Build a 1073 preamp in 7 minutes!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Time lapse video of Steve Coates, engineer at Red Tape Music, building the AML Neve 1073 Mic Pre kit, with annotations. All links for purchase of parts , circuit board and case are in the comments.
fuzzy guitar at 5 mins is sooo dope!!!!
Hello Nomad Cases, thanks for watching. The instrument soloing from around 4:53 is a Mini Moog synth played by Steve Winwood.
Hello Joshua, AML produce a kit with the circuit board and all components including power transformer, Collective Cases supplied the rack case, with the front panel drilled and labelled for this layout,
The additional parts were knobs, spacers to support the circuit board inside the case, IEC mains socket and mains lead. That’s it apart from tools and solder! S
Hi Steve, thanks for a great video and for sharing your knowledge. I’m thinking about giving this build a try. AML and Collective cases works well together, but the spacers to fit the circuit board are not included then? Where did you get those? Also where did you get the knobs?
Great music 😀
Small Hours by John Martyn, with Steve Winwood on MiniMoog, recorded in the small hours around Steve's lake, with backing vocals from the geese!
Thank you
Love the music! Who is it? Also thinking of building one of these, you make it look easy but is it that easy? Considering my only experience is wiring guitars and changing valves/biassing amps etc would I struggle do you think, or should I pay the £150 extra for the assembled version? Cheers
Hi Jake, the music is Small Hours by John Martyn from the One World album. Construction is not technically difficult, but requires good soldering skills and a good quality, preferably temperature controlled soldering iron. The solder pads are a good bit smaller than the tags on a guitar pot, but there are no DIL ICs or static sensitive memory devices in the circuit, and any fault finding is made easier by the inclusion of a full schematic, and discrete components throughout. Its about three days work to put it all together, at a comfortable rate. S
Most excellent background music - I'm way into ambient guitar but some have avoided John Martyn bcos of the folksy-woksyisms - will def follow that up
His early acoustic material was definitely very folk influenced. The mutron and echoplex guitar really comes to the fore on the Inside Out and One World albums.
john martyn small hours great soundtrack
Gunshow Riddims Productions Steve Winwood on mini moog.
Just to clarify, the case from Collective ALL THE OTHER parts from AML (PSU too right?)? I see they sell a "partial kit" which I assume doesn't have PSU and knobs only and the macaroni knob set separate. Anything else we need? Thanks!!!
It has the PSU which sits on the PCB, but no knobs (which you can get from don-audio or Blor Edwards) or case (which you can get from Collective in US, or Frank at frontpanels.de in Germany). There are many discussion threads on building the EZ1073 on GroupDIY
Great video..what do you think of the unit? I've thought about more than once myself, even thought of getting the one all pre put together. Does it sound as good?
Hello Shane, thanks for the comment. The 1073 does sound good, quite different from the very clean Focusrite pres in my desk. Not sure how close it sounds to a real vintage Neve, but at least all the capacitors in this one will be within spec. I would recommend you have a listen to the Golden Age Deluxe 1073 clone which I also have, and they sound very similar, though the GA doesn’t have the EQ. S
Oh wow...gap deluxe? Funny thing is I actually have a preamp from Gauge called the mp-1073 which is almost exactly that same preamp family, gap73. I have read a few places that the unit you built is actually quite close to a real one which is why I was asking what you thought. What do you use the aml for vs the Focusrite? I was thinking about that as well. Thanks
@@shane2973 I tend to use the preamps to suit the musical style and instrument. The 1073 is my preamp of choice for DI'd bass along with a 1176 compressor, and for most rock and blues vocals, followed ny an LA-2 comp. I prefer the Focusrite for acoustic guitar (esp 12 string) and mandolin, and instruments that need top end clarity.
hi my name is Javier, I finish the ensemble, I am confuse with the iec transformer, I see 6 cable, brown, blue, grey end purple, which of them go together in the neutral, thanks for you help
Hello Javier, do you mean the output transformer, or the mains transformer? On kits sold in the UK (where I am!) the mains transformer has only red and white leads from the secondary for a 240V input as you can see in the video, and the input leads are standard brown - live, blue - neutral and green/yellow earth. This may be different in other parts of the world where a different transformer with selectable windings is used to accomodate a 120V supply. The safest route is probably to contact the manufacturer of the transformer? If you mean the output transformer then i think the colour coding is printed onto the PCB ?
ok thank
Nice build! What power supply did you use for this? I'm thinking of building one.
experiment0003 hi, the power supply is integral to the kit, it's a toroidal transformer which can easily be configured for 240 or 120v ac operation. The large doughnut shaped object on the rear right of the case is the transformer, with rectification and smoothing immediately in front of it. S www.redtapemusic.biz
Thanks for your response. How do you configure it to 120v?
