Time to Test Black Series at Ten 21
The Black Series encompasses the best of Audient's analogue and digital design expertise, offering mic preamp, EQ, compressor, A-D converter and word-clock modules in a convenient rack mounted format. Sean Kenny, owner of UK-based recording studio Ten21 (www.ten21recordingstudios.co.uk), recently provided the audiophile environment for a comprehensive test of the preamp and processors in the range.
As an existing Audient customer — the main recording and mixing console in Ten21 studios is an ASP8024 — Kenny was interested to hear what Black Series processors had to offer over his existing set up, and arranged for Luke Baldry of Audient and Martin Greenwood of studio equipment consultants Dub Central to each bring down a BR10 filled with Black Series modules. The building block of an Audient Black Series system, the BR10 rack can accommodate up to ten Black modules; users can then specify their own complement of modules to suit their requirements.
Kenny installed his son Charlie on the drum kit in Ten21's live room to provide some suitably dynamic, transient-rich test material for the Black mic preamp and opto-compressor, and then ran some previously recorded electric guitar and bass recordings through the Black EQ, A/B-comparing the results to the effect of the EQ on his ASP8024.
The discrete Class-A circuitry and transformer-balanced mic inputs of the Black Pre were first to find favour ("it's got more 'whump' than other mic preamps I've used!" said Sean), closely followed by the opto-compressor and FET-based over-compression circuit in Black Comp, which respectively provided first completely transparent gain reduction and then audible 'compression as an effect' on Charlie Kenny's drumming.
Kenny was not initially interested in the Black EQ module, professing himself content with his ASP8024's built-in equalisation, but experiments on a lacklustre guitar sound, which came back to life after being put through the EQ module, won him over. "I wasn't expecting that at all," he commented. "The EQ has a fantastic tone, and the frequencies chosen just seem to sound musical and correct. The narrow-band cut is great too".
Inspired by this success, Kenny was moved to try his hand at improving a well-played but overly grungy electric bass part using Black EQ's Glo low-frequency boost and in-line compressor, then routing the EQ output through the FET over-compression in Black Comp, with similarly positive results. "I thought the part sounded pretty good before we went through the Black rack," said Kenny, "but now it sounds even better".
Rumours abound that at least one BR10 and several helpless Black modules were detained before they could leave Ten21 and are now being forced to work there on a long-term basis. Anyone with information on the missing modules' whereabouts should contact Luke Baldry at Audient on +44 (0) 1256 381944.
About Sean Kenny
Sean Kenny is the owner and engineer at Ten 21 Studios near Maidstone in Kent. The studio has a very relaxed feel and is set in the grounds of a beautiful country house. Sean has worked with a number of established artists and loves to get the best out of new bands, with his particular expertise lying in recording great sounding drums.
www.ten21recordingstudios.co.uk
About Martin Greenwood
Martin Greenwood runs Dub Central, a company specialising in studio consulting and product sales. Martin’s philosophy is to offer his customers the best of the equipment that is out there with an emphasis on product performance and quality rather than just offering the every product that’s available in the market.
www.dub-central.co.uk
