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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 6, 2021 15:23:47 GMT -6
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Post by plinker on Jan 6, 2021 19:13:18 GMT -6
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Post by hadaja on Jan 6, 2021 19:22:43 GMT -6
+1 here . Pleasure to pay my 2021 dues.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 6, 2021 20:53:09 GMT -6
Thanks guys
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Jan 6, 2021 21:19:00 GMT -6
Thanks, Ward - That would definitely help. I’ve increased the forum storage a bunch of times, but I’m just going to have to delete old pictures. I’m not sure why people refuse to go to postimage.org, copy the link and paste it here. I finally figured the free Flickr shit out the other day. Another option (share -> BB code) I've donated twice, for the record!
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Post by OtisGreying on Jan 7, 2021 2:09:41 GMT -6
Anyone here tried a Retro 176 and can share some comparative thoughts between that unit and the 14B? The 14B's input section is supposed to take after a 175b so they are in the same ballpark no?
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Post by lordalvin on Jan 7, 2021 7:24:34 GMT -6
Its probably just me, but vocal duty is the last place I've ever liked a vari-mu, and I've owned and modified a LOT of different varieties. Be sure it's a thing you like before committing. I'm sure this piece is cool, I just probably wouldn't use it for that. Interesting. I use various-mu comps on vocals every day. The very first compressor I ever bought was a Sta-Level almost 30 years ago and it gets used almost exclusively on vocals. I also have a Gates SA39b that sounds lovely. I often rent a Fairchild for vocal sessions too.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 7, 2021 9:30:01 GMT -6
Its probably just me, but vocal duty is the last place I've ever liked a vari-mu, and I've owned and modified a LOT of different varieties. Be sure it's a thing you like before committing. I'm sure this piece is cool, I just probably wouldn't use it for that. Interesting. I use various-mu comps on vocals every day. The very first compressor I ever bought was a Sta-Level almost 30 years ago and it gets used almost exclusively on vocals. I also have a Gates SA39b that sounds lovely. I often rent a Fairchild for vocal sessions too.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 7, 2021 9:42:53 GMT -6
Interesting. I use various-mu comps on vocals every day. The very first compressor I ever bought was a Sta-Level almost 30 years ago and it gets used almost exclusively on vocals. I also have a Gates SA39b that sounds lovely. I often rent a Fairchild for vocal sessions too. I accept that I’m in a lonely minority here. I love them, but not for vocals! To me they always overshoot at the wrong time, or clamp too hard, or release too fast, or not fast enough. They’re good for rhythmic sources with a steady metronomic pulse, but singing is too varied in envelope for it to ever sound ok to me. If I wanted to write extreme amounts of fader automation ahead of one, maybe, but that automation would be useless if you changed paths, essentially there to work against the worst tendencies of the comp. To buttress that, I’ve seen many mix clients react positively to the removal of a vari-mu from a vocal, in favor of another compression type. Glad it works for you! I know so many people don’t use these things for compression, but for ‘tone’, and I’m already starting from a sea of ‘tone’ anyway, vintage tube everywhere else already.
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Post by lmnproyect on Jan 7, 2021 17:24:56 GMT -6
Bump for more love! Anybody else got one? Favorite uses? Still trying to choose my main vocal compressor. I have the 1176 and 3A covered, also own the Weight Tank. It should be either the Locomotive or a ProReplicas LA-2A. Styles: rock, folk, americana. Stormy, have you made a decision? I’m in a very similar boat. Considering the Highland Dyn BG2, the Loco 14b, or either the Pro Replica LA-2A/1176 or A-udioscape LA-2A/1176 for my main male vocal tracking/mixing compressor. Unsure which road to take, are you confident the Pro Replica’s would match up to a real LA2A, have you tried some of their stuff? That’s the main thing I’m asking myself with these clones cause if not, if it isn’t right there with the real thing, I’d rather just buy an original product like the 14b or BG2. Robert at Proreplicas uses only high quality parts, no shortcuts. I think His La2a clone Is the best clone out there. He only makes high quality boutique gear, he Is perfectionist guy
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Post by lpedrum on Jan 7, 2021 20:41:15 GMT -6
Stormy, have you made a decision? I’m in a very similar boat. Considering the Highland Dyn BG2, the Loco 14b, or either the Pro Replica LA-2A/1176 or A-udioscape LA-2A/1176 for my main male vocal tracking/mixing compressor. Unsure which road to take, are you confident the Pro Replica’s would match up to a real LA2A, have you tried some of their stuff? That’s the main thing I’m asking myself with these clones cause if not, if it isn’t right there with the real thing, I’d rather just buy an original product like the 14b or BG2. Robert at Proreplicas uses only high quality parts, no shortcuts. I think His La2a clone Is the best clone out there. He only makes high quality boutique gear, he Is perfectionist guy I hadn't heard of Proreplicas till now and just checked out the site. The quality appears to be top notch, but I'm always puzzled when gear companies don't post their prices. Are they afraid they'll scare off a potential buyer? Do the sell on a sliding scale? Are they picky about who they sell to? Sometimes I don't want to engage with a builder until I'm almost ready to buy. Meanwhile I poke around comparing products and prices and compile a wish list.
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 7, 2021 21:59:29 GMT -6
I have had and still have a lot of tube compressors with hubangous(lol) transformers with several tubes of all different kinds and these boxes are tone boxes, and I do like some of them better with the compression turned off than using these boxes for the compression, or even two other boxes together for compression. The Highland Dynamics stuff really brings it as far as a tone box and it adds depth and a nice deep big sound on the bucket of a vocal and thickens it up. I also really like the Acme Audio XLA3. It’s a finicky box, but once you figure it out it is gorgeous on a vocal in certain situations. Curious if mine is a normal unit because it was a mk I that was converted to a mk II and I thought it was a defect, but it sounds amazing and curious if it was a prototype that just does what I want. I had to take it in for repair because the thing started making weird noises, but then when I got it back from the repair shop it sounded like a different box, and I absolutely love it now. I love these tone boxes, wish I could get all of them. I am very interested in the Locomotive stuff, can’t wait to use their gear!
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Post by lmnproyect on Jan 8, 2021 16:34:20 GMT -6
Robert at Proreplicas uses only high quality parts, no shortcuts. I think His La2a clone Is the best clone out there. He only makes high quality boutique gear, he Is perfectionist guy I hadn't heard of Proreplicas till now and just checked out the site. The quality appears to be top notch, but I'm always puzzled when gear companies don't post their prices. Are they afraid they'll scare off a potential buyer? Do the sell on a sliding scale? Are they picky about who they sell to? Sometimes I don't want to engage with a builder until I'm almost ready to buy. Meanwhile I poke around comparing products and prices and compile a wish list. I bought a pair of pultecs clones years ago from Proreplicas , and received now my 1176 Rev G mod to silverface Rev H. Top notch. He helps you to buy high quality/original transformers or parts from the stores he buys to build his clones, if you want to mod your clone to your liking.
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Post by ab101 on Jan 8, 2021 21:41:04 GMT -6
Back to the 14b - I thought this was asked - but I am having trouble finding it - Is there any audio difference between he hand wired and PCB versions?
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Post by skav on Jan 9, 2021 0:55:17 GMT -6
Back to the 14b - I thought this was asked - but I am having trouble finding it - Is there any audio difference between he hand wired and PCB versions? Both versions perform the same but the pcb version is a little less noisy.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 9, 2021 1:39:30 GMT -6
Back to the 14b - I thought this was asked - but I am having trouble finding it - Is there any audio difference between he hand wired and PCB versions? There shouldn’t be. The PCB version should be more consistent unit to unit. I’m pretty sure it was Cary Audio in hi-fi world who abandoned hand-wiring over spec repeatability problems; no obvious rhyme or reason why some units came out worse, or better.
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Post by drbill on Jan 9, 2021 10:06:12 GMT -6
Back to the 14b - I thought this was asked - but I am having trouble finding it - Is there any audio difference between he hand wired and PCB versions? To paraphrase what Eric told me : there is more difference in any particular tube set in the 14B's than there is in the PTP vs. PCB version itself. Purchase the PCB version with confidence.
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Post by ab101 on Jan 9, 2021 14:13:19 GMT -6
YAY! This is great news! I really, really do not need more comps, but I love my locomotive pre so much, this is irresistible - and frankly - buying gear is my particular personal disorder - I must be honest about that. Though as long as I have enough $$, I have no intent of trying to be cured. And it is also important to support manufacturers and dealers in this great business. So, I will check in on a couple of these. Thank you all.
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Post by drbill on Jan 9, 2021 19:17:31 GMT -6
YAY! This is great news! I really, really do not need more comps, but I love my locomotive pre so much, this is irresistible - and frankly - buying gear is my particular personal disorder - I must be honest about that. Though as long as I have enough $$, I have no intent of trying to be cured. And it is also important to support manufacturers and dealers in this great business. So, I will check in on a couple of these. Thank you all. Awesome - I'm sure you'll love them. I love mine!!!
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Post by Locomotive Audio on Jan 9, 2021 22:05:00 GMT -6
Hello All, thanks for the interest in the 14B! It seems that there are quite a few questions I need to answer, so if you have more please ask. I'll answer a couple now.
When I started the business almost 7 year ago (wow!), I knew absolutely nothing about circuit boards and I was in love with the handwired aesthetic... well, I still am, but it just about killed me... literally! The amount of solder fumes seem exponentially greater than with PCB stuff. Anyway, I also knew that if I wanted to be able to grow the business, I needed to become more efficient. I decided to consult my good friend Brad from Louder Than Liftoff and he led me in the right direction to learn about circuit board design. Thank you Brad!
