Category: Pro Audio Archive

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Pro Audio Archive

Audio Engineering Magazine Pt 6: audio equipment

The earliest advertisement for the Magnecorder tape machine that I have seen. BTW get ready for a large collection of original Magnecord, INC documents from one of the company founders: on this site: soon.

In the sixth and final installment of this survey of pro audio of the 1940s, as related through the pages of Audio Engineering magazine, we’ll look at some of the more interesting pieces of equipment on offer.

1948: Altec announces the 604 duplex loudspeaker. The 604 would become a staple in recording studios well into the 1970s.

…and Ampex announces the tape recorder that would change the world.  in 1948 it offered performance that would not be outdated until the 1980s.

The Arlington EA-2 ‘Audio Compensator,’ an early active EQ.  Well, maybe ‘active’ is the wrong word, but unlike other equalizers of the era, it functioned without insertion loss.  I would love to see the schematic for this unit if anyone has one to send over…

The Presto 41A limiter and 89A amplifier.  These units were intended for master-disc cutting.

RCA jacks, panels, stands, and racks of the late 1940s.

OK this scan really sucks but I was excited to find an ad for my beloved BA-2 preamp.  My advice: buy a UTC A25 on eBay and build a BA-2.  Simple and excellent.




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Antique Hi-Fi Archive Pro Audio Archive

AKG K-340 Electrostatic/Dynamic Headphones c. 1979

Download the six-page color product sheet for the venerable AKG K-340 headphone of 1979:

DOWNLOAD: AKG_K340

The AKG K-340 (not to be confused with the modern AKG K 340 earbud) was AKG’s top of the line headphone of the 1980s.  Introduced in 1979, the K-340 took the basic design of the classic K-240 (which was very sophisticated in and of itself) and added the additional complication of a separate Electrostatic driver and associated crossover network.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wikiphonia has a detailed entry on these unusual headphones, so no need to re-tread those waters; the six-page document I post here is some new material for the web, though, AFAIK.  Check it out…  and if anyone uses these cans, LMK yr thoughts…

Click here for previous vintage AKG headphone coverage on PS dot com

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Pro Audio Archive Synthesizers

Vintage Moogs in Deutscher Sprache

From the PS dot com archive/pile:  Download nine pages of German-language Mini Moog and Moog Sonic-Six catalogs from 1974.

DOWNLOAD: Moog_Germany_1974

Also includes Moog German price-list of the era.

The Mini-Moog synthesizer was introduced in 1970.  It was a truly revolutionary device.

Keyboardist Rick Wakeman says of the Minimoog’s invention: “For the first time you could go on [stage] and give the guitarist a run for his money…a guitarist would say, ‘Oh shit, he’s got a Minimoog’, so they’re looking for eleven on their volume control – it’s the only way they can compete.” Wakeman said the instrument “absolutely changed the face of music.”

(Source)

Essentially, the Mini Moog was the first widely-available ‘performance’ rather than ‘studio’ synthesizer instrument.  The distinctive sound of the Mini Moog is due its 3 available oscillators (most vintage analog monophonic synths have no more than 2) and its 24db per octave filter (in contrast to the less-aggressive 18db per octave filter of its contemporaries).

The Moog Sonic-Six was similar to the Mini Moog, but it has only two oscillators.  Its ‘institutional’ design and built-in amplified speaker highlights its intent as an educational instrument.

 

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Pro Audio Archive

Sound Workshop Reverbs of the 1980s

Download the four-page catalog for the Sound Workshop 242C and 262 stereo reverberation devices:

DOWNLOAD: SoundworkshopReverbs

I’ve been using a 242C in the studio for years; it’s ok for signals that don’t need much high or low end.  It’s pretty boing-y and a little bit noisy.  It does have a cool dense, gritty texture that give backing vocals a nice old-school character.  At this point, i have learned to always use it in the following way:  usually I pre-delay the input 10 or 20 ms; then run the input signal through a gentle compressor (usually DBX 160); and cut the highs and lows on the return to remove hiss and hum that the spring pickups introduce.  Oh yeah and the 242C is not really intended for +4 studio use; so i also use a Peavey stereo +4/-10 converter in order to best gain-stage it.   So yeah… a lot of support equipment around this humble box.   It does get a lot of use tho.  Hey at least it has overload LEDs and and a very-useful ‘input mix’ switch with combines both inputs – great for creating pseudo-stereo from a mono source.

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Pro Audio Archive

Effectron Digital Delays Original Catalog

Download the four-page catalog for the Delta Lab Effectron line of the early 1980s:

DOWNLOAD:EffectronCatalog

If you have been following this site for a while, you will know that I dig the Effectron.  There are a  world of creative possibilities in these well-made, cheap-to-buy boxes.  Examples turn up regularly for $50 – $100.   10 minutes with one of these things will teach you more about the range of effects available using a modulated delay than you will get from a year using the plug ins.  True, there is nothing that these boxes can do that Digidesign MediumDelay can’t; but the immediate tactile response of the knobs can’t be beat.  Highly recommended.

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Pro Audio Archive

Orban Audio Processors of the 1980s

Download the four-page circa 1984 Orban ‘condensed catalog’:

DOWNLOAD: OrbanCondCatalog

Photos and descriptions (no specs) of the following models: Orban 111B reverberation; 245F stereo synthesizer; 418A stereo compressor/limiter; 424A Gated compressor/limiter/De-Esser (i.e.,  ‘make-it-as-loud-as-the-FCC-will-allow’ box); 516EC 3-channel De-Esser; 526A De-esser; 622B 2-channel parametric equalizer; 672A equalizer; 674A stereo equalizer.

I have been using a 111B reverb for many years in the studio to augment the usual reverb plug-ins.  It is the best spring reverb unit I have come across.  I have found that it absolutely needs a little pre-delay applied, or else weird phase cancellation occurs when I sum the reverb output back into the board along with the direct signal.  There are may easy ways to do this, but it is worth noting.

Orban was founded three decades ago by Bob Orban.  They have always made audio equipment aimed at the radio broadcast market.  Prices for their classic 80’s gear were reasonable until recently.  Plenty of these out there, tho, so if yr patient and you will get a deal.

Since Orban is in the business of supplying broadcasters, their website have excellent technical support.  You can download the original manuals for all their products at this link on their site.

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Pro Audio Archive

Valley People 610 Dynamics Processor

Download the original 2-page product sheet for the Valley People 610 dynamics processor:

DOWNLOAD: ValleyPeople610

Valley People was the successor to Allison Research.   VP produced many popular dynamics processors in the early 1980’s, most notably the Kepex gate and the Dynamite Compressor.  The 610 was their flagship product.

 

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Pro Audio Archive

Valley People Modular Outboard Gear Circa 1984

Download 5-pages of original Valley People literature regarding their ‘Series 800’ modular racks, plus 3 period pricelists:

DOWNLOAD:ValleyPeopleSeries800_and_pricelists

Our pal T.W. rang this week inquiring about this product line.  Figured that made this as good a time as any to upload all of the old Valley People literature in the collection.  Later this week: original product-sheets and manuals for the Dynamite, Model 610, Kepex II, and Gain Brain II.

Interesting to note that V.P. is promoting ‘transformerless mic preamp’ replacement for MCI consoles.  Nowadays, the only reason that most folks would chose to purchase an old MCI console is because of the transformer-mic-inputs.   And everything old is new again…

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Pro Audio Archive

The Fostex A-8 multitrack tape machine

Download the original 2-page product sheet for the Fostex A-8LR tape machine.

DOWNLOAD: FostexA8LR

Billed as being “about the size of twenty albums stacked together,” the A-8LR differed from the more common A-8 by virtue of 8-track simultaneous recording (as opposed to 4-track simultaneous on the A-8).  We had one of these machines in the house briefly when we were kids and it did not sound very good.  The A-8 records on 1/4″ reel tape.  It is certainly very small for an 8-track machine.

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Pro Audio Archive

The Fostex B16 tape machine

Download fourteen pages of early-80s publications regarding the Fostex B16 1/2″ sixteen-track tape recorder.

DOWNLOAD:FostexB16

You will find in the package: a complete pricelist; a lengthy ‘test report’ as published in ‘Modern Recording and Music’ Nov 1984; plus an original 6-panel full-color product sheet.

The B16 was the flagship product-offering from FOSTEX in the 1980s; it was available in 3 models.  The base model had a belt-driven system and was capable of 7.5 ips or 15ips operation.  The B16D was direct-drive and offered a number of additional ‘professional’ features, including 30ips operation.  The B16DM was a 3-head version, which I have never seen or heard of outside of the literature that I am offering here.

Anyone using one of these things?  impressions?

Follow this link for earlier PreservationSound dot com coverage of the FOSTEX B-16, featuring Christine McVie.