@@experiment0003 The toroidal transformer has two primary coils. these would be wired in series for 240V operation, and in parallel for 120V. The manual on the AML website describes the construction process.
I tried to break your record and build it in 6 minutes. For some reason, it doesn't seem to work.
Hello Johannes, six minutes? That’s impressive, I certainly couldn’t have done it in that. If yours isn’t working I guess something important must happen in that 7th minute? 😉 S
where did you buy the case and the frontplate? thanks
the source details are in the previous couple of messages dEAdpain. I checked a couple of weeks ago, and the links are still active. S www.redtapemusic.net
Would love some photos/instructions on how to solder the XLR in/outs if you have time? Followed your video and the instructions carefully but my knowledge is limited without instructions on this kinda stuff. Thanks
Hello Daniel, which aspect of the XLR connections are you struggling with? In the version I built they are linked to the board by very short wires connecting each pin on the back of the connectors to the adjacent pad on the circuit board.
@@redtapemusic I see. My kit contains connectors that I think would be soldered to the board and wires. I did wonder if I could avoid using those and saw you had done it without them too. If you have any close up photos of your wiring for the power and XLR connections, that would be great! Thanks for your reply.
@@redtapemusic also, looking further into it. The XLR connectors that were sent with the kit don't actually fit the case ordered from CC. How did you get around this? So close to finishing it.
Hello Daniel, I don't think I received any XLR connectors with my kit. There aren't any in the unpacking sequence at the beginning of the video. The ones I used were standard chassis mount D Series connectors with solder "buckets". The D series are a standard size of connector in many formats, and the CC case I used had D series sized cutouts. Are you certain you have an AML kit? Could you post pictures showing the XLR connector and the case holes?
Great video thx for sharing.
Where did you buy the kit.
Thx.
Hi Gary,
The details are in the posts below, the kit came from AML in the UK, and the case from Collective Cases in the States. There are links to websites for both in the threads below. S
@@redtapemusic thx for replying.
Hi Steve, thanks so much for this. I was wondering about what you said about the spacers - where in the case did you put them, and does it mean the PCB just sits on them? I also don't know if I should do the 600Ohm solder, could you explain the difference? Many thanks for any pointers. Silke
hello Silke, there are a number of holes in the PCB that the spacers will fit through. If you're planning to rack the preamp in a studio, that should be sufficient to support it. If its going out on the road you might need to fix it down more firmly wth screw down pillars. The 600 ohm option places a resistor across the transformer output to load it as would have happened in the desk it was originally designed to fit in. If running into a higher impedance as in more modern gear the higher impedance will cause a rising high frequency response, and the "air" effect that people liked about the Neve preamps. Try both and see which you prefer?
I have one of these EZ1073s and the HF Gain knob is wonky. If you push on it the hi freq jumps out at ya, let it go and it is dull, does it need to be resoldered or tightened up or something? Any info would be great.
Blake Thompson hi Blake, those symptoms suggest the HF gain pot is bouncing in and out of the circuit. I would first try cleaning the pot with switch cleaner. It that's not effective then check the soldering of its three legs to the board, and any shorts between the legs or the legs touching the casing. If all that looks ok, I would recommend removing the pot and checking for breaks in the wiper movement. S
Thank you.
Does AML sell the racking kit also with the knobs?
Hello Tom B, no AML don't sell the case. There are a few available, but mine came from Collective Cases in the USA, and is designed to fit the pot spacing on this board.
Hi. What do you think about diy-racked 73 kit compared to this AML 1073? I notice this has more knobs
Im not sure which DIY racked kit you mean Isaac, so its difficult to say. There are many DIY kits and PCBs available, and the AML kit is a racked DIY kit. If the one you are looking at has fewer knobs its probably one without the eq section, which is a major contributor to the sound, being inductor based.
@@redtapemusic I was referring to a kit by another company called DIY racked. Anyway, does this kit come with all the electronic components or you have to purchase them separately from BOM?
Could you post a link for where to buy this kit? Thanks.
