I am devoted. Two WA87s and One CX12. True story: I did a shootout on youtube 3 or 4 years ago of the 87 with a pristine, well-maintained 70s vintage U87. It got a LOT of hits and everybody loved it. There was NO difference between the two. The comments were interesting. Many thought there was no difference. There were several that were digging in and insisted the Neumann had a better top end, just enough make a difference for them. What NOBODY knew, is that I mislabeled the tracks. So the Neumann people were insisting that the Warm sounded better on the high end. You guys make great stuff.
Reminds me of the blind tests on GS. People will swear by the name of something just because it's expensive. Advanced Audio makes phenomenal sounding mics it's just that they're relatively unknown outside of engineers because they're not these ultra expensive mics.
A company charging a few grand for an analog device with basic circuitry in a 1 to 2U chassis is one of the biggest cons in music. It’s just flat out ridiculous.
Never knew how vital of a role preamps paid in recording after all these years, but definitely better educated on the what, why's & how's of preamps. Warm will definitely have a spot within my studio racks now! Thanks Andrew, thanks Bryce!
Only have one of their mics but like it a lot. This video (and the tour) is fantastic. Nice to get inside the head of the owner and see where they come from and what drives them. Thanks for putting this up.
I have quite a few Warm Audio units in my studio. I would love to see them come out with their own consoles with pres-eq-compressor on the channels. I’m confident that they could come out with a realistically priced punchy or transparent mixer to rival API’s $49k+ or SSL’s $100k+ installments.
I was thinking the same thing about this company making a console. Would be great to have a console like the one in this video for an affordable price.
@@drfangaz-pronouncedlikefan4019the affordable part comes with the demand. They have to produce larger batches of their hardware to make it profitable and bringing their costs down to the end user. Now consoles, how many people have space and money for them in their working space? Also distribution, holding inventory, shipping, assembling, for one console, you can ship, store, how many of they pre's or compressors or eqs from production to your resellers? Those all put together make a console less viable and hence probably like likely to be attractive for them to build. They need more real estate and less potential buyers, so to make that happen the cost effeciency is less likely to be achievable.
The trouble with 'realistically priced' is ...to the exclusion of _what?_ R&d, attention to build, customer support, reputation, 'sexiness'?... perhaps _exclusivity itself, heh._ Besides, I'd hazard a wild guess that Behringer/ 'midas' has probably spitballed several already and tested the waters, _and perhaps found them to be evaporating._
Warm Audio changed my life. And I know it changed many other's as well. I will forever be grateful of them. God bless you WA. God bless you Austin, TX 😅 Orange Tonebeast - 2016 CX-12 - 2023 WA273-EQ - 2024
8000 dollars on a PULTEC or get 2 WA2As, 2 WA76s, 2 tone beast, 2 WA73s, 2 WA251s, WA84, WA47, some studio monitors, cables, audio interface, DAW software, plugin suite. and still have some money left over to get something eat and invest in acoutic panels and bass traps.
@@BritoWorx exactly. now imagine how much john mcbride spent for all the gear at blackbird. he has 50 of those telefunken 251 mics yet alone literally over 2000 mics that cost a ridiculous amount of money. a whopping 300 million in gear not including the building.
I have one of their cheapest microphones, the WA47-jr, it sounds incredible. I'd love to get the full collection of mics, preamps and compressors, it would still cost a fraction of the vintage hardware.
Love that Bryce has brought these classic studio gear to the masses 🎉 Just ordered a WA2A, a pair of EQP-WA and a stereo WA273-EQ. Cannot wait to make some vintage sounds. ❤
Just discovering Warm Audio gear - I don't have enough to spend on outboard gear yet but when I do, Warm Audio it is. Love the company's motto "It doesn't have to be an overpriced product to sound good"
I have to admit, many years ago, i thought Warm Audio was the U.S. version of Behringer, cheap, mass produce stuff and the orange of the tone beast did not help. As silly as that is, but i am quite certain, everybody will prefer the black version, looks so good. As soon as i am out of my current predicament, i will invest in the Warm Audio 73eq, the Warm MPX and i'm more than tempted on the gorgeous, WA-44. Should probably get a compressor too, hm?
I picked up a Wa73 eq at GC about 6 months ago. I love that it has eq, xlr, and quarter inch on the front. So great for my workflow. I just picked up a wa87 r2 and so far I love it on acoustic guitar. And I did all of this for what, maybe 1300?
When he discusses his price policy, you realize that his biggest talent is probably marketing. I'm not saying this to be snarky. But quite honestly, golden ears are incredibly rare, even among pros. So sales are made based on all kinds of factors and ideas, and "vintage quality at budget prices", while not a new one, sounds like as good a slogan as any. On the other hand "I paid 3500$ for a single channel preamp, therefore it must be pristine" is just silly. So any brand positions itself somewhere in between the extremes, and it's up to you to find out whether or not their stuff works for you. Usually, it's about one to two years after you bought something that you really appreciate its pros and cons. I guess if you're gonna be let down, it's marginally less frustrating if you paid a low price.
I did not expect this video to be this interesting! Wow. I think I'll save this in watch later just because that photoresistor LA-2A talk was so wtf Thanks as always.
The one thing I’ve learned from the comments sections of your two Warm episodes is that even ‘pro’s hear differently. The other thing ( which is actually the same thing ) is that it is possible to make pro sounding tracks with less-than-pro equipment. Anyway, really like your more down-to-earth studio tours and even more your tips and configuration vids.
