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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!

Artifact is Jared Leto’s documentary that began as a behind the scenes look of his band, 30 Seconds To Mars, recording their third album “This Is War.”  As the project began, the focus of the movie took a dramatic twist when the band’s record label, EMI, filed a $30 million lawsuit for breach of contract against them.Artifact: 30 Seconds To Mars  A quick summary of the issue is that the band signed a recording contract with Immortal Records in the late 90s.  The details of this deal aren’t explained very well in Artifact.  However, this deal has been regarded by the band’s Manager, Irving Azoff, and their attorney, Pete Paterno, as the worst record deal ever.  In 1999, Virgin Records bought their contract when they purchased Immortal.  Over the next few years 30 Seconds to Mars released two albums, “30 Seconds To Mars” and “A Beautiful Lie”, embarked on world tours, and accumulated $3 million in debt to their label.  What triggered the actual lawsuit was that, before they started working on “This Is War” the band had tried to terminate their contract because they had not been paid a single royalty from EMI.Olivia de Havilland  They invoked a labor clause called the De Havilland Law, which states that, in California, no service contract is valid after seven years.  This termination was viewed as a breach of contract because the band had only delivered two of the five albums that their deal required.

This film also shines a light on the dwindling record industry, and the many failed attempts by labels and music industry outsiders to save their industry.  Everyone is aware of the dramatic change in the music industry, and the world, since the dawn of digital downloading and file sharing.  The record industry has taken the biggest hit because people don’t buy music anymore.  This led to many labels consolidating their staff, establishing 360 deals as the norm, and screwing artists out of a lot of money. 

Artifact PosterAs Artifact ended, EMI gave in to 30 Seconds To Mars’ demands.  The lawsuit was dropped and the band signed a new deal with EMI.  This comes as no surprise because most major label lawsuits against their artists end before they go to court.  Why?  Artists can’t take the financial loss from legal fees like a major label can.  It’s like any country trying to attack Russia during winter; they freeze or starve to death.  Another big factor for resigning was that the band couldn’t maintain its worldwide success without the backing of a label.  They actually may have been able to do it on their own, but that is a massive amount of time and effort (i.e. the Trent Reznor case study).

Overall, Artifact sets a negative connotation towards major recording labels.  Many of the people interview in the film say that they don’t know of any major label that doesn’t try to screw the artist; their whole economy is based around getting as much money from their artists as they can.  Now, with in the world of the 360 deal, they are even trying to take a cut from artist’s merchandising, publishing, and everything else the artist does that has nothing to do with the record label.  It must be said though that independent labels are also signing artists to 360 deals, and these major labels aren’t as evil as some would have you believe.  There are always going to be examples of questionable business tactics, but major labels have been a staple in the music industry for over a century.  They’ve helped the greatest artists of every generation spread their music all over the planet, and there is always going to be a need for big players.  Who knows what the world would sound like without the work these labels put in? 

So, “What’s the new model?  Why isn’t there one that’s better?”, asks Leto.  The truth is no one really knows yet.  The record industry has been slow to making changes and adapting to the new technology being made over the last two decades.  Singer Serj Tankien points out in Artifact that major labels never even thought about creating their own online distribution systems, which Apple did with iTunes.  Whatever the solution turns out to be, it is clear that it will only come to fruition if the major labels stop trying to fight the Internet and learn to live within the Digital World.

One amazing thing that has happened because of the Digital Age is the up rise of Independent artists & labels and the ability to perform many of the duties major labels used to perform from your laptop.  As an independent, multi-faceted recording studio, The Record Shop Nashville is proud to be apart of this amazing developmental period of the music industry.  We have been very fortunate to have worked with amazing artist from both the independent and major league worlds, and it has given us a firsthand look into each.  From what we have found, both worlds are inhabited by some truly incredible people that all share one thing: an irrefutable love and passion for music.  

 Thanks for hangin’ in there till the end!  Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Nashville Recording Studio’s blog, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @therecordshop for plenty of photos and updates from your friends here at The Record Shop!

 

The Record Shop Nashville is honored to be mentioned in the latest issue of Mix Magazine, which features many our recent studio sessions!  Read what they had to say here!Blurb about The Record Shop in Mix Magazine.