Hi flypieTV, sure look for the EZ1073 kit on this page; www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html
@@redtapemusic Hi, Collective Case page is no more
@@isaackhaw9418 Hello Isaac, its working fine here; collectivecases.com The 1073 case is here; collectivecases.com/?product=ez1073. Their Facebook page was very recently updated too? facebook.com/Collective-Cases-1679518295656002/
what's is the webstore you buy the parts?? thanks
Hello, The kit of parts including all components and the circuit board came from Audio Maintenance Limited www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html, the case I used is from Collective Cases in the US, though others are available, and the solid aluminium knobs came from Don Audio www.don-audio.com. There are lots of cheaper versions of the knobs available on eBay, but many have the fixing screws too far up the knob to firmly anchor to the shaft of the pots in the AML kit. Cheers S www.redtapemusic.biz
Amazing ! So you can connect to mic on this unit ? How different sound with a real neve ? Thanks great video
Hi Juan, yes the preamp will handle line level and mic inputs, and will supply phantom power and a choice of two input impedances. The true Neve 1073 sound seems to vary with the age of the circuit as component values drift with age, so original 1073s can vary in sound significantly! However I this DIY version uses almost identical transformers and circuitry, and
comes very close. S
Steve Coates amazing , sorry in my first cuestión my phone use the autocorrect , my question was if I can connect 2 mics at the same time to make a blend between 2 mics and then go mono to my sound card . Thanks for answering
@@jotalenns no, you could not balance two mics using this preamp, it has a mic input OR a line input, but not both.
where your got the housing from? I think its not included in the Aml kit
Collective Cases in the US supplied the rack case, with the front panel already drilled and labelled specifically for the AML kit.
@@redtapemusic thank you, where can I find the knobs/ buttons?
where can we get the board and the components from pls ?
See below Mano_Flow. The kit is distributed by AML (www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html) and the case comes from Collective Cases in the States (facebook.com/pages/category/Electronics/Collective-Cases-1679518295656002/)
S www.redtapemusic.biz
Kit link dead
This link www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html is still working fine here Charlie Brownau, maybe it was down when you tried it?
Can I use a cheap soldering iron, or do I need a expensive one?
Hello free beat, I would recommend a temperature controlled soldering iron, but it needn’t be a very powerful or expensive one. The one I used cost around £40. It will certainly reduce the chances of damaging the smaller heat sensitive components. S
@@redtapemusic thanks!
@@redtapemusic I have no experience with doing that at all, you think I can still get it done?
@@freebeat2289 I wouldn’t recommend this as a first build. It’s not a complex circuit, but it involves mains voltages on the board, and requires accurate clean soldering. Maybe start with a low voltage pedal build, or a 500 series module if you use them?
Do you mind if I ask what standoffs you used for the PCB?
Hi Joshua, The standoff height will depend on the case you use, but the ones I used to fit the Collective Case are here; uk.farnell.com/duratool/d01449/pcb-spacer-support-nylon66-natural/dp/1733376?CMP=i-ddd7-00001003, these are obviously insulating nylon spacers, I earthed the board to the case at one point only (following the star earth principle) using an M6 bolt with nuts and star washers, and used the nylon spacers at all the other attachment points. S
Thank you! Also, I managed to mount the input transformers upside down and I'm having a hard time removing them to correct the issue. Any tips? I don't want to destroy the pads.
Hi Joshua, I would recommend a desoldering tool (solder sucker, works like a bicycle pump in reverse) heat the solder around the pads, and suck it up with the desolder tool. Fo the last remaining bits use desoldering braid. The board is well made and pretty robust, so as long as you don't overheat it you should be able to remove the transformer without doing too much damage.
i used nylon ones too... but the circuit schematics CLEARLY indicate that these are important case grounding points and so one SHOULD USE conductive standoffs in all cases to have the circuit function properly.
The principle of star grounding in high gain circuits such as this helps to reduce the risk of internal earth loops and noise. You could certainly earth the circuit at each of the points marked on the schematic, but the original Neve desk modules certainly didn't, and I have no noise problems at all in my construction. If all your soldering is good, and the earth path is VERY low resistance (
Where can I buy this kit! I'd love to make one for myself
Hello Anthony, the kit is available from AML in Manchester in the UK; www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html
Are you selling any?
dema valore hello, I'd consider building one from the AML kit for a fee, but I'd recommend you look at the Warm Audio 1073 clone, which is a very good affordable replica of the 1073 preamp.
Steve Coates what about vintech x73 or x73i are those great clones?
I have heard good things about the Vintech 73 preamps too. The basis of the 1073 sound is the discrete circuitry, the transformer balanced ins and outs, and the capacity to drive the output transformer hard. Any well made preamp with those features is likely to have a 1073 like sound.
like
Which kit is this?
All details of the kit, and case are in the comments LeffJ003, it’s the AML 19” kit.