Man oh man! I am sold I have just started really building a studio. I've dumped close to $14000 in just guitars, amplifiers, cabinets and a stagg smd(57 clone) and an SM57. Plus my focusrite 18i20. For now I'll stick with that but man my next purchase will be a WA 273 EQ2 mic pre instead of going direct with my two notes stuff. Yes that sound great but not like the traditional mic and cab for real deal. These guys make amazing products and I can not wait to be apart of the family and proud owner of their gear! I'm sold! Thank you Bryce and Andrew! So fookin inspiring guys 👏 👏 👏
Funny too, i had the exact same experience with a pre amp, first time we had a proper one at hand recording ourselves, what a revelation that was, haha!
Curious if Warm Audio will do 500 style preamps. Compressors and EQ. That be dope. Loved this video. Hope they continue there vision and get into other things like controllers and audio interfaces.
thanks Andrew for these types of videos. as a former electronic tech in the US Army and huge music guru with my own home studio. I been stressing for years about gear snobs that say its no good if its not API or Neve or SSL or UA or other well known expensive top name brands then its no good. Which is absolute BS, I still say companies like vintech, warm audio. stam audio, audioscape, klark teknik and a lot of other companies can be just as good if not in some cases better.
Great vid and I love their stuff. I got a couple of their EQP-WA when they came out and loved them. I have one of there WA-14's and it's incredible on acoustic of all things. I run a API desk, so not in to their WA-12 stuff, but getting ready to get one of their WA273-EQ to check out. Great learning about their stuff in depth. Thanks for doing this!
Can’t agree. I’ve tried three times. The Warm gear doesn’t stand up to my other clones of the same. Build quality was an issue. Maybe things have changed. I won’t call them Beringher but…
I agree, making their equipment appear to be vintage neve, pultec or whatever unit they appear to be copying is a slap in the face to the originals. They should stop copying appearances and go for their own thing since their circuits are so far away from the originals.
havent compared my warm pres to real 1073 top tier offerings, but the knobs / pots at least are legit way better than say heritage audio. and the guts of the warm pres are quite impressive. does this make it better sounding, probably not but lets just hope they're not recording too much country music in there that fancy studio with all those carnhills going to waist lol.
Hey Andrew, with the new ADAM A SERIES coming out yesterday, can you please please please do a review/shootout between your Focals and the A8H or A77H? Those are the 2 monitors I'm considering getting, so would love to hear your opinion!
I got the warm audio bus compressor and it doesn't sound like the ssl one, but for $800 bucks, damn it, it sounds close enough....warm audio is the best!!
I'm so glad you made this. I feel like Warm is criminally underappreciated and unfairly lumped in with brands like Klark Teknik etc when their quality is absolutely top shelf
ahem... sir.. Klark Teknik makes VERY good gear that punches way above Warm Audio gear when you think about price vs. performance. plus, Klark Teknik makes a better 1176. and a 2-channel "cloudlifter" that costs about a fifth of the price of the original and sounds the same. Just like the 1176.
@@markpeters2317 Came here to say this. The $250 1176 from Klark Teknik is way better than the $900 1176 from Warm Audio. Warm is a branding company. Not an outboard gear company. It's all marketing.
@@garbygarb31 i agree... they named their company "warm" for a reason. all their shit is so overly bright.. or muddy as hell. I tried the WA-47 a while back.. and I could swear I was listening to a NT1a!!
Stange story. I bought a homemade preamp off some online back in like 2004 ish maybe sooner or later it looked like junk but sounded great. I no longer have it but I have to wonder if it was yours. ????
What do you think about the overall audio quality of Zoom’s preamps in their field recorders and mixers? As well as Presonus and Yamaha? I’m on a tight budget but trying to build a small bedroom studio but with professional simulations. Thanks
I have a zoom h6 that I use for field recording and live acoustic songs. It’s sounds fine to me, but I’d love to know his thoughts on those preamps compared higher end analog pres and digital emulation.
They're sterile preamps. I don't say this in a bad way. They're sterile by design which is supposed to allow you to process and flavor on your own. Check out Rob Brown's newer videos; he uses a Zoom Livetrak I-12 on drums. I use preamps with a lot of personality, but I could get great results if I had to from Zoom.
@@SeriousTipStudio interesting, I’ve never used the effects on my h6, because I haven’t been in scenarios where I needed them. I did use a limiter on a zoom h4n and a some tascam field recorder in the past for film projects, but they weren’t mine. It got the job done.
@@legacyShredder1 whoa I didn’t know he was using that to capture his, but I also haven’t seen his videos in a few months. Gonna have to check him out with this in mind.
@@christophernoia5197 Look up his video about his studio upgrade. He got a new Mac and a new interface. This is now year or two old video, but it's probably what you're looking for.
Its funny to think I talked to Bryce when he first started his company, away back in 2012 ahah. I had a WA12 for a while (although I never quite liked how it sounded ahah) But to this day I still have my WA76 which I bought from Soundpure. Great video by the way!
This is my favorite interview by you. great info. I have purchased their mics, mic pres, compressors and eqs. Each piece sounds great and the price is right. I'm in the process of purchasing and using all warm audio gear for my studio.. Their mics sound great!! Invest in them you wont be sorry..
