B16 VCA Compressor by Seventh Circle Audio (SCA)
There is a relatively new compressor (finally!) from Seventh Circle Audio (SCA): the B16 VCA. This compressor is an exciting departure from the five mic pres that have been the backbone of the SCA business for the past several years. It has the same control setup to a DBX 160, a compressor that I’ve used … Read more
Planet Waves Guitar Tools – iPhone Audio App
The Planet Waves Guitar Tools iPhone app is pretty killer in terms of the user interface and features. Even though it came out in 2010, I haven’t yet found another guitar-focused app quite as useful. Guitar Tools: Chords If you know what chord you want, the Chords section in Guitar Tools is the app for … Read more
Fender 5e3 Deluxe Amp Build
Fender 5e3 Deluxe Amp The Fender 5e3 Tweed Deluxe circuit is a classic and one of the best sounding ones out there, especially for small gig and recording studio use. Here’s some details about the latest 5e3 Deluxe amp that came out of the shop. Custom Made Amps I’ve been making custom tube amps for … Read more
Fender 5F1 Champ DIY and Top Capacitor Picks
Fender 5F1 Champ DIY Project I had a bit of time between work this week, so I gutted an old Marshall practice amp and started to build a Fender 5F1 Champ circuit in the chassis. The Marshall sounded like you’d expect it to – pure junk, so there were no hard feelings about ripping out … Read more
Top Five Best Microphones for the Recording Studio
My top five favorite microphones for the recording studio are: AKG 451e w/ CK1 capsule Lomo 19a19 Shure SM7 Neumann SM69 SM57 Depending on the day or the mood in the recording studio, I might be inclined to choose some other microphones. For today, here are my top five recording studio mics: AKG 451e with … Read more
QR Codes in Online and Mobile Marketing
QR codes can be very useful in online marketing campaigns. Contact Monkbam Creative for more info on how to incorporate them into your marketing plan.
Seventh Circle Audio (SCA) J99 Preamps (John Hardy & the Jensen Twin Servo)
When I started to research the SCA J99 preamps, I found far less information than I had found for the SCA A12 or the SCA N72 preamps. I think that most first time buyers end up going towards the two better known Seventh Circle Audio designs of the API and Neve stuff. After that, they … Read more
SCA N72 Preamp Kit (Neve 1272 type)
Now that we’ve reviewed the A12 preamp, the N72 is a natural next choice. It is a circuit that is Neve-esque, having a tame top end but a huge beefy low end. Record a mix a record tracked through these N72 (or Great River MP2-NV, or 1073, etc.) preamps and you’ll find a huge buildup … Read more
Seventh Circle Audio Preamp Kits – The A12 Preamp (similar to API 312/512)
It’s about time that I wrote about Tim Ryan’s Seventh Circle Audio preamp kits. There is a lot of good info from posts over at Gearslutz, and Tim’s site does an excellent job of providing assembly info, tips, and some of the best build instructions I’ve seen. I’ve built close to sixteen of these preamps … Read more
