Best sounding $550 channel strip?

I don't agree with that "sterile" comment. I have a couple pieces modded by Jim and while they are clean I wouldn't call them sterile. If anything, his mod made my Aphex Compellor 320A sweeter sounding. People often seem to equate clean or open with sterile. Jim's mod will most likely just get the gear out of the way, if you know what I mean.
 
i have a 528, and while i can't speak to jim's mod, i can speak to the fact that i like it on vocals, amps, kick drum, snare, and bass DI. the compressor is nice and the eq is rather musical. it's hard to beat an RE20/SM7 into a 528 for a rock solid vocal sound. considering i got mine for $180, it was a steal.

i also have a Tampa, and while i wouldn't say it's "better" than the 528, it's certainly different. the preamps sound nothing alike, and the compressors are worlds apart. i like the tampa also on kick, snare, amps, vocals and bass DI.

neither is what i would call "transparent" (certainly not compared to my minime). if i had to describe the 528 in a word, it would probably be "forward" (or "immediate") and the tampa would be "big".

if the jim williams mod makes the 528 more transparent, it could be that's something you're looking for......but it also might be at the expense of a sonic color you know, like, and find useful on occasion. i like my 528 for its color and the way it sounds as is. ymmv.

either way, considering the 528 and the tampa, i agree with Dot in that you'd be hard pressed to find something better than either in that ~$500 price range. personally i'd be saving my pennies for an API or OSA lunchbox and pres to fill it out rather than looking at $500 channel strips.

if you do get the mod, please be sure to let us know! :D


cheers,
wade
 
Beck said:
As far as channel strips in general, frankly I think they are a bit hyped and this quest for some magic sound is just another distraction (and there are thousands) from the real business of actually recording.
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this should be at the top of every forum on here
 
SCA to the rescue

I've decided to build some SCA A12's and N72's. I've built them and sold them before and it was fun. The general consensus is that they're every bit as good as the API & Neve that they're modeled after. So here we go. I'll post my findings in a couple of weeks.
Some guy on another forum wants me to build him some, so it's a win/win for me.
 
So I got a little off topic in my own thread, eh? I guess I should have said in my last post that I've kind of abandoned the idea of dumping money into the 528's because they already sound good. So I'm just going to add some more flav-a-flav to my rig with the SCA PREAMPS.
 
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