Bryce is good people. Yes, of course you're going to have a certain degree of cork sniffing going on with how accurate their 73 sounds like "the real 73" and that's valid. Maybe it's not always completely 1:1 hertz for hertz, volt for volt accurate. But they are also, in their own right, very musical pieces of hardware that enable people who can't drop $2500 on an SSL bus comp or 1073 channel. They stand by their gear and have brought some new ideas to old designs at the same time.
They really need to release a series that is half rack 1U size beyond the WA12. Current tech should allow for the classic 2U gear to at least be 1U and even half rack. 1U, stereo 1176. Not a 1178 but two 1176’s that can be stereo linked or completely independent. Make a version of the PEQ that’s smaller.
Many years ago I was on a pro recording forum, pro sound web or something, & I was wanting to start building up a studio, so I was asking the forum about what microphone I should get first. All I got back was U87, U87, U87. Back then one U87 was at least 3K. So I gave up.
In 10yrs hopefully all analog gear will have digital recall like digitally controlled analog synthesizers. This will require some agreement on how equipment will interface with the computer. I'd imagine if USB was agreed upon, there would be an uptick in rack mounted USB hubs.
not to cause too many beef noodles (and i own some warm pres that have been great) but, i do really wish that brands where less insecure - in that they have to rely on the past so heavily to get attention. this takes away from future of innovation and healthy creative risk-taking. i'll but a stam audio clone mic because its like a piece of art (better looking - triple layered - mesh / grill) but then again art gets boring quickly if it just refers to the past, honestly. what is next Warm? seems like a long time has gone by since all the debut pres / compressors / mics etc came out...hope to see more, and if the design is good looking, you'll be good, just dont skimp on knob quality i figure - which your pres w marconi style ones do not, gratefully : -)
is that their fault or ours? Like he said, is first preamps didnt look like the gear they modelled after and people didnt get it. As soon as he did the 1176 and 1073 people bought it. That tells me its more the consumer than the producer.
@@AndrewMasters Good to hear! I've used mine for vocals (F/M), as a mono/center OH and for acoustic guitar. The shine and sparkle it captures from an acoustic is just amazing. Thanks for a great video, btw.
Warm audio does everything right from the cool boxes they come in to the thick color catalog of their gear and of course the decent price. They would not have grown as much as they did if their gear was not great. Would love to see a video of the R&D Department or even the manufacturing process.
shot in the dark if you ever have something to give away, I know a cancer patient that would LOVE this stuff... all good if not, THANKS for the EXCELLENT VIDEOS!!! SUBSCRIBED AND LIKED!!!
With microphones it is all about the diaphragm and you can't reverse engineer that. If you want a U47 frequency response it is in entirely in the diaphragm. It's a chemical process that only Neumann knows how to reproduce. The heating, the cooling, the tensioning (this part is manual but you still need to know exactly how Neumann would tension a K47 capsule which you won't know) etc. Bit like blue meth. Unless you know the exact recipe... Tolerances were super tight in the golden days of microphones. Neumann used to throw out 85% of the VF14 tubes for example. I think what accounts for differences today, when people say "you put up 5 U47s and they all sound different", are a variety of factors. Number one is probably that Neumann has had many revisions of the U47 over the span of its lifetime. Each of those will sound different now and did sound different from revisions they superseded then. Put up 5 U47s of the same revision and they'll sound the sound. And the sound wasn't scooped. K47 capsule is mid forward. Always has been. Another factor you might find is components have been swapped over the course of the microhpone's life. If a capsule has been reskinned it is no longer the same microphone (nor can it be). If the original power supply isn't sold with the mic this might alter the sound a little too. Age is another. Put up 5 same revision U47s though with all original parts in tow that are in good working order and they'll sound the same. Warm audio does great stuff but the K47 capsule eludes them like it does everyone else. It would be great if Neumann would share information about how exactly this capsule is manufactured but they won't do that. But Warm Audio outboard but if you want a Neumann sound just buy a Neumann. Nothing else sounds like it. You can now buy a 67 reissue and they sell the 47 FET which has the U47 capsule inside. The real deal :). Even the TLM49 has a K47 capsule inside and is closer to any clone you'll find. And if you need to know the answer to "which one is the 47" you can buy a K47 capsule from Neumann if you can meet certain conditions. It sounds the same today as the final revision K47 of the 60s. Great video though, thanks.
@@chinmeysway Hmmmm no, not maybe. Definitely. If the capsule is ever successfully reverse engineered you'll be hear about it. They'll be shouting it from the rooftops don't worry. But that won't happen. What should happen instead of all these cloning attempts is genuine R&D in an effort to develop a great sounding diaphragm. Reason people like the K47 is because it is about as close to perfect as we have. Maybe as is possible I don't know. Every clone attempt ever has always been mid recessed which is, well, missing the mark since that's the most important part. It isn't because the cloners can't hear it. It's because they can't replicate it. Which goes back to my previous point.
About time they built a complete desk then, cool if it had DAW control integration with something like the MPMidi controller in centrepiece for total hybrid Funktionalität…….
Love WA. I own some of the (much) more expensive brands too and I cannot tell the difference. Amazing company! And, Andrew, their mics are stellar. Their WA47 and 251s are just cream.
