About 6 years ago I had some NOS vacuum tubes cryo-treated as an experiment to determine if the cryogenic process had any effect on the performance of audio tubes.  I was very scientific about the experiment, which spanned 5 years.  Initially, I passed a pre-recorded bit of audio through the originally, untreated tubes (installed in an amplifier) and recorded that passage directly out of the preamp back into the computer.  I sent the tubes off and when they came back a couple weeks later I ran the exact same passage through the same preamp with the same settings.  The audio would sound identical if the treatment process did nothing.  The passages actually sounded quite different.  The tubes exhibited a lower noise floor, crisper high frequencies and a cleaner sound.   None of these audible differences were huge, but they were enough to justify the $5 per tube price of cryogenic processing.  BTW, thats what the price works out to be when I send 30 tubes out for treatment.     


Fast forward 5 years.  Vacuum tubes definitely don't last forever.  Modern tubes really don't last very long at all when compared to the good old vintage tubes, but even those awesome old school tubes don't last forever.  Biggest problem is the dwindling world-wide supply of quality NOS vacuum tubes.  With my tube tester I'm able to see if a tube has been used via the "life test."  Typically, after about 1 year of regular use a tube will show signs of usage or in the case of modern tubes it could be on its way out.  I tested the cryo-treated tubes from 5 years earlier, which had seen daily use (30-40hrs per week) for that 5 year period.  One would expect the tubes to show some signs of usage on the tester, but the cryo-treated tubes actually tested the same as brand new tubes.  

Fast forward to today.  I have finally decided its worth cryo-treating ALL tubes used by Lightning Boy Audio.  This week I'm sending out the first batch of Lightning Boy tested and approved premium NOS vacuum tubes for cryogenic processing.  All equipment manufactured by Lightning Boy Audio will not only feature NOS vacuum tubes, but those tubes will also be cryo-treated to ensure they last the rest of your life.

Last night I put the finishing touches on the Flux Bender prototype.  For those unfamiliar with the name, The Flux Bender is a stereo, passive, 100% vacuum tube powered equalizer (that means no DC powered heater filaments, no silicon rectifiers, no IC's, no solid state voltage regulators, no silicon bullshit period).  The EQ filter topology is based somewhat on the Pultec EQP-1A, but its definitely not the same.  The amplifier design is a Lightning Boy original.

My goals for the Flux Bender were to create a stereo EQ that offered a higher degree of sonic fidelity and a lower noise floor than Manley's Massive Passive. I wanted to create an equalizer that not only out performs the MP in terms of technical specs, but also in terms of sound quality.  I wanted to do all this without the modern solid state trickery used by my competitors... just to prove to the world that solid state components are not needed for great performance, but rather the greatest sound quality and performance can come from a carefully crafted all-tube design.  While the Flux Bender won't offer quite as many controls as the Massive Passive, it will offer a lower price tag along with superior specs.  On Monday the Flux Bender prototype will undergo extensive testing, but initial tests this morning showed a noise floor of -90.1 dB, which completely blew my mind.  First of all, I've only recently broken the -80dB noise floor barrier with revision A of the 1401 stereo preamp.  My goal was to match Manley's -85dB noise floor, which seemed to be a serious challenge.  I was extremely surprised and overjoyed to see such great S/N performance from the prototype, because the production model will be more carefully constructed to reduce the noise floor even further.  This morning I only confirmed the controls and operation of the Flux Bender to be in order.  More extensive testing and results on Monday, followed by a complete disassembly in preparation for the first production build of the Flux Bender.  

But alas, you can't because there's just too much top secret stuff on it. Upcoming products that are under construction, prototypes under development and most importantly... inventions.  Before this year's out, LBA will be unveiling a series of new and innovative analog tools for the Mix Engineer.  One of these tools is revolutionary and very affordable, but that's super hush hush for now, so lets talk about the other goodies.

The Flux Bender Equalizer is unfortunately delayed at the moment, while Cinemag hastily works to build new output transformers for the production prototype.  There was a mistake with the last batch, and I admit it was my error for ordering the wrong transformers... the part numbers were one digit off.  The EQ is completely wired up and just awaiting its output transformers.  This production prototype will be tested and studied to verify technical information such as frequency points, S:N performance, and any potential issues will be hunted down.  Following the test phase, the prototype will be disassembled. The components from the production prototype will be used to build the first production model.  I would like to point out that the current production prototype is not the first prototype.  There have been a number of prototypes leading up to this one, which is the first stereo version.  

