally suited to programme material with complex dynamics such as complete stereo mixes and vocals. Interestingly, the attack times are further modified by the choice of release setting so the range of choices are wider than it might first appear. Because compression is a form of controlled gain reduction, a stage of make-up amplification follows the compressor section giving a range of +20dB. The VU meters may be switched to monitor either the amount of gain reduction taking place or the output signal level and the two channels may be used either independently or as a stereo pair, depending on the setting of the stereo link switch. The side chain access points may be used to patch in equalisers to enable the compressor to act as a de-esser. As with other Drawmer products, the by-pass switch offers a choice of Normal. By-pass and Side Chain Listen modes so that if you have patched in any additional side chain processing, you can easily monitor what effect it is having. In addition to the balanced microphone and line inputs on the rear of the unit an auxiliary input on the front panel gives dir

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Bbe Benchpress Vintage Compressor $149.99 BBE BenchPress Vintage Compressor

Dbx 160A Compressor/Limiter $429.95 dbx 160A Compressor/Limiter

Used Joemeek Oneq Mono Eq Compressor Mic Pre Regular 886830261022 $620.49 The OneQ is the most full-featured, technologically advanced studio channel Joemeek has ever made! The Joemeek OneQ is a single-channel combining Mic Pre (with Burr-Brown IC), four-band EQthe most flexible yetJoemeek's "signature" optical compressor, a De-Esser, and an Enhancer. It's a master channel like no other. Housed in a 2u chassis, the elegantly sculpted faceplate is intelligently laid out, with clear, easy to read legends and a large analog VU meter. The OneQ also features 24-bit/96kHz A/D converters with word clock input and output.Ultra-clean microphone preamp with Burr-Brown IC"Iron" switch (add transformer-coupling)Highly musical 4-band EQ with sweep low-mid and high-mid, selectable LF and HFFull-featured optical compressor with stereo link for two OneQsLarge, accurate VU meteringHarmonic enhancer adds definition without gain24-bit/96kHz sampling, optical and S/PDIF outputsWord Clock inXLR mic inputs front and rearFront-panel instrument input

Used Joemeek Oneq Mono Eq Compressor Mic Pre $664.29 The OneQ is the most full-featured, technologically advanced studio channel Joemeek has ever made! The Joemeek OneQ is a single-channel combining Mic Pre (with Burr-Brown IC), four-band EQthe most flexible yetJoemeek's "signature" optical compressor, a De-Esser, and an Enhancer. It's a master channel like no other. Housed in a 2u chassis, the elegantly sculpted faceplate is intelligently laid out, with clear, easy to read legends and a large analog VU meter. The OneQ also features 24-bit/96kHz A/D converters with word clock input and output.Ultra-clean microphone preamp with Burr-Brown IC"Iron" switch (add transformer-coupling)Highly musical 4-band EQ with sweep low-mid and high-mid, selectable LF and HFFull-featured optical compressor with stereo link for two OneQsLarge, accurate VU meteringHarmonic enhancer adds definition without gain24-bit/96kHz sampling, optical and S/PDIF outputsWord Clock inXLR mic inputs front and rearFront-panel instrument input

Used Summit Audio Mpc-100A Tube Pre-Amp And Compressor/Limiter $1955.59 The single channel Summit Audio MPC-1OOA tube preamplifier and compressor/limiter accepts line, microphone, and Hi-Z input signals. Using both tubes and solid state technology in synch with the Jensen mic transformer, the MPC-100A lends a detailed sound with harmonically complex overtones. The ultra-fast compressor is ideal for optimizing signals prior to entering the digital domain. Other details include impedance matching (loading) control on the Hi-Z input so passive guitars and bass pickups have a whole new level of tone control, true VU metering, and multiple outputs. And with the Summit Audio MPC-100A tube preamp's 3 separate gain controls, you have endless tonal variations from clean to saturated for whatever sound you need."Clean" to "Saturated" valve soundsSoft Clipping LED indicatorsHI-Z instrument input with impedance matching controlTwo stages of vacuum tube gain controls3 Position attack and release controlsHigh quality VU meter for output and gain reduction meteringContinuously variable output level control+4 dB balanced and -10 dB unbalanced outputStereo linkable with a second MPC-100AJensen mic transformer

Summit Audio Mpc-100A Tube Pre-Amp And Compressor/Limiter $2149 The single channel Summit Audio MPC-1OOA tube preamplifier and compressor/limiter accepts line, microphone, and Hi-Z input signals. Using both tubes and solid state technology in synch with the Jensen mic transformer, the MPC-100A lends a detailed sound with harmonically complex overtones. The ultra-fast compressor is ideal for optimizing signals prior to entering the digital domain. Other details include impedance matching (loading) control on the Hi-Z input so passive guitars and bass pickups have a whole new level of tone control, true VU metering, and multiple outputs. And with the Summit Audio MPC-100A tube preamp's 3 separate gain controls, you have endless tonal variations from clean to saturated for whatever sound you need."Clean" to "Saturated" valve soundsSoft Clipping LED indicatorsHI-Z instrument input with impedance matching controlTwo stages of vacuum tube gain controls3 Position attack and release controlsHigh quality VU meter for output and gain reduction meteringContinuously variable output level control+4 dB balanced and -10 dB unbalanced outputStereo linkable with a second MPC-100AJensen mic transformer