My ONLY issue with Warm Audio is that they claim to make "clones," but many of their circuits are so far removed from the original inspirations, that it really is not an honest claim to make. Mojave makes microphones that clone u67s and 251s, but they don't use any of that in their marketing or designs because the circuits, while amazingly built, are different, modern takes, but still deliver the sound. While the Warm u47 is pretty decent for the price, nothing about it sounds like a u47, and not by accident either. The circuit is completely different! I don't think gear has to be expensive to be good, but I think if you have a sound in mind and you buy the warm instead of that thing, you'll be disappointed. If you buy Warm stuff because you like Warm stuff, then more power to you! Hopefully that's a fair assessment of them and not tearing down anyone who uses their stuff, because that's definitely not my intention or feelings about it at all. You can make great records with their outboard gear, you just have to use it differently than the thing it looks like.
*****Just wanted to say that this mostly applies to the compressors and microphones. Their preamps sound really really great. And yes, those still have very audible differences. But it's just that: Differences. Nothing that feels too far removed from what you're after from an API or Neve pre. I used a Tone Beast in a session a few years ago, and really loved what that thing did. Hopefully I don't get attacked by anyone adding this! I think it's cool what they're doing aside from those critiques.
Really interesting point - I often wonder (especially with plugins) if the branding and styling was taken away would certain products be successful. Don't get me wrong, I have 2 warm wa412s (8 pres) and a pair of warm eqp 1a eqs and I love them... Never been attracted to warm mics I don't know why. Also, about the Mojave, I have a pair of 201fets and never thought they might be clones of (or inspired by) a classic mic. Any idea if they are and if so what mic they are based on? Thanks man
Good point though most clone makers do the same thing. The one exception I can think of is Warbler mics. This company is one brilliant Chinese engineer who does zero marketing and has no 47, 87, 67, 12, 414 in the the names of the Mics. Somewhere on Gearspace there’s a chart saying things like “The MKID sounds like an pre 80s U87, good for vocals….” As for the quality? I might sell my Neumann U87 but I can’t imagine selling my Warbler MKID.
@@nickmandleberg yeah i almost bought their mics but then went with stam audio. the warms are pretty chinesey on the build so feel overpriced, much of them. pres though seem like the most robust build on anything ive ever come across however.
Me encantan este tipo de Videos, y me gustaría más si supiera inglés ja ja ja no sé si hablan bien o mal de la marca Warm audios si alguien pudiera decírmelo, gracias
I’ve used a few Warm products, and they’re great! But is there any concern for intellectual property infringement when you’re so clearly copying a popular existing product?
Or as Einstein would say: "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not". A person who knows what to do, can do a way better work on cheap hardware than a mediocre skilled individual on an expensive hardware.
I am devoted. Two WA87s and One CX12. True story: I did a shootout on youtube 3 or 4 years ago of the 87 with a pristine, well-maintained 70s vintage U87. It got a LOT of hits and everybody loved it. There was NO difference between the two. The comments were interesting. Many thought there was no difference. There were several that were digging in and insisted the Neumann had a better top end, just enough make a difference for them. What NOBODY knew, is that I mislabeled the tracks. So the Neumann people were insisting that the Warm sounded better on the high end. You guys make great stuff.
Reminds me of the blind tests on GS. People will swear by the name of something just because it's expensive. Advanced Audio makes phenomenal sounding mics it's just that they're relatively unknown outside of engineers because they're not these ultra expensive mics.
"It doesn't have to be an overpriced product to sound good." Amen to that.
all about the talent!
Yap!
A company charging a few grand for an analog device with basic circuitry in a 1 to 2U chassis is one of the biggest cons in music. It’s just flat out ridiculous.
If the warm gear would only sound good
I had no idea they went that far to ensure their products quality and accuracy. That is truly impressive. GREAT video, as always.
Never knew how vital of a role preamps paid in recording after all these years, but definitely better educated on the what, why's & how's of preamps. Warm will definitely have a spot within my studio racks now! Thanks Andrew, thanks Bryce!
Only have one of their mics but like it a lot. This video (and the tour) is fantastic. Nice to get inside the head of the owner and see where they come from and what drives them. Thanks for putting this up.
I own and use the WA76 & WA73 and love them. I had an issue with my WA76 and the customer service I got was amazing. Fantastic company!
I have quite a few Warm Audio units in my studio. I would love to see them come out with their own consoles with pres-eq-compressor on the channels.
I’m confident that they could come out with a realistically priced punchy or transparent mixer to rival API’s $49k+ or SSL’s $100k+ installments.
I was thinking the same thing about this company making a console. Would be great to have a console like the one in this video for an affordable price.
@@drfangaz-pronouncedlikefan4019the affordable part comes with the demand. They have to produce larger batches of their hardware to make it profitable and bringing their costs down to the end user. Now consoles, how many people have space and money for them in their working space? Also distribution, holding inventory, shipping, assembling, for one console, you can ship, store, how many of they pre's or compressors or eqs from production to your resellers? Those all put together make a console less viable and hence probably like likely to be attractive for them to build. They need more real estate and less potential buyers, so to make that happen the cost effeciency is less likely to be achievable.
The trouble with 'realistically priced' is ...to the exclusion of _what?_
R&d, attention to build, customer support, reputation, 'sexiness'?... perhaps _exclusivity itself, heh._
Besides, I'd hazard a wild guess that Behringer/ 'midas' has probably spitballed several already and tested the waters, _and perhaps found them to be evaporating._
Warm Audio changed my life. And I know it changed many other's as well. I will forever be grateful of them. God bless you WA. God bless you Austin, TX 😅
Orange Tonebeast - 2016
CX-12 - 2023
WA273-EQ - 2024
This was such a cool conversation, Shout out to the team over at Warm for pulling the curtain back for me. Hit that SUBSCRIBE button!
