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Post by BradM on Dec 2, 2019 22:26:13 GMT -6
I was telling brad the other day....after my hardware, I think in plug-in-land, the chop shop is my most used EQ. Go figure.... So simple and so effective. I can see why that is. After using it for a couple of days I can’t imagine how I lived without it on kick and bass. There’s a lot more too it left to explore / but the way this plugin handles low end... You guys are totally going to laugh at me. I am in the middle of mixing a 3-piece surf rock record (drums, bass, guitar). I am fighting the bass a little bit trying to get the bottom end right. I was asking my friend today if he had any tips and we were brainstorming some ideas how to add some heft to the lower octaves without making it boomy. Fast forward to just a minute ago where I was reading someone's comment on my FB page about how they use Chop Shop for "getting the low end right". And then it hit me. The answer is my own damn plugin. I created the dang thing with Lo-Rider Mode just for this very purpose and I totally spaced that it was even an option. Doh! Haha. Needless to say I'm slapping Lo-Rider on that Bass track first thing when I get back to the studio tomorrow. Brad
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Post by BradM on Dec 2, 2019 14:40:03 GMT -6
This is too good to pass up. Purchased. Thank you! You're welcome! Thanks for the support. Enjoy! Brad
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Post by BradM on Dec 2, 2019 14:39:17 GMT -6
Thanks, man!
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Post by BradM on Nov 30, 2019 16:31:36 GMT -6
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Post by BradM on Nov 30, 2019 16:29:19 GMT -6
Hey all, I wanted to hook up my friends here with a special discount that is only available to members of this site: 70% off the Chop Shop EQ pluginJust click through the link and add the plugin to your cart. Discount will show up in the cart. And...keep this between me and you. We wouldn't want to irk the Void Corp overlords. Enjoy! Brad
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Post by BradM on Nov 20, 2019 19:59:50 GMT -6
I have HPF and LPF at the ready when tracking everything. My weapon of choice is the Chop Shop 500 series EQ (obviously). I always have it patched in and engage Lo-Cut, Hi-Cut, or Focus as needed to shape the track as needed. Because the circit is super transparent I have no qualms leaving it in my overdub chain even if I don't use it. When I'm being lazy I put the Lo-Cut (HPF) knob at 60 Hz and set the Bump to 12:00. I tend to use the Hi-Cut (LPF) less, but leaving it set to the 25 kHz setting never sucks. It's amazing how much closer to mix-ready tracks can be just from some simple cutting and frequency contouring.
cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Nov 12, 2019 20:54:44 GMT -6
I can understand that! ha But I don't think anyone that is buying stuff from you is being "tricked" into anything. You reputation and quality is all that is needed to bring people to your door to buy the gear you make. Its top of the line stuff and people know it. Discounts are always nice is how I look at it. But certainly not required either for me in this case. Plan on having one by the end of the year regardless. hope you're staying safe down there! Hi, Thanks, it's nice of you to say that. I would never say "trick", but it is kind of a psychological game where retailers makes you offers you feel compelled not to pass up. As an ecommerce retailer I start getting email well over a month in advance about seminars, blog posts, apps, etc. regarding optimizing conversions, maximizing profit, and winning at BFCM. It's the biggest capitalist holy day of the year celebrating the sacrament of revenue. Big money, no whammies! Brad
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Post by BradM on Nov 12, 2019 12:29:11 GMT -6
Silverbullet. Hope that happens. But probably not. landoI'm truly flattered the Silver Bullet made your wish lists. I'm always torn every year about participating in the BFCM hoopla. It makes me feel a little dirty because by doing so I'm basically celebrating my own capitalist greed while exploiting rampant consumerism. I struggle with how Black Friday feels mostly about putting more of your money in my pocket by enticing folks to make impulse purchases under the duress of FOMO. What definitely will be on sale for the rest of the month is our new Chroma+ 1RU unit. So at least I can promise that. My wish for Black Friday is for an end to all the wildfires in California and the return of clean air. Brad
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Post by BradM on Nov 11, 2019 12:58:44 GMT -6
Hi Brad! Sorry I meant no disrespect on this. I was actually referring to an email chain you and I had a bit ago and I asked about this. You then stated it was not normal API standards but Purple Sweet Ten standards. But to see this is awesome! This means your modules will in fact work with the racks Im using I believe to allow the Insert points to work. Only way to really know is to buy a pain and try it out! Very exciting. Even if its not wired to the right pins, there is always hope to mod the modules to allow this to work. Id love a mini API like that custom unit. If only...the new looptrotter console looks like it would be a fantastic platform for a LTL style console though. If i was tracking more at my own space, Id probably go that route. I will definietly reach out for more details when the time comes. Im currently working through the first phase of technical details on this build first. Once that is sorted, I will be looking to expand my "faders" and your modules are basically perfect for the job. So I will bring this all back up later with you for much finer details. Hi! Oh none taken. I just wanted to make sure the correct technical information is out there to avoid confusion. My apologies for not remembering our email discussion. I think it's probably most accurate to say that Mister Focus is both API and Purple compatible. If your system uses pins 7 and 9 for inserts (looks like the TAC racks uses a Radial pinout) then you'd want to not enable the insert mode switch on that rack and instead set it up for the parallel input mode. It seems they have designed one switch setting to be API-compatible and the second switch setting to be Radial compatible. Use API settings and you are golden. Get in touch whenever you are ready. cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Nov 10, 2019 18:29:34 GMT -6
