Sontec/burgess

[turtlerock]

hey for all the guys on that side of the world that dont get Audiotechnology which is a pro audio mag i am involved with on our side of the world
Andy stewart ran a very long article with Burgess Mcneal a little while back and its the only one he has ever done apparently - it should be compulsive reading for everybody

i have the pdf of the full article here (880k) if one of you more forum savy internet type guys wants to email me and help make it show up
bookings@turtlerockmastering.com

[turtlerock]

try this attachment

[wildpark]

hey thank you really much for that

i like that kind of honest storys in todays bling world

burgess is a relly nice guy too.


thx patrick

[minister]

You should post this over at Brad Blackwood's Mastering Demystified forum. Lot's of Sontec users there and some interesting long threads on the EQ's..... Not to mention Brad is an authority on them.

PSW Recording Forums: Brad Blackwood

[turtlerock]

i tried but its too big too post on brads forum feel free to put it up if you can squeeze it

[minister]

Ah. No compressors for that here. Maybe Brad will happen along and either post it for you or just provide a link to your post here.

Cheers!

[Masterer]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

- it should be compulsive reading for everybody

indeed.

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

i have the pdf of the full article here (880k)

Thanks TurtleRick!

Don't have much time for reading the "trades" these days, but as a daily 432 dialer this should be a good read.

Cheers - JT

[MattGray]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

hey for all the guys on that side of the world that dont get Audiotechnology which is a pro audio mag i am involved with on our side of the world
Andy stewart ran a very long article with Burgess Mcneal a little while back and its the only one he has ever done apparently - it should be compulsive reading for everybody

It was a good read indeed, I was fortunate enough to have spoken with him recently when he rang me out of the blue one day & talked for over 2 hours! He has such a passion for what he does & wanted to let me know that service is still available if I needed anything for my old Sontec. I haven't had to make that call yet & hopefully never will. They are definitely fabulous EQ's, do you have one of the old ones Rick? or is a newer one on the cards for you?

Matt

[turtlerock]

i used them day in day out ( and the comp/limit as well) for ten years when i was at festival and at the time i left really disenchanted with them because out of the 2 4chn eqs we had and the 2- 4 chn comp only one set worked perfectly and then only in stereo because the opamps use to pop, we made some replacements opamps in the tech shop but i was not convinced they sounded the same .

will bowden got them when festival shut down and as i was long gone and didnt phase me a bit (err it did actually but i digress)
when andy told me he interviewed burgess at aes he was wondering if anybody would even read the article and i said hell yes , well i think about 5 of us in australia read it more then once so i posted it here i figured this is where the audience would be

but to answer you question i just bought a fishing boat
no new eq for me for a while

[MattGray]

Right I didn't know that you used to work out of Festival... I did know that William ended up with all of Festival's gear & he too has a nice set up & keeps busy.

Well my Sontec was googled & tracked down from a recording studio in Japan, I emailed about 30 people asking if they'd sell one to me & out of the few that replied the Japanese studio asked me what my budget was. So I made an offer & it was accepted... my unit is a MES-432C (1db steps) SN# C007, not originally owned by James Bond but by Sandy Pearlman (producer of Blue Oyster Cult & The Clash etc.). It still has his signature signed on the top (probably at the request of the next owner). As a bonus it also has another original OP amp card strapped to the inside of the lid. It's all original no repairs & still running strong... touch wood.

Matt

[turtlerock]

you didnt know i worked out of festival..? jeez we should have a chat

[polybonk]

I picked that up while I was waiting in a mall for something or other, opened the mag to that page and did a double take when I saw the article. I thought man this is amazing to find in one of our magazines. Relay eye opening read into that whole world. I thought this guy is really humble and passionate.

Originally Posted by MattGray

It was a good read indeed, I was fortunate enough to have spoken with him recently when he rang me out of the blue one day & talked for over 2 hours! He has such a passion for what he does & wanted to let me know that service is still available if I needed anything for my old Sontec. I haven't had to make that call yet & hopefully never will. They are definitely fabulous EQ's, do you have one of the old ones Rick? or is a newer one on the cards for you?

