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Post by Coil Audio on May 18, 2018 1:27:15 GMT -6
From what I hear, the 3U 2 channel will come back only this time without swappable transformers. A couple of new features as well that I can't recall at the moment. I like the looks of this single channel. Seems like a great price point for that kind of sound. A CA-286S may be next? or is that already on the street? Hey guys - yes the single channel CA-70S army is starting to roll out (June 1st is the official street date) which means the CA-286S will be on the streets by mid/late summer if all goes well. These all have the same core signal circuit/components/nos tubes etc but feature our new proprietary power supply and as the pictures of the front panel indicate - a more user friendly design. Other pertinent info - the Input and Output Transformers are fixed inside the chassis on these guys CA-70S has the high nickel CT-110hn Input / CT-41 Output CA-286S will have the standard CT-110 Input / CT-41 Output The new PS2 mk2 2-channel format will return in the fall hopefully - it will also have its transformers fixed inside the chassis BUT each channel will have both Input Transformer options installed with a switch to choose which one you want on the front panel (i know, what a concept!). Also a '2-chain' switch that will automatically route the Output of Ch. 1 into the Input of Ch. 2 for a tube console/super tube channel vibe - all sorts of fun to be had there.
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Post by Coil Audio on May 8, 2018 12:17:14 GMT -6
Big guys that get up and down all the time should check out the Swopper - although pricey (they sometimes sell refurbs) its probably the most lower back friendly thing ever created.
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Post by Coil Audio on Apr 2, 2018 14:38:23 GMT -6
I don't think that's crazy at all...I've long preferred the sound of fixed bit digital summing over floating point....at least in implementation. My question for you, though--would be why not Windows? Is ProTools 10 (with a TDM rig) really that bad a differential in performance ? Natively, I didn't experience any differential of note with PT10. I actually gave some thought to the commercial potential of a business that sells rigs configured AS hosts for old TDM rigs. Obviously, that couldn't be sold with OSX on it, though I'd bet one can ship an extra hard drive that can be plugged in by the user, ehm....call it a "NRA loophole".... I can't see a point in building a Hackintosh for an (Native) DAW that isn't Logic. Sure--if your TDM system actually works better....I'll give you that--but, I think people build Hacks primarily to sort of "save money on the purchase of the computer" is a fool's errand. Whether you're buildign a new modern machien that can still use your 20 year old PCIx TDM system (or frankly brand new cutting edge HDX system) or building a system that can SILENTLY AT FULL LOAD run Logic with PCIe audio/midi, racked up with multiple internal drives for a one room songwriter studio--there are reasons to build a Hack. But, not because you want to save some short term cash on the computer purchase. I started with Windows when i learned PT in the early 2000's and as soon as i did a few PowerMac installs of it and used it on a mac (G4) - i never looked back. Im just not a huge fan of the base code - sure if you checklist all the stuff you need to turn off/on etc and set some keyboard macros to act like an apple - you can get there (well, sort of) but theres always some hiccup that requires attention and time. If you are a commercial studio owner - delays mean loss. I wouldnt say its a fools errand necessarily - Obviously, Hackintoshing is not for everyone - i made a few before stumbling onto the Gigabyte mobo mentioned above and they were just as tricky and buggy as Windows so it made little sense to continue forcing OS X upon some random ASUS mobo that barely runs it. Although it was fun to make it work even a little bit. The stability of the Gigabyte board mentioned above however offered ENORMOUS cash savings for those i built them for (including myself) - the ability to use an Intel processor with PCIX cards running OS X (10.6-10.9) is a YUGE gain. Playing by the rules of Apple - that PCIX setup typically straps one to a PowerMac G5, Leopard (10.5), and PT8 HD - which maxes out to 8 gb RAM and no TRIM support for SSD's. The recommendation of Apple/Avid/Digi was to trade in your PCIX for PCIe (same card with less teeth at a trade in price that was well, less than desirable) and upgrade to a new Intel cheese grater (well you spent 5k on a PPC 4 years ago, how bout another 5k for 4 more years !!