The OSA Pre At Chicago Lisening Session

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Drake19

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Hey everyone. I've been doing alot of research on the OSA preamps and really liked the demo I heard of one from the Chicago Listening Sessions, but I would like to know which version was used for the demo. Was it the MP1-A, MP1-C or the MP1-L? Thanks.
 
I happened to attend that particular shootout, and if memory serves I am 99.9% certain it was the MP1-C because one of the guys there mentioned it was the "vintage" one.

And yes, it was very impressive. My ears agree with yours. The OSA really stood out to me as well.

You're welcome.
 
Will you guys be @ AES in Oct? If so, come by and say hi to Dale and I we're sharing the OSA booth...number 339.

A million thanks for the kind words BTW.
 
atlas said:
Will you guys be @ AES in Oct? If so, come by and say hi to Dale and I we're sharing the OSA booth...number 339.

A million thanks for the kind words BTW.
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how close is that to the Tonelux booth? I wanna see the fireworks fly :D

j/k
 
Love OSA preamps so far. Dudley owns four and i use them occasionally. Im planning on getting me 4 myself soon (especially if my new jobs turns thumbs up).

MP1-A - Clean Style, John Hardy style but with balls.
MP1-C - API Style, big tight bottom.
MP1-L - Neve Style, Just big and fat all around. My favorite so far.

The flexibility is also amazing. You buy the frame (which also fits API's) and powersupply for about $700 i think. Then you can add preamps as you go for like $500 each or something.

Danny
 
They do that "thing" to the snare. Can't describe it. It's just that "API thing" it does on a snare drum that I like.
 
Man! When I heard them I was quite amazed. I heard alot of talk of OSA, but like I said I was like "Wowie wow wow wow!." I would love to hear a mp1-L. The sound is everything me and a freind, who are about to do an album together, are looking for.
 
I have some of the OSA's..2 C's and 2 A's and Im trying out a L..I love 'em..I really like the A's quite a bit.. The C's are great also..Easy to get good sounds with..Like Chessrock says they really do work very well on the snare{C's}I dig 'em on Kik also..I think that the price is less for the power supply/lunchbox than 700.00 more like 499.00 or so
Check Nathan's site.. good luck
 
Henri Devill said:
I have some of the OSA's..2 C's and 2 A's and Im trying out a L..I love 'em..I really like the A's quite a bit.. The C's are great also..Easy to get good sounds with..Like Chessrock says they really do work very well on the snare{C's}I dig 'em on Kik also..I think that the price is less for the power supply/lunchbox than 700.00 more like 499.00 or so
Check Nathan's site.. good luck
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We lowered the prices recently on both the 11 module powered rack and the 8 module portable powered rack. They are $599 and $499 respectively.

Henri Devill's one of the few first people to try one of the new L3's. The transformer on that thing is 3 inches wide!!
 
Hey atlas,
How would an OSA preamp stack up against a Great River ME-1NV? You sell them both so, I'd assume you've heard both. Forgive me if that's an incorrect assumption.

Also, if API and OSA are so good (as I've been reading), how come the preamps are only 400-500 dollars (without the rack) when pre's such as the ME-1NV go for just over a grand?

I'm also assuming I'm comparing apples to apples as both pre's are one channel, solid state, and have nearly, if not exactly, the same features. I could be wrong here too but, please help me understand this.

Thanks,
Chris
 
well....for one...without the rack you have no power supply.
 
I know that about the power supply but...

1 rack: $599
1 module: $450
Total: $1,040 (not too much off point)

1 Rack:$599
11 modules: $4,950
Total: $5,549 (Not pricy if 11 top quality pre's are what you need/want)

On the Flip Side

1 ME-1NV: $1075 (right on with OSA)
11 ME-1NV's: $11,825 (YIKES!!)

Is this massive price difference merely due to the packge the pre comes in? Looks like OSA is getting screwed out of 6K for their package design.

Bottom line is one OSA with a rack is $35 cheaper than a ME-1NV. In a one on one comparison, what's the verdict?
 
The fact is the enclosure and power supply make up alot of the costs. Also, the Great River is more of a propietary design with a few more bells and whistles, so you are paying some for R&D.

I just grabbed an Averill lunchbox off ebay for $220, and bought 2 OSA "C" pres from Nathan at Atlas. Thus far the OSAs sound amazing. The thing that drew me to the lunchbox format is really the price. Every time I come into 400-600 I can get another world class pre. Other units may similarly priced per channel, but you've got to have $1k in pocket even to begin.

I must throw in a good word for Nathan at Atlas. Wonderful guy to talk to, very helpful with questions. I'd buy from them again and again.
 
atlas said:
Henri Devill's one of the few first people to try one of the new L3's. The transformer on that thing is 3 inches wide!!
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Can you give us a clue on what this new card sounds like?

I own an older OSA with a real API 2520 and 2503. It uses a relatively inexpensive and discontinued Jensen input trafo, so I assume it's closest in sound to the MP1-A. Truth to tell I'm not so impressed by it. I haven't really dug into it in a full mix context, but so far it sounds barely different than a Mackie.
 
ummm... Kentucky. About an hour west of Louisville. Why? You don't want to hunt me down and kill me do you? :-) Where are you from?
 
bleyrad said:
. I haven't really dug into it in a full mix context, but so far it sounds barely different than a Mackie.
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There you go right there.....or use a dynamic MIC like the SM7 and crank the gain up on both the mackie and OSA, you should hear a huge difference there also.
 
bleyrad said:
Can you give us a clue on what this new card sounds like?
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It's hard to describe in words, but it sounds to my ears vaguely reminiscient of a very fast less colored Neve Class A piece. Obviously it's Class AB and not anything like a Neve, nor is it intended to be, so it's just a happy accident. Maybe I'm crazy, but that's what I hear. It's not dark, it's not bright, it's sound very wide and big sounding. It's got color, but it's never capable of really crunchy distortion even when heavily pushed. If you know the regular 'L' model, imagine that with a flatter frequency curve, i.e. less 'scooped' and a little more color. Maybe Don and a couple of others who may have heard it will have some thoughts.



I own an older OSA with a real API 2520 and 2503. It uses a relatively inexpensive and discontinued Jensen input trafo, so I assume it's closest in sound to the MP1-A. Truth to tell I'm not so impressed by it. I haven't really dug into it in a full mix context, but so far it sounds barely different than a Mackie.
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That's a very old unit, major changes have been made since that was made. OSA will upgrade your preamp to the newest specs with choice of model for a small fee. It should sound significantly different than a Mackie.
 
After Francis I'll give the L3 a good listen..Studios Bagged and sealed LOL..As for the A soundin' like a Mackie.. I did some tracks for a client{drums} at different studio, we tracked the drums thru a Mackie 32/8 , they are seviceable{took a bit of finessing} but they lack the depth and detail of the OSA's..
 
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