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Post by BradM on Jan 18, 2014 23:13:23 GMT -6
Louder Than Liftoff is a new venture created by fellow music nerds and brothers, Brad and Kyle McGowan. Our mission is simple: to produce imaginative high end audio tools that look, sound, and feel inspiring, at impossibly affordable prices. We set out to create not just a company or a product, but an experience that embodies what we personally would like to have as music makers and consumers. Louder Than Liftoff is proud to present the Chop Shop 500 Series EQ available with a white or black aesthetic (limited Void Corp Edition). Offering a unique and intuitive set of features for quickly shaping tones with minimal fuss, the Chop Shop empowers you to achieve focus and separation in your mix. It’s almost like cheating: • Balance the size and presence of a vocal to fit perfectly in a busy mix • Tighten up and increase low end punch of kick, snare, toms, bass, and guitar • Create effortless separation between kick and bass • Reduce hi-hat bleed in snare mics while retaining brightness of attack • Reduce boominess of acoustic guitars while adding shimmer • Smooth out digital fizziness of distorted electric guitars while shaping weight and bite • Quickly add brilliance to sources recorded with dark sounding ribbon mics    FeaturesFocus. Cut. Bump.FOCUS: Intuitive filter that focuses the energy in a source on the bass or treble ranges of the sound. Apparent loudness of source is maintained constant for meaningful A/B comparisons. SHIFT switch decreases turnover frequency for a different midrange response. LO-CUT: 12 dB/oct filter that rolls off low frequencies, variable 20 to 530 Hz. Jumper selectable "Lo-Rider" mode transforms LO-CUT section into a low-frequency hi-cut section with variable resonance (hint: try this on a front of kick or Subkick mic and blend back in for incredibly deep and massive low end). BUMP: Variable resonance control for LO-CUT that adds a resonant “bump” at the corner frequency. Response from Bessel (full CCW), to Butterworth (12 noon), to slightly resonant (0.5 dB full CW). MORE switch increases resonance dramatically...sometimes MORE is more. HI-CUT: 6 dB/oct filter that rolls off high frequencies, variable 500 Hz to 25 kHz. 0.5X switch shifts frequency range one octave lower, while simultaneously increasing slope to 12 dB/oct and adding slight resonance at corner frequency to retain apparent brightness (defeatable by jumper on PCB). Specifications• DC coupled signal path with DC servo at input stage (no electrolytic caps in audio path) • Audiophile grade op amps (LME49720), class A biased • Alps pushbutton switches • Wima polypropylene film capacitors • Panasonic FM series power supply decoupling capacitors • Custom 41 detent potentiometers • Custom molded knobs • Aluminum faceplate with anti-glare satin finish and "stealth" LED indicators Available now at www.louderthanliftoff.com and ready to ship wordwide. Impossibly affordable introductory price of $349 ($369 for black Void Corp Edition). Thanks for reading, Brad & Kyle
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Post by svart on Jan 18, 2014 23:18:01 GMT -6
Cool ideas. Gotta watch those low voltage Wimas though, some of the series have strange harmonics if you run high signal levels through them.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 18, 2014 23:35:54 GMT -6
Hell yeah, Brad! I'll sticky this...
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Post by henge on Jan 19, 2014 9:55:36 GMT -6
Sweeet! Interesting tool.
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Post by dandeurloo on Jan 19, 2014 11:22:41 GMT -6
I'd love to check these out. I know DrBill loves them.
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Post by noah shain on Jan 19, 2014 12:16:54 GMT -6
I tried a prototype for a couple weeks and immediately bought a pair. Very fast, instinctive tool to use. I've just about locked one on my bass channel. Tracking and mixing.
It's really the most useful hardware filter I have. The shape of the low pass is gentle enough that I can wind it down without things just getting dull. It's really more than a filter set. With the tilt control it's a real flexible tone shaper.
I've had it on guitars, bass, and percussion on the way in and the pair killed on a guitar buss the other day. I'm still experimenting with it but I kinda already want a 3rd one.