- BOO!!). Anyone that spent 20k + on HD TDM in 2002 feels the pain of being left out to dry and the ability to extend that products life another 10 years on an OS/PT version that supports most of the modern plugin architecture is certainly a value. Half the machines i built on that mobo are in working commercial facilities and are about to turn 8 yrs old and are showing no signs of wear. One such place has 3 rooms based around HD4 TDM with 48i/o - in 2012 they were quoted some INSANE number (around 60k) to upgrade it all to HDX with half the i/o running on 2010 cheesegraters. Instead. they replaced all 3 of their G5 PPCs at 10% of the quoted price for HDX replacement and kept right on chugging along - so yeah, i think it saved them some money as well as doubled the life of their TDM hardware and allowed them to jump to 10HD as well as the other perks of Intel processor life. Honestly - Sierra and High Sierra are so loaded down, you could make a great argument that Windows in this day and age is equal in that annoyance and so the difference is minimal. Still, i know many people building hackintoshes for commercial 4k video editing and VO that are 100% as stable as the $5000 trashcan or iMac. All for around $1000-$1500 plus all the extra expansion ports and options for better video cards is another huge plus. You just have to do the homework, which more than likely, has already been done by someone out in the world. (EDIT: It looks like Apple is returning to a proprietary processor in 2020 so all hackintoshing will probably end there - www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-mac-intel/apple-plans-to-replace-intel-chips-in-macs-with-its-own-bloomberg-idUSKCN1H91N5 )
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Post by Coil Audio on Apr 1, 2018 23:30:41 GMT -6
I cant speak to the Amazon builder - but ive probably built around 25 or so TDM HD4 PCIX (yes, i said pcix) machines running 10.8.5/PTHD10 since 2012 for various friends, producers, and studios. All based on the GA-P75-D3 motherboard/i5 3570k processor and TonyMacs Unibeast/Multibeast applications. ALL of these machines are still running today and as far as software goes - some great plugins still come in RTAS (Fab Filter, Ozone, Valhalla etc) but im not really a plugin/software update chaser. i just need to be able to work reliably and work fast. I use many hardware inserts during mixing and stuff and often track things like guitar overdubs in the control room- so when i hit INPUT on the track -i want to hear the 'input' instead of chasing some stupid LLM lane with a 3rd party 'console' or routing application running in the background. So its a personal preference for me to stay in the TDM world for its ease of use and mindless ability to make records. What the naysayers seem to always conveniently forget is that even with apple 'certified' hardware and OS that things can get dodgy or downright nasty right after a new update or install. I know more people that have experienced serious downtime (and lost $$$ and clients as a result) with the newest/latest/greatest Mac/interfaces/plugin bundles than anyone using a stable hack. My personal client policy is a 'zero downtime or die' one and the hackintosh has made this financially viable since having a second redundant machine around is still cheaper than any single certified apple equivalent. Still - i have the occasional guy that desperately needs his Slate Bundle to work so i have a cheap $200 2012 macmini with dual SSD/16gb RAM running native 11 to satisfy the baby with an AAX bottle. When you consider that you can put together a 24i/o HD4 TDM rig with a pair of 192 interfaces and said 'hack' with 32gb RAM/many SSDs on an i5 3570k for around 2k (current 2018 price). Its sort of a no-brainer. Id rather spend money on gear that doesn't lose its value by 50% as soon as i buy it and just keep working on machines i can fix myself until the next marketplace 'tank' occurs. In the meantime - records are made. Good Luck on your quest! I bought that mobo w/ the same intent! Never ended up building it as I was given pci-e cards and an HD10 license. $350 cheese grater has been completely adequate, but I’m not running any VIs on it. But I’ll stay in TDM as long as I can, it’s been great for my work. Yeah, you can slap together a pretty snappy cheese grater for about the same bucks anymore. I just like to be able to service the machine with parts i can get same day from Amazon if necessary. I can run VI's all day long so no issues there really, unless someone needs the latest and greatest (which usually wont run on 10 anyway). Call me crazy but i actually prefer the 'sound' of the TDM buss - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Post by Coil Audio on Apr 1, 2018 14:19:00 GMT -6