@@stevecoates6217 Can you link it? I am not seeing it.
He nice. How much time did it take you?
Hello Erni, I think I mentioned in the description it was about three half days, so around 16 hours of soldering and testing in total, though that might depend on how much soldering experience you've had! S www.redtapemusic.biz
Good day! How much would you charge to build one? I live in US.
Hello Andre, that would depend on whether you wanted just a completed and tested circuit board from the AML kit, or a complete build including case and knobs etc? Construction of the board and testing is a 3 day job, so I would be asking for £300 for the construction, and there would be parts and shipping from AML to me, and then shipping of the completed board to you in the USA on top of that. S
Hey, thanks for replying! No problem, how much would be the total amount in dollars?
I'll send you my address via email,
andrerayomusic@gmail.com
I have emailed you Andre, though my mail app queried the validity of the address, let me know if it doesn't arrive? S
How much is it to build a preamp?
I built this few years ago now Chaanda, but the total cost including the case and knobs is now around £600. It looks like the kit of parts is still available from AML for £399 + tax, and the case is still available for $150, the additional parts (mainly knobs and circuit board standoffs) probably came to less than £50. See my comments below about the Warm Audio version, which is cheaper ready made and sounds very similar indeed, but not quite as faithful a replica, and you lose out on the fun of building it, and the understanding of the circuit.. S www.redtapemusic.net
Does the kit come with the casing?
Hello Prod. Yasha, no the AML kit includes everything except the case and knobs. There are a number of different cases that will fit, but the one from Collective Cases in the USA. @t has the front panel ready printed, and matches the spacing of the front panel controls very well.
@@redtapemusic I'll check it out, thanks!
Can you Give me the link for buy the Kit?
Hello Jack, the kit is available from AML in Manchester in the UK; www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html
Wbere to buy the complete kit
The link is in the reply details below Nathan, but it looks like AML are not selling this particular kit at the moment, only a 500 series version.
I need help, we assembled it completely, we just didnt connect the earthing. When I plug my mic in and turn on +48V I just hear very loud noise. please help
Hello free beat, can you tell me more about the “didn’t connect the earthing” part? Was there a reason for that? Is the earthing connected now? Does the preamp work ok with the +48v off and a dynamic mic plugged in or a line level signal? S
@@redtapemusic Hi, I don‘t have a dynamic mic to try that.
There was a spot on the mainboard wich said „Mains safety earthing“. That one is not used.
I bought the kit fully assembled by AML, a electrician connected the +24v input for me, he also sunoldered the mic lines inputs and resoldered them with a cable so we can fit it into the housing.
theres also no cable connected to the housing. I thought thats important for the earthing, but i dont know anything about electricity and the electrician told me its not needed
@@freebeat2289 do you still have a loud noise with the 48v phantom off, and the gain raised with no mic plugged in. Can you describe the loud noise? Is it hum, buzz, crackle, whistle?
If AML built the kit it will have been tested before it was sent out. I would start by checking power supply voltages are correctly connected, and the mic leads are correctly wired. I would also recommend you DO connect the casing to mains earth. There’s a reason it’s called SAFETY earthing. If your electrician advised you not to, then find another electrician, preferably an audio engineer.
Hi - I think I have swapped the PCBs of the 2 transformer ? Is that possible ? Can I contact you ? Please
Hello dEAdpain, Do you mean the PCBs that the two input transformers are mounted on? The two transformers are different, but I'm pretty sure the PCB mounts for for the line input and the mic input transformers are the same, so it doesn't matter if you've swapped them round. You do need to make sure they are the right way round on the transformer, as per the instruction manual, and in the right place on the main PCB.
@@redtapemusic hi- I solved the problem. But the biggest problem I have is the calibration. First two steps measuring is fine but the third not- I have on R26 350mv but it should be 70 - 80 mv! I checked everything twice but I don’t know what is the problem. Do you have a idea ? Thanks !!
I have now detected that the R6 when power up is getting hot an there was short smoke .. but the resistor is still good when measuring .. I am really desperate !
@@01left Fault finding remotely like this is tricky, but i would guess the two faults are related. If the output transistor bias is 350mV and should be 70 to 80 mV then I'm pretty sure the transistor will be over biased, and turned fully on as a result, passing excess current through R6, which will probably eventually burn out. I would check the wiring of R20, the output bias pot, especially its connection to ground, also check the polarity of the diode D3 alongside R26. When you adjust R20, does the voltage across R20 change at all, or is it constant at 350mV ?