Analog Plate Reverb...  I'm about to start working on the plate reverb at LBA Studios.  It was the very first plate reverb I ever built and its long overdue for some massive updates.  The electronics its running are the most up to date amplifiers offered by Lightning Boy Audio, but the mechanics are out dated.  The 1401 plate reverb design differs in a number of ways, so I will be stripping down the old reverb and the only thing I'm keeping from it is the frame.  New sheet of steel (slightly different dimensions), new driver, new motorized panel with remote, new isolation case.  I'll be documenting the rebuild with lots of youtube video footage, so make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel to stay up on the updates at:     
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHdNuL4cqMvvf_5fkD-ZMfw

The new version of the preamp will be available in about a week.  Meanwhile we're going to put together some promo photos and audio samples.  I spent a good amount of time yesterday working with it in the studio, taking notes of things I would want different with the sound and then bringing it back to the shop for modifications to the circuitry.  I'm essentially working to balance the frequency response so that its as close to flat as I can possibly get it.  I never went through this effort with the previous version.  The original version sounded great to my ears, so I never spent the time tweaking each component to extreme perfection... till now.  The Rev A has some interesting sonic differences from its predecessor.  Most noticeably is the "air" in the top end that didn't exist with the original.  Also, Rev A has punch!  I can't recall ever hearing a vacuum tube mic preamp that I thought was punchy, but low and behold... the 1401 Rev A is definitely punchy.  I've been doing a lot of A/B comparisons with the original and the Rev A is significantly richer sounding and far more tonally balanced.  Just in terms of the frequency response - the original 1401 preamp had noticeably reduced highs, pronounced mids and round lows that weren't as pronounced as the mids.  Rev A is almost perfectly flat in its response.  The lows in the range of 75Hz-200hZ seem very slightly reduced... although it doesn't sound bad or off to me. I will be working to level out that range before the release, but overall I have to say this thing is a total monster.   Rev A doesn't sound overly round, wooly or dull in any way, unlike the original.  It sounds big, articulate, and punchy.  People are going to be drooling over this thing once they hear it.  Its a lot more sophisticated than its predecessor, the result of significant R&D.  The 1401 Mic Preamp Rev A will be selling for just $100 more than its predecessor.  $1899.99.    

I started work on the chassis for the EQ, but its on hold until the custom transformers and custom inductors arrive from Cinemag.  Meanwhile I decided to go through my paper in oil capacitor collection to see if I had enough variety to build the Flux Bender.  Not even close.  I spent the better part of this morning scouring the internet for my vintage cap needs, with a good deal of success. Unfortunately, I now realize I'll have to charge a hell of a lot more for this EQ.

I'm sure it will blow minds when its complete, but getting there has been the hard part due to the massive self-funded built cost.  I've been gathering parts for this endeavor for about 6 months and I have almost everything.  Its over budget because I refuse to settle for less than the best components, even if it costs a lot more than I expected.  The Flux Bender will be the most complex wiring feat I've ever attempted, so I don't want to cut any corners anywhere.

In the past week I accidentally figured out a way to cancel nearly all noise from my line/mic amps.  Using a pair of rectifier tubes wired up in an unconventional manner and combined with a pair of neon regulator tubes I was able to build an ultra low noise regulated tube power supply, which exceeds the performance of any audio gear in my studio racks.  The new power supply combined with how the preamp tubes are wired up cancels out all of the heater filament hum (which was never more than subtle in the past) and also most noise that might be on the B+, which was in the past also very subtle. This means an overall reduction of about 6dB of noise.  6dB is very significant in this game of inches.  I was considering going the more expensive route of solid state tube heaters, but that idea was thrown right out the window after testing the noiseless double rectifier double regulator power supply ("DRDR" - a Lightning Boy invention).  

I have several projects on the bench, but today I'm starting work on a new version of the 1401 Stereo Mic Amp.  I did some prototyping first and the new version will have a lot of really impressive things to offer.  First off, some changes were made to the amplifier design that allowed me to coax 5 more dB of gain out of the amp.  The only trade off is a slightly warmer sound.  Win+Win!  Also, a new feature is getting added to the preamp.  Based on user feedback, there is now going to be a mic/line input switch on both channels.  Another new feature is the treble control bypass, which is incorporated into the treble knob itself.  A switch is built into the knob... turn it down all the way and then a little more until it clicks.  Bypassing the treble control will allow for a couple more dB of gain and a gentle touch of brightness.  Finally, it of course will incorporate the new LBA noiseless DRDR tube power supply.  

New stats (based on prototype):
Noise Floor:  -86dB
Gain:  +45dB per channel or +47dB with treble bypassed.  

Actual stats will be presented on the 1401 Preamp's product page after the completion of this first production version of Revision A.  

The past 3 days were devoted almost entirely to R&D.  It started accidentally and lead down a long rabbit hole which ended in my complete amazement. The R&D pertains mostly to the Flux Bender EQ's amplifier stage, but also pertains to the LBA 1401 Stereo Microphone amp because the two amplifiers are essentially the same.  Basically, there is a revision to the 1401 Stereo Microphone Amp, which will be coming out mid August.  

Working on personal project, I found that by wiring up a matched pair of 6X4 rectifier tubes in a push/pull configuration I was able to increase the B+ voltage, while also doubling the mA output and creating a more regulated voltage.  This revelation led me to bust open my prototype passive EQ and work out a more perfected version of this twin rectifier supply.  I decided to change some power filter caps for different values and tweak some resistor values to get the most out of the twin rectifiers. Then I added on a pair of NE-2 neon regulators to get a perfectly rