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Here at Vintage King, Halloween is one of our favorite times of the year. Not just because we get to wear all black and stuff our faces with candy, but because we get to revisit some of our favorite horror movies and spooky soundtracks from the 1980s. To celebrate the spirit of Halloween, we spoke with synth lord and certified super-villain Protovolt to find out what makes a classic horror score. Known for his sick retro scores and insane synthesizer collection, Protovolt is easily one of the raddest dudes on the internet, and an aficionado of all things 80s. Read on to learn about Protovolt’s favorite tools for writing retro-inspired scores, his custom arcade cab modular synth, and what his death scene would be like if he was in a horror movie. Continue reading →

In our new series, Five Sound With..., we talk with world-renowned engineers and producers about how they got five sounds from your favorite records Justin Meldal-Johnsen got his start as a bassist playing for artists like Beck, Nine Inch Nails, and more. Since he started his producing career around 2005, Justin has assembled an astounding catalog of visceral, immersive records, including a number of critically acclaimed and career-defining albums with artists like M83, Neon Trees, Metric, Young The Giant, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Tegan and Sara, Ken Andrews and more. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Justin for our Five Sounds With... series. Check out our conversation below to learn more about how he created a signature sound for M83’s Junk, orchestrated an epic live performance piece with Jimmy Eat World, and recorded the loudest sound he’s ever heard with Paramore. 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 biggest news out of the gate today at the annual AES convention is the announcement of the Solid State Logic Origin recording console. Solid State Logic has long been one of the world's leading console creators and the Origin looks to be another definitive desk in their storied history.The Solid State Logic Origin is an inline, 32-channel analog console with two independent signal paths per channel, 16 buses with centralized bus switching, and advanced communications controls in a compact, ergonomic design. Inspired by the iconic SL 4000 E, SSL Origin combines classic SSL components like the legendary 242 EQ and Bus Compressor with innovative new features like a fully customizable Center section and an all-new transistor-based PURE DRIVE preamp design to deliver unparalleled sound quality and versatility. Continue reading →

Retro Instruments has always been known for producing high-quality reproductions of vintage pieces of gear, including the Sta-Level compressor. This morning at AES 2019 in New York, owner Phil Moore introduced his latest release, the 500PRE, which brings a classic design to the 500 Series world. Equipped with three powerful 12AT7 tubes, the 500PRE oozes analog vibe. The new 500 Series module features class-leading frequency response, noise, and distortion, which deliver the same musical performance and pristine sound that Retro Instruments gear has always produced. Keep reading to discover what makes the new Retro Instruments 500PRE 500 Series microphone preamplifier a must-have for modern recording and mixing engineers. 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 →

Over the years. engineers both amateur and professional have grown to love the great mastering tool that is Izotope Ozone. New for 2019, Izotope has announced the roll-out of the last version of the software, Ozone 9. So then, what has changed in the suite, and what can Ozone users expect from the new iteration? In Ozone 9, you’ll find a similar layout and design that users of the recent versions of Ozone will recognize immediately. The Equalizer, Maximizer, and Imaging tabs remain, as well as the familiar and much loved Mastering Assistant control. With that being said, old and new users will find this new version is easy to navigate and get better results faster. Let's get into what's new... Continue reading →

Nick Breton is a world-class recording engineer, mixer, and producer who also happens to own Truth Studios. For over decade, Nick has been busy building his studio space and racking up credits with chart-topping artists such as SZA, Joey Bada$$, Dom Kennedy, Noname and many more. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Nick for our ongoing 20 Questions series. Read on to learn about his go-to vocal chain, his most prized pieces of studio gear, and how he has cultivated a hip-hop scene out of his Los Angeles studio. Continue reading →

While walking around the Vintage King Audio Tech Shop, we saw microphone tech Tim Johnson (lovingly referred to as "Timmo" around these parts), working on something pretty special. It's not every day that we get a Neumann SM2 in for work, so we thought we'd shed a little light on the history of this fantastic mic. Let's go back in time. The 1950s were revolutionary in terms of recording technology and Neumann was at the forefront of the industry. The brand set out to create the first stereo condenser microphone and did so with the SM2 in 1956. Here's an excerpt from the original Neumann SM2 brochure Continue reading →