Artist Spotlight: Steve Vai
-Steve Vai
Renowned guitarist and recording legend Steve Vai has picked British Audio Engineering (BAE) mic-pre's and EQ for his demanding stage and studio needs. After extensive testing and auditioning ten of the top products available today, Vai remarked, "BAE is the clear winner, simply stunning -- kind of magical."
In 1999, BAE carved out a premium niche in the vintage Neve/API market as the first company to remanufacture the 1073 mic-pre/equalizer since its discontinuation by Neve in the 70s. After years of repurposing and racking up mic-pre's and EQ from classic Neve and API consoles, BAE now faithfully recreates new versions using original sources, including Jensen transformers, Carnhill transformers, and Elma gold-plated switches from Switzerland.
To decide on BAE's new 1073, Steve Vai did a comparison with the original, a modern day circuit board replica, and BAE's new unit. "BAE has the smoothest and most responsive EQ I have ever heard," he commented. "It just adds a beautiful air and is clearly superior..."
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A 1081 Inspired Equaliser with a 1073 Pre-Amp.
The new 1032 4-band Mic/Line preamp by BAE was inspired by the frequencies of the classic 1081. It uses the same high quality components and manufacturing techniques used in other BAE modules featuring the same Class A transformer-coupled circuits and same modular cards for long-term serviceability.
Along with the passive inductor high-pass filter, the 4-band equalizer provides greater coverage. The high-mid and low-mid frequencies overlap for flexibility in correcting problem frequencies. The 1032 also provides a more comprehensive high frequency shelf up to 24kHz for extended high frequency correction without compromising the midrange.
Many people loved the EQ portion of the 1081 but the amplifier was class A/B. Our clients told us that they prefer the class A output and so we now have a 1081 inspired equalizer with a 1073 preamp.