Seventh Circle Audio Mic Pre Kit vs. the Real Thing

Gearslutz, eh? Funny, I've never heard of it. I'll have to go check it out.

What part of IL are you from? I live in the NW suburbs.
 
+1 for the "they think they're the best thing to audio engineering" comment.

I posted a thread about my gear list that I had put together, I showed it here too, and they fucking tore it apart and called everything "low end" and I should make my budget a lot bigger for some random mics and pres they recommended. Now, don't get me wrong, some of the things were useful suggestions...however, they wanted me to spend like $60k on gear, mostly in mics and pres. When I have WORKED with about 98% of the stuff they mentioned, and 100% of the stuff on my list, I can say that the stuff on my list will be just fine. They *literally* called everything on my list a peice of junk. Shure SM57, Neumann TLM103, Avalon VT737-sp, whatever I had, apparently it wasn't good enough. Lol. They are a fucking joke as far as I'm concerned and thats a forum I'm glad I didn't find until now, because back in the day, I would have listened to them. Now I'm much wiser and have worked with a HUGE spectrum of equipment from the cheapest crap in the world to world class mic pres and dynamics units and I can safely say that they are extremely biased and not really a great place to get suggestions from.

Just my opinion though. I won't ever be visitng them again.

~006
 
Youowemeapony said:
http://www.gearslutz.com

one of the largest recording forums on the web.

unfortunately everyone there thinks they're the best thing to happen to audio engineering and you'll get some wacky opinions.

also, they're all pussys and no one listens to metal. haha.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately?


I've already found a couple clips in the first 5 minutes of browsing, and they sound pretty damn good. Not metal......emo actually :erk: But it was quality.
 
006 said:
+1 for the "they think they're the best thing to audio engineering" comment.

I posted a thread about my gear list that I had put together, I showed it here too, and they fucking tore it apart and called everything "low end" and I should make my budget a lot bigger for some random mics and pres they recommended. Now, don't get me wrong, some of the things were useful suggestions...however, they wanted me to spend like $60k on gear, mostly in mics and pres. When I have WORKED with about 98% of the stuff they mentioned, and 100% of the stuff on my list, I can say that the stuff on my list will be just fine. They *literally* called everything on my list a peice of junk. Shure SM57, Neumann TLM103, Avalon VT737-sp, whatever I had, apparently it wasn't good enough. Lol. They are a fucking joke as far as I'm concerned and thats a forum I'm glad I didn't find until now, because back in the day, I would have listened to them. Now I'm much wiser and have worked with a HUGE spectrum of equipment from the cheapest crap in the world to world class mic pres and dynamics units and I can safely say that they are extremely biased and not really a great place to get suggestions from.

Just my opinion though. I won't ever be visitng them again.

~006
Click to expand...


Huh. Good to hear. I think I'll go tell them I have a bunch of Behringer stuff.:tickled: ;)
 
Lol, they might ban your account for not being "up to par" with them.

~006
 
Gearslutz has a wealth of information on just about anything recording related you can imagine...but, you do have to take some of the things they say with an open mind. If you keep an open mind, you can learn a lot. They do tend to have a bias towards high end gear. And like mentioned, not a lot of those guys are metal freaks. I remember one time that someone had asked for a great combo amp to record with, and immediately everyone jumped in saying things like: Fender Twin, Roland JC-120, Peavey Classic 30, etc. After about 20+ people had responded to this guy, I was finally the first who asked what to me seemed like an obvious first question: "What type of music do you plan on using it for?" You could hear the light bulbs coming on after that because literally no one at that point had assumed he was going to play anything more than lighter music. Turns out the guy was going to play punk and hard rock/metal.

But in regards to the Seventh Audio gear...those guys at Gearslutz are very critical of gear and hold their classics like Neve 10XX's in very high regard. It seems that most people over there speak pretty favorable of SA stuff. So, coming from a group as critical as they are, I think it speaks volume about the sound quality of the SA stuff for them to think so highly of it. I've spoken with Tim Ryan at SA a few times, and he's great to talk to also. Very helpful and informative.
 