A couple of my producer and mixer colleague’s and I are talking about the inevitable upgrade to a new rig, but I just can’t do the Trash can MacPro or the iMac Pro, it’s just too crazy expensive! But, I came across a post on some site about turning a custom built machine into solidly running Mac OS host. I did some digging and priced out what I’d call an absolute Monster machine from Amazon and it came out to around $1,400. To even get near that custom machine’s performance and specs, an Apple equivalent was over $6,500. So, I’d love to know if anyone is successfully doing this and exactly how solid does it run and can anyone point me to the real deal instructions on doing this. One of my colleagues is needing to do this in the next 2 weeks, if I can get some solid info, save him $5k, well that would make me feel reallly good as he had been one of the guys that has fed me mix jobs since I got going in town. Plus, I’m going to have to do this in the next 6 months too. Thanks!! Jerome Mason I cant speak to the Amazon builder - but ive probably built around 25 or so TDM HD4 PCIX (yes, i said pcix) machines running 10.8.5/PTHD10 since 2012 for various friends, producers, and studios. All based on the GA-P75-D3 motherboard/i5 3570k processor and TonyMacs Unibeast/Multibeast applications. ALL of these machines are still running today and as far as software goes - some great plugins still come in RTAS (Fab Filter, Ozone, Valhalla etc) but im not really a plugin/software update chaser. i just need to be able to work reliably and work fast. I use many hardware inserts during mixing and stuff and often track things like guitar overdubs in the control room- so when i hit INPUT on the track -i want to hear the 'input' instead of chasing some stupid LLM lane with a 3rd party 'console' or routing application running in the background. So its a personal preference for me to stay in the TDM world for its ease of use and mindless ability to make records. What the naysayers seem to always conveniently forget is that even with apple 'certified' hardware and OS that things can get dodgy or downright nasty right after a new update or install. I know more people that have experienced serious downtime (and lost $$$ and clients as a result) with the newest/latest/greatest Mac/interfaces/plugin bundles than anyone using a stable hack. My personal client policy is a 'zero downtime or die' one and the hackintosh has made this financially viable since having a second redundant machine around is still cheaper than any single certified apple equivalent. Still - i have the occasional guy that desperately needs his Slate Bundle to work so i have a cheap $200 2012 macmini with dual SSD/16gb RAM running native 11 to satisfy the baby with an AAX bottle. When you consider that you can put together a 24i/o HD4 TDM rig with a pair of 192 interfaces and said 'hack' with 32gb RAM/many SSDs on an i5 3570k for around 2k (current 2018 price). Its sort of a no-brainer. Id rather spend money on gear that doesn't lose its value by 50% as soon as i buy it and just keep working on machines i can fix myself until the next marketplace 'tank' occurs. In the meantime - records are made. Good Luck on your quest!
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Post by Coil Audio on Feb 27, 2018 17:28:17 GMT -6
What is the last PT version that works (flawlessly) with HD Accel (& TDM, RTAS)? PT10HD 10.3.10 - on Mountain Lion or Mavericks -
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Post by Coil Audio on Feb 27, 2018 17:27:32 GMT -6
Thanks for your replies guys; anyone know where would i get Mavericks 10.9 ? Cheers, Ross Ebay is a pretty good place - usually one can purchase a thumb drive with the installer for anywhere between $10-$25. Craigslist too for that matter......
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Post by Coil Audio on Feb 25, 2018 0:33:33 GMT -6
Hi guys, had my internet i-mac running Tiger upgraded to El captain recently because Tiger wouldn't allow a newer browser and thus couldn't open many web sites. it scared me because of the age (2008) of the computer but it's done and working fine. Am somewhat emboldened by this to upgrade my recording comp , 2010 MB Pro (Snow Leopard) to El Captain as it will allow me to open newer plugs etc, etc. As my recording set up has been flawless, I am also very wary. What issues should I be concerned about? Set up is: 2010 17" I5 MB Pro, O.S. 10.6.8. 'Tools 10 (with the option to upgrade to 11). MH ULN-2, Prism Titan Cheers, Ross If you want to stay stable with 10 or 11 - maybe consider Mountain Lion 10.8 or Mavericks 10.9.