Such a great video - really enjoyed the back stories to the gear - thanks for this.
8000 dollars on a PULTEC or get 2 WA2As, 2 WA76s, 2 tone beast, 2 WA73s, 2 WA251s, WA84, WA47, some studio monitors, cables, audio interface, DAW software, plugin suite. and still have some money left over to get something eat and invest in acoutic panels and bass traps.
Yup exactly!!! $8k for one EQ is absolutely absurd.
@@BritoWorx now imagine how much you can buy for the cost of one telefunken e251 $25,000 microphone
@@marksmusicplace3627 I think my entire studio is $30k I can’t ever imagine spending that type of money on 1 piece of equipment.
@@BritoWorx exactly. now imagine how much john mcbride spent for all the gear at blackbird. he has 50 of those telefunken 251 mics yet alone literally over 2000 mics that cost a ridiculous amount of money. a whopping 300 million in gear not including the building.
@@BritoWorx you can spend 25k on a telefunken or 800 on a warm audio and practically get identical results.
Ordering a warm audio 251 in a few days! Can't wait
Just ordered 2 units of the WA-412 preamp for my drum studio. Can't wait to get them.
I love Warm Audio gear. Have had great results so far
It so interesting to realise that Klark Technik is now doing a Warm Audio, on Warm Audio, i.e creating 1176's and LA2A's at ridiculous prices.
I love warm audio products, this video is gold and I have a even bigger love for this company.
Great video.
I have one of their cheapest microphones, the WA47-jr, it sounds incredible. I'd love to get the full collection of mics, preamps and compressors, it would still cost a fraction of the vintage hardware.
Love that Bryce has brought these classic studio gear to the masses 🎉
Just ordered a WA2A, a pair of EQP-WA and a stereo WA273-EQ. Cannot wait to make some vintage sounds. ❤
Just discovering Warm Audio gear - I don't have enough to spend on outboard gear yet but when I do, Warm Audio it is. Love the company's motto "It doesn't have to be an overpriced product to sound good"
I have to admit, many years ago, i thought Warm Audio was the U.S. version of Behringer, cheap, mass produce stuff and the orange of the tone beast did not help. As silly as that is, but i am quite certain, everybody will prefer the black version, looks so good.
As soon as i am out of my current predicament, i will invest in the Warm Audio 73eq, the Warm MPX and i'm more than tempted on the gorgeous, WA-44. Should probably get a compressor too, hm?
I picked up a Wa73 eq at GC about 6 months ago. I love that it has eq, xlr, and quarter inch on the front. So great for my workflow. I just picked up a wa87 r2 and so far I love it on acoustic guitar. And I did all of this for what, maybe 1300?
When he discusses his price policy, you realize that his biggest talent is probably marketing. I'm not saying this to be snarky. But quite honestly, golden ears are incredibly rare, even among pros. So sales are made based on all kinds of factors and ideas, and "vintage quality at budget prices", while not a new one, sounds like as good a slogan as any. On the other hand "I paid 3500$ for a single channel preamp, therefore it must be pristine" is just silly. So any brand positions itself somewhere in between the extremes, and it's up to you to find out whether or not their stuff works for you. Usually, it's about one to two years after you bought something that you really appreciate its pros and cons. I guess if you're gonna be let down, it's marginally less frustrating if you paid a low price.
His gear is awesome and well made
Wish they would do a 1073-500 series with line in.
I've got a ton of Warm Adio gear. I love it and Bryce is awesome too....I keep saying make an Avalon 737 clone....
I am very impressed with warm audio! Thanks for the vid man!
I did not expect this video to be this interesting! Wow. I think I'll save this in watch later just because that photoresistor LA-2A talk was so wtf
Thanks as always.
The one thing I’ve learned from the comments sections of your two Warm episodes is that even ‘pro’s hear differently. The other thing ( which is actually the same thing ) is that it is possible to make pro sounding tracks with less-than-pro equipment. Anyway, really like your more down-to-earth studio tours and even more your tips and configuration vids.
The guy who's talking in the interview is Joshua Van Der Stam from Stam Audio.
Man oh man! I am sold I have just started really building a studio. I've dumped close to $14000 in just guitars, amplifiers, cabinets and a stagg smd(57 clone) and an SM57. Plus my focusrite 18i20. For now I'll stick with that but man my next purchase will be a WA 273 EQ2 mic pre instead of going direct with my two notes stuff. Yes that sound great but not like the traditional mic and cab for real deal. These guys make amazing products and I can not wait to be apart of the family and proud owner of their gear! I'm sold! Thank you Bryce and Andrew! So fookin inspiring guys 👏 👏 👏
i like how bryce gets into describing all the units its awesome thats the way i get into it and my thinks i'm crazy
How did they get the 2 half rack preamps joined together into a single unit space? Looks sharp!
Funny too, i had the exact same experience with a pre amp, first time we had a proper one at hand recording ourselves, what a revelation that was, haha!
I've had mine for just over a week and its a total game-changer!
Curious if Warm Audio will do 500 style preamps. Compressors and EQ. That be dope. Loved this video. Hope they continue there vision and get into other things like controllers and audio interfaces.
