HOW TO easily build AUTHENTIC RE-CREATIONS OF LA2A, PULTEC, UA176... ALL BY YOURSELF

R

rainton

New member
UPDATE:

Thanks to the great feedback I got from you guys I finally made my initial step and released a first landing page :)
This page contains a video in which I outline the basic idea of creating a free platform as extensive knowledge base with step by step guides to build legendary studio gear ourselves.

here's the link:

www.analogvibes.com

Your feedback is much appreciated!

If you're new to this thread you're welcome to read through the discussion first ;)

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Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum, but some probably know me from other gear or music-production related message-boards.

I'm opening my first thread here because I'm working on something that I figured could be extremely helpful to many of you and probably, if you're like me - even change your life as a gear-nerd :D

I'm a young musician, songwriter and producer from Southern Germany and I consider myself a digital native, so obviously I started out in-the-box before my love for analog gear was brought to life.

I know there's a gazillion of threads of digital vs. analog and I certainly don't want to go there.

All I can say is, my key turning point (as a young musician) was when I had the chance to work in a mostly analog studio with lots of vintage gear for the first time.
It completely changed my view on how music can be created and I learned what a huge difference it makes in the process of creating music.

Anyway, as I couldn't afford to buy these legendary pieces of gear for my own studio, I discovered the magic of DIY to recreate these gems for myself.
Now, some of you might feel me, some of you might laugh - some might even think that DIY stuff has little to do with the real thing...

However, by DIY I don't mean to buy some kind-a-like kits, I mean authentically recreating legends like LA2As, Pultecs, UA176 etc. from scratch - with original components - down to the last screw.

Before you paint your picture you're welcome to follow these links to get an idea of my work so far:

NEW: authentic style LA2A, Pultec EQP-1A, MEQ-5 & Ultimate Mic-PSU chassis

Universal Audio 176 from scratch - a 100% faithful recreation of a legend!

Now - ever since I started this, a lot of people began following my work which lead to getting tons of emails from all over the world, how I did this and how I did that etc...

And that in turn made me come up with the idea to create a free platform to help guys like you and me to recreate these amazing pieces of gear ourselves by providing everything needed to know from beginning to end, easily understandable - even for DIY newbies - and creating a small community & blog to share the knowledge, tips and mods.

So now I'd love to hear what you think!

Have you ever tried to DIY your favorite piece of gear?
If yes, what were your main issues?
If not - wouldn't you love to be capable of doing it?
I'd also like to know what would you want to see and what would be your expectations?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!


Martin
 
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While I certainly have the skills to put together any of this gear from a kit...TBH, I have little interest in that much DIY.
Maybe in another 15-20 years, if/when I retire from making music and recording.

I know that to be done right, you need to take the time, if you want a clean build, without issues.
One of the things we all seem to have these days is little time to spare.
I'm sure there are people who mainly like to do this kind of DIY stuff, rather than make music...but while I do all kinds of studio maintenance and repairs when needed in the studio...and I even like doing that stuff most times, it can be therapeutic... my real focus needs to be more about making music and recording...and that's time consuming enough.
I already have spent too much time on studio crap that needed to be done...which cuts into the actual recording.

I'm also curious what does a complete kit cost?
While you may end up with a great re-creation of a classic piece...if the cost of components plus the cost of time to build it adds up, I would probably be equally happy to find a ready-built piece of gear that does pretty much the same thing.
One piece of this gear might be real cool to build and to have...but for any real significance in the studio, I would probably want a whole bunch..and man, that's a lot of time, and probably cost too. :D

So just out of curiosity, since you show some completed pieces in that link...do you sell any finished pieces, or just the kits?
Some people would rather pay for a finished piece, than burn up their time building one.

I wouldn't mind a couple of Pultec EQs.... :)

By the way...looking at those pics...you do some very nice work. :thumbs up:
 
I'm rather tempted by the LA2A kit, but it's a high voltage system. Like the Nixie clock on my desk, I'd be perpetually worried that I'll have screwed up the high voltage system somewhere and it's just waiting to kill me or set fire to the house.
 
