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A Designs P-1

Welcome all to the latest installment of The Record Shop Nashville Recording Studio’s audio-fueled, music extravaganza AKA our BEHIND THE GEAR series!!!   Today we’re very happy to talk with y’all about two very neat gizmos in our creative arsenal; our two A Designs P-1 Pre-Amp Modules.   We’ve already talked about a few of our many different Pre-Amps – please click the link above to read about them! – and the wonderful qualities each one adds.  What sets the P-1 aside from the rest of our outboard gear is it’s incredibly simplistic layout and functions.  Strap yourself in, loyal reader, and let’s dive into the A Design P-1 Pre-Amp!A Designs P-1 Mic Pre

A Designs P-1 Mic PreQuality Without Compromise

“Quality Without Compromise,” is A-Designs motto, and boy do they mean it.  Their dedication to creating high-quality audio equipment for live performances and studio recording is only matched by their determination to keep their amazing products as affordable as they can.  As you can see from their website’s About Us Page here, they understand the changing landscape of the audio market and they wish to aid those in need.  A Designs also maintains a fantastic relationship with their customers.  This, along the amazing sound and clarity of A Designs products, is why these modules have been used by professional engineers like Al Schmitt and Dave Pensado to musicians like Rob Wasserman and Justin Medal-Johnson!  Check out who else uses A Designs here!

The P-1 & A Designs’ 500 Series

A Design P-1 & the 500 SeriesA Designs did the world a favor by creating their signature 500 Series Mic Pres.  Though similar in their lunchbox look and minimalist features, each one of the five different mic pres (the blue box, second from the left excluded) was tailor made to capture the timbre of certain instruments and to attenuate specific frequency ranges.  To achieve these separate functions each lunchbox is equipped with its own custom-wound transformers.  The P-1 was designed to emulate the very popular Pacifica mic-pre.  The fidelity of the P-1 is incredible; in fact, it has the highest fidelity of all the 500 series mic-pres.  It mostly accents the low and high-end frequencies with tremendous accuracy, but don’t fret, there is still a fantastically noticeable presence to the mid-range.  The P-1 is so versatile too; you can use it on practically any sound source.  The Record Shop’s henchmen are quite keen to the way the P-1 brings out vocals and hi-hats; it’s perfect for capturing transient sounds.  As you can see from the photos, the P-1 has 5 main components: +48V phantom power, a 20dB pad, phase reversal, mic/line compatible input jack, and a big ol’ red gain pot.  For more information on A Design Audio’s 500 Series click HERE!

 

 

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That wraps up today’s chapter of Behind The Gear!  Thanks for tuning in.  We hope it was informative.  Please feel free to roam around the rest of our blog.  Click here to see The Record Shop Nashville’s complete gear list.  And hey!  Don’t be stranger!  Follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop

 

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API 512c Pre Amp

API 512c, Destressers, Purple Audio MC77Hey there friends!  The folks here at The Record Shop’s Nashville Recording Studio have been slaving away making some music that should be hitting your ear drums ASAP.  For now though, we are very happy to continue our never-ending series BEHIND THE GEAR!!  So far we’ve talked about a lot of great gear, but today we’re going to talk about a piece of equipment that is universally acclaimed for its sound and versatility.  The one, the only API 512c Pre Amp! 

Did we say universally acclaimed?  You’re darn tootin’ we did.  In a subjective world of personal tastes and preferences it is hard to come by pieces of gear that practically every person likes, but the API 512c is definitely one of those that breaks the mold.  Engineers have been using these puppies since their creation in the 1970’s by Saul Walker.  The 512c was so perfect that, to this day, it’s design has remained the true to Walker’s classic lunchbox design.API 512c Creator Saul Walker  512c’s have been used on countless recordings by artists such as Prince, The White Stripes, Fleetwood Mac, Jack Johnson, Van Halen, and The Rolling Stones.  This mic/line/instrument pre amp sounds great on literally everything. Drums, vocals, guitars…EVERYTHING. 

Now comes the real fun; the API 512c’s wonderful features!

  • Mic preamp with 65dB gain
  • Front- and rear-panel mic input access
  • Line/instrument preamp with 45dB gain
  • Front-panel line/instrument input
  • LED VU meter for monitoring output level
  • 20dB pad switch, applies to mic/line/instrument
  • 48V switchable phantom power
  • Proprietary API fully discrete circuit design
  • Uses the famous API 2520 Op-Amp

 Us Record Shop Nashville natives absolutely love how much punch and clarity you can achieve with the 512c, which is why we installed six of them into our system.  The transparency of the 512c is something that needs to be talked about more.  These pre-amps bring out every harmonic overtone without adding any coloration to what’s being sent through it.  We highly recommend the 512c to anyone and everyone!