I believe they already do.
Good question
thanks Andrew for these types of videos. as a former electronic tech in the US Army and huge music guru with my own home studio. I been stressing for years about gear snobs that say its no good if its not API or Neve or SSL or UA or other well known expensive top name brands then its no good. Which is absolute BS, I still say companies like vintech, warm audio. stam audio, audioscape, klark teknik and a lot of other companies can be just as good if not in some cases better.
Great video... started to build my own studio with Warm Audio components now :D
After watching this I am thinking of getting some WA gear. Which comp would work best with electric guitar - WA-12 or the WA76?
Great vlog, Andy! Eyelid-peeling. New respect for the builders of audio sweetness! Love it.
That man that bought that preamp was me 😎 haha thanks Bryce
Great vid and I love their stuff. I got a couple of their EQP-WA when they came out and loved them. I have one of there WA-14's and it's incredible on acoustic of all things. I run a API desk, so not in to their WA-12 stuff, but getting ready to get one of their WA273-EQ to check out. Great learning about their stuff in depth. Thanks for doing this!
Can’t agree. I’ve tried three times. The Warm gear doesn’t stand up to my other clones of the same. Build quality was an issue. Maybe things have changed. I won’t call them Beringher but…
I agree, making their equipment appear to be vintage neve, pultec or whatever unit they appear to be copying is a slap in the face to the originals. They should stop copying appearances and go for their own thing since their circuits are so far away from the originals.
Regarding behringer- the kt76s are incredible to be fair
What warm audio gear did you have?
havent compared my warm pres to real 1073 top tier offerings, but the knobs / pots at least are legit way better than say heritage audio. and the guts of the warm pres are quite impressive. does this make it better sounding, probably not but lets just hope they're not recording too much country music in there that fancy studio with all those carnhills going to waist lol.
To be honest I always found them a little sus. Fairly cheap looking copies with a big "warm" logo slapped on the front.. a bit cringe to be honest.
The amount of gems in this video is insane. People don't know what goes into designing and launching audio gear, me included. This was awesome!
It still fascinates me after almost 15yrs with the guy!
This guys rocks. Warm Audio is the best!
Hey Andrew, with the new ADAM A SERIES coming out yesterday, can you please please please do a review/shootout between your Focals and the A8H or A77H? Those are the 2 monitors I'm considering getting, so would love to hear your opinion!
Amazing insight. Thank u buddy
I got the warm audio bus compressor and it doesn't sound like the ssl one, but for $800 bucks, damn it, it sounds close enough....warm audio is the best!!
VERY good info!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Warm Audio is my kind of 🔥👌
I have most of their gear, and I love all of it.
The WA8000 sounds really amazing. I am a Warm Audio Fan now
I'm so glad you made this. I feel like Warm is criminally underappreciated and unfairly lumped in with brands like Klark Teknik etc when their quality is absolutely top shelf
ahem... sir.. Klark Teknik makes VERY good gear that punches way above Warm Audio gear when you think about price vs. performance.
plus, Klark Teknik makes a better 1176.
and a 2-channel "cloudlifter" that costs about a fifth of the price of the original and sounds the same. Just like the 1176.
@@markpeters2317 Came here to say this. The $250 1176 from Klark Teknik is way better than the $900 1176 from Warm Audio. Warm is a branding company. Not an outboard gear company. It's all marketing.
@@garbygarb31 i agree... they named their company "warm" for a reason. all their shit is so overly bright.. or muddy as hell.
I tried the WA-47 a while back.. and I could swear I was listening to a NT1a!!
Stange story. I bought a homemade preamp off some online back in like 2004 ish maybe sooner or later it looked like junk but sounded great. I no longer have it but I have to wonder if it was yours. ????
Not if it was in 2004. We didn’t get married until 2007 and preamps followed. ☺️
What do you think about the overall audio quality of Zoom’s preamps in their field recorders and mixers? As well as Presonus and Yamaha? I’m on a tight budget but trying to build a small bedroom studio but with professional simulations. Thanks
I have a zoom h6 that I use for field recording and live acoustic songs. It’s sounds fine to me, but I’d love to know his thoughts on those preamps compared higher end analog pres and digital emulation.
They're sterile preamps. I don't say this in a bad way. They're sterile by design which is supposed to allow you to process and flavor on your own. Check out Rob Brown's newer videos; he uses a Zoom Livetrak I-12 on drums. I use preamps with a lot of personality, but I could get great results if I had to from Zoom.
@@SeriousTipStudio interesting, I’ve never used the effects on my h6, because I haven’t been in scenarios where I needed them. I did use a limiter on a zoom h4n and a some tascam field recorder in the past for film projects, but they weren’t mine. It got the job done.
@@legacyShredder1 whoa I didn’t know he was using that to capture his, but I also haven’t seen his videos in a few months. Gonna have to check him out with this in mind.
@@christophernoia5197 Look up his video about his studio upgrade. He got a new Mac and a new interface. This is now year or two old video, but it's probably what you're looking for.
Its funny to think I talked to Bryce when he first started his company, away back in 2012 ahah. I had a WA12 for a while (although I never quite liked how it sounded ahah) But to this day I still have my WA76 which I bought from Soundpure. Great video by the way!