I had thought about DIY when I was recently rebuilding my studio components. Instead I picked up a Warm Audio WA76 and WA2A, certainly not the high-end units by UA etc, but for around $500 and change for the 76, it seemed worth a try. If the units don't work out, I'll sell them and then I may reconsider a DIY, but I just don't have the time for that right now.
 
jpmorris said:
I'm rather tempted by the LA2A kit, but it's a high voltage system. Like the Nixie clock on my desk, I'd be perpetually worried that I'll have screwed up the high voltage system somewhere and it's just waiting to kill me or set fire to the house.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that always gives me the squits too.
Everything I've built/racked runs on +/- 18-24.

Nice info, all the same. Welcome to the forums [MENTION=197868]rainton[/MENTION]
 
Thanks for sharing guys!

Well, yes time is a factor of course BUT:

That's exactly why I want to create this platform. Because in the past the most time consuming part of the projects was doing ALL the research, sourcing the parts, trying to figure out how to do it etc.

If I had at hands back then what I'm going for now - time wouldn't have been the problem at all.

If I have the parts ready, building an LA2A now takes me about a day - or maybe 2 afternoons.

But one thing is: this isn't for people who have the dough to spend big dollars on all kinds of overpriced vintage gear. At least not in the first place

It's for those, who always dreamed of one day having the chance to use these gems but could never afford it.
And even though I spent a lot of time because I did all these projects completely from scratch - did all the research etc., considering the possibilities I have now - and how my approach on creating music changed completely - very much to the better, I would do it again - anytime!
And now I can indeed make music again!

Anyway - that's exactly where I wanna go from now. Based on all the feedback I got - if there was a platform where all information and instructions were gathered for these projects - in a way they can actually be found and understood easily, it would make many more people see that it's no rocket science and that it is indeed an incredible experience to end up with a legendary piece of gear you have actually built yourself!

I still remember that very moment when I switched on the first LA2A I built with my own two hands...You remember that movie "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks when he managed to lighten the fire with his own two hands and he ran around shouting "Look at me - I HAVE MADE FIRE!" :D

But beyond that the learning experience is absolutely amazing!

So in terms of rather spending the time to make music instead of building legendary gear to finally create music with it - there's one huge drawback - it actually is addictive ;)

But my psychiatrist says I'm pretty much over it now...:guitar:

Anyway, regarding the fear of setting the house on fire:

Of course there's always a chance to screw up, BUT first thing I'd want you to learn is to properly build up a FUSED power supply, before we go on.
So in any case it won't be the house that burns, but the fuse that blows :thumbs up:

Jokes aside - I understand there's some healthy respect for what can go wrong, but I think good instructions and build manuals are key here.

In tube circuits we are dealing with pretty high voltages, but there's certain things you have to know and rules to follow - and my goal is that these things
are made really clear and understood before we actually approach the build(s)
 
Do you sell completed kits?

Not sure why it matters to you if people want to build their own from the kits, or just buy the finished product? :)
 
miroslav said:
Do you sell completed kits?

Not sure why it matters to you if people want to build their own from the kits, or just buy the finished product? :)
Click to expand...

No, for now I don't.

Because for me this is not about selling gear but to share what I found was one of the most empowering experiences in my life so far, and trying to find a way
to make that accessible to more people.

If you build an iconic piece of recording history for yourself and switch it on for the very first time - it's pure magic!

If you build gear for others on a day-to-day basis it becomes a job.

My main reason for doing this - I mean working on that platform project is, because receiving tons of messages from people all across the globe asking questions led me to believe there's actually a need for a space where these questions get answered...
 
Well, if you ever do decide to sell finished units, I'm sure you will get a great response.
If it only takes you 1-2 days to build one, you wouldn't need to build thousands to see a nice return on all the work and effort you already put into this.

