Gear of the Year 2021
That’s right, it’s the annual gear of the year round-up! Whilst the burden of yet another tumultuous year weighs heavy on out collective minds, the world of recording and pro audio has moved steadily on, continuing to innovate and improve the tools we use for creating, recording and making music despite the difficult conditions. With a host of exciting new products entering the foray, we thought we’d share a few of our favourites. Brief disclaimer: strictly-speaking not all of these products were released this year, but due to an increase in popularity (among ourselves or our clients) we thought they deserved a mention.
So, without further ado, and in no particular order…
Echo Fix EF-X2 Tape Delay
We’ve seen our fair share of vintage Roland Tape Echos come through our doors over the years, 99% of which were in for servicing in one form or another. There’s no denying the charm of an original Space Echo, but with that comes the full-time job of maintaining and servicing unreliable vintage parts and the hassle of not only sourcing components, but finding someone qualified to do the job right. No strangers to the “ills” of vintage gear, Echo Fix are an Australian company who for over a decade have been servicing tape echos to the highest standard, even manufacturing there own parts in order to guarantee happy owners many more years of use out of their beloved units.
Now they’ve gone one step further, and released their very own Tape Echo unit. Based closely on the original Roland RE-201, the EF-X2 delivers all the same character and sonic joy as an original 201, while adding a few useful extras such as a real spring reverb tank, DSP reverb and Chorus effects. Besides the authentic look and feel, the EF-X2 offers an unparalleled level of reliability, thanks to the outstanding build quality and attention to detail. Its sound is dark and well-defined with a clarity not found on vintage tape echo’s, while the controls and gorgeous front-plate design make it a stand-out feature in any studio. To put it bluntly: it looks and sounds beautiful. And we all want one.
APS KLASIK 2020
Back in early 2015, Polish speaker manufacturer APS Audio introduced the KLASIK to the world; a 2-way, rear-ported active monitor that boasted excellent low-end extension, beautifully 3 dimensional stereo-imaging and an overall performance and price-point that blew most of the competition out the water.
Fast-forward 5 years and we now have the all-new and improved KLASIK2020. Building upon the same uncompromising principles that made the original such a success, the latest iteration offers even better low-end performance, improved transparency, more power, lower distortion and a whole lot more.
“Very occasionally a speaker comes along that somehow has all its stars aligned and delivers a level of performance way beyond its pay grade and the sum of its parts. The Klasik 2020 is one of those.”
– Phil Ward, Sound On Sound
UDO Super 6 Desktop Module
With so many choices on offer, it’s not often we get this excited about the announcement of a new synth, yet the Super 6 from Bristol-based manufacturer UDO has created plenty of buzz (the good kind) since its announcement last year, and we’re delighted to see clients getting just as giddy over it as we were.
As is to be expected, the Super 6 Desktop is a 12-voice analogue hybrid poly-synth that packs all the sonic heft of the original into a compact, desktop-friendly package. Featuring a powerful wavetable engine at its core, state-of-the-art FPGA digital hardware oscillators and voltage controlled analogue technology, the Super 6 is equally adept at producing rich evolving textures and pads as it is thunderous low-end and glistening lead lines. It’s a sound designers dream, combining familiar synth features with a truly unique sonic character and formidable sound.
Pope Audio Dirty-C Chorus Module
After having spent the best part of the last decade (or two) repairing and servicing vintage Roland Chorus Echos, it made sense that Pope Audio would eventually channel all that experience and technical know-how into his very own 500-Series chorus module.
The Pope Audio Dirty-C authentically recreates the character and vibe of the original RE-501 (arguably Roland’s best chorus) whilst adding a host of useful features such as effect rate/depth control, a mix blend knob and hi-Z instrument input. Three separate modes: “Vibrato”, “RE501” and “Ring Mod” offer different variations on the chorus effect, from subtle shimmering modulation to more extreme, three-dimensional effects.
Utilising an original “bucket-brigade” MN-3007 chip (the same chip used in the 501), the Dirty-C perfectly replicates the lush, characterful sound of the original, albeit in a much smaller (and more affordable!) package.
MILAB VIP-60 Multi-Pattern Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Thanks to its versatile feature-set and relatively flat frequency response (with a subtle peak around 3kHz), the original VIP-50 has cemented itself as one of the best vocal mics around – with the likes of Quincey Jones, Ray Charles, Tori Amos and Michael Jackson all having used The VIP-50 on a number of hit records.
Fantastic on acoustic guitar, overheads, piano and vocals in particular, the Swedish company’s propriety rectangular capsule design offers unique acoustical properties, with an extremely natural and clear tone; exhibiting the smoothness of a ribbon with the clarity, detail and sensitivity of a LDC. Whilst the original VIP-50 mic (now 37 years old!) has long been a staple in pro facilities worldwide, the VIP-60 introduces a number of sonic improvements – most notably a significant reduction in self-noise, updated capsule, optimised circuitry and a fancy new Nextel metallic finish.