This is my favorite interview by you. great info. I have purchased their mics, mic pres, compressors and eqs. Each piece sounds great and the price is right. I'm in the process of purchasing and using all warm audio gear for my studio.. Their mics sound great!! Invest in them you wont be sorry..
Bryce is good people. Yes, of course you're going to have a certain degree of cork sniffing going on with how accurate their 73 sounds like "the real 73" and that's valid. Maybe it's not always completely 1:1 hertz for hertz, volt for volt accurate. But they are also, in their own right, very musical pieces of hardware that enable people who can't drop $2500 on an SSL bus comp or 1073 channel. They stand by their gear and have brought some new ideas to old designs at the same time.
They really need to release a series that is half rack 1U size beyond the WA12. Current tech should allow for the classic 2U gear to at least be 1U and even half rack. 1U, stereo 1176. Not a 1178 but two 1176’s that can be stereo linked or completely independent. Make a version of the PEQ that’s smaller.
Love Warm Audio's gear! I swear by my 412, 78, and 87R2
I will definitely buy Warm Audio products.
Many years ago I was on a pro recording forum, pro sound web or something, & I was wanting to start building up a studio, so I was asking the forum about what microphone I should get first. All I got back was U87, U87, U87. Back then one U87 was at least 3K. So I gave up.
"Fascinating, captain."
This style video is great BTW. Pairs really well with your other epic studio videos
tell them to make a 2 channel ssl comp/gate like on the channel strip
In 10yrs hopefully all analog gear will have digital recall like digitally controlled analog synthesizers. This will require some agreement on how equipment will interface with the computer. I'd imagine if USB was agreed upon, there would be an uptick in rack mounted USB hubs.
not to cause too many beef noodles (and i own some warm pres that have been great) but, i do really wish that brands where less insecure - in that they have to rely on the past so heavily to get attention. this takes away from future of innovation and healthy creative risk-taking. i'll but a stam audio clone mic because its like a piece of art (better looking - triple layered - mesh / grill) but then again art gets boring quickly if it just refers to the past, honestly. what is next Warm? seems like a long time has gone by since all the debut pres / compressors / mics etc came out...hope to see more, and if the design is good looking, you'll be good, just dont skimp on knob quality i figure - which your pres w marconi style ones do not, gratefully : -)
is that their fault or ours? Like he said, is first preamps didnt look like the gear they modelled after and people didnt get it. As soon as he did the 1176 and 1073 people bought it. That tells me its more the consumer than the producer.
@@tylercox2 exactly 💯 👏
I tried a lot of warm stuff and unfortunately I sold it all. Good stuff for the price
I actually only have their mics - no pre's (yet!).
Their 251 is amazing.
I also have the original WA87. Best utility mic ever.
251 is not good in comparison to my Bock. Tried it for travel. No. The Zen Pro Audio Mod of warm 251 is better though.
Spoiler, I recently picked up the 251 and it blew my mind. So pumped.
@@AndrewMasters Good to hear! I've used mine for vocals (F/M), as a mono/center OH and for acoustic guitar. The shine and sparkle it captures from an acoustic is just amazing.
Thanks for a great video, btw.
I'm in the same boat
Warm audio does everything right from the cool boxes they come in to the thick color catalog of their gear and of course the decent price. They would not have grown as much as they did if their gear was not great. Would love to see a video of the R&D Department or even the manufacturing process.
I have the 67. It sounds superb. I’d love to get a 47 too.
those are some really nice rooms
Is "that fellow" Joshua @Stam?
T por favor alguien me podría hacer un resumen de qué está hablando este señor? En español por favor gracias me interesa muchísimo
shot in the dark if you ever have something to give away, I know a cancer patient that would LOVE this stuff... all good if not, THANKS for the EXCELLENT VIDEOS!!! SUBSCRIBED AND LIKED!!!
what is that monitor controller or frq meter ?
Grace Design M905
Outstanding video! Please more of these type of videos!
Thanks 🙏
Good stuff but build bigger input transformers. Remove capacitors from the signal path.
Warm audio ad
With microphones it is all about the diaphragm and you can't reverse engineer that. If you want a U47 frequency response it is in entirely in the diaphragm. It's a chemical process that only Neumann knows how to reproduce. The heating, the cooling, the tensioning (this part is manual but you still need to know exactly how Neumann would tension a K47 capsule which you won't know) etc. Bit like blue meth. Unless you know the exact recipe... Tolerances were super tight in the golden days of microphones. Neumann used to throw out 85% of the VF14 tubes for example. I think what accounts for differences today, when people say "you put up 5 U47s and they all sound different", are a variety of factors. Number one is probably that Neumann has had many revisions of the U47 over the span of its lifetime. Each of those will sound different now and did sound different from revisions they superseded then. Put up 5 U47s of the same revision and they'll sound the sound. And the sound wasn't scooped. K47 capsule is mid forward. Always has been. Another factor you might find is components have been swapped over the course of the microhpone's life. If a capsule has been reskinned it is no longer the same microphone (nor can it be). If the original power supply isn't sold with the mic this might alter the sound a little too. Age is another. Put up 5 same revision U47s though with all original parts in tow that are in good working order and they'll sound the same. Warm audio does great stuff but the K47 capsule eludes them like it does everyone else. It would be great if Neumann would share information about how exactly this capsule is manufactured but they won't do that. But Warm Audio outboard but if you want a Neumann sound just buy a Neumann. Nothing else sounds like it. You can now buy a 67 reissue and they sell the 47 FET which has the U47 capsule inside. The real deal :). Even the TLM49 has a K47 capsule inside and is closer to any clone you'll find. And if you need to know the answer to "which one is the 47" you can buy a K47 capsule from Neumann if you can meet certain conditions. It sounds the same today as the final revision K47 of the 60s. Great video though, thanks.
