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anonymous 3 September 2003

audiokid/Chris

I just noticed the banner ad. Are you just the dealer for Canada? Who are Seb's dealers in the U.S.?

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KurtFoster Thu, 09/04/2003 - 18:23

It makes me very happy when someone reports that they tried something I recommended and that they liked it. There has been a lot of positive response about the Sebatron review and a number of members have purchased their own vmp 4000s and vmp 2000s. Sebatron reported a significant boost in sales following the publishing of the review. But the icing on the cake is this. Now Chris is going to have the distributorship of the Sebatron products in Canada. Sebatron makes an excellent product and I am sure all involved on a business level with Sebatron will do well. I predict that these units will become studio standards, with the early units becoming prized vicinage pieces. this is quality analog gear with a looooong shelf life. I recommend that everyone check out these products. No, they are not cheap, but it is lasting investment, not disposable. This stuff will last a lifetime and is a much better investment that spending money on the false economy cycle with "rack crap". Congratulations Chris, Kurt :c:

KurtFoster Thu, 09/04/2003 - 21:52

Originally posted by white swan:
Kurt, would you mind defining "rack crap"? I'm curious as to how much of my signal chain is of manure-quality!

Well one mans rack crap is another mans treasure ... so to avoid bruising anyones feelings, I wouldn't want to name anything specific... generally i mean any kind of gear that loses 9/10ths of it's value in the first year or so. It's no secret that I have a preference for the high end stuff ... API, Neve, Manley, Millennia, Sebatron, JLM ... that's the kind of stuff I like... Kurt

realdynamix Fri, 09/05/2003 - 02:41

Originally posted by white swan:
By the way, Kurt, would you mind defining "rack crap"?

:) I'll take a stab at a definition of "Rack Crap".

It is a piece of outboard gear that may have been hyped beyond it's real capability, value, and quality. This does not imply that it does not have a useful purpose somewhere, it just didn't live up to it's expectations, and generally falls into the "impulse buy" category priced in a range that encourages the buyer.

The typical "Rack crap" piece will loose it's value within a few months of it's purchase, rendering a resale for a fraction of it's original cost. Some items without naming a brand are...

Enhancers, a big one, because the buyer will hear a definite difference despite it's real usefulness.

Compressor/limiters
RTA's
Rack EQ's
Power regulators/switches
Pseudo stereo effects / verbs / echo boxes
More recently, outboard mic pre amps / DI's
Rack sound modules
Rack A/D converters
etc.

I can only state this from experience, as I have a rack full myself, and based on quotations from audio consignment shops contacted to possibly get rid of it all, I find it is not worth even purchasing an ad in the newspaper for resale.

Had I used my head, and been well informed, I would have some very nice gear taking the place of much of what I have and for the same amount I spent. Maybe less gear, but more useful, better sounding, and valuable.

I must repeat, this does not mean the gear does not have a useful purpose somewhere.

--Rick

Rod Gervais Fri, 09/05/2003 - 05:30

Originally posted by Rick Hammang
can only state this from experience, as I have a rack full myself, and based on quotations from audio consignment shops contacted to possibly get rid of it all, I find it is not worth even purchasing an ad in the newspaper for resale.

Hey Rick,

My brother is in Porte St Lucie right now - he could always pop over and load up some of that rack junk and haul it away for ya if ya want - hell he wouldn't even charge you for it..... :D :D :D

Rod

realdynamix Fri, 09/05/2003 - 13:50

Originally posted by Rod Gervais:
My brother is in Porte St Lucie...haul it away for ya if ya want - hell he wouldn't even charge you for it..... :D :D :D

:D Brother Rod, thank you so much for the offer, but I have found another route, I give them as gifts to aspiring enthusiastic recordists and starving songwriters. I also donate gear to public A/V tech schools.

Chris, we need some small 1" or so sticky RO labels, possible? I also need from you a high res RO logo for something I am working on, bit map if possible.... :D hee hee

p.s. Don't forget to include the web address on the labels.

--Rick

anonymous Fri, 09/05/2003 - 19:12

It's guys like me who use rack-crap... But mostly because 'guys like me' are broke!

Mind you, occasionally, you get good gear for cheap, and occasionally, you get crap gear for, well, too much.

