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Post by illacov on Nov 28, 2015 16:19:44 GMT -6
Folks seem to be quite giddy over this, and at it's low price I hope it delivers. Still, it's hardly a novel concept, and many other tape simulators are on the market (Cranesong Hedd, Colour modules, Sound Skulptor etc.) not to mention software like Slate VTM, which I use when something sounds overly "digital." I think I'll wait to hear the "month after ownership reviews" before buying. This is true. That's why I've had a few Zulus in the hands of my super user pool for a few months now, to see if the love fades over time. These guys can use anything they want so I'm waiting to see if a $400 box really continues to be a part of their main workflow. The sound of Zulu is to my ears expensive, I had a vision to make it so affordable that people would eagerly adapt to it as a recording platform. This is my attempt at reintroducing what people miss (and avoiding what they don't miss) about analog tape sans the expense or hassle of maintaining a deck or buying/finding reliable sources of analog tape. Zulu is assembled in Syracuse, NY, made proudly in the USA. Other than 4 cables, Zulu requires no assembly, additional hardware or special platforms to integrate it into your studio. Please feel free to review the soundcloud clips or if you want to email me a link to a mix you want processed through Zulu, I'd be glad to run it through and showcase what you might expect if you owned one. Thanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 28, 2015 15:00:33 GMT -6
...all that, and Sinsay can re-skin a $20 Chinese capsule to sound better...just sayin'... Who is this Sinsay you speak of? Thanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 28, 2015 11:59:24 GMT -6
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Post by illacov on Nov 26, 2015 20:21:44 GMT -6
Are you tracking instruments thru the zulu in your audio sample or just the 2 track? We have only posted examples of the full mix run through Zulu with various settings on Zulu (tape formula/deck, bias, contour). We are posting very shortly a series of examples where each track was tracked digital then run through Zulu. We did this with all 3 tape formulations/decks with bias set at wide open and no contour, plus one example where there is a 30% Retro Enhance/Dry 70% Wet/Tape blend. Then we RMS level matched the files to the original and then also did a broom stick/faders at 0 mix of the final result. So you will have individual tracks, and the unity mix of the tracks to compare. A great insight into the things that can be accomplished with a single Zulu unit or a multi-track one for that matter. Our endorsee/Artist/Power User Alan Evans was recently in Colorado at Ever Groove Studio tracking through his Zulu. There was talk of needing 16 tracks of Zulu to stay there permanently I'm hoping we will get similar reviews from our user base. Thanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 26, 2015 9:49:37 GMT -6
Hello! We ship internationally as well. Feel free to contact us about your side of the planet and we will be glad to accommodate you! Thanks!
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Post by illacov on Nov 23, 2015 13:45:33 GMT -6
They have new samples up of a full mix Don't know if it sounds like tape but I sure like what it does Thanks for your kind words, we used a Studer A810 for the clean/HiFi formula, a Teac 3340 for the Pro Fi/Japanese deck sound and an old school sh*tbox 2 track deck for the lofi formula. We have done a complete battery of Kobayashi Maru tests to make sure Zulu exhibits the behaviors and characters of the decks we used as our litmus test. Especially to ensure it succeeded where the other tape simulators gave up the ghost. Most notably when driven the simulators we tested only offered more distortion and overdrive but no compression and no frequency dependent reactivity under moderate levels of signal. Please check out the latest examples we have where we showcase some of the dirtier formulas and also introduce Retro Enhance mode: soundcloud.com/tod-levine_handsome-audio/sets/zulu-sonic-soul-tests-3-tape-formulas-and-retro-enhance-modeThanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 9, 2015 11:20:29 GMT -6
Release is earmarked for December 2015. I am waiting for my cases from Arkansas so we can swing into full production. Regarding the construction of Zulu, the cases are laser cut and folded 16 gauge carbon steel. They are powder coated in my hometown of Syracuse, NY, the detailing is done in Syracuse as well along with full assembly and QC.
Our samples online are hosted via Soundcloud but we can always run a mix or a sample you provide via email or dropbox etc.. through Zulu either with myself or Tod. We both have excellent recording studios with good converters and of course Zulu.
Thanks again for the interest in this product, I haven't really frequented boards in years since the Gearslutz days. I'll be sure to hang out here more often.
Thanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 8, 2015 20:40:12 GMT -6
I get the desire to be different , but years ago I learned cables running across the work surface was a no go or a very hard sell for most. you want the controls in front of you, add a optional remote and a single ambilical, even half rack is a hard sell. Rack and 500 series are the standard, I have seen some great sounding non standard gear die a quick death because they were just not taken seriously because of their different form factor! At the very least put all th connectors on one side for easy cable management! unless your goal is to live on a pedalboard! I understand your not wanting to move from the sweetspot, but almost everybody I know either has a rack, console or keyboard sitting in front of them because thats what gets the most use, you just told your customers, "I think you should rearange your work flow around my product!" Not going to happen, Its not about how you want to work, its about how your customers work, To do that it better sound as much like tape as My Ampex, ! The device pictured is the prototype box. The jacks on the side issue had more to do with lack of space on the rear panel than a desire to place jacks on the sides which spells guitar pedal. The final rendition of the stereo version will have i/o combi jacks on the rear and the case will be 6" in width by 6.5" in length by 3" in height. I feel that I am only asking people to consider my product because of it's usefulness and its convenience. Plenty of products require us as professionals to make adjustments to our workflow and even our working environment. Adding a medium to large format analog console to a studio or a control surface to a workstation that was originally mouse and keyboard based is a huge shift in workflow but plenty of people do it because whatever inconvenience they incur by making that change is far outweighed by the gains. Monitor controllers, control surfaces and plugin control surfaces, input devices for famous reverb units just to name a few reside on table tops in recording studios. And have done so for the last couple of decades. We live in a time now where giant touch screen monitors are your working surface and control surface. I see only increased opportunity and convenience from instant tactile and audible feedback when your controls are at your fingertips and you're in the sweet spot to something like Zulu or an 1176 or an EQ. I've definitely spent the time and energy crafting something that shows true reverence for the tone and behavior of analog tape. I learned how to engineer on it, I still think it's one of the greatest changes to music creation besides the condenser microphone and the electrified guitar. While Zulu may not be a deck with moving parts and a reel of tape, its the closest I've ever heard a simulator get especially when fed moderate to extreme levels of signal. When I track a snare, I intentionally hit tape pretty hot, same for kick and bass etc...I've always been a brat when I tried doing this with the tape plugs but Zulu just goes beyond color and character and gives you the creature that tape is in spades (plus an easter egg or two hidden in the C control). Thanks
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Post by illacov on Nov 5, 2015 8:54:06 GMT -6
Hello, this is my first post about Zulu or anything on realgearonline.
To address the RU vs table top form factor its based on my absolute hatred of moving out of the listening sweet spot to adjust a setting. Zulu is designed for use during tracking, mixing and mastering. As a guy with a rack or two or three of gear, along with 2 decades of experience in professional studios, I know the difference between adjusting out of the listening position and tweaking settings while you're in it. Having the ability to dial in the perfect amount of tape sat, compression, clipping, tone and behavior while you're listening to somebody play right in front of you (through the glass) is a joy to behold.
The technology inside Zulu is completely passive. The final release will utilize a Samar Audio custom designed output balancing transformer. The jacks on the prototype pictured in the thread are TRS jacks and Tod used adapters to tie Zulu into an XLR snake. The final release of Zulu will utilize Neutrik combi jacks to allow users with either connection full flexibility.
Inside the box, there are high quality film capacitors, high quality resistors, teflon wiring and the tape brain. When I mention that this thing is a tape simulator people immediately think we are using magnetic coils, back to back transformers, opamps etc...But that's all been done before and none of it seemed to really strike my ear as the sound of tape. When we ran our evaluation tests using Tod's (freshly calibrated and aligned) Studer A810, Teac 4 track deck, my prized Akai 2 track deck and a Tascam 32, that they all universally offered very similar and musical artifacts. The one that stuck to me the most was that when driven with moderate signal, a deck's electronics begin to saturate but as well, the transient response of the material would be clipped going to tape. Not clipped in a digital way but in an analog one, rather than information simply being lopped off forever, it was more akin to dough being folded over onto itself. I've tried this test out many many times, going in hot on something like a snare drum to a tape sim and getting mostly distortion but no dynamic behavior.
So the magnetic coils, the tape heads, the overdriven transformer approach to my ears was giving you "something," but not the thing that tape offers. What I'm using is my own special sauce of point to point - passive electronics (say that 3 times fast!), including high quality capacitors, resistors and other energy modifying components that allowed me to effectively model the behavior of real decks in a way that will not only impart the actual sound of a tape machine onto your audio but also do it in a very affordable form factor and in a cool user friendly platform. If I were to post a picture of the guts, all you're going to see is wires that feed into a black box with the Handsome Audio logo on it. For protection, all crucial components are potted in military grade Epoxy which aids in preventing corrosion and damage from vibration or shock.
Zulu is made in the USA, Syracuse, NY to be exact. My laser cut cases are made in Arkansas, the powder coating is done in Syracuse, along with the labeling and assembly.
Next year (where did 2015 go?), we will be releasing the 8 track version of Zulu, which will have a rackmount mainframe but also come with a desktop controller via ethernet. The projected street price on this will be $1500.
Regarding running a 2 mix through it, God yes, but don't stop there. Try printing tracks through it, try recording through it, Zulu typically is the last thing in your chain before your A/D, it really has some fantastic qualities about it and though the low price tag will scare some away, reserve comment until you listen to it.
I'll post a soundcloud link soon.
Thanks -L
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