I am going to have to get some of those the more and more I look at them. I just with the pin out was VPR standard. Was a bit disappointed to find out its Purple Sweet 10 pinout which means my "console" im building they can't be used as easily. Won't likely stop me from getting a few. But would have ended up with likely 8-12 of them if they were VPR. The pinout for Mister Focus conforms to the API spec last I checked: Mister Focus Pinout: 1. CHASSIS GND 2. OUT+ 3. not connected 4. OUT- 5. AGND 6. STEREO LINK (not connected) 7. IN- 8. IN- 9. IN+ 10. IN+ 11. Radial Mix Bus (can be disabled by removing 4.7k resistor) 12. +16V 13. PGND 14. -16V 15. +48V (not connected) For reference here's the API VPR Pinout: 1. CHASSIS GND 2. OUT+ (+4 level) 3. OUT+ (-2 level) 4. OUT- 5. AGND 6. STEREO LINK 7. IN- (-2 level) 8. IN- (+4 level) 9. IN+ (-2 level) 10. IN+ (+4 level) 11. Gain Trim resistor 12. +16V 13. PGND 14. -16V 15. +48V Mister Focus also is compatible with the Purple racks and the Radial Racks. If you have questions about this feel free to call me at the number on my website. I'd be happy to clarify any technical concerns you may have. For fun here's 16 Mister Focus loaded into a vintage custom API console (works just fine): cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Aug 6, 2019 15:35:20 GMT -6
Niights - Hellebores The Beths - Future Me Hates Me Charly Bliss - Young Enough Just saw The Beths play SF last Friday. They killed it. Brad turns out we have very similar tastes. Nice! Feel free to send me some recommendations for cool stuff to check out you think I might like. cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Aug 2, 2019 13:20:43 GMT -6
Niights - Hellebores The Beths - Future Me Hates Me Charly Bliss - Young Enough
Just saw The Beths play SF last Friday. They killed it.
Brad
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Post by BradM on Jul 16, 2019 14:10:30 GMT -6
In my personal experience, using beautifully colored gear on the front end is just as good for reamping or using simulators. I think there's a bit of a myth that you have to use a "clean" capture when, for reamping, in my experience, it sounds good, it is good. +1 I would add then when something sounds "right" to your ears, you don't necessarily hear it as colored. You just hear it as good. Brad
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Post by BradM on Jul 15, 2019 13:12:57 GMT -6
This seems like a good place to say that I'm a huge Brad McGowan fan. Thanks, Liam! Not sure how I got dragged into this. I believe the following things when it comes to preamps: 1. People like preamps that make a source sound like "music" to them. This is the "starting point" for the sound. This is highly personal and is shaped by our biases, musical experience, and lifetime listening experience. If you grew up on Beatles records you may have different preamp tastes than the kid that grew up on K-pop. 2. People have a vision in their head of where they want a sound to end up when the production is mixed. This is the "end point" for the sound. 3. During the course of a production people will turn knobs, manipulate sounds and textures to get all the sounds they have recorded to go from the "starting point" to the "end point". When that journey is fun and exciting and allows them to produce repeatable and satisying results, then the choice of preamp is validated. I don't even do preamp shootouts any more. I just use the stuff that I know will annoy me the least when I'm on the journey. I once told Greg back when we were developing the Electra that "clean is the new dirty". cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 18, 2019 10:02:58 GMT -6
Oh well. That's software for you. The next time I'm doing a hardware dongle. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 17, 2019 21:05:36 GMT -6
I'm assuming you didn't have to purchase Chop Shop... I think technically I paid many thousands of dollars for that one. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 16, 2019 21:05:34 GMT -6
This might officially be my 3rd plugin purchase in 8 years.
Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 3, 2019 12:40:25 GMT -6
But to me, the real question is if a Chinese manufacturer was given specs for a Neumann mic capsule, could they make it as good as Neumann at the same or a lower price point. If they were given all the manufacturing process details and whatever custom tools / machines / jigs, etc. Neumann uses, then over time I believe yes. Think about what goes into making an iPhone. These are precision builds with incredible tight tolerance parts and very strict requirements for cosmetic finish. Apple builds them in China because of the combination of skillset, manufacturing infrastructure, scale, and cost. www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/technology/iphones-apple-china-made.htmlI somewhat agree with svart about volume. The cost comes down to volumes. Does paying shipping, tariffs, taxes, outweigh the cost of domestic manufacture for low volume? It's hard to say without detailed costing data. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 3, 2019 9:42:23 GMT -6
Hi Jesse,
Cool! Sounds like a fun night.
