Tag Archives: audio production

Black lion audio releases affordable power conditioning

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Black Lion Audio announces availability of affordable PG-XLM and PG-X as best-in-class power conditioning


CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA: boutique audio company Black Lion Audio is proud to announce availability of the PG-XLM Power Conditioner and PG-X Power Conditioner — providing best-in-class professional power conditioning as affordable 1U rack- mounting must-haves with PG-90 Filtering technology providing an average of 90% of noise filtering — as of December 28…
Anyone actively involved in professional music-making — onstage or otherwise — knows that it takes more than a few rack-mounted power outlets to inspire true confidence in a power conditioner. Clearly, acquiring a must-have piece of gear only to find it noisier than expected or missing high-frequency detail — or, worse still, having it fried by an unwanted power surge — are all far from ideal scenarios! Such sorry setbacks need not happen, however; Black Lion Audio is here to help, having long since been trusted to modify the best gear and make it even better, which is what it took to create the PG-XLM and PG-X — taking industry-standard designs, and improving them to the point of peak performance.
Power conditioning comes naturally to Black Lion Audio. After creating its original PG-1 (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/pg-1/) as a confidence- inspiring, rack-mountable power conditioner — also available as the PG-1 TYPE F (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/pg-1-type-f/) variant with 230V Europlug connections, the company collectively realised that there are a lot of professionals out there working with a smaller budget who felt left out since some of its features could conceivably be viewed as overkill when seeking something appropriate at a more affordable price point. It is with this in mind that Black Lion Audio has built both the PG-XLM and PG-X, while still providing best-in-class professional power conditioning!
Clearly not all power conditioners are created equal, yet Black Lion Audio acknowledges that everyone’s hard-earned equipment purchases deserve the best power possible, which is why it took great care in making sure that the PG-XLM and PG-X both deliver just that — thanks to that best-in-class PG-90 Filtering technology providing an average of 90% of noise filtering, as opposed to the typical average of 76% found in other power conditioners at the same price point.
Putting this into practice, the PG-XLM features a back-panel-sited bank of eight switched, filtered, and surge-protected power outlets. On the front panel, there is a single SWITCHED OUTLET, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display-based real-time VOLTAGE MONITOR, two pull-out lamps, and a (5V1A) USB CHARGER for device charging. As implied by its shortened nomenclature, the PG-X drops the lamps and metering from that specification, yet far from falls short of the mark by duly delivering the same core functionality to also provide confidence-inspiring power as an affordable 1U rack-mounting must-have.

The PG-XLM Power Conditioner is available to purchase through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $199.00 USD and an SSP (Suggested Selling Price) of €199.00 EUR (excluding VAT). For more in-depth info, please visit its dedicated webpage here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/pgxlm/

The PG-X Power Conditioner is available to purchase through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) with a MAP of $119.00 USD and an SSP of €119.00 EUR (excluding VAT). For more in-depth information, please visit its dedicated webpage here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/pgx/


Black lion audio announces new B173mkII AND B12A mk3 portable preamps

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Black Lion Audio announces availability of British-style B173 mkII and American-style B12A mkIII portable preamps


CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA: boutique audio company Black Lion Audio is proud to announce availability of the B173 mkII and B12A mkIII — British-style (1073) and American-style (312A) portable preamps packed into convenient half-rack-sized units, respectively, allowing users to mix and match as they sonically see fit — as of October 1…
Simply speaking, Black Lion Audio’s B173 mkII is the most portable 1073 ‘British sound’ around! As such, it uses the same Cinemag input and output transformers that are found in the company’s ‘full-size’ B173 Quad mic preamp to duly deliver a whopping 70dB of gain, alongside a revamped gain stage and a lower noise floor for a cleaner, lower distortion sound. Sonically, the front panel-positioned Hi-Z IN (high impedance input) brings a harmonically rich tone to guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, while the stepped input 1073-style GAIN and variable OUTPUT LEVEL attenuation knobs allow for flawless control over transformer saturation. 48V phantom power and phase inverse controls round out the front panel with self-explanatory XLR IN (input) and TRS OUT (output) connections literally bringing up the rear.
Representing the most portable 312A ‘American sound’ around, Black Lion Audio’s B12A mkIII uses the same Cinemag input and output transformers that are found in the company’s ‘full-size’ B12A Quad preamp to duly deliver a whopping 70dB of gain — just like its B173 mkII half-rack-sized sibling. Similarly, the front panel- positioned Hi-Z IN input also brings a harmonically rich tone to guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, while the stepped 312A-style input GAIN control allows for perfect recall. Remaining on the front panel, there are also 48V phantom power and phase inverse controls, plus an 18dB PAD, while the B12A mkIII’s rear panel-positioned XLR IN and TRS OUT connections mirror those found on the B173 mkII. 

The B173 mkII is available to purchase through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $449.00 USD and an SSP (Suggested Selling Price) of €449.00 EUR (including VAT). For more in-depth information, please visit its dedicated webpage here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/mic-pres/b173-mk2/

The B12A mkIII is available to purchase through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) with a MAP of $399.00 USD and an SSP of €399.00 EUR (including VAT). For more in-depth information, please visit its dedicated webpage here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/products/mic-pres/b12a-mk3/

Signal by Output for Native Instruments Kontakt Review

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 Signal Review

Output, a relatively new content producer has recently been making waves with their well thought out and stunning GUI designs, inventive Kontakt scripting and genuinely evocative sonic content.

Their latest product SIGNAL doesn’t disappoint with its over 40 GB of content and beautifully intuitive interface.

Consisting of 4 “Pulse” engines the user has full control over unique rhythmic layered synthesis.

build in layering of both synthetic sound sources and acoustic recorded sources allow for interesting textures.

the 4 macro controls vary from patch to patch and give quick control of some of the most interesting sonic sculpting features. For those of us that like to dive deeper, there is also an advanced edit mode that gives you full control.

the Rythmic aspect of Signal really sets it apart by giving you complex LFO patterns, a step sequencer per part, Arpegiators, and an interesting Looper effect that lets you loop sections of the sound source to interesting effect.

These rhythms can all be tempo sync’d and utilized to create deep syncopated patterns, Lush evolving textures and even sharp biting leads and basses.

Of course all of this is up to the user, you can turn off these aspects if you just want access to the raw sounds, or you can opt to use any of the beautiful built in effects to sculpt your own sounds.

If you have the Full version of Kontakt you can even import your own sound sources.

Overall I really enjoy this library and it ranks up in the top 5 of my favorite Kontakt libraries.

definitely worth checking out.

 

SUMMARY

  • 500 Pulse Instruments for instant playability
  • A massive array of content
  • 40GB including analog synths, digital synths and organic instruments
  • Up to 4 separate pulses at one time
  • All pulses lock to tempo
  • Rhythms: Looper, Step Sequencers, Arpeggiators, LFOs
  • 4 central MACRO sliders unique to each of the 500 Pulse Instruments

Grab it now and get 2 free expansion libraries FREE.

Priced at $199 on sale now from Output‘s website

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