Product Reviews

Before Meris began making some of the most cutting edge pedals in the industry, the brand actually got its start with a handful of 500 Series releases. The latest creation from Meris sees them returning to form with the Hedra 500 Series. For those who are wondering, this is the same 3-voice intelligent pitch shifter that was released in pedal form and made my list of the hottest releases of 2019. The new 500 Series version accels with pro audio grade components and is ideal for both tracking and mixing during your next session. Continue reading →

Days before the start of the 2020 NAMM Show, Solid State Logic rocked the pro audio world with the announcement of two new interfaces. Just like the best selling SiX desktop mixer, the SSL2 and SSL2+ interfaces have brought the brand's technology down to a more affordable range for a whole new generation of audio creators. The all-new SSL2 and SSL2+ are USB audio interfaces that draw from over four decades of SSL innovation. Each interface features two impressive analog mic pres, in addition to 24-bit / 192 kHz converters, and a "Legacy 4K" mode. The newly designed "Legacy 4K" mode is based on the SL4000 series console and adds classic analog color and character to your recordings for a dash of extra vintage vibe. Continue reading →

What happens when you bring together a team of designers who were raised on the strong tradition of German tube mics? Microphone magic! Created in collaboration by noted U47 tech Andreas Grosser, design engineer Eckehard Dux, and engineer/producer Andrew Myburgh, the new Myburgh M1 microphone is certainly a beauty. Previewed at Musikmesse in 2018, and now available exclusively through Vintage King, the Myburgh M1 microphone offers the build quality of Germany's legendary microphones. Despite being inspired by the classics, the M1 is a microphone with its own design. This isn't just another replica of the U47, U67, or 251. Continue reading →

The Equinox from Shadow Hills Industries has been around for a number of years, but often gets overlooked in terms of the sheer amount of tools it can bring to a session. The 2U rackmount unit can be looked at as a complete small-scale recording console with mic pres, summing buss, and monitoring section. The mic pre portion of The Equinox features two of Shadow Hill's signature GAMA mic pres, which offer 60dB of gain, 24 position stepped attenuators, phantom power, and 1/4" DI input. Where these mic pres truly shine though is the switchable output transformers in the amplifier section. Continue reading →

When Retro Instruments first announced the brand's new 500PRE ($799), we knew we were in love before we ever even heard it. After all, what's not to love about bringing the Sta-Level design to the 500 Series world and packing three tubes into that compact module. Little did we know, we had something to do with the inspiration for it. "It was inspired by the Vintage King April Fools’ Day post on the 500 Series Fairchild 670," says Retro Instruments Owner/Designer Phil Moore. "“The performance of the 500PRE exceeded my expectations. It’s based on professional tube console program amplifiers from the era of the Sta-Level and 176. It’s got 75 dB of gain and no compromises." Continue reading →

Over the past decade or so, musicians have increasingly looked to cab sims, impulse responses and DIs to lighten their load in terms of weight and volume. The new Strymon Iridium ($399) offers a different take on these options for guitarists by giving them a fully-featured cab sim/IR loader that lives on their pedalboard. Have you ever plugged your guitar directly into a full-range monitor with your favorite overdrive engaged? It sounds like a coffee can filled with hornets angrily buzzing around. With the Iridium placed after your overdrive and before the monitor, this transforms the can of bees into your favorite tube amp with the flick of a switch. Continue reading →

When Universal Audio announced the release of the Apollo X recording interface series, audio creators around the world wondered what would be next for the Apollo Twin. The brand has just unveiled the next generation of its award-winning desktop interfaces, the Apollo Twin X (DUO and QUAD) and Apollo x4 and they are in stock at Vintage King Audio. The Apollo Twin X is a 10 x 6 desktop interface, which features two Unison mic preamps and one Hi-Z instrument input. This upgraded version of the Apollo Twin features the same stunning conversion as the Apollo X rackmount series. Universal Audio is offering the Apollo Twin X with DUO ($899) and QUAD ($1399) realtime UAD plug-in processing and both versions of the interface now feature Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Continue reading →

The Burl Audio B4 made its debut at the 2019 NAMM Show and in the time since the announcement, engineers have been dreaming about the expanded possibilities of the B80 and B16 Motherships with the daughter card. For those of you who have been anxiously waiting to add a mic pre card to your Mothership, the wait is finally over. The B4 is here! With the B4 mic pre daughter card, a number of I/O options and configurations open up for both the B80 and B16 Mothership. Since the B4 features four mic/line inputs on the card, an engineer using a single B80 Mothership chassis can create a system that features 40 input channels of audio mic/line inputs. Whether working in the studio or in the live sound setting, you now have access to a significant number of channels with Burl's signature warm, fat sounds. Continue reading →

David Peach started Peach Audio over 20 years ago and has been designing and hand-building audio gear from his home in Australia ever since. His dynamics, EQs, and tube mic pres, including the Savannah 196sx,  have garnered an underground reputation for their incredible sounds and now we've brought Peach Audio on as an exclusive brand to Vintage King. The Peach Audio Savannah 196sx is the third generation of David's tube mic pre and combines lighting-fast transient response with an ultra-wide dynamic range for class-leading detail and precision. Engineers will be able to take advantage of versatile controls for impedance, multiple transformer options, and mid/side processing capabilities, to craft their source's sound. Continue reading →

Since the 500 Series format became en vogue, the Retro Instruments Doublewide has been one of the best selling modules at Vintage King. As its name implies, the Doublewide takes up two rack spaces offering premium single channel compression with huge, tube-powered punch via your lunchbox. Late last year, Retro Instruments announced a new successor to the compressor, the Doublewide II. This new version features faster attack and release time, stereo linking capabilities and a greatly improved signal to noise ratio. The Doublewide 2 still features the signature Single and Double timing modes that made the original such a favorite on drums, bass and well… Just about everything. Continue reading →