Some folks just don't want to be bothered with building their own...time is better spent on using already assembled units.
We can still appreciate a finished product as much as one we build if it sounds great. :)

Post back up if you ever have any completed units you wish to sell. :thumbs up:
 
miroslav said:
Well, if you ever do decide to sell finished units, I'm sure you will get a great response.
If it only takes you 1-2 days to build one, you wouldn't need to build thousands to see a nice return on all the work and effort you already put into this.

Some folks just don't want to be bothered with building their own...time is better spent on using already assembled units.
We can still appreciate a finished product as much as one we build if it sounds great. :)

Post back up if you ever have any completed units you wish to sell. :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Haha - thanks Miroslav!

I get your point!
And maybe I will at some point be in a position to offer finished units - who knows.

But here's my promise to you: If you already can appreciate a finished product that much - if you build one yourself you'll be the one your neighbors are calling the cops for
because you run around your block like a mad man shouting "LOOK AT ME!! I HAVE MADE FIRE!! :D :thumbs up:

Anyway I'd still like to see what the rest of you guys is thinking, so let me ask once more:

Have you ever tried to DIY your favorite piece of gear? If yes, what were your main issues?

If not - wouldn’t you love to be capable of doing it and what are your biggest concerns?

What would you want to see and what would be your expectations from a project like the one I'm thinking of?
 
rainton said:
What would you want to see and what would be your expectations from a project like the one I'm thinking of?
Click to expand...

OK...so forgetting the already built suggestion...
Are you selling all the components in the kits?
I see mention of "chassis" in the links, and you show that you have some "kits" for sale, but the prices don't seem to make sense...so can you post here clearly what is in the kits and their prices...and what is not in the kits?

As much as I would be happy to buy a ready-made... ;) ;) ... I'm not opposed to building, just saying that it is a time commitment. If the kits come with everything, 100%...then building your own is not as involved as when you have to first source out a lot of the components yourself.

AFA any concerns, I think for most people it would be not knowing what you have...until it's finished. :)
I think for many people the "expectation" would be somewhat meaningless/vague if they have never actually used any of the original vintage pieces. Like, how do you how a vintage Pultec EQ sounds if you never used one.

Also...for some of this vintage gear, I would think there are components that are not available anymore, so how well do the current replacements compare...? IOW...will they REALLY be identical to the originals?

The actually process of building, I guess depends on how comfortable people are with soldering and handling small components. I don't have a problem with soldering and handling...but I can see that some folks might be eager to try, because the kits look so good, and then they make a mess of it. It takes a bit or practice to feel comfortable working with a soldering iron, cleanly and efficiently.
 
miroslav said:
I see mention of "chassis" in the links, and you show that you have some "kits" for sale, but the prices don't seem to make sense...so can you post here clearly what is in the kits and their prices...and what is not in the kits?
Click to expand...

Ok, I get it :)
These links I posted only to give you an idea of my work and what I'm talking about in terms of authenticity and love for detail. The platform project I have on my mind is completely independent from that.

miroslav said:
As much as I would be happy to buy a ready-made... ;) ;) ... I'm not opposed to building, just saying that it is a time commitment. If the kits come with everything, 100%...then building your own is not as involved as when you have to first source out a lot of the components yourself.
Click to expand...

Yes I completely understand. The thing is - it's a huge undertaking to build this knowledge base - and also in such way it's as easy to understand and as I'm picturing it to be. But offering all my projects as 100% kits is on a completely different page in terms of time, expenses etc...
As I explained - my first stage of this project is supposed to offer a way to find and share this project related information in a way unseen before anywhere on the web. First of all that means to share crucial information on how the pieces of gear work, what they do (to the sound), how to build them, what you need - and last but not least where to get the parts. I'm not sure how far I'll get with my initial launch, but optimistically it will make it almost as easy as 100% kits with the help of interactive shopping carts links, extensive build manuals, videos, tutorials, etc.
It's not that you'll have to look for all the stuff yourself - all across the web. The platform will do that for you ;)


miroslav said:
AFA any concerns, I think for most people it would be not knowing what you have...until it's finished. :)
I think for many people the "expectation" would be somewhat meaningless/vague if they have never actually used any of the original vintage pieces. Like, how do you how a vintage Pultec EQ sounds if you never used one.
Click to expand...