Very well said Silverwulf.

The problem isn't that everyone makes good recordings, it's that everyone thinks THEIR opinions are the only way to go. When you have 50 different stuck up dudes all trying to tell you what's the best (or the worst), you wind up with a huge clusterfuck of opinions, and it's counterproductive. That being said, there are some really good hints on that forum. You just gotta be smart and pick and choose which ones you pay attention to. Typically the best advice comes from people who are humble and present their opinions in a decent way rather than saying "STFU N00B GOD THAT PRE SUCKS". Makes them sound like a 5 year old. I know I sure wouldn't take advice on audio from a 5 year old.

Unless it was that kid in Jerry Maguire. I'd listen to him regardless of the topic because he rules ass.
 
Sorry for the revival but does anyone have experience with these pre's and how they compare to the real thing? Diving into electronics and soldering now and really want to take this project on
 
I've begun to go there again, I've never really posted there much and usually keep my distance.
Surprisingly I get a response from an M-Audio rep faster there than on the M-Audio forums!

Some great Gearslutz reads:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-m...hings-you-have-ever-heard-during-session.html
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/360799-moving-folders-around-windows-xp.html


Just to get it back on topic, I'd really like to get a couple of those Seventh Circle preamps, maybe the Neve clones, but maybe not.
 
Ah, my ancient thread...

Some time after posting this thread (and after a lot more research) I bought a SCA box along with a couple N72 (neve) modules. IMO, they can definitely hold their own against any boutique pre out there.

Although you probably won't learn much about electronics simply by assembling one of these kits, you will become a soldering MASTER.

But obviously I picked these up for the Neve sound, and they have it in spades.

Highly recommended!:kickass:
 
My friend built one of the seventh circle neve clones and we use it over the ameks we have at the studio. For the price they are incredible! everyone should have at least one!
 
Ben how difficult was it for you? (considering I have only soldered to swap pick ups) Should I get a soldering learning kit first?:Smug:

Also did you ever get to look at the API clones from seventh circle and what is your opinion?
 
I hate how you have to buy the power supply and a couple other things along with the assembly kit. Also, not that it really matters, but the N72 is based on some electronics that are not actually part of a Neve pre. I'll probably wind up getting a Golden Age neve clone.
 
jauernis said:
Ben how difficult was it for you? (considering I have only soldered to swap pick ups) Should I get a soldering learning kit first?:Smug:

Also did you ever get to look at the API clones from seventh circle and what is your opinion?
Click to expand...

Prior to building the N72s, I had only done a few pickup jobs and some cables here and there. So you're probably in the same boat I was in. But make sure you have a good soldering iron. Anything less than $50 is probably not good enough. I use a Weller WES51, which was worth every cent. It's also a good idea to have a solder sucker on hand just in case (another $5).

The basic "techniques" involved are to bend the leads, put them through the holes, and while holding the component from the underside with a finger, quickly melt the ring surrounding the lead. The SCA boards already have solder "built in" so you won't need much extra to make good contact between component and through-hole. AFTER soldering the part in place, clip off the excess leads with wire cutters.

There are some tricky parts, like calibrating the pre after assembling it. And then, the moment of truth: powering it up for the first time. Just follow Tim's walkthrough and you won't have smoke pouring out of one of the resistors. :eek: Don't let that scare you though. The walkthrough makes it easy for ANYONE to put a SCA pre together. Oh, yeah - you'll need a decent multi-meter also.

I've heard great things about the API modules, and I plan on getting a pair of those when I have some spare time. I've also heard that the APIs are the easiest to build too.
 
The basic "techniques" involved are to bend the leads, put them through the holes, and while holding the component from the underside with a finger
Click to expand...

If you bend the leads out a bit you don't need to hold it with your finger.
Having a vice or some clamps will help so the board doesn't slide around on the table.
 
Ben Johnson said:
The SCA boards already have solder "built in" so you won't need much extra to make good contact between component and through-hole.
Click to expand...

That isn't built-in solder. That is tin plating to improve solder connectivity, and to help create a solid solder joint.
 
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