Trident preamps

[KRStudio]

I have 4 Trident 80 mic pre/EQ channels and really like them. They easily hold their own against my Wunder PEQ1's, Telefunken 676a's, and Vintech X81's. Very good gear.

[fastlanestoner]

I've also had good experience with Trident gear.

[BuildaFriend]

Based on the fact that people go out of their way to clone the A range series trident units, one could definitely assume that the gear is desirable by audio freaks.

Its good stuff from what I've read.

[TonyBelmont]

There are better 'preamps' to be had, but I've always like the EQ's on some of the older consoles I've worked on.

[jaydeluca]

I've used a trident 80b and it sounded great.

I also own daking pre's because they are based on them.

[the keester]

If you want to hear what Trident pres sound like listen to Queen's 'News of the World.'

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by the keester

If you want to hear what Trident pres sound like listen to Queen's 'News of the World.'

You can't give the preamp credit, or try to muster any type of opinion on the sound of a preamp, by the sound of a record.

[Jolly_Rogers]

Originally Posted by jaydeluca

I've used a trident 80b and it sounded great.

I also own daking pre's because they are based on them.

Oh, those are Trident based? That is interesting to know. Thanks.

[sage691]

I have an original Series 80 at my studio. It's got those large can input transformers on the mic pres. I also have a DW Fearn VT2, and have also used Neve 1272, API 3124 and V76s extensively.

The Trident pres are definitely in the same class as the best of the best; different yes, but you can't really say one is better than the other. I actually think the Series 80 pres smoke the Neve 1272 for alot of applications. For tracking drums I think they are every bit as good as the APIs, and for electric guitars I think they are actually better than everything mentioned above.

[BillSimpkins]

I have some Trident S20 's and they are rad. Major mojo coming out of those.

[the keester]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

You can't give the preamp credit, or try to muster any type of opinion on the sound of a preamp, by the sound of a record.

Why not? Is the preamp not a relevant part of the sound of a record? It seems every other post in the forum is a preamplifier question.

[Mike O]

Originally Posted by Jolly_Rogers

Oh, those are Trident based? That is interesting to know. Thanks.

Trident A-Range, not Trident series 80. And for many people, that is a good thing.

[Kingtone]

Originally Posted by Jolly_Rogers

...there isn't much info on these pres around here.

Are you kidding? Did you actually do a search?
There is an abundance of posts and threads about trident gear dating back many years!

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

Yeah, not to be redundant, but it should be noted that the 80, 70, 65,trimix, etc. share nothing in common with the A range, or Daking.

Daking stuff is a "clone" of the discrete A range, the original Trident console pres. At least that is what I have been told for the last decade +.

The 80 series and the others are all IC based, and sound COMPLETELY different to the discrete A range desks.

Whether you like the 80 series or not is the question, but I have never heard anybody knock the A range stuff in all my life.

All that Queen, etc. was an A range to my knowledge. Then again, I wasn't there, I was in like 4 or 5 then.

I like the sound of the 80 series if maintained well, but it is a much softer, slower sound to my ears than the recordings I have heard done with A range or Daking stuff. Daking actually built all medium format those consoles early on BTW too.That was in the 90's if I remember right.

I just don't think the 80 series sounds as fast, open, and punchy as the A range. Some might like this, I dunno.

That's about what I know, and it ain't much. I have worked on an 80, a flex mix, a 65, and I think 75 (70?) before though. All that stuff from Indigo was trident A range, but I heard that console had some mods too though. Deane Jensen stuff.

There is a boatload of trident threads around GS as Kingtone says.
Peace,
john

[Jeff Hayat]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

You can't give the preamp credit, or try to muster any type of opinion on the sound of a preamp, by the sound of a record.

Originally Posted by the keester

Why not? Is the preamp not a relevant part of the sound of a record?

It absolutely is. And if that record were recorded with different mic pres, there would be a difference in the sound quality. How much depends on the mic pre, and how close in development, design and quality it would be to the Trident. It would either be ever so slightly different, or a little different

Although I do feel you can give the preamp some credit, I think what Tony was getting at, is that there are SO many things that go into the sound quality of a record, you can't look at one thing, and say the record sounds the way it does because of that alone. The record sounds that way because of the mic pres, the musicians and the way they played, the mics, how the mics were placed, the room, other gear that was used in the signal chain(s), etc. And that's just the recording end; you also have to look to the mixing stage and mastering as to how a record sounds.

Cheers.

[Steffmo]

The s20 is a relatively cheap buy and I prefer it to an API on toms. Its a tad rounder on the bottom.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by the keester

Why not? Is the preamp not a relevant part of the sound of a record? It seems every other post in the forum is a preamplifier question.

Originally Posted by Jeff Hayat

Although I do feel you can give the preamp some credit, I think what Tony was getting at, is that there are SO many things that go into the sound quality of a record, you can't look at one thing, and say the record sounds the way it does because of that alone. The record sounds that way because of the mic pres, the musicians and the way they played, the mics, how the mics were placed, the room, other gear that was used in the signal chain(s), etc. And that's just the recording end; you also have to look to the mixing stage and mastering as to how a record sounds.

^^^^

And... don't forget TAPE!