I'd love to try a sebatron pre and that tube compressor for the stations. I wonder how easy it would be to rob that bank a few blocks up?! (j/k of course, can't afford that either!)

W.

Sebatron Fri, 09/05/2003 - 20:02

It would be so easy for me to design some chip based or i.c. based circuits to keep my costs down but I just don’t think it’s justice you know.
Not at the moment anyway.
Transient response would suffer , … and parts of the circuit would be under ‘class b ‘ definition.
Some of it really hurts my ears.

If you want the cheaper gear it’s definitely out there , there’s heaps of that shit.
Some of it is beautiful like a pearl , some of it stinks like urine … or even bile. :D

:w:

audiokid Fri, 09/05/2003 - 23:10

Originally posted by white swan:
I'm hoping to try one someday. Maybe I'll even buy one from you, Chris! ;)

I would love to sell you some quality tube gear ? but I believe you're in CO USA so check out http://Sebatron.com for USA dealers.

Since this topic is about audiokid/ Chris Sebatron and where to find dealers I think we've answered this topic perfect so lets close this one and move on to more exciting tube gear topics.

Cheers!

dvdhawk Mon, 02/02/2015 - 18:35

To start with, I was lucky enough to win one Proxima mic-pre / compressor in one of your contests.

Then about a year later you put the following up for sale, and we traded some of my high-end Furman balanced studio power for:

A second Proxima mic-pre / compressor
Thorax mic-pre / DI / compressor
Maximus switchable tube or solid-state mic-pre / DI
VMP-2000eVU dual mic-pre / DI

I really liked the Proxima, so had no reservations about trading for the other three pieces without even hearing them.

Until my building project gets done, I'm resigned to recording almost everything elsewhere - primarily with one of two PreSonus StudioLive rigs. The pres in the StudioLive are beefy and very satisfying sonically, so if I'm going to lug racks full of outboard gear to track something remote, it's truly a special occasion. From time to time that happens, and I've used the Thorax, VMP, and Proximas on remote projects as mic-pres. As you probably know, the Thorax and VMP add something special as DIs for bass, keyboard, and acoustic guitars, but I've got no shortage in that department with several Avalon U5s, several HHB/TL Audio Fatman tube compressors / mic & instrument pre-amps, a GT Brick, and some outboard PreSonus pres as well. I've got some more budget-friendly stuff too that isn't as exciting, but still very useful in the right situation [Aphex dual channel tube pre, Joe Meek, ART]. If it's a project that requires I pull out all the stops, a guy I often record with has the Focusrite Green-Range dual pre-amps and a Green-Range Voicebox, plus an Avalon 747 that can really elevate the signal chain. The Voicebox on its own is awesome, and combining the other dual Green-Range pres with the Avalon 747 makes for another monster pair of pres and mega-quality compressors with EQ.

Once in a while I'll get a project that just requires recording a live event straight to CD, in which case I'll just use two good mics and the pair of Proximas. The VMP would do nicely too, but the Proximas give me the benefit of compressors.

The majority of the projects I do get to use the Sebatrons on are my own, and I've put them all to very good use. If I'm working at home, the Thorax or U5 would most likely be the front-end of the bass guitar channel, the VMP or U5s as dual keyboard pres, the Proximas on vocal mics. I'm not sure I've found the perfect application for the Maximus yet, so it sees more limited action - through nobody's fault but mine.

Again, if I had thin sounding pres as part of a more limited platform - I'm sure they would all get regular and rigorous use on every project. With the StudioLive's pres as my starting point, I rarely feel like I'm playing the game at a disadvantage, so the Sebatrons are the icing on the cake when I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to use them at home. Whenever I can get the proper control room finished, is when they'll really start to see a lot more regular use. As things stand now, I'm thrilled to have them in the arsenal, but honestly don't get to enjoy them nearly as much as I'd like to. They've never disappointed.

dvdhawk Mon, 02/02/2015 - 20:21

Thanks Chris. I'm certainly in the right line of work to hoard quality gear, and then wait for the occasional bargain on eBay - or whatever comes along. I've been accumulating recording equipment for years and worked for every bit of it, and if I don't think a piece of gear can earn its keep in a fairly short period of time, I don't buy (barter for, or trade for) it. I'll be able to outfit the studio to some level the day after the paint dries and upgrade from there as necessary.

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