PCB vs Hand wired: The both units are the same chassis and the tubes still hang off of the back of the unit just like old school units. There are still wire runs from the tube circuit boards to the main circuit board, and the components are placed in similar areas when compared to the hand wired version. The audio circuits are identical and use all of the same components. SO, the question of whether one sounds different than the other? Well, as drBill mentioned above, everything seems identical. Same freq response, distortion (which is really affected my by the actual tubes in each unit), sidechain timing, etc. So, should you buy the hand wired unit? HMMM well, if the form and aesthetic is more of your flavor, then sure. But, in all honesty, I am certainly proud of how the PCB version turned out. Plus, being able to cut time with a more efficient build, I am able to lower the price and slip the unit into your hands a bit more easily. :-) I've had lots of folks excited about that. The slipping part.
Discontinued 286A: It's True! But, I'm almost done designing the follow-up, which is the same exact circuit, but just MUCH easier to build than the last one. It will also have some additional features on it like dedicated line input XLR jacks. Price will also be sub $2K for the two channels. For those who don't know, the 286A was originally designed following the Ampex 601 tape recorder preamp. But the 286A had lots of mods to clean it up a bit and give it more input and output headroom, which the 601 didn't have much of. EF86 into 12AY7 output. No negative feedback except a little local feedback on the output stage. I'm likely to change the model name of the successor to something other than "286" due to the confusion with the Coil Audio 286... No idea how we both came up with that same name, as I think we both started our businesses around the same time. Crazy.
Lastly, I don't have much time to come and type on the forums, but I really appreciate what RGO offers. I enjoy the community as well as the opportunity to advertise at a reasonable price, thanks to John. And for those of you who have already purchased from me, thank you very much. You are allowing me to do what I love and get better at it. I've found that, like audio engineering, this is a lifetime of learning and getting better at many things, including running a business. Finding a balance. And as tastes and environments change, it forces us to reevaluate and evolve, and to learn more! Thank you for taking part in my journey, as well as all of the other smaller audio manufacturers around today.
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Post by stormymondays on Feb 13, 2021 9:25:24 GMT -6
Well, I finally placed my order early this week and my 14B is on its way!!!!
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Post by ab101 on Feb 16, 2021 12:18:10 GMT -6
As to 14B: Is it ok to stack a pair of these on top of each other (tubes are in the back apparently.) OR - is it necessary to keep those vents available on top?
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Post by skav on Feb 16, 2021 12:26:40 GMT -6
As to 14B: Is it ok to stack a pair of these on top of each other (tubes are in the back apparently.) OR - is it necessary to keep those vents available on top? 1U space above the 14b is recommended 👍🏻
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Post by guitfiddler on Feb 17, 2021 22:47:01 GMT -6
YAY! This is great news! I really, really do not need more comps, but I love my locomotive pre so much, this is irresistible - and frankly - buying gear is my particular personal disorder - I must be honest about that. Though as long as I have enough $$, I have no intent of trying to be cured. And it is also important to support manufacturers and dealers in this great business. So, I will check in on a couple of these. Thank you all. Awesome - I'm sure you'll love them. I love mine!!! View AttachmentNice rack!!! I'd like to share my Manley/Rupert Neve love rack, but it says the file is too big to post. ugh..I used to be able to post pics, for some reason I can't anymore...ugh! Is this a new executive order at the strike of a pen that I can't share my rack love with the RGO community? Much Audio Love! Thanks John for an amazing community! Damn big tech...LOL!
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Post by ab101 on Feb 17, 2021 22:54:06 GMT -6
I have been debating whether to sell my Locomotive 286a 2 ch mic pre, but after reading this thread about their compressor, I am having second thoughts. So, the question for here is whether for just purely male vocal, I should start out with the weight tank or the 14b? I see some posts on this, but I would like to here more. Also, is the weight tank more noisy? Thank you in advance. (My first post and a little messy - sorry.) What genre do you work with? I generally think the 14b adds a top sheen and the WT is thicker. I haven't had any issues with noise, but I'm never looking for pristine clean with anything. How come you're thinking of selling your 286a? I use mine all the time. If you want clean, crank the output the slowly bring up the gain. If you want hair, do the reverse. Versatile unit. ========================== I do a wide variety of music - usually lots of instruments - dense mixes. I wanted to update a little. I have an Upton 251. I compared it with the Undertone 4 channel pre versus the Locomotive 286a, driving the gain on the 286a, and the 286a was absolutely amazing. I cannot sell it! Now - a little more on topic - I think I will end up with 2 weight tanks and 2 14bs. They just seem different enough.
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