Analogue gear manufacturer BAE Audio has announced it has created a new subsidiary, UK Sound.
The new branch of BAE Audio will develop and manufacture affordable, high quality analogue equipment for musicians and project studios looking to integrate the unmistakable character of vintage recording gear into their signal chains. The company’s first product, which will be on demonstration at the NAMM Show, will be its new 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor.
Designed and manufactured at BAE Audio headquarters in California, the 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor is a 1U rackmount unit that combines a preamp modeled on the beloved 1073 circuit, with a classic FET compressor. The result is a flexible, musical input path appropriate for just about any vocal or instrument source. The 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor is scheduled to begin shipping end of January 2017 at an MSRP of $1,000.
“I am very excited to be able to bring the classic circuits that we know and love to an even wider audience under the UK Sound umbrella,” says Mark Loughman, President of BAE Audio and UK Sound. “There’s no reason why a home studio shouldn’t have access to tools like those used in big-name studios, and as such we are pleased to be able to offer UK Sound gear at an incredibly friendly price with very few compromises.”
UK Sound 1173: A Perfect Match
UK Sound builds off of BAE Audio’s commitment to recreate some of the most beloved vintage circuits of all time — but in a way that is accessible to a much broader audience of recording and touring musicians, as well as project studios. The 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor is the first of many models to be announced during 2017.The new 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor combines two of the most revered circuits in recording history: the 1073 preamplifier and classic FET compressor. The result is a unique preamp/compressor with plenty of analogue mojo. With controls for input and output gain and the well-known selection of 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, and 20:1 ratios, the 1173 delivers musical peak attenuation, warmth, and thickness to anything that passes through it. Its 1073 input stage, known for its high-end sparkle and low-end thickness, makes it particularly suitable on drums, bass, vocals, synths and many other instruments. “Whether this is your first high-quality preamplifier/compressor or one of many, we are confident you will find plenty of reasons to use the 1173 on your next recording,” says Loughman.
“We are also striving to implement these classic circuits in interesting ways that will appeal to existing BAE Audio customers looking for new inspiration and potential sonic applications. Certainly, the 1173 goes a long way towards illustrating that,” he added.
While BAE Audio gear has helped to set the industry standard among professional recording studios and industry luminaries, UK Sound is set to uphold similarly discriminating quality standards, while becoming more accessible to musicians and home studio owners. As with BAE Audio, all UK Sound gear will be manufactured in California for superior quality control.
Visit BAE Audio at NAMM 2017, Hall A, Booth 6290.
More information: BAE Audio
