Paul Keim...
I LOVE this thing all my mics (Wes Dooley [ribbons], Soundelux,
Josephsons), sounds great. I did a dumbek* track the day I got
the SSA1.1 with an SM57 close and the Dooley R84 ribbon at a distance
with very light compression and its just plain wonderful - none of my
typical nightmares with EQ and false translation of that drums over-tones.
I've had some engineers use some pretty cool sounding preamps on our
tracks before - Forssel, Neve, Manley, Drawmer, Grace, Avalon - but
I've always been looking for that clean sound that is not clinical.
All I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !
* Yes, we didn't know what a dumbek was either
so Paul fills us in; A Middle Eastern goblet-shaped drum. Body materials
include beaten metal (with a screwed-down tunable head), cast metal
(usually aluminum), pottery (often with a glued-on head) and wood. Materials
for the head include plastic (for professional drums, usually with an
aluminum body), animal skins, and fish skin. In general, the Middle
Eastern drums tend to have much lighter heads than African drums. They
are also played with a much lighter touch and quite different strokes
than African drums (more use of fingers than palms). The dumbek has
a single head on one end, and the open end tends to funnel a very strong
resonant droning under-sound when you get going on the drum.
Visit Paul's websites; www.maryandpaul.com
and www.canamerish.com
Andrew L...
I A/B-ed the pre [SSA1.1] against my existing pre's, which
I have had in my possession for a little while, I have a Joe Meek Channel
Strip, a SPL Channel One, and my Soundcraft Desk pre's. I think it was
a fair comparison as my
pre selection would be typical of many small project studios. I used
a Neumann TLM 103 mic, a Maton Acoustic Guitar and DI-ed the guitar
through all units. Plus a comparison with all the pre's with my Bass
Guitar, a Fender '63 Precision. I initially played through my existing
pre to set up comparable levels, I used no compression or EQ.
In a nut shell, the SSA
was a stunning improvement in all areas. I thought I must have subconsciously
bought a new set of monitors, as I was hearing so much low end detail,
and clarity with lovely warmth and projection. The sound was big, in
your face, with almost a 3D imagery. I thought this is cool.
Andrew runs a small project studio
in Melbourne, Australia
Steve
Upston...
Having had the Buzz Audio SSA 1.1 preamp for a couple of days we tested
it in a variety of situations and much to our delight it lived up to
the hype. Using the DI function we hooked up a electric guitar and ran
the signal to a Laney amp which was close miked and also using an ambient
mike placed 5 meters away. The improvement was dramatic to say the least,
smooth velvet highs without ruining the hard edge and tone of the guitar,
definition with depth.
Using the DI function on electric bass was simple and bought a huge
smile from the Producer, we kicked in the Buzz Audio SOC-1.1
Compressor to the signal path and applied light compression to further
enhance the bass. The result was felt from the chest up and the producer
said "Don't touch a damm thing, that's an awesome bottom end". The
signal is big and fat and from an engineer's point of view, easy to
achieve and easy to control.
On this same project the next day we recorded vocals to computer using
a AKG C4000b large diaphragm mic, the SSA preamp linked to the SOC compressor
and then direct to our A/D converters. The results were simply amazing,
not only is the signal clear and warm (which is important when you're
going direct to disc), but it has a broader depth, really nice highs
and a massive overall big feel. The vocalist was more than happy with
the result which also helped his performance.
Sewing the tracks together recorded using the preamps and compressor
that evening it became increasingly apparent that the tracks when combined
just sat beautifully. The big fat warm sound that we had been looking
for was achieved without budget shattering cost and I have no hesitation
in recommending this pre-amp (and the compressor for that matter) as
a must have purchase, from home studios all the way up to large recording
facilities. They are very musical and I can't wait to use them on acoustic
instruments, I'm also looking forward to using them in a stereo recording
configuration.
Steve Upston, Engineer, Breaker Bay Studios,
Wellington, NZ.
March 2003.