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Post by Coil Audio on Feb 7, 2018 15:55:47 GMT -6
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Post by Coil Audio on Feb 6, 2018 14:17:09 GMT -6
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NAMM 2018
Jan 29, 2018 10:08:46 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Coil Audio on Jan 29, 2018 10:08:46 GMT -6
Eric, here's some astonishing goodness, the Coil Audio stuff. Besides sounding gorgeous across the board, the Coil Audio mic/line modules have filters and modest tone controls, and the big feature, negative feedback control. Most circuits have fixed negative feedback for low harmonic distortion, these have adjustable negative feedback, so you can have low distortion, or back off the feedback for more harmonic distortion if you think it compliments what's going into the channel. A "more cowbell" control, if I may say. Here's a blissed out me and Steve Squire from Coil after I got a good listen to the Coil rack of pre/line modules. The demo was a multitrack recording that the listener was invited to mix to taste. Sounded fantastic. View AttachmentIt was great meeting you in person donr and thanks for stopping by the booth!
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 16, 2018 12:59:01 GMT -6
We'll be upstairs around the corner from Universal Audio - Booth 12126. We'll have some swag and a few of our new CA-70s single channels on display. Actually the listening station will be a 6x2 Coil 'Mixer' (6 modules as channel strips and 2 of the new singles acting as summing amps for the L/R).
Come over and say hi!
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 14, 2018 0:08:23 GMT -6
Matt Stager just designed a pretty awesome shock mount for the SR-2N(thats shipping now i believe) . You would not be sorry with that purchase. dense Mid-Range for days. Like a sub kick for your guitar cab and is killer on drums when paired with the right preamp.
The NTR is very different. Almost the complete opposite in terms of midrange and sounds almost too 'pretty' to be a ribbon. Cool mic as well but different vibe.
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 13, 2018 17:28:20 GMT -6
Manley is boutique now? - *looks over at 25yr old 1st edition Vari-Mu that has never needed service* Much more so than SSL, I reckon. But then, maybe small manufacturers like yourself should really claim the mantle. Who are you calling small?
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 13, 2018 14:47:19 GMT -6
Manley is boutique now? - *looks over at 25yr old 1st edition Vari-Mu that has never needed service*
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 2, 2018 11:58:07 GMT -6
It has been a busy tube-mic-pre buying month for me and I've got a Professor Dan's DB Pre, a Fearn VT-24, and a QES Labs SMP-2 on order. That should be a good complement for a shootout of some of these top notch tube preamps. EDIT: A shootout might be too strong of a term but I'll have some session experience with them in the next couple months and can share my thoughts on the different units. The QES and Fearn are all in the "clean" and sparkle-y musical tube category with the exception of Dan's which I can't classify yet....but from everything I've hear, it sounds like a record! I would Love to see how the CA-70 fares against the VT-24 and SMP-2. If we could get you a demo unit would you post the findings?
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Post by Coil Audio on Jan 1, 2018 10:27:42 GMT -6
Check out the Tree Audio channel strip. It sounds incredible without imposing a "toob" stamp over the sounds. LOL
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Post by Coil Audio on Dec 21, 2017 15:53:00 GMT -6
Especially if they are being hand-wired by 12 y/o's in China! LOL I agree with you about the "hand wiring". I'm actually surprised that WARM took that approach to be honest. Just looking at the pick and being a sarcastic old timer, I wonder if in the eyes of the ad copy guys plugging in all the molecular connectors by hand qualifies as hand wired? Has anyone trademarked 'Vintage Molex' yet?
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Post by Coil Audio on Dec 21, 2017 15:39:23 GMT -6
What Doug said - but also try pulling and re-seating it - certain sockets are prone to corrosion, even over a short period of time. You guys think there’s any need for nos power tube replacement? What was in there? JJ's? You can probably get something *gulp* newer from TAD or Mullard for around $20ea that might improve the tone a few % (builds vary) - some nos mil spec Vt-107s might be a little bit more but not much - $30ea maybe? But like Doug said- prob not worth the trouble. Id say its worth having a few around to try and see what jives though -
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Post by Coil Audio on Dec 18, 2017 23:10:59 GMT -6
What Doug said - but also try pulling and re-seating it - certain sockets are prone to corrosion, even over a short period of time.
