VC1 Brick question

[hveselko]

Hi Ted, I have two early VC1 Bricks and the enhance light is always on, by default. I am just corious, how come that this indicator is always on?

[Ted Fletcher]

You’ve got two early VC1 bricks? Wow, how brilliant; These were beautiful sounding mic amps.
I’ve been searching back through my records to find the circuit of that enhancer and from documents at the time, it looks like the LED is a ‘colour change’ type; the LED is in the on state normally, and when the enhancer is active, it starts to change colour.

[hveselko]

Hi Ted, thanks for prompt info. Actually, I started my career with Bricks here in Zagreb, Croatia, purchased directly from you by a friend of mine runing the studio at that time. He bought two bricks, and later on whole bunch of early VC1’s and SC2’s. That was 18 years ago. I moved to some other things in my career and I am no longer professionaly involved in recording, but I do have a small home studio. Driven by nostalgia, I managed to find two mentioned Bricks on ebay recently and those will never leave my collection. I also bought some VC1’s, mainly v2.01 and 2.02. SImple, straithforward, with caracter. Winning formula.
If you come across Bricks, do let me know, I am still interested.

[thesandbox]

Hey Ted…if you are ever trying to keep track of where they all are I have a pair in my studio as well. S/N’s 343 and 347 with an owners manual as well.
Cheers,
Matt Barber
http://www.sandboxproductions.com

[Ted Fletcher]

People are often surprised that I’m completely unemotional about old gear, but I think this is an exception; it does give me great satisfaction to know that there are a number of ‘bricks’ still in service, and being used in preference to a load of more ‘glamorous’ gear.
At the time I designed it, the brick was just a collection of circuits from a number of broadcast projects, but tweeked for overload margin, and using a nice chunky input transformer. The result, it appears, is a classic……. and I don’t have one for myself! But I do have the P110, and my son Guy, who uses both a brick and a P110 and says that they are very similar.

[yves]

Hello Ted, hello everyone.

I have been a fan of the green box for many years and had the pleasure to use a SC2 (1.05) on many occasions.

I’ve finally managed to buy a “Brick” serial number: VC05-232
No mention of VC1 on it but “JOEMEEK Voice Channel” under the V.U. so it must be one of the last made (?)
Just tested it, everything seems to fonction properly but I noticed that when I am on Comp Meter view and the Comp release is slow the V.U. stops his course at about -3dBs but eventually gets back to 0.
This doesn’t bother me that much but I wanted to let you know to find out if it’s a common fault..

Also, what is the subsonic filter exactly do? The little instructions booklet that came with the unit doesn’t mention it..

This is my first post in this forum so I hope to get a reply very soon!

Best regards
Yves

[Ted Fletcher]

That performance of the compression meter is normal for those compressors… in fact it’s a design feature, it’s part of the design of the compression characteristic that the compression release time extends out towards the end of the release.
The sub-sonic filter just switches in a filter to reduce the amount of very low frequencies in the audio…. it’s useful when recording voices, It minimises noise transmitted up the mic stand from the floor!
Only a few of the bricks made had the ‘VC1’ designation on them…. most did not, in fact it was the later ones tht had ‘VC1’.

[yves]

Many thanks for the reply and explanations about compression release Ted,
Glad that it isn’t a fault on the unit! I’ll be using it tomorrow on a vocals recording session.

I think my next purchase might be a P38V7.. reading about it it sounds just what I need. Should sound great on drums.
I wished I was able to come and try a demo unit.

You don’t have any around the Manchester area do you?

Best regards
Yves

[Ted Fletcher]

On most (if not all) of those bricks, I used a bi-colour LED that was on all the time, but changed colour on extremes of ‘enhance’.
I think it was normally green and changed to a sort of orange/red when the enhance was operating. It served no real purpose except to look interesting!
The amount of enhance necessary to get a good vocal sound is normally less than that required to make the light change colour!

[Ted Fletcher]

regarding the P38V7….. it’s such a new product; most have gone to studios in France, Italy and Greece; no I don’t have any north of Watford I’m afraid….. but I do have some in stock, so that might change soon!

[yves]

@Ted Fletcher wrote:

On most (if not all) of those bricks, I used a bi-colour LED that was on all the time, but changed colour on extremes of ‘enhance’.
I think it was normally green and changed to a sort of orange/red when the enhance was operating. It served no real purpose except to look interesting!
The amount of enhance necessary to get a good vocal sound is normally less than that required to make the light change colour!

@Ted Fletcher wrote:

regarding the P38V7….. it’s such a new product; most have gone to studios in France, Italy and Greece; no I don’t have any north of Watford I’m afraid….. but I do have some in stock, so that might change soon!

Thanks for the replies Ted.
I was very happy with the sounds I got using ‘the Brick’ during the last recording session. The unit performed very well with plenty of gain considering I used it with a RNR1 ribbon mic for a kind of 60s Nancy Sinatra sound. I used a bit of compression and ‘enhance’ to add top end. Sounded fantastic.

About the P38V7, I’ll be in touch again when I’m ready ..but found one of your early P10 for sale (on your TFPRO Shop) and I’m very interested as I record lots of drums using stereo ribbons mics. I’m wondering if it would be a better unit to get.. If it’s still available!

Best regards
Yves

[Ted Fletcher]

The old P10 on the shop page is actually the original prototype, it has been in my equipment rack since I originally built it.
I must say, it would be particularly good for drum recording…. the mic amps have the necessary huge overload margin and the compressors are very ‘kind’ to drums; they are of course, the same as the optical compressors in the P38.
The advantage of the P38V7 is the stereo width control that the P10 does not have, but the P10 does have very good EQ sections as well, and can be used as a true dual channel unit.

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