And the price is right.
Kudos Brad, this fills a niche that really needed filling.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 19, 2014 12:54:51 GMT -6
I'm really interested in this too. Brad was integral in the making of the Kush Electra, so I would be willing to bet these are killer too. You see the price? Rocking...
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Post by BradM on Jan 19, 2014 13:25:17 GMT -6
Hey guys! Thanks for all the interest. And thanks for elevating my post as a sticky, John! You rock. I think this thing is killer--my brother and I are very proud of how it turned out. I'm excited about others finally getting a chance to experience what a few of us have been enjoying for a number of months now. Despite wisdom of elders and sage advice from veteran friends in the industry, we wanted to launch the product with a price that would be palatable for musicians of all budgets. The introductory price is kind of stupidly low. It won't be that low forever, so please take advantage of our lack of business savvy while you can.  Thank you, Noah, for your kind words and for all your feedback on the unit while testing it out. It's been really helpful to us. Would it be alright if I shared some of the pics you sent me of the unit plugged into your 1608? Dan--yes, we need to get one in your hands. Email me. I'm happy to answer any questions you guys may have about the unit, our design approach, or the story of how it evolved. I have a ton of pictures I can share if anyone is interested in the design or manufacturing process. Ask away! Maybe I can convince Kyle to sign up for the forum and join the discussion. He is the mastermind behind our aesthetic and branding. He did the faceplate design...and fired half my vendors in the process in our quest to make this look as good as it sounds. Brad |
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Post by drastic on Jan 19, 2014 19:49:29 GMT -6
Awesome!! How long will the intro price be going on?
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Post by BradM on Jan 19, 2014 20:09:39 GMT -6
Excellent question.  In all honestly, we really haven't determined that. If Chop Shops fly out door and we can keep the lights on, then we are happy to continue to hook everyone up. Spread the word and life will be good for us all. Brad p.s. My cousin is a big Less Than Jake fan. |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 19, 2014 20:27:43 GMT -6
What's the difference between the black and white? Led indicator on the black or something?
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Post by drastic on Jan 19, 2014 21:36:51 GMT -6
Excellent question. In all honestly, we really haven't determined that. If Chop Shops fly out door and we can keep the lights on, then we are happy to continue to hook everyone up. Spread the word and life will be good for us all. Brad p.s. My cousin is a big Less Than Jake fan. Good deal Brad, thx for the response. Looking forward to trying them out. And awesome! Great guys! I've been with them for 13 years now, we're a big dysfunctional family.  |
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Post by BradM on Jan 20, 2014 11:52:23 GMT -6
What's the difference between the black and white? Led indicator on the black or something? Hi, The primary difference is the aesthetic of the faceplate. We went through a number of vendors trying to achieve the finish we created with the Void Corp edition faceplate. It truly is one of a kind--I've never seen anything like it before. It has this incredible luminescence when light hits it. Instead of it having a glare or a reflection (like you get with some paints and silkscreen inks), the colors just become more vivid and pop out of the metal when light hits it. It's an eye-catcher for sure. Apart from that, the LEDs are "'through hole" types on the black version. On the white version they are actually behind the front panel. I'll have to dig up a pic later that shows what happens when they are illuminated. I've never seen anyone create illumination effects like this before on pro audio gear. It's really rad to see in person. We went all out on our faceplate designs to make them both functionally and artistically awesome. The final difference is that when you buy the Void Corp edition unit, you receive a special membership card that upon activation will entitle you to exclusive perks like members-only promotions, advanced notice of new products, etc. Attachment DeletedBrad |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 20, 2014 18:54:17 GMT -6
This thing looks pretty dope. The knobs look nice too. Got a pic of light hitting the black?
What have you found to be your favourite uses? I can see this being really great on kick and bass.
How about the range of the tilt? How does a tilt work? Basically a dip on one side and boost on the other with a variable freq.? Does the side of the boost and cut swap at a set freq. point? Am I way off base?
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Post by drbill on Jan 20, 2014 20:22:40 GMT -6
I'd love to check these out. I know DrBill loves them. Yes. Daddy like.....  |
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Post by matt on Jan 20, 2014 20:25:45 GMT -6
I'd love to check these out. I know DrBill loves them. Yes. Daddy like..... Welcome to RGO Doctor |
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Post by LesC on Jan 20, 2014 20:52:07 GMT -6
Holy cow! Is that the real Doctor Bill, or is someone toying with us? If real, welcome!
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Post by drbill on Jan 20, 2014 21:31:18 GMT -6
Holy cow! Is that the real Doctor Bill, or is someone toying with us? If real, welcome! Thanks LesC. Maybe, maybe not. The name was open - so I took it. Only my hairdresser knows for sure...... thanks matt! |
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Post by LesC on Jan 20, 2014 21:37:07 GMT -6
Well, I've learned a lot from you on Gearslutz, so I'm really glad you're here.
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Post by drbill on Jan 20, 2014 21:48:52 GMT -6
Well, I've learned a lot from you on Gearslutz, so I'm really glad you're here. Well, if it's really the old timer drBill you're talking with and not some imposter who snagged the name, and if you really did learn anything useful from that person on Gearslutz, then you already know how I (I mean drBill) feels about the Chop Shop. Right? |
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Post by LesC on Jan 20, 2014 21:57:57 GMT -6
Yes, I do.
I'm not (yet) into the 500-series thing, so hopefully this will be very successful and a 2-channel 19" version will emerge. Till then it can remain your dirty little secret. Except for several hundred thousand Gearslutz members, of course.
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Post by svart on Jan 20, 2014 22:04:56 GMT -6
What's the difference between the black and white? Led indicator on the black or something? Hi, The primary difference is the aesthetic of the faceplate. We went through a number of vendors trying to achieve the finish we created with the Void Corp edition faceplate. It truly is one of a kind--I've never seen anything like it before. It has this incredible luminescence when light hits it. Instead of it having a glare or a reflection (like you get with some paints and silkscreen inks), the colors just become more vivid and pop out of the metal when light hits it. It's an eye-catcher for sure. Apart from that, the LEDs are "'through hole" types on the black version. On the white version they are actually behind the front panel. I'll have to dig up a pic later that shows what happens when they are illuminated. I've never seen anyone create illumination effects like this before on pro audio gear. It's really rad to see in person. We went all out on our faceplate designs to make them both functionally and artistically awesome. The final difference is that when you buy the Void Corp edition unit, you receive a special membership card that upon activation will entitle you to exclusive perks like members-only promotions, advanced notice of new products, etc. Brad Oh man, the black is special edition? Shoot. I really really like the white. |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 20, 2014 23:36:45 GMT -6
Yes - back on topic...Can't wait to try one!
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Post by BradM on Jan 21, 2014 0:34:04 GMT -6
Oh man, the black is special edition? Shoot. I really really like the white. Yep it is. Well, it's a good thing you like the white...we have a sufficient supply. I really really really like the white myself. However, if you have to have black gear in your studio I must say that Void Corp faceplate is a looker with the way we did the finish. I need to catch up on this thread! I'm glad drBill has joined us. I'm going to make him answer the question about how the Focus works and what it sounds like. standby, Brad |
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Post by BradM on Jan 21, 2014 0:54:11 GMT -6
This thing looks pretty dope. The knobs look nice too. Got a pic of light hitting the black? What have you found to be your favourite uses? I can see this being really great on kick and bass. How about the range of the tilt? How does a tilt work? Basically a dip on one side and boost on the other with a variable freq.? Does the side of the boost and cut swap at a set freq. point? Am I way off base? I'm going to post a quick pic and then follow-up with answers to the other questions in the morning. It's been a long day... Attachment DeletedHopefully that gives you an idea. more soon, Brad |
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In all honestly, we really haven't determined that. If Chop Shops fly out door and we can keep the lights on, then we are happy to continue to hook everyone up. Spread the word and life will be good for us all. 