Thanks for tuning in for today’s Behind The Gear.  Feel free to check out The Record Shop Nashville’s full gear list here, and come say Hi to us on Twitter @therecordshop!

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Vintech Audio 273

Well hey there ladies and gentlemen!  It’s time for  another rumblin’, tumblin’, spittoon-spittin’ edition of The Record Shop Nashville Recording Studio’s BEHIND THE GEAR!!!  And boy howdy, if today’s installment ain’t a doozy folks.  We are very proud to talk to you about our lovely Vintech Audio Model 273 mic preamplifier.  Vintech Audio 273

A Little Bit About Vintech!

Vintech Audio has been producing high-end analog outboard gear since their formation in 1997.  The young company makes each of its devices right here in the United States.  Each of their products are class A, discrete transformers-balanced mic pres whose circuitry is based off of the great Neve 1073 modules (pictured below).  The names of each Vintech Audio 73 series models (i.e. the Vintech 73, 273, and 473) are named after the amount of channels each has; clearly out 273 is a two-channel with a fantastic built in EQ.  That’s it!  The 273 has no other built in effects.  Neve 1073 Module

 

Give Us The Specs!!!

The Vintech 273 has two instrument inputs on the front and XLR inputs in the rear.  The parameters of the 273 are pretty standard: there are gain, output, and two-band EQ controls per channel.  Each channel also comes equipped with a set of switches for phantom power, phase in/out, EQ in/out, and a 5k/10k shelf for the EQ.  Lastly, Vintech installed push-push pots to alter the impedance and to switch the channel from a mic to line input.  Neat and organized, the Vintech 273 has been a great addition to our Nashville Recording Studio’s rack. 

Well that wraps up today’s Behind The Gear.  We hope we’ve given you a little bit more insight into the wonderful Vintech Audio model 273 mic preamp.  Be sure to check out The Record Shop Nashville’s complete gear list.  And don’t be a stranger y’all; follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop for daily updates from your friends at The Record Shop!

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Preamplifier: Avalon VT-737

We have a tasty treat for y’all in today’s installment of our Nashville Recording Studio‘s series Behind The Gear!!!  The Avalon Vacuum Tube 373 preamplifier, the world’s first Direct Recording Channel, is hands down one the greatest Microphone Pre-amps to have ever graced the walls of a recording studio.  Everyone who is anyone in the recording biz – like Abbey Road Studios, Prince’s Paisley Park, and Walt Disney Imagineering, just to name a few – have used this preamplifier to record hit after hit.  This preamplifier can make any voice or instrument sound absolutely unremarkable.  Here, at the Record Shop, the AD VT-737 has done just that time and time again.   Sound Engineer Rick Camp & his AD VT-737 preamplifier

Avalon has been known for making fantastic Microphone Pre-Amplifiers since its founding by Wynton R. Morro.  The company proudly boasts that each of its products, “…utilize 100% discrete, high-bias pure Class A audio amplifiers. These pure Class A amplifiers are incorporated into minimal signal path designs which include sealed silver relays, balanced DC coupled high-current “outside-world” drivers, fully discrete linear DC regulators, low noise toroidal power transformers and selected high quality active and passive components.”  In our Nashville recording studio, we love using this beast to get that classic, warm tube sound when tracking, especially on bass and vocals.  It has come to a consensus that female vocals are probably our favorite thing to run through with this preamplifier.  Personally, day dream about how heavenly the world would sound if every persons’ voice was put through the 737.A Front view of the Avalon VT 737 preamplifier

What’s so special about it already!?!?

Okay, okay, sheesh.  This baby packs a punch into your recordings using a combination tube preamplifiers, opto-compressor, sweep equalizer, output level and VU metering.  It has three, count them 1-2-3, different input selections; 1) a microphone input transformer with +48v phantom power, 2) an instrument DI input with jack on front panel, and 3) a balanced line input. The opto-compressor has amazing dynamic range.  You can obtain everything from soft compression to hard knee limiting with the threshold, ratio-compression, attack and release controls. The 4-band EQ control on this guy is bananas. You can also enhance mid bands with the X10 frequency multipliers.  The multipliers ever-so-sweetly enhance the high and low ends too!  One of our favorite features are the high-voltage circuits inside of the 737.  They reduce the amount of noise tremendously (-92dB) and leave you with ample headroom (up to +30dB).  Rear View Panel of Avalon VT 737 PreamplifierYou can go here to see ALL the specs & features of this incredible piece of machinery.

Thanks for checking out this segment of Behind The Gear!  If you’re interested in learning more about the rest of the gear at The Record Shop click here to view out complete gear list!  Don’t be a stranger; you can follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

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