Yep - good point. But leave that to me. I've built all of them, tested them against the real deals , made extensive measurements, compared different components against each other...
Through the discussion here I had an idea, how I could start this. My plan is to make a video to look at the whole first and from there to take those by the hand who want to follow me and lead them more and more towards the details.
So by the time you actually want to decide wether you can pull it off you've learned so much about this particular piece of gear and how it's supposed to sound, you will "know what you have" ;)


miroslav said:
Also...for some of this vintage gear, I would think there are components that are not available anymore, so how well do the current replacements compare...? IOW...will they REALLY be identical to the originals?
Click to expand...

As mentioned before - soon after I started this, others bean to follow, started contributing, co-developing solutions etc. So not only I, but many others from this small community have been working together here already to test vintage original components such as original transformers against modern substitutes, or als other vintage components that are from the same era and have the same specs, but due to not being as hyped as the original parts, much more easily and cheaper available. You wouldn't believe what we found out doing all this. But you sure will if you stay tuned :D

Martin
 
miroslav said:
Post back up if you ever have any completed units you wish to sell. :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Hmm. Not to take away from the information you're sharing, but we do actively discourage this ^.
Members here selling goods or services generally pop a link in their signature line.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hmm. Not to take away from the information you're sharing, but we do actively discourage this ^.
Members here selling goods or services generally pop a link in their signature line.
Click to expand...

Ahhh...he could post his goods in the Classified/For Sale section.

It was more about him getting back to us if/when...not to suggest that he open a store-front in the Analog forum. ;)
Anyway...sounds like it's never going to happen.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hmm. Not to take away from the information you're sharing, but we do actively discourage this ^.
Members here selling goods or services generally pop a link in their signature line.
Click to expand...


Totally :)

If I may quote an earlier quote of mine regarding that question:

rainton said:
Because for me this is not about selling gear but to share what I found was one of the most empowering experiences in my life so far, and trying to find a way
to make that accessible to more people.
Click to expand...

So, this is the plan and in the meantime I started working on it. Making my first steps to create some content that I will make available here as soon as I feel it's good enough to be shared. Hoping, it will be a good starting point to create a community & project related knowledge base.

Just to make it clear - all the information & knowledge that has already been gathered on these projects is not my merit alone! Many others who started to follow my projects and build their own legendary pieces of gear based on my work, already contributed a lot and even co-developed solutions...
...so basically the seed is already there - now we need a proper soil ;)
 
Steenamaroo said:
'fraid not - Personal items only; No commercial selling.
Click to expand...

If you build it...it's pretty personal. :D ;)

I know what you mean....I just didn't see this as any full-on commercial effort. I guess if it ever got to that, he could buy ad space in the banners.

So...on that point...when someone posts a link in their sig, to a "commercial" service or product...that's OK, right?
 
For what it's worth, the thing that impresses me the most is the chassis - with the welding and grinding element.

There is something that does bother me a little - The designer has only been dead since 89, so his designs will still be protected, so these re-creations need to be approved by the current rights holder, or they're on shaky ground - marketing them with the 'authentic recreation' is simply something that I'm sure has been sorted out.

On the HT front. I've had some shocks from valve HT supplies over the years, but current is limited and no design I have ever seen apart from dreadful home brew stuff has ever been unable to get the quite strict electrical approvals. After all, we're happy with valve microphones and we touch the grill of those on our lips. Valve guitar amps are everywhere, and using valve (sorry, tube) designs doesn't bother me at all from a safety aspect, especially with a tried and tested design, made with modern day components. Volts jolts, but it's mils that kills! A 48V phantom supply could in a rare fall condition but enough current through you to do damage, even at 48V.
 
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