Preservation Sound

Holy Moly

chris — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:10:44 +0000

I think I may need a bigger scanner

How y’all doin. I’m happy to announce that we have just received a massive archive of literature, catalogs, manuals, ETC., from a storied studio/post-facility originating circa 1980. I don’t even know exactly what’s in these boxes yet, but get ready for some odd + interesting curious from audio-land-past. More to come…

Live DJ Set Tonight 5.22.13: Unspun @ Firehouse 12 : New Haven CT

chris — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:45:21 +0000

Hey y’all… once again i will be at Firehouse 12 in New Haven CT, sweatin to the oldies with my good old buddy Jay AKA Sway. Both my sets tonight: all rare psych and freakbeat.

Firehouse 12 – 45 Crown St – New Haven CT – 9P -1A 5.22.13

Things have been a lil hectic here in ole BPT town lately, hence the paucity of new PS dot com material… do not fear tho, we have some REALLY exciting new developments coming down the pike for ya… details real soon…

CBS Volumax and Audimax circa 1964

chris — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:13:20 +0000

CT! CBS labs, Stamford, 1963 – 1965. These CBS units still seem like the ugly ducklings of the vintage limiter market. I have had 3 of the later solid-state audimax 4440′s in the basement for the past 3 years. They work fine. No one wants em! Eventually these will be re-discovered by some hotshot mixer dude and prices will rise. The 4440 is so goddamn complicated inside, its like a fkkn analog computer. Anyone using the Audimax and/or Volumax lately? Drop us a line and let us know…

1977

chris — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:46:59 +0000

Today: a random display of offbeat bits from 1977 that caught my eye: a tiny homage to the wonder that is The Internet K Hole. IE., draw your own connections/conclusions.

Italo!

chris — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:35:37 +0000

Stumbled upon this today while researching a bizarre 60s electric that fell into our lap (see my TUMBLR for deets)

Fetish Gtrs, a site specializing in Italian (and, awesomely, Argentine) vintage electrics.

That is all.

The Fairchild F-22 Condenser Mic c.1965 (aka the Syncron AU7A)

chris — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:46:56 +0000

Alright so this is a little confusing… Above is an advert for the Fairchild F-22 microphone, as published in 1965. This mic is known to be identical to the Syncron AU7A (see previous post)… so why was it advertised earlier, with a higher price, under the Fairchild name? Maybe I am getting my dates mixed up here… anyway, Primal Gear in Nashville had a pair of these things for pretty cheap recently, but I was scared-off by the necessity for updating the internal power supply, as Syncron mics require certain mercury cells that are no longer made (or legal, likely). Anyway… any of y’all using/have used the F22/AU7A? Let us know… living here in central CT, once-home of Syncron labs, I feel fairly certain that I will eventually stumble upon one of these things… no luck yet tho.

Fairchild Is First! (1964)

chris — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:19:00 +0000

Above: the Fairchild model 673, 663, 662, 661, 668, 664, 665 Modules and 668 power amp. Wow was this kit ahead of its time. And check out that lil INTEGRA sidecar. Amazing. Doubt there are too many of these left intact.

RCA BCM-1A Auxiliary Console c.1953

chris — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:43:07 +0000

Earlier this year we ran a piece regarding the c. 1952 RCA BC-2 broadcast console. T.F. has also provided us with a subsequent scan from AE mag, 1953, which highlights the companion BCM-1A “extender” console, designed to add an additional 12 microphone inputs (4 accessible at once) to the 2B.

Click below to DL the article by one George Singer.

DOWNLOAD: RCA-Mixer-AE-April53

Scully kit of the early 1960s

chris — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:53:58 +0000

How are y’all doing today… long-time readers will know that there is a lot of Scully material on this site… Scully was a Bridgeport institution; I drive by the ole Scully plant everyday on my way to the studio. Not sure what goes on in that large brick structure these days, but many years ago it was turning out most of the lathes that were cutting LP masters in the US. Scully tape machines were never as ubiquitous as their lathes, but were a big part of the US recording scene nonetheless… Scully was a small family-owned company that competed favorably with Ampex, and this itself is notable. Anyhow… at left is the Scully 270 transport, and below, I found a couple of period adverts for the 280, which seems to have been their most successful tape-machine design, if the number of surviving units is any indication. My friend Sal sold his 280 -two-track AND 4-track machines, together with carts and racks, for $1000 last year… and it was hard to find a buyer even at that price. I will probably forever regret not buying them myself, but… you can’t have it all, can you… Anyhow, if you are using a 280 these days, drop us a line and let us know whatcha think.

For more Scully info, click the links below:

The Scully Model 100 16-track machine

Larry Scully interview and history

The Scully 601 LP Lathe

What’s inside a Scully 280?

Read my review of the AKG D12 VR and 451 ’65th Anniv.’ Mics at ProductionHUB

chris — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:54:27 +0000

I recently reviewed the new (-ish) AKG “65th anniversary” model 451 and the very interesting D12 ‘VR’ model for our friends at ProductionHUB. Click here to read the article. The 451 ’65th,’ in particular, is an excellent deal for $400. I’ve been using it every day and it is yet to disappoint. If you are not aware of the new D12 and its remote-controlled frequency-contouring, you might find that interesting as well.