[the keester]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hayat

It absolutely is. And if that record were recorded with different mic pres, there would be a difference in the sound quality. How much depends on the mic pre, and how close in development, design and quality it would be to the Trident. It would either be ever so slightly different, or a little different

Although I do feel you can give the preamp some credit, I think what Tony was getting at, is that there are SO many things that go into the sound quality of a record, you can't look at one thing, and say the record sounds the way it does because of that alone. The record sounds that way because of the mic pres, the musicians and the way they played, the mics, how the mics were placed, the room, other gear that was used in the signal chain(s), etc. And that's just the recording end; you also have to look to the mixing stage and mastering as to how a record sounds.

Cheers.

I think in the high end forum the fact that there are many factors that make up the end result of a record's sound should be a given. I find those types of posts condescending. To say one cannot muster up any type of opinion of how a certain brand's mic pres sound (or can potentially sound) when an entire album was tracked on them is silly.

[jaydeluca]

Originally Posted by sage691

I have an original Series 80 at my studio. It's got those large can input transformers on the mic pres. I also have a DW Fearn VT2, and have also used Neve 1272, API 3124 and V76s extensively.

The Trident pres are definitely in the same class as the best of the best; different yes, but you can't really say one is better than the other. I actually think the Series 80 pres smoke the Neve 1272 for alot of applications. For tracking drums I think they are every bit as good as the APIs, and for electric guitars I think they are actually better than everything mentioned above.

I personally prefer trident pre's on toms and guitars over my API's

[krheatman]

I have a 30 channel Trimix with some 70 series channels, a bunch of Neve and other Class A pres(BAE 1023,LTD-1 w/Neve boards,UA 8110),a UA 6176,JLM Baby Animals.

The Trident channels are close to the same as the 80 series,have the same input transformer and eq and stack really nice.But the Class A stuff is more warm and open.All of them are good for different sources with different mics.

All those old boards were built for tape also,so when I recapped,we changed some values and added some low end.I use the boards pres on guitars,keys and drums a lot.I don't find them slow,but the are not as hefty as a class A.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Jeff Hayat]

Originally Posted by the keester

I think in the high end forum the fact that there are many factors that make up the end result of a record's sound should be a given. I find those types of posts condescending. To say one cannot muster up any type of opinion of how a certain brand's mic pres sound (or can potentially sound) when an entire album was tracked on them is silly.

Dude - you asked: "Why not? Is the preamp not a relevant part of the sound of a record?"

I then answer you politely and professionaly - to what seemed to me at the time a legitamte question - and you say my post is condescending? C'mon man....

[warhead]

We actually compared the preamps and equalizer sections of the new Trident Audio A-Range and the Daking Mic Pre EQ to give a better idea of how they compare. Keep in mind the Daking was always an "homage" to Trident where the Trident A-Range currently on the market is a recreation of the original circuit by Malcolm Toft.

Both are good boxes in my opinion.

War

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hayat

Dude - you asked: "Why not? Is the preamp not a relevant part of the sound of a record?"

I then answer you politely and professionaly - to what seemed to me at the time a legitamte question - and you say my post is condescending? C'mon man....

You gave a well thought out response, which I and most other experienced posters would agree with.

There's simply no way one can discern what a preamps character is by listening to a finished recording. End of story.

It is hard enough to discern differences between different preamps when they are evaluated in a controlled test with no other gear in the chain and no additional processing. Trying to account for potential EQ decisions, and all of the other decisions the engineer made, not to mention the fact that tape has a dramatic impact on the recording's overall sound... Plus the rooms, the other gain stages in the console, and VCA's, reverbs & effects, MICS, TAPE, etc. There are at least a dozen or more factors that have a far greater impact on a recording of that era than the preamp did.

It would require immense superhuman abilities, not to mention a good bit of psychic powers, to be able to listen to a finished recording and say... "Oh, so that's what a Trident (or any other) preamp sounds like."

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

You can't give the preamp credit, or try to muster any type of opinion on the sound of a preamp, by the sound of a record.

DOOOOOD! Sure you can. This is Gearslutz after all!

[krheatman]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

DOOOOOD! Sure you can. This is Gearslutz after all!

I could tell the difference in my own work.

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by krheatman

I could tell the difference in my own work.

Congrats! You're my new hero.




...but not the same situation as described by The Keester.

[the fxs]

well,... what happened to the official A-RANGE reissue?
did anyone check it out, yet?

[Jolly_Rogers]

Originally Posted by Kingtone

Are you kidding? Did you actually do a search?
There is an abundance of posts and threads about trident gear dating back many years!

Relax buddy, i did a search, i was not satisfied with the results. Calm down, its just a thread.

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

Originally Posted by warhead

We actually compared the preamps and equalizer sections of the new Trident Audio A-Range and the Daking Mic Pre EQ to give a better idea of how they compare. Keep in mind the Daking was always an "homage" to Trident where the Trident A-Range currently on the market is a recreation of the original circuit by Malcolm Toft.

Both are good boxes in my opinion.

War

Hey War, the new reissue, does it immediately hit you as sounding like those old 70's records? Do you have a clip up?

The Daking stuff always used that super clean Jensen in front.

I guess knowing that both are great, did you find one or the other to be more...er...accurate in recreating that sound?

Thanks,
john