Click
here to read feedback from critically acclaimed guitarist Ney
Mello...
Phil Lipman...
Just wanted you to know that we have been using the Buzz (MA2.2 with
Sowter output transformers) a lot in my studio to 2" tape and it
is particularly fantastic on acoustic instruments. We have some old
Martins and even though the studio is in my house (and we sometimes
record acoustics in the kitchen because of the ceiling height and wood)
we are getting world-class sounds, particularly with two Telefunken/Schoeps
small condensers - delightful. Great work, anyone who tries to classify
them as bland or sterile is deaf. Your fan in Tucson AZ!
March 2005. Undisclosed Location Studios, Arizona, USA.
Jim Chapdelaine...
I think that the Buzz Audio (MA-2.2) is a great boutique mic
pre that lives up to it's hype. I love mine and it's been great to have
another color to offer clients and to choose from myself. I've used
it on drum overheads with DPA 4015's and it was fantastic. Great balance
and smooth, fast transients. You already know that it's sounds great
on acoustic stringed instruments but I was also pleasantly surprised
to hear it with a ribbon mic on electric guitars. Sounded great again.
I have used it in conjuntion with a Flamingo and the Great River. It
has a similar build quality and holds it's own with those 2 mic pres
(which are both excellent).
November 2005. Jims credits. Played with: Big Al Anderson,
Delbert McClinton, Pousette Dart Band, Les Paul , Dana Pomfret, Judy
Henske, Duff; Produced: Dana Pomfret, Feathermerchants, Hassan Hakmoun
w/Paula Cole, Aztec Two Step, Phoebe Snow; Mastered: Clarence Clemmons
w/Bruce Springsteen, Aztec Two Step, Dead Legend, Paranoise and hundreds
more. 3 Emmy's for PBS documentary scoring. And also Writes for the
History Channel, NBC, ESPN, BMW, Cadillac, ARNG.
Paul Doughty...
The MA-2.2 (with Sowter output transformer) is the ultimate paradox.
It is clean, clear, dynamic and fast with extended frequency response
on top and bottom. Yet it is very smooth and seemingly offers a perfect
touch of warmth. I absolutely love it.
October 2005.
Dean Landon...
Since I started mixing ITB
("in the box" or inside a DAW) about 5 years ago, it
made life much easier, especially when a remix had been requested, but
I was never really content with the over-all sound quality. I heard
about the Folcrom passive summing buss, and the ability to integrate
a mic-preamp of your choosing. I was interested in finding out what
the hype was about, so I was in touch with Nathan Eldred of Atlas ProAudio.
After a week of repartee, he suggested I try the MA2.2 with the Sowter
transformer to gain the Folcrom. Let me just say that I will never mix
ITB again. The Buzz/Folcrom combo is an absolute winner. Tracking with
the Folcrom is fairly easy. Assign (Stem) your channels accordingly,
and youčre set. The MA2.2 is the best piece of equipment I have ever
bought. It's unbelievably smooth and clean. If you're looking for that
wide, spacious sound, with an incredible depth of field mix you get
with analog, this is it!
April 2005. Dean
Landon is an award winning producer and songwriter in the USA, Visit
Deans' website for more info...
N. Jay Burr, PlugHead Productions...
After 4 years of using the MA 2.2, I'm
still sold on it. It sees regular use day in/day out, and has come to
be a favourite for drum kit, acoustic guitar, piano, percussion, and
especially female voice. The Sowter transformer output is great, and
- I can still use the unbalanced output(s) for it's transformerless
sound ! You were right - I never did return the MA 2.2 after my trial
period, and after this many years, I think it'll be safe to say, "I'll
keep it!" Great work Tim - I look forward to more of your items in my
racks!
Feb 2005. Yukon, Canada.
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Nigel Bates, Beat Poets...
I think the MA2.2 is doing its job brilliantly, it sits there in the
background and adds a warmth and clarity that a lot of others don't
but it also does not effect the source enough to take away the original
sound you started with the best of all worlds. At the moment I am working
on an album that uses a lot of Ethnic/Celtic string, wind and percussion
instruments so it is important for me to not lose the original sound,
so the MA2.2 coupled with the Sounddelux mics are the perfect partnership.
I have used it for recording live strings and vocals with Paul Carrack
and it never lets me down. The only thing I would like to see is some
form of metering, I would like to try the compressor at some point in
the future.
2003. Beat
Poets website
Michael Hoddy, New Jersey...
Just wanted to drop in and say that the MA 2.2 positively rocks. It's
been the first-call acoustic guitar preamp around here since I got it
(just got off a session with a wide-eyed acoustic player who LOVED it
on his instrument), but I decided to try it last weekend on kick and
snare, since people here have raved about it in those applications.
