Colour DIY Card

Not quite clear on what you're asking about? You're asking about color or a specific color device? You're wondering what kind of color? You want to know about the circuit board? What?

Building kits is cool.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Yes, that is the same Link (Link555) that used to roam this forum on a regular basis.

We had talked about a number of DIY things here at RO, and he sent me (and I'm sure others as well) an email when they launched this Colour project inviting folks to check it out. Very interesting project.

Facinating.

Live long and Ponder
Mx. Remy

They also have a link to the Drip Fairchild clones. http://www.diyrecor… Drip Electronics 660 & 670 VariMu Compressors

This is also intriguing... http://www.diyrecor… DIY Mic Preamp Design: Interview with Mike Mabie of Hairball Audio

That 660/670 clone ain't for the beginner DIY types. That's for sure. And certainly not quite priced for those looking for a great bargain item. I mean that demonstration for that clone Fairchild the guy was playing back hip-hop tracks while tweaking the knobs. I didn't hear what I would call an improvement? Not with that source material demonstration. I found it fairly abysmal demonstration for something costing well over $3000.

That mic preamp? Well that would be super, undoubtedly. Still though, a $600 + DIY project for a single channel. It's like a superduper half Neve, half API, with a little Dean Jensen, thrown in for good measure. Or something encroaching that? It's a bargain but it's not a bargain. It's something that you or I would go for Bish but not your average bedroom wannabe Massenburg. I mean nobody would know what to do with headroom out to 30+ Dbm, into 600 ohms. They would then all find out that there interfaces were clipping everything going into them. And then how would they feel? LMAO I would go so far to say that that interview on YouTube, was 'bout the worst audio they could have put on the Internet! I don't care if it's a Skype YouTube thingy, it was horrible! So would you want to buy a new preamp from that guy? What kind of interface on his computer and microphone was he using? I mean if that was me trying to sell a new microphone preamp, you could bet your ass I'd have it t interfaced to the computer, especially for an interview. And I'd use a nice microphone on a table stand or one of my many lavalier condenser microphones. So that was a real joke. Really makes me question some of these people?

Strangely enough? I recommend both of those DIY projects.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Remy,

I haven't seen the video you're referring to, but I'm often stunned by how many "audio professionals" try to sell / demonstrate their "professional audio gear" using an amateurish video with shitty sound.

RemyRAD, post: 397603 wrote: That 660/670 clone ain't for the beginner DIY types. That's for sure. And certainly not quite priced for those looking for a great bargain item. I mean that demonstration for that clone Fairchild the guy was playing back hip-hop tracks while tweaking the knobs. I didn't hear what I would call an improvement? Not with that source material demonstration. I found it fairly abysmal demonstration for something costing well over $3000.

I know, distorted vinyl samples aren't the best way. However, if it's the fairchild circuit, it's a fairchild. I notice that Sowter have got a whole page on their website dedicated to the transformers, marked as "drip Fairchild clone", so that's enough of a citation for me.

RemyRAD, post: 397603 wrote: That mic preamp? Well that would be super, undoubtedly. Still though, a $600 + DIY project for a single channel. It's like a superduper half Neve, half API, with a little Dean Jensen, thrown in for good measure. Or something encroaching that? It's a bargain but it's not a bargain.

Cheaper than a real REDD console, that's for sure! There's fewer than 10 of those desks in the whole world, and one shouldn't be raiding museum pieces for bits. The Fairchild can be considered "near impossible to buy" and a REDD is effectively "impossible to buy". Plus those sorts of things are nearly 60 years old, so new is a plus.

The SCA stuff is a little less scary, bit cheaper and you get all the components and a book. Drip only sell the boards. Those are not cheap boards! You can buy fully built equipment for the same price as a bare board from them, but it will be made by ART or behringer. If you look at the specs, it's hard to find better PCBs. 2mm thick traces is unheard of, and most wires are thinner. Only thing I can think of that's higher spec is grass industries measurement gear from the 1950s using copper/silver tape and perspex.

RemyRAD, post: 397603 wrote: I would go so far to say that that interview on YouTube, was 'bout the worst audio they could have put on the Internet! I don't care if it's a Skype YouTube thingy, it was horrible! So would you want to buy a new preamp from that guy? What kind of interface on his computer and microphone was he using? I mean if that was me trying to sell a new microphone preamp, you could bet your ass I'd have it t interfaced to the computer, especially for an interview. And I'd use a nice microphone on a table stand or one of my many lavalier condenser microphones. So that was a real joke. Really makes me question some of these people?

Indeed, their demos for the most part are a bit sucking. However, three arguments stand strongly in their favour.

1. These are all circuits on boards. They're not designing anything, they sell circuits which are already well established. The equipment should function much the same as the original devices.
2. Sowter have dedicated a page of their website to the 670 clone. http://www.sowter.c… Replacement vintage audio transformers. We will make any transformer for any equipment.  So their citation is pretty strong. Good enough for me.
3. The most hardcore analog people generally suck at using computers, and I know a lot of good analog engineers who are pretty sub-par on the computer, have trouble with the basics. I also know a few people who are killer on both ends, and quite a few people who are incredible inside the computer but couldn't solder a jack lead, or tell you the visual or functional difference between a diode and a capacitor. Can't say that the fairchild clone demo was very revealing, considering that the drum samples were already heavily distorted and compressed, but one could just about tell it was indeed doing the fairchild thing to 'em, and it wasn't misbehaving in any way, which is a nice feature. If you look at Sowter's website, it's tragic from a web design perspective. Probably uses tables and all sorts, it looks like it's from 1997. That doesn't mean they make crappy transformers.

RemyRAD, post: 397603 wrote: Strangely enough? I recommend both of those DIY projects.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Hehehe exactly. Both the REDD channel and the Fairchild are proper hardcore valve goodness, the kind of stuff that sounds beautiful clean and ugly in a *very* good way when overdriven.