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For over a decade, Soyuz has crafted microphones that blend vintage warmth with modern precision. In 2024, the storied mic makers channeled that same expertise into the brand’s first foray into outboard gear, the Lakeside preamp. Built with all-discrete Class A circuitry and custom-wound transformers, Lakeside captures the signature sound of the brand’s microphones and inline preamps.. But how does it sound in action?
To find out, we asked Vintage King's Bryan Reilly to put the Lakeside through its paces in a real-world recording session. Keep scrolling to check out sound samples of drums, bass, guitars, and vocals recorded through the Soyuz Lakeside. But first, let's explore what makes this preamp so special.
At first glance, the Lakeside’s minimalist front panel might seem understated, but underneath, it’s a versatile studio workhorse. Designed with fully discrete, through-hole circuitry and custom transformers on both the input and output stages, the Lakeside delivers vintage-inspired tone with modern clarity and consistency.
The stepped input gain switch, set in 5 dB increments, makes dialing in your level quick and easy—perfect for stereo matching or recalling settings. A smooth output trim lets you drive the transformers for added saturation or back off for a cleaner sound, while the built-in DI on the front panel breathes life into basses, synths, drum machines, and more.
But the Lakeside’s tone doesn’t just come from its transformers; it also features a musical inductor-based high-pass filter. Unlike standard HPFs that simply cut low frequencies, this flexible circuit targets specific points from 40 Hz to 330 Hz with a gentle resonant bump that adds character rather than just subtracting rumble.
Whether you're tracking with one of Soyuz’s handmade microphones or any other mic in your locker, the Lakeside delivers a rich, full-bodied tone that adds extra depth to your recordings.
For this "Hear The Gear" session, Bryan Reilly recorded a full track using a pair of Soyuz Lakeside preamps—no plugins, no EQ, no compression. All tracks were captured through Burl BAD4 converters at Scramble Shack Studios. Below, you’ll hear the full mixed track, followed by raw, unprocessed recordings of each element to hear how the Lakeside’s tone sits in a finished production.
For the drums, Bryan used a five-mic setup: one on the kick, two on the snare, one overhead, and a room mic. He used a blend of dynamic and condenser microphones on the drums, and a ribbon microphone on the percussion to help tame the harsh high-end. The Lakeside preamp helped bring out the thump of the kick, the snap of the snare, and the smooth high-end of the cymbals and auxiliary percussion.
With a pair of Lakesides to work with, Bryan used one channel to capture the direct output of the bass and another to record a bass amp with a microphone. Even using the direct input, the Lakeside injected a lot of mojo into the bass track. Plus, the resonant bump from the high-pass filter on the amp channel helps the bass cut through the mix.
Byran recorded two sets of stereo guitars, both combining two mics together to get the perfect balance. For the heavier guitars, Byran kept the high-pass filter off and the output gain cranked to emphasize the low-end while adding plenty of harmonics. On the second guitar, Bryan used more midgrange-forward microphones and turned the high-pass filter up to help separate them from the other guitars in the mix. Bryan blended all four tracks together to build a powerful stereo guitar track.
Last but certainly not least, Mike Leslie recorded his vocals through a Vintage King Large Badge U47 tube microphone, which paired perfectly with the vintage vibe of the Lakeside. Byran set the high-pass filter to 55 Hz to cut out any unwanted low-end frequencies and cranked the output gain to add some saturation.
The Soyuz Lakeside preamp hits that sweet spot between vintage vibe and modern precision. Whether you’re pushing the transformers for harmonics or keeping things transparent and musical, the Lakeside sounds great. From its elegant layout and tactile controls to the inductor-based high-pass filter, every detail feels thoughtfully designed. And like everything from Soyuz, it’s built to last.
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