Compressor Volume $49 Download the Compressor Volume font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Tube-Tech MMC 1A Mic Preamp and Multi-Band Compressor $4590 The Tube-Tech MMC 1A, fast becoming a favorite of certain world-class producers, is a very unique unit in a sea of me-too channels strips. Along with a phenomenal-sounding tube preamp, it features an optocompressor with three bands, low, mid, and high, and adjustable crossover points so yo can compress each band individually. This allows you to tailor compression for problem solving or to create a vocal track that's truly larger than life. Thanks to its variable crossovers, you can use it to add body to thin vocals, allow the top end to open up during soft passages, reduce harsh midrange without losing lows and highs, tame highs without losing clarity for a more intimate sound, and all the while, save EQ for other purposes.Tube-Tech MMC 1A Preamp and Mulitband CompressorChannel strip with all-tube preamp and three-band compressorVariable impedance preamp with +70dB gain3-band compressor with variable crossover pointsBalanced and fully floating I/OChannel Strip With All-Tube Preamp And Three-Band CompressorThe Tube-Tech MMC 1A is a complete front-end. It includes an additional Direct Instrument input as well as a separate line input. The microphone input has switchable loading impedance, phantom power, phase reversal and a 20 dB Pad. All inputs are equipped with a low-cut filter. The 3-band optical compressor is designed to maintain optimum summing of all three bands with a remarkably flat frequency response. A bypass switch takes the entire compressor out of the signal path.Mic PreamplifierThe microphone preamplifier consists of a microphone input transformer (with a static screen) with a step-up of +10 dB, two dual tube preamplifiers with a stepped gain switch, with 10dB/step (+20 dB - +60 dB) giving a total gain range of +20dB to +70dB. The microphone input is provided with a switchable -20dB attenuation (PAD), switchable +48V phantom-power, a phase reverse and has swithable input impedance (600, 1200, 2400 Ohm). The high impedance DI input is unbalanced and placed in the circuit directly after the input transformer. The gain range for this input is +10dB to +60dB. When in use, the microphone input is disabled. A high pass filter for the microphone, DI and line input is switchable between off, 20 Hz (12dB/octave) and 40 Hz (6dB/octave). All inputs have a common stepped gain switch with 2dB/step (-10dB - +10dB).CompressorThe signal is fed to the two crossover networks, each made with a single RC circuit thereby preserving optimum summation of the three bands at the output.The crossover frequency between the low band and the mid band is variable from 60Hz to 300Hz or 240Hz to1200Hz and the crossover frequency between mid band and the high band is variable from 1,2kHz to 6kHz. The signals from the three bands are then fed to the three separate side chain circuits, each common for left and right channel. After processing, the three signals are fed to a gain control, separate for each band and thereafter summed and send to the output gain, controlli

Tube-Tech Mmc 1A Mic Preamp And Multi-Band Compressor $4590 The Tube-Tech MMC 1A, fast becoming a favorite of certain world-class producers, is a very unique unit in a sea of me-too channels strips. Along with a phenomenal-sounding tube preamp, it features an optocompressor with three bands, low, mid, and high, and adjustable crossover points so yo can compress each band individually. This allows you to tailor compression for problem solving or to create a vocal track that's truly larger than life. Thanks to its variable crossovers, you can use it to add body to thin vocals, allow the top end to open up during soft passages, reduce harsh midrange without losing lows and highs, tame highs without losing clarity for a more intimate sound, and all the while, save EQ for other purposes.Tube-Tech MMC 1A Preamp and Mulitband CompressorChannel strip with all-tube preamp and three-band compressorVariable impedance preamp with +70dB gain3-band compressor with variable crossover pointsBalanced and fully floating I/OChannel Strip With All-Tube Preamp And Three-Band CompressorThe Tube-Tech MMC 1A is a complete front-end. It includes an additional Direct Instrument input as well as a separate line input. The microphone input has switchable loading impedance, phantom power, phase reversal and a 20 dB Pad. All inputs are equipped with a low-cut filter. The 3-band optical compressor is designed to maintain optimum summing of all three bands with a remarkably flat frequency response. A bypass switch takes the entire compressor out of the signal path.Mic PreamplifierThe microphone preamplifier consists of a microphone input transformer (with a static screen) with a step-up of +10 dB, two dual tube preamplifiers with a stepped gain switch, with 10dB/step (+20 dB - +60 dB) giving a total gain range of +20dB to +70dB. The microphone input is provided with a switchable -20dB attenuation (PAD), switchable +48V phantom-power, a phase reverse and has swithable input impedance (600, 1200, 2400 Ohm). The high impedance DI input is unbalanced and placed in the circuit directly after the input transformer. The gain range for this input is +10dB to +60dB. When in use, the microphone input is disabled. A high pass filter for the microphone, DI and line input is switchable between off, 20 Hz (12dB/octave) and 40 Hz (6dB/octave). All inputs have a common stepped gain switch with 2dB/step (-10dB - +10dB).CompressorThe signal is fed to the two crossover networks, each made with a single RC circuit thereby preserving optimum summation of the three bands at the output.The crossover frequency between the low band and the mid band is variable from 60Hz to 300Hz or 240Hz to1200Hz and the crossover frequency between mid band and the high band is variable from 1,2kHz to 6kHz. The signals from the three bands are then fed to the three separate side chain circuits, each common for left and right channel. After processing, the three signals are fed to a gain control, separate for each band and thereafter summed and send to the output gain, controlli