By design the Mister Focus COMP is meant to get a little louder as you turn up the compression...peak levels are coming down and RMS levels are going up. So you get peak reduction and automatic RMS boosting, which simplifies use. I recommend the Boost jumper be set when using compressor Colour modules. Otherwise you are turning down the output and there isn't any make-up gain. The easy way to A/B the unit to other units is simply to record takes through Mister Focus and then just level match in the DAW by pulling down the fader accordingly. That seems way easier to me than trying to find a way to trim the unit in the analog realm. Or another easy way to approach things...simply turn up the output on the other units to match the output level of Mister Focus since those have Output controls.
cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 2, 2019 23:07:56 GMT -6
Ordered my RGB Mass Drivr smash comp today thanks Brad and Dr Bill Thanks for the order, Ken! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you get it all installed in your rack. cheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 2, 2019 22:51:46 GMT -6
You literally have no idea what you're saying here. I work with Chinese/overseas assembly everyday. They can machine insert through-hole parts just the same as SMD.. or didn't you know that? SMD parts are the same internal guts as leaded parts, just without the leads, which actually just add costs and inductance. A 2n222 transistor is the same in leaded or SMD and performs the same. But here's the real kicker.. SMD has statistically been far more reliable in PCA yields than through-hole, and IR soldering has been far more reliable than hand soldering. There's a reason they install a 2 million dollar SMD line to do these things, and it's not saving money on head count because you still need people to run the machines, it's the increase in reliability and the resulting decrease in board failures which save tons of money in warranty and repairs. I really don't know where you get your ideas, but they're seemingly rooted in sentiment, because they aren't rooted in modern reality. And yes I know it. You know that I live and work in this stuff everyday. Thanks for saying this. I have to second this 110%. This is exactly why I use SMT in my builds...because it's reliable and high performance and where all the advancements in parts are being made these days. When I design a product I want to use the best, most reliable parts available. It's frustrating to see folks perpetuating this myth that through hole only, hand assembled, single-sided boards are always superior. They are not. And they are often not easier to repair or build by hand. For those that are unwilling, unable, or afraid to invest in the right tools and learn new techniques...maybe. But for those of us trying to mass produce high end products that aren't replicated DIY projects, no thanks. There's a good reason even Rupert Neve is 90%+ SMD in their designs. I can remove and replace an SMT resistor from the top side of the board by simply removing the top cover of my product and flicking off the part with a soldering iron. This takes all of 3 minutes. Give me a Juki over Joe Assembler any day. The droids will do it better than the underpaid laborer all day long. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 2, 2019 18:21:05 GMT -6
The A and N Mojo Amps used in the Silver Bullet and Chroma designs are entirely different circuits than what's in Mass Drivr and Royal Blue. They are all slightly different flavors. Brad So what would one be listening for to feel they are getting the desired sound? You say they are different, but you are getting the sound of the beloved equipment in both cases? Just trying to hone in on what it is you're selling for each thing. Hi, Perhaps this short article will address your questions: support.louderthanliftoff.com/article/62-are-mass-drivr-and-royal-blue-equivalent-to-the-silver-bullet-mojo-ampscheers, Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 2, 2019 12:39:43 GMT -6
Is the A and N option the same as what you get with Royal Blue and Mass Driver? The A and N Mojo Amps used in the Silver Bullet and Chroma designs are entirely different circuits than what's in Mass Drivr and Royal Blue. They are all slightly different flavors. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 2, 2019 12:27:19 GMT -6
I'm aware of the insides of the vintage units. My reference was to the following: Multiple loose wires floating. Transformer isn't PCB mount type but PCB is. Power Tx secondary bypass connector. Power Tx primary don't connect to IEC. UV meter wires have a connector in the middle of the loom. That purple pcb doesn't look like it production part. Mistake on PCB - 2 PTP resistors and cap. P.S have a lot of respect for the PCB layouts on your products. Thanks! What I suspect is that BLA religiously copied CLA's beloved unit down to every last wart and sketchy modification so that any parasitic effects of messy wiring, scabbed on resistors was captured exactly as it exists in the golden unit. I imagine those are the "mistakes" you are seeing in the pics. I think that authenticy is kind of cool. It literally is a clone of a battle tested unit. Hand labor always drives cost. They certainly could have made a less expensvie machine-assembled unit and verified it against the original, but perhaps that wouldn't have been as fun for them or had the same marketing value. Could someone buy one of these units, reverse engineer the quirky mods, and then miniaturize it all on a machine-assembled module that sounds 90-95% the same? Very likely. Brad
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Post by BradM on Apr 1, 2019 18:37:52 GMT -6
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