maybe
@@chinmeysway Hmmmm no, not maybe. Definitely. If the capsule is ever successfully reverse engineered you'll be hear about it. They'll be shouting it from the rooftops don't worry. But that won't happen. What should happen instead of all these cloning attempts is genuine R&D in an effort to develop a great sounding diaphragm. Reason people like the K47 is because it is about as close to perfect as we have. Maybe as is possible I don't know. Every clone attempt ever has always been mid recessed which is, well, missing the mark since that's the most important part. It isn't because the cloners can't hear it. It's because they can't replicate it. Which goes back to my previous point.
"The sound is in your head!" - The more equipment you have, the less time for creativity you get...
Warm audio should really think about making a a mixer where you can drop in there 1073 modules
About time they built a complete desk then, cool if it had DAW control integration with something like the MPMidi controller in centrepiece for total hybrid Funktionalität…….
Andrews is right, if you haven't got a great song, it really doesn't matter how great the gear is, no one is going to listen.
What a great business model, looking out for the customer that can’t afford to spend thousands
Love WA. I own some of the (much) more expensive brands too and I cannot tell the difference. Amazing company! And, Andrew, their mics are stellar. Their WA47 and 251s are just cream.
We appreciate your support!
My ONLY issue with Warm Audio is that they claim to make "clones," but many of their circuits are so far removed from the original inspirations, that it really is not an honest claim to make. Mojave makes microphones that clone u67s and 251s, but they don't use any of that in their marketing or designs because the circuits, while amazingly built, are different, modern takes, but still deliver the sound. While the Warm u47 is pretty decent for the price, nothing about it sounds like a u47, and not by accident either. The circuit is completely different! I don't think gear has to be expensive to be good, but I think if you have a sound in mind and you buy the warm instead of that thing, you'll be disappointed. If you buy Warm stuff because you like Warm stuff, then more power to you! Hopefully that's a fair assessment of them and not tearing down anyone who uses their stuff, because that's definitely not my intention or feelings about it at all. You can make great records with their outboard gear, you just have to use it differently than the thing it looks like.
*****Just wanted to say that this mostly applies to the compressors and microphones. Their preamps sound really really great. And yes, those still have very audible differences. But it's just that: Differences. Nothing that feels too far removed from what you're after from an API or Neve pre. I used a Tone Beast in a session a few years ago, and really loved what that thing did. Hopefully I don't get attacked by anyone adding this! I think it's cool what they're doing aside from those critiques.
Really interesting point - I often wonder (especially with plugins) if the branding and styling was taken away would certain products be successful. Don't get me wrong, I have 2 warm wa412s (8 pres) and a pair of warm eqp 1a eqs and I love them... Never been attracted to warm mics I don't know why. Also, about the Mojave, I have a pair of 201fets and never thought they might be clones of (or inspired by) a classic mic. Any idea if they are and if so what mic they are based on? Thanks man
Good point though most clone makers do the same thing. The one exception I can think of is Warbler mics. This company is one brilliant Chinese engineer who does zero marketing and has no 47, 87, 67, 12, 414 in the the names of the Mics. Somewhere on Gearspace there’s a chart saying things like “The MKID sounds like an pre 80s U87, good for vocals….” As for the quality? I might sell my Neumann U87 but I can’t imagine selling my Warbler MKID.
good sentiment.
@@nickmandleberg yeah i almost bought their mics but then went with stam audio. the warms are pretty chinesey on the build so feel overpriced, much of them. pres though seem like the most robust build on anything ive ever come across however.
I love my WA73. I use it a lot. I have noticed the price has gone up about 25 to 30% in the last few years.
China east coast - where all the factories are - is in permanent lockdown + containers price went sky high since covid and never really went down
Great background story on these guys. Very impressed with them. Thanks for sharing this!
Thieves.
Never knew that Warm audio is such a serious audio company. I just thought of it like another cloning company. I should try one.
Please do! We’ll be grateful to add you to the fam!
@@aubyoung1218 Thank you 🙏 🙏🙏
Warm Audio all the way!!!!
Me encantan este tipo de Videos, y me gustaría más si supiera inglés ja ja ja no sé si hablan bien o mal de la marca Warm audios si alguien pudiera decírmelo, gracias
Very interesting discussion. Enjoyed it very much.
Thanks Laney!
This is a Great Vlog and appreciate all your info, well done. Cheers
I’ve used a few Warm products, and they’re great! But is there any concern for intellectual property infringement when you’re so clearly copying a popular existing product?
Warm Audio are for the people 🤙🏽
Wow, what an exposé
Great studio needs great artist and engineers in the past. But great songs and melodies only need a PC and some good headphones nowadays.
this is supercool
Or as Einstein would say: "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not". A person who knows what to do, can do a way better work on cheap hardware than a mediocre skilled individual on an expensive hardware.
Would love to see an SSL type stand-alone eq!
Get the kits by Link Audio Design! I’ve built a few and they’re great. $250/kit and a super easy build
i love my WA281/67/87R2