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Post by Coil Audio on Dec 5, 2017 14:54:31 GMT -6
Does anyone have any experience with the ATM450's? Small side address condensor, 150dB dynamic range with the pad and a 3-7Khz presence lift. On paper it seems like it'd be great for tom sounds and the profile would make placement easy, not too expensive either (I guess about 150 US dollars?). Being the Albini freak I am I'd love the E22's, but I'm not spending 4 figures on Tom Tom microphones. Ive used these on Toms before - they do a pretty great job at making the cymbal bleed dare i say - 'musical' , even with a basher. Easily processed. Didnt really like them on the snare drum or anywhere else on the kit - or for any other instrument for that matter. Surprised no one mentioned the Audix i5 or a Shure 545 ....... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Post by Coil Audio on Dec 3, 2017 13:52:43 GMT -6
Beats the hell out of any plugin for creating 'that sound' - Its somewhat of a one trick pony but does that trick VERY WELL. cool trick - I sometimes lay one on the ground under the snare pointed at the beater - blend to taste
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Post by Coil Audio on Aug 29, 2017 22:40:00 GMT -6
HEIDERS!
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Post by Coil Audio on Aug 9, 2017 12:31:32 GMT -6
Sure SM58's kinda resemble U47's when put through top of the line outboard. This I've tried, many times. It's not even close. I dunno what outboard you're using, but other than translating sound pressure into current and being able to sound like the person to some degree, that's where the similarities stop. I had a singer come into the studio and swear to me that NOTHING but a 58 would work on his voice, that EVERY condenser mic he's sung into "sounded like shit" on his voice. We tracked with the 58 and it was *decent* sounding but lacked the range/balls/nuance we needed to fill out the songs. I begged, and ultimately threatened, to get him to try the 47 on a song and we'd compare.. He finally agreed. After we did the track, I A/B'd them for him, but blindly. He immediately latched onto the fullness and nuance of one of the tracks and proclaimed "See, I knew my voice would sound better on the 58!" But he had chosen the U47 track. After a few minutes of disbelief and denial, he agreed to retrack his parts on the U47. And I have multiple stories like this between some dynamic mic and either the C12 or the U47. Was this with an SS preamp then? My experience has been almost the opposite, but ive always employed something tube single ended or SE/PP to dial in the heavy harmonic lifting if you will. It all depends on how much of that content you're comfortable building into the track from jump i suppose. Its not for everyone. My pref has always been just to get it done at the source (especially on vocals or lead instruments) as opposed to building in those structure via mixdown. Ive been able to fool some pretty good ears though, but i'd never try it with a SS pre - even with a tube comp strapped behind it. Just doesnt work the same in my findings. I always love it when a singer/musician (especially someone i havent worked with) comes in and demands a certain mic or signal chain - always makes for a fun experiment.
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Post by Coil Audio on Aug 8, 2017 17:33:42 GMT -6
The bodies and metal work are their usual quality I'm talking strictly Capsules! I think this why Bock res erected the Soundelux name for the entry level line. Again just capsules I had a 195 for a couple of years not a bad mic, but it covered the same ground as my Lawson FET, build Quality was as good as any mic I have seen . Ah my bad - I would assume that you could easily ala carte any pieces you needed and both companies certainly have the shop space to do the rest of the assembly in house to varying degrees.? If you have the capital you can skin the cat almost any way you see fit as svart pointed out. The Bock mics always seemed solid whenever ive encountered them - not sure if they've changed recently or anything. There was a fly-by-night hip hop studio here town for a while (2005 i think) and they had a Bock 251 as their flagship mic. Used it on a female vocalists record we cut there before it closed(artist name was DRI) and it sounded super sugary. You never hear about Bock too much anymore -
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