@@redtapemusic r20 wiring is good.I can adjust r20 but only small amounts.D3 polarity is right. When I power up the R6 is getting very hot.
How much did this cost you total?
Hi Matthew, including the case and knobs probably around £450. Depending where you live it looks like the AML kit and the case are now more expensive, (certainly here in the UK now that the UKP is plummeting) so probably around £550 now, plus around 20 hour construction time. The nearest comparable ready made version is probably the Warm Audio 1073 at around £750, which doesn't use the Marinair transformers. I have the stereo version (WA 273 EQ) and it sounds VERY similar. S
What's a realistic build time in real time?
Hello EarlyMist, construction time for the board is probably around 20 hours without rushing and allowing for checking and testing as you go. Maybe add 3 hours for installation in the case, depending on which one you go for.
@@redtapemusic thanks for the timeframe info. It's good to know how much time and effort goes into assembling a unit...and alleviates many concerns about price tag on a boxed retail unit.
@@EarlyMist you’re welcome. If you were an experienced builder and didn’t test until completion, I’m sure you could do it faster. But I was keen to take it slowly and get an understanding of what makes this circuit so popular.
how long did it REALLY take?
Hi Sonny, as it says in the notes, it took around three half days, about 15 hours in total. S @t
107 minutes.
107.3 minutes !
I deserved that. I was pouting .
pout all you like Dee!
John Martyn
that’s right, Small Hours, from the One World album, with Steve Winwood on MiniMoog, ( and Canada Geese on Steve’s lake!)
how does it sound tho
Hello free beat, that's difficult to describe in a few words. But it sounds like a Neve 1073, which is characterised by a smooth but slightly rising high end (esp if you leave out the loading resistor for the output transformer). Its not an "invisible" preamp, in that it adds a bit of low mid "weight" probably due to phase shift due to the transformers and inductors in the EQ. If you push it hard and saturate the output transformer it adds a smooth "crunch" to the sound which works great on bass, some voices, and esp rock acoustic guitar. Very easy to get a 70's vocal sound that way. Its not the quietest preamp I have, (that's not what we use it for) a tiny bit of hiss is audible, but not intrusive , and way below tape machine playback levels!
@@redtapemusic u think it sounds better then the warm audio?
@@freebeat2289 I have the two channel Warm Audio version too and I doubt I could tell them apart in a blind test. The main difference would be the component quality in the AML kit. The switches are certainly much better quality and more robust.
@@redtapemusic so they literally sound the same
@@freebeat2289 No, I wouldn’t say they sound the same, I’m sure you’d hear differences on complex instruments (12 string guitar, grand piano etc) and the Neve probably has the edge for bass with higher quality transformers, but I wouldn’t say either of them is better overall. If you don’t enjoy building electronics (and understanding how and why the Neve works) and won’t be using it intensively, then the Warm is probably the better option. www.redtapemusic.net
might as well go work a job and buy for for 1000 they are even going for less than that. you can fuck this up bad
Absolutely Bob, If you have £1000 to spare, or don’t enjoy building your own kit that’s a better option!
@@stevecoates6217 1000 is not alot of money.
@@bobsanders2145 that depends where you live and what currency you're talking about Bob !
Please tell me where you can find a 1073 for 1000
@@cosmicclayton4399 they're going on ebay for less that 1000 rn
I feel the title of this video is misleading as fuck.
Mouldy Soul hello, the video shows you how to build a 1073 preamp and lasts around 7 minutes. The exclamation mark indicates the irony. What did you feel is misleading?
It's a time lapse. The footage was sped up, the events didn't occur naturally over seven minutes, so that would be the misleading part. If I put a video of "Boil and egg in three seconds!" but it was actually sped up footage of a three min video, it doesn't mean the egg was actually boiled in three seconds, it just means I'm a dumb ass for labelling it in such a way. I wasn't aware I should be inferring irony from an exclamation mark whacked at the end of a statement, duly noted!
@@MouldySoul your description of the time lapse footage is correct, and the exclamation mark simply confirms most people's accurate response that it isn't possible to build a 1073 preamp in 7 minutes. TH-cam is full of this kind of "dumb ass" label as you call them.........why pick on this one ?
@@redtapemusic are you saying I need to go and pick on every other video with timing inaccuracies like some sort of time police?
Well, you’ve made a start.....!
Hi Steve ! where can i find a rack case like this you have and the printed front?...please!
Hello Jeff, That case came from Collective Cases in the USA. collectivecases.com/?product=ez1073
Waooow thank you...with french taxes and ship...180$...ok thanks!!...
You can get one from Frank at frontpanels.de