Vintage King Blog

It's that time of year again as the worlds of advertising, audio, digital, film, gaming, live events, podcasting, post-production, television and more descend upon Las Vegas for the annual NAB Show. The 2019 NAB Show promises to be the biggest and brightest yet.

For those that haven't been to the NAB Show before, it is a huge networking event that brings together the latest in broadcast technologies, post-production workflows, and content delivery to the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is a fantastic event to attend and learn about ways to elevate your work to the next level in 2019. Continue reading →

Solid State Logic is truly one of the most storied brands from throughout the history of the pro audio industry. Their contributions in terms of gear reaches all the way back to 1969, when founder Colin Sanders began creating switching systems for pipe organs. More on that in just one minute.

Throughout this Buyer's Guide, we'll be highlighting the history of SSL, the consoles they've created and their current crop of products that are being utilized in studios all over the world. Continue onward to enter a world of pristine audio sounds. Continue reading →

When it comes to recording and mixing consoles, Solid State Logic has always been looked to as one of the preeminent authorities on the matter. The brand's latest release, the SiX, distills down the elements that have made their desks industry standards and brings them into an innovative desktop mixer.

The sound of SSL has always been defined as "pristine." That's thanks in part to the SuperAnalogue™ technology used in their consoles, starting with the SL 9000J, all the way through the AWS and Duality series of today. Two of these SuperAnalogue™ mic pres are featured in the design of the SSL SiX, giving users access to console-grade technology in a small, portable package. Continue reading →

Although they originally formed in 1996 as the UK’s leading service provider for vintage consoles, Phoenix Audio is now known for crafting boutique-grade signal processors. From their DRS and Ascent series preamps, Nicerizer summing mixers and EQs to the new Gyrator 500 series module, Phoenix Audio has a reputation for creating one-of-a-kind designs.

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Robin Ashley, the company’s President, to learn about what Phoenix Audio is currently working on. Read on to learn about their design philosophy, their signature sound, and what Phoenix Audio has in store for the future. Continue reading →

A crucial link in the audio chain is the microphone preamplifier, aka the mic preamp or mic pre. The output level of a microphone is very low and requires amplification to bring it up to line level. That’s what a mic pre does. But a mic preamp can’t drive a pair of speakers; that’s the job of the main amplifier.A key part of the job for a mic pre is to keep input noise to a minimum and to amplify without distortion.

Being the first amplification stage of the microphone signal, the mic preamp is essential to getting a good sound. Choose a poor one and you’ll be working harder to overcome its limitations. Choose a good one and processing your sound will get a lot easier. But what are the differences between average preamps and better ones? Let’s look at some of them. Continue reading →

Earlier this year at the 2019 NAMM Show, Dangerous Music announced that they would be releasing an updated version of their D-Box summing mixer and monitor controller. How do you improve on a modern classic? Dangerous Music did it!

The redubbed D-BOX+ features a number of new upgrades, in addition to all of the classic features that made us fall in love in the first place. We caught up with Marek Stycos from Dangerous Music and he offered up eight reasons to make the jump to the D-BOX+. Continue reading →

In a recent blog, we covered the basics of Audio Over IP networks and how they can benefit your workflow. We’re diving in deeper with a more focused look at Dante and the way this technology works with gear from Focusrite.   

What is Dante? It's the leading AoIP technology created by Audinate. Dante allows the use of the same Ethernet technology in consumer and commercial networks for uncompressed multi-channel audio distribution, minimal latency, and sampling rates of up to 192kHz. You can even use Dante AoIP in conjunction with conventional network traffic. There's support for Cat 5e, Cat 6, and even fiber optic cables. Continue reading →

Manley Labs may have gotten their start creating analog hardware, but over the course of the past 30 years they've evolved their product offerings to include high-quality microphones. Two stunning examples of their advancement in the world of mics are the Reference Cardioid Microphone and Reference Silver Microphone.

The Reference Cardioid Microphone finds inspiration in classic European tube mics like the Neumann U47. Instead of focusing on achieving the sound of a vintage tube microphone, Manley Labs sought to recreate what one would have sounded like fresh out of the box. As the name suggests, this microphone features a fixed cardioid polar pattern and is extremely flexible in terms of sound sources it performs well on. If you're usually looking for a little more "oomph" in your vocal, guitar or drum sounds, this mic is for you. Continue reading →

Sometimes the end is the beginning. When it comes to your audio signal chain, it all ends at your studio monitors, which are then the beginning of your interaction with the sound that they relay. At this key juncture, you want the best product your budget can afford. When building a new studio or upgrading an existing one, the monitors should be at the top of your priority list.

For many of us, that means specifically nearfield reference monitors. Why nearfield? What makes the “nearfield” so important for listening is that the closer the speaker (aka the driver) is to the ear, the less room reflection is involved in the sonic waves. This allows the listener to hear more of the captured signal and less of the room, with all its inherent distortions. Big wall and soffit-mounted monitors are great to have, but the real detail is found in the nearfield. Continue reading →