featured

Founded in 2002 by legendary sound engineer John McBride and his wife, country superstar Martina McBride, Blackbird is one of the most prestigious recording and mixing facilities in the world. With nine world-class studios and an unrivaled selection of vintage microphones and recording equipment, Blackbird has been the studio of choice for artists such as Beck, Rush, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, and Taylor Swift.In order to remain on the cutting-edge of audio production technology, Blackbird recently decided to renovate its George Massenburg-designed Studio C and upgrade it with an immersive mixing solution. Blackbird partnered with Dolby Laboratories on the install and design, and brought in Vintage King to supply gear from ATC Loudspeakers, Avid, and Antelope Audio. The set-up for Studio C now includes three ATC SCM300ASL loudspeakers in LCR position, 12 ATC SCM100ASL surround speakers and six ATC SCM1-15ASL Subwoofers controlled via 2 Dante-enabled Avid MTRX interfaces and an Antelope 10MX Clock. Continue reading →

It's a chill day on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Not in terms of the weather (it's August and it's a hot one), but MTSU's campus and student body are still sleepy as they lumber towards the start of the Fall 2019 semester. Upon entering the MTSU Center for Popular Music, we meet with the Director of the Master of Fine Arts program, Bill Crabtree. He begins to explain some of the concepts behind the gear selection in the Department of Recording Industry. "Our philosophy is more about teaching framing, rather than teaching hammer," Bill says. "This is the mantra we stick to when selecting our equipment. It's most important to teach the concepts behind the equipment and not the knob turning or the specific equipment itself." Continue reading →

If you live in Nashville, you'll want to join Vintage King and Trident for a special event with legendary engineer, producer, and mixer Joe Chiccarelli. On Friday, September 27th, from 6 PM to 9 PM, our Nashville showroom will host an evening of gear demos from Trident and a conversation with Joe about how he uses these tools in his studio. This is a unique opportunity to hear Joe talk about his workflow and his incredible career. The Grammy® award-winner has worked with a lengthy list of artists, including U2, Alanis Morissette, Beck, Etta James, Tori Amos, and The Killers. After our conversation with Joe, there will be a short Q&A session, as event attendees will have the opportunity to ask more in-depth questions about his record-making process. Continue reading →

ATC Loudspeakers have a long history of developing innovative monitor technology. Founded by Billy Woodman in 1974, ATC started as a custom driver manufacturer and quickly made its mark with the 12-inch PA75-314 driver, known for its class-leading performance.In 1976, they introduced their legendary SM 75-150s soft dome midrange driver, renowned for its precise imaging, extended frequency response and high-performance design. Over the next decade, as custom passive PA systems fell out of favor for smaller, all-inclusive monitoring systems, ATC began experimenting with active designs like the iconic SCM50 and SCM100 series. Continue reading →

David Peach has been building high-end audio gear for over 35 years. His company, Peach Audio, is best known for their all-tube 196 series preamps, including the Savannah 196sx, which are all hand built in Australia. If you missed our new demo video of the Savannah 196sx, you can watch it by clicking here. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with David about what makes his preamps so special. Read on to learn about how David got his start making gear, his approach to design, and what new products he’s been working on. 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 →

A great audio engineer understands the importance of learning their craft from the masters. Books and magazines have always been a great resource, but the explosion of podcasts on engineering, mixing, and mastering has made quality information more available than ever. In this blog, we’ll break down some of our favorite podcasts for audio engineers, including gear-driven tech talk, podcasts on how to run your own studio, and behind the scenes interviews with artists and producers. Continue reading →

Nestled in among the other small one-level buildings in the sleepy beachside streets of Ventura, California, sits an unassuming old storefront. The sun-baked exterior and paper-lined windows offer a distinct contrast to what lay inside, the brain trust of one of the world's exciting pedal makers, Meris.   Unboxing a Meris pedal or 500 Series module is an experience unlike any other. This is thanks in part to Engineer/Founder Terry Burton, DSP Engineer/VP Angelo Mazzocco, and Creative Director Jinna Kim. Each aspect of the brand's products, whether it be packaging and artwork or design and function, offer up a connective aesthetic and sound that is distinctly their own. Continue reading →

The concept of modular synthesis may seem overtly complex at first glance. However, if you break it down into the most basic components, it becomes less daunting than you might think. Throughout this Buyer's Guide, we'll talk about the different formats of modular synth, the cases and cables they utilize, and the many types of modules that help your custom rig create unique sounds. Read on to enter the wonderfully beautiful and strange world of modular synthesizers. Continue reading →

A few weeks back, we did a shootout comparing the Urei/Universal Audio 1176 to a reproduction, plug-in emulations and some guitar pedals based on the classic compressor. We're back at it again in our latest VK Shootout, but this time we're using another beloved piece of outboard gear, the dbx 160. If you're like us and spend a lot of time visiting recording studios, the dbx 160 is a very familiar sight. The wooden cheeked beauty was first introduced in 1971 and features three dials for threshold, compression and outboard gain. Try to find an album from the 70s and 80s that doesn't feature this compressor on the mix... Go on, we'll wait. This thing has glued together more than Elmer's. Continue reading →