Matt

That he rings you up out of the blue to offer servicing has convinced me why everyone loves his eq. You are talking about someone that puts there heart and soul into there work. Whenever that happens things go to anothere level altogether. I would love to hear what his new Eq's sound like. Or his old ones for that matter.

[heathen]

Was a great article, actually the only copy of at I've bothered buying in a year, now when I have some spare cash and I can afford a new Sontec I will surely have one in my rack, was going to get a GML but......... since reading the at article I will probably decide otherwise or if business gets real good in my new room get both.

Hey how's the boat going Rick, any good catches? Too bloody cold for fishing at the moment.

[turtlerock]

never too cold to enjoy yourself

[skeptics]

where can i buy this eq? and where can i get it serviced?

[thermos]

You buy them directly from Burgess. I think the EX (2 spaces) have a quick turnaround whereas the 4 space mastering ones take a while. The only part I believe that is hard to service if one fails, is the amplifier, so just buy a few extra if you order a new one.

[heathen]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

never too cold to enjoy yourself

Coming from a man who has visited Antarctica too.

Ok true.

[turtlerock]

you know thats the problem with sydney nobody ever wants to admit it gets cold so we never buy winter coats never have double glazing.
i was colder last night then i ever was in antartica !

[Adam Dempsey]

Originally Posted by MattGray

Well my Sontec was googled & tracked down from a recording studio in Japan, I emailed about 30 people asking if they'd sell one to me & out of the few that replied the Japanese studio asked me what my budget was. So I made an offer & it was accepted... my unit is a MES-432C (1db steps) SN# C007, not originally owned by James Bond but by Sandy Pearlman (producer of Blue Oyster Cult & The Clash etc.).

Ah, yes. The one we have was from a Joe Gastwirt... heaps of history. They're the only ones in the land... yours, ours and Wil's.

[Adam Dempsey]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

you know thats the problem with sydney nobody ever wants to admit it gets cold so we never buy winter coats never have double glazing.
i was colder last night then i ever was in antartica !

It also rains more in Sydney than in Melbourne.
We just get more "drizzle", and a bitey, wintery south wind.

[Adam Dempsey]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

but to answer you question i just bought a fishing boat
no new eq for me for a while

*imagines a PCM 1610/30, or equiv, for a boat anchor....*

[bleak orange]

Any link to a website ? or an email ?

[heathen]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

you know thats the problem with sydney nobody ever wants to admit it gets cold so we never buy winter coats never have double glazing.
i was colder last night then i ever was in antartica !

Yep strange place we live, will be winter one day then summer the next day, in a month or so.

Bring it on.

[heathen]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

but to answer you question i just bought a fishing boat
no new eq for me for a while

TunaRock charters?

[turtlerock]

hey adam and matt you might want to rethink your sontec count !
by way more then you would think
and adam... jeez 1630s for boat anchors .... they would get caught up on the reefs and drag around on the sand dont you guys know anything ..!

[kjg]

Originally Posted by turtlerock

try this attachment

thank you very much for sharing this!

[finetuner]

Originally Posted by Boomshanka

*imagines a PCM 1610/30, or equiv, for a boat anchor....*

priceless...


and yes, thanks for the story Rick!

[turtlerock]

Andy stewart ( the editor of AT got the story) i am just giving it the audience it deserved

[Cellotron]

Originally Posted by bleak orange

Any link to a website ? or an email ?

Rick -
Thanks so much for posting this! - an excellent read.

For those seeking more info or a contact address - I've posted scans of the brochures that Burgess was handing out at AES 2007 here in NYC at:

Sontec MEP250EX Equalizer

ITI Audio / Sontec Mastering EQ info

Another nice article on the Sontec mastering eq's can be read at:
UA WebZine "Analog Obsession" December 04 | ITI, Sontec, and the History of Parametric EQ

Best regards,
Steve Berson