Is there any tube gain makeup amplifier out there ??

[Brad McGowan]

You may want to look at getting a hi-fi stereo preamp. Expect to pay audiophile prices however.

Brad

[staudio]

The Manley ELOP Compressor could be custom configured to give you up to 10dB of stepped gain (not sure what exact step size's are available, certainly 1dB at the most, talk to Manley for more info) and you would also get a nice compressor out of it.

[bass man]

yes maybe elop or drawmer 1968 but i dont really need compressor only make up gain . Maybe i could find somebody who can build it .
Any other options ?

[andychamp]

What kind of signal are you trying to amplify?
Microphone, line or consumer electronics?

[Fruition2k]

Originally Posted by bass man

Hi

I am looking for stereo tube gain makeup amplifier up to max 6 or 8 db .
It should be high end ,clean but able to provide little tube warmth and to have precise steeped 1 stereo volume knob with steps of 0.5 or even better 0.25 db .
Is there such a thing ?

Maybe something like a pair of TAB/Telefunken/Siemens V74's?, They have a minimal makeup gain 6-9db I believe. Of course they would need to racked, powered and made with your preferred volume knob. Dave Marquette made a few, check his site.

[Mike Brown]

Originally Posted by bass man

yes maybe elop or drawmer 1968 but i dont really need compressor only make up gain . Maybe i could find somebody who can build it .
Any other options ?

Building it would probably be: Fun, a great learning experience, good quality & cheap!

Go for it!

[steelyfan]

For what you said you wanted to use it for,
This is all you really need. I've been using it everyday for master buss levelling, and pushing it hard for a little grit on other single instrument tracking.
$300.00 retail.......all day long.. read up on it.




It's a no brainer friend.

Steely

[BOWIE]

Someone here emailed me this link once; CDSoundMaster.com
I haven't tried it yet, but I'd love to buy one.
"The Source + Plus TM has been custom designed to fill a specialized niche in Mastering Facilities and Recording Studios alike, where the absolute highest standard of sound reproduction is desired. The Source + Plus TM is designed to improve the sound quality of your analog signal path, increasing the overall perception of volume, clarity, dimensional stereo imaging and sound stage."

[bass man]

Originally Posted by andychamp

What kind of signal are you trying to amplify?
Microphone, line or consumer electronics?

Ill try to explain as short as possible .

I mix ITB peaking at - 6 to -1 dbfs on the master buss in my DAW .Then i am printing my mixes to my studer A 80 and this is the first stage where i need to push the signal from the apogee rosetta to hit the tape harder or not that hard - depends on the material .
The second stage is going back from Studer to the DAW ( apogee again).
I usually have the room ( haedroom ) to push the signal for extra 1 - 3 db from the studer before cliping or with some invisible clips .
So basically i need really sweet sounding almost invisible but still with some nice character gain makeup unit which is able to give me extra 1 to 6 or 7db of gain .
I am really looking for something unique , invisible but with some nice subtle hi end silk color - if you know what i mean .

[bass man]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

For what you said you wanted to use it for,
This is all you really need. I've been using it everyday for master buss levelling, and pushing it hard for a little grit on other single instrument tracking.
$300.00 retail.......all day long.. read up on it.




It's a no brainer friend.

Steely

We already have manley ,1176, etc... but i need some make up gain without compression . I do mostly jazz and acoustic music and very rare use the comp for the master buss . My studer A 80 is my master buss Compressor .

[bass man]

Originally Posted by BOWIE

Someone here emailed me this link once; CDSoundMaster.com
I haven't tried it yet, but I'd love to buy one.
"The Source + Plus TM has been custom designed to fill a specialized niche in Mastering Facilities and Recording Studios alike, where the absolute highest standard of sound reproduction is desired. The Source + Plus TM is designed to improve the sound quality of your analog signal path, increasing the overall perception of volume, clarity, dimensional stereo imaging and sound stage."

This toy looks really OK for what i need . The problem is i dont think there is a way to try it before buying it from here .

[andychamp]

Originally Posted by bass man

Ill try to explain as short as possible .

I mix ITB peaking at - 6 to -1 dbfs on the master buss in my DAW .Then i am printing my mixes to my studer A 80 and this is the first stage where i need to push the signal from the apogee rosetta to hit the tape harder or not that hard - depends on the material .
The second stage is going back from Studer to the DAW ( apogee again).
I usually have the room ( haedroom ) to push the signal for extra 1 - 3 db from the studer before cliping or with some invisible clips .
So basically i need really sweet sounding almost invisible but still with some nice character gain makeup unit which is able to give me extra 1 to 6 or 7db of gain .
I am really looking for something unique , invisible but with some nice subtle hi end silk color - if you know what i mean .

Sounds like a job for either Manley (they did at least 1 custom order I know of: a pre for Ray Charles' rhodes) or, nearer you, Thomas Reussenzehn.
If you get a custom-made device, you can choose all the parts: tubes, transformers, etc...
But the cost may put you off, sorry.