Audio Angel Visit #2

Studio J was visited by our Audio Angel again. Out of the kindness of his heart, he has made it his mission to make Studio J “the best sounding studio in Japan”. Sounds like a good idea to me. This visit, he spent the entire day, covering everything from new breakers and power outlets to shielding on the mic preamps and cables.

He started at the breaker box and replaced two of the breakers, one of them 200 volts.

He then connected two custom-made outlets. The outlets are made of a black resin material and contain some special parts for shielding, that I was asked not to disclose, and he wrapped the power cable in his magic white material. I was expecting the 200 volt outlet to go to the Focusrite Red 6 mic preamp because I have heard that higher voltage makes preamps sound better, but I was wrong. The 200 volt outlet was dedicated to the Mac Pro and nothing else. The higher voltage and discrete line decreases noise from interference. The final connection to the computer was this very cool looking, red anodized cable. Which also got wrapped in the white material.

The second line was connected to another custom outlet and became the dedicated power for the TC Electronics Konnekt 24D audio interface. Now it was time for a listen. The difference was more subtle than his previous visit, but the more we listened the more clear it became. The only way I can describe it is that it was as if a wall behind the sound was removed. The previously “unnoticeable” noise around the high end was now gone and left more space for the sound. The sound had more depth, reverb became more perceptible, especially on drums, you could now clearly hear the sound of the room. It almost felt like we were listening to new, high-definition mixes of the same songs. Elements that we had never heard before suddenly came to life. On one track, we could actually hear the sound of the guitarist moving. I started going back through my iTunes library to see what the songs “really” sound like. It is like you have to retrain your ears to get used to the clarity and definition.

The next step was to add shielding to the existing outlets to further decrease the noise and run the monitor and firewire cables through foam tubes to keep them apart. At this point, I set up the U87 in the recording booth and made a recording each time my angel changed something. Now, the recording that I made during his last visit, that blew me away and brought tears to my eyes, doesn’t sound as clear when compared to the new recordings. In fact, it is so clear that every subtle nuance of my vocal performance comes right through. Both the good and the bad unfortunately!

“So how about doing some work on the Red 6?” He opened up the Red 6 and attached the white material in places that needed shielding and closed it back up. We then opened up the Grace Design Model 201 preamp and did more of the same. Inside the Grace preamp there was a bundle of wires running out of the gain pots. He unplugged one end and twisted the cables so they were no longer parallel to cancel out noise.

We then recorded through each of the preamps. The Grace sounded clearer and more accurate but with an added feeling of analog warmth. The Red 6 was transformed back to the Red 6 I first listened to many years ago. The silky smooth fatness and warmth that made me fall in love with it came back and were silkier and warmer than ever. What a wonderful feeling, singing through silk.

It got dark and my Audio Angel had to go home but he said he would be sending me a package and would be visiting again to do even more! Even when you think you have reached the upper echelons of amazing sound, there is still more he can do. I spent the rest of the night listening to old recordings and feeling the music echo through my nervous system. Thanks again Audio Angel!