Very nice on both. Great on kick drum (I used a 421 inside the kick,
and a U87, of all things, outside). Amazing transient response all-around,
and really, really tight well-damped bass response. No sogginess or
floppiness anywhere. I really liked it. And this was on an alterna-rock
tune, of all things. I'm usually a fan of Neve or Trident A/Daking circuits
for this kind of music for drums, but the Buzz is a nice contrast. Obviously
not nearly as colored, but tighter all-around, and very present. The
drum tracks really smack nicely through the monitors and competes well
with the dense guitars.
July 2002
David Frangioni...
The Buzz Audio pre is great. It has a very open, natural sound. As a
point of reference, I would compare it that of a GML, but with a different
mid and upper bass characteristic. To its credit (for certain applications)
it doesn't really add a color or sound to the input. This is not easy
to do for any pre and is a positive asset. I have used it for vocal
tracks, guitars, drums, and synths with excellent results. I have also
done a shootout with all of the pre's listed above (musicplayer forum
thread). The Buzz holds its own with any of them. For the price,
it's a no brainer.
Sept 2001
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Warren Riker...
Hey Tim--- so I've run this pre [MA2.2] of yours through the
jersey ringer....and man its tough. I think it truly is amazing!! Cut
all the vocals with it on this record I'm workin on now...actually I
just finished them yesterday, using a Neumann UM57 and a Neve 2254 compressor...THE
BOMB!!! Listen, I had a ton of other choices around Tim-- V72, Tubetech,
Neve 1073, Langevin, Focusrite... the Buzz kicked ass... it ended up
sounding slightly better in the bottom end with the Lo-Z impedance setting...other
than that, turn it on, turn it up. You did a great job on this thing,
it's got loads of headroom. I'm almost upset that pretty soon it ain't
gonna be a secret anymore..."
2001
John Whitmer, Alabama
Just a quick note to let you know that I still love my MA2.2 preamp.
I bought it last April, and it's the one I always use first. On the
first live concert recording I used the MA2.2 for, the conductor asked
if I had changed out the tubes in my mics. He said that it sounded the
same, but somehow better. He couldn't describe what he was hearing...it
was just better to his ears. I agree ... everything is just smoother
and better. That's all...just enjoying using it!
January 2002.
John Given, Digidesign
The MA2.2 is a godsend -- I got it just in time to start tracking
critical vocal and guitar tracks for the project I'm working on. I immediately
noticed it responds about twice as fast as any other preamp I'd been
using, and it seems to impart very little color of its own. My acoustic
[guitar] tracks in particular have never sounded better.
August 2001.
Travis Willhoite...
I've finally wired the Buzz MA2.2 up and had several sessions with it...WOW,
what a great mic pre! I used it first on a stereo acoustic guitar track
with a Shure SM-81 and a AT4033 and the result was spectacular. The
pre really seemed transparent, the guitar sounded as if it was sitting
right behind the speakers! Next I used it for drums, first on the kick
and snare combination, then on stereo overheads. Again the MA2.2 sounded
absolutely wonderful (too bad I don't have several more channels of
your pre...perhaps in the future). I'm looking forward to many more
successful sessions using this piece. Thankyou.
Riva
Ridge Recording June 2001.
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Ben Catania, Digital Pig Recording...
LOVE THAT PREAMP!!!!! I've been doing everything from hip-hop vocals
to acoustic guitar to orchestral recordings with that baby [MA2.2]
and it has consistently shined, and brilliantly! It's my favorite piece
in the studio (the classy and sexy design doesn't hurt, either -- love
showing her off to my clients!). Bravo to you and all at Buzz Audio
for excellence all around.
May 2001.
Brian Middleton, Night
Kitchen Studios...
I'm very much enjoying my MA2.2 and the lovely quiet and clarity it
brings to everything. I'm particularly impressed with what it does for
my dynamic mics...I was amazed when I heard a vocal on an SM57 through
it--it made me understand (for the first time) how people could think
of using that mic for recorded vocals. The Buzz brings out a little
bit of richness and air in the 57 that I haven't heard before. I've
also been getting decent kick drum sounds, which has always been something
I've had trouble with--I use a D112 and most of my kick tracks through
the Mackie pres have had that bouncing-ball sound. The ones I've recorded
with the MA2.2 so far have a nice depth and clarity and actually sound
like a drum. So, thank you again for making it!
March 2001.
Dreamcatcher Studios...
...Thank you for shipping the MA2.2 so quickly. We received it today
in excellent condition and it sounds delightful. Your help and attention
to detail have been most appreciated... We use the Buzz Audio MA2.2
on almost everything possible. The sound is so warm and one of the best
pre-amps for our recording needs. Thank you for being a great person
to deal with and we look forward to using the MA2.2 on all our recordings
and hopefully we will have a hit record to show for the work.
Tamitha Story, Dreamcatcher
Studios, California, January 2001.
Robert Turley...
..."I love my Neves and API's, but for me nothing is better on vocals
than my Buzz MA-2.2. I would say that about 75% of my clients for the
studio are rappers, and I find that the Buzz MA-2.2 does its magic just
as well on rap vocals as it does on singers. Keep up the good work!"
Robert Turley, R.O.B.
Music and Outside Records, NYC, August 2000.
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