Manultec Orca Bay Stereo Mastering EQ
With its huge antique bakelite knobs and imposing front panel design, the Manultec Orca Bay oozes class even at first glance. Featuring premium components such as purum-certified Vovox conductors, transformer balanced I/O and hand-built in their own boutique custom shop in Germany, the Orca Bay is an all-passive Stereo mastering EQ built to enhance your sound in a way that is tight, vibrant and highly musical.
The Orca Bay gives offers a simple yet effective feature-set, from Low shelf boost and cut (“Atten”) to switchable high boost (Bell), and “Focus”; allowing the user to alter the bandwidth for more precise results. On paper the toolset is straightforward enough, but what it does it does very, very well. There are few units that marry great design with exceptional sonic performance, but the Orca Bay is definitely one of them.
PMC6 Studio Range Active Monitors
When PMC announced they had “raised the bar” with their new Studio Range of monitors, many of us wondered how much higher the bar could realistically go. It soon became obvious they had achieved the seemingly impossible; improving upon what was already a class-leading range and upping the ante on what to expect from a studio monitor. All-new drivers, sophisticated DSP & Class-D amps, and the latest ATL™ bass-loading and Laminair™ air flow technologies made for a family of monitors that exhibit even more definition and detail with less colouration and further-improved low-end performance.
The PMC6 is the most compact of the range, yet despite its smaller 6″ driver is capable of bass-extension that reaches well beyond that of many 8″ monitors. It sounds effortless, and immersive in its presentation. The new one-inch precision-built fabric soft-dome tweeter provides wide, evenly dispersed imaging, with exceptional resolution and detail (as we have come to expect from PMC), whilst the sophisticated DSP engine automatically adjusts the crossover, ensuring optimum tonal accuracy, phase and imaging regardless of speaker orientation.
The amalgamation of clever technologies and innovative new-age speaker design make the the new range of monitors from PMC seriously worthy of any pro facility’s shortlist.
Sequential Take-5 Polyphonic Synthesizer
Upon release, the Sequential Take-5 promised to pack much of the Prophet-5 sound into a compact and more affordable package. We’re happy to report that since getting hands-on with our demo model, it does exactly this whilst introducing some of it’s own character and features.
The Take-5 is a 5-voice polyphonic synth featuring two analogue oscillators per voice and a continuously variable wave shape per oscillator. With a high quality, after-touch enabled Fatar keyed, step-sequencer, arpeggiator and well-stocked effects section, the Take 5 can capably cover a wide range of sounds, from lush evolving pads and classic “Prophet-esque” leads to textural soundbeds and full-bodied bass. In the words of Dave Smith:
“The Take 5 puts the classic Sequential sound and legacy into the hands of people who may not have been able to experience it before. Packing this much performance power into such a small footprint was the kind of challenge we love. Throughout development we were amazed by how huge this synth sounds and how crazy versatile it is. It was a joy to work on and I’m looking forward to hearing what our customers create with it.”
Rupert Neve Designs Master Bus Converter
The Rupert Neve Designs Master Bus Converter has fast become one of those units that we never really knew we needed. Essentially a stereo analogue processor, the MBC has been designed to offer the highest possible fidelity at the final stage of A/D conversion, whilst giving the user a broad scope of tonal options to shape their printed mix.
The beauty of the MBC is its versatility. It can be ultra-transparent; adding weight and depth to a stereo mix without colouration, or it can apply more obvious harmonic saturation to the low, mids and top-end, thanks to the variable Red and Blue “Silk” modes. Also featured is a highly musical fixed-attack limiter with HPF, allowing the bottom end of a mix to breath naturally whilst subtly taming mid and top-end transients.
If you’re looking to produce a finished, high-quality master then the Master Bus Converter is well worth looking at. Its uncompromising design and impeccable conversion, along with a flexible tonal palette make it an essential tool for adding a touch of three-dimensional magic to your mix.
Antelope Audio Galaxy32 Audio Interface with Dante
The Galaxy 32 Synergy Core sets a new performance standard in its class by expanding the capabilities of the Orion 32 line with Dante audio networking and Synergy Core processing. Designed for professional recording studios and high-profile production and broadcasting facilities, the interface offers 32 channels of analog I/O with mastering grade AD/DA conversion and clocking as well as industry standard HDX and Thunderbolt for easy integration with your setup.
This multi-channel box allows you to connect all your gear into an 1U rack-mountable chassis. Aside from taking on the role of a patch bay, the interface handles all routing, recording, and monitoring and allows you to easily interconnect multiple rooms. Placing the Galaxy 32 Synergy Core as the hub of your setup means less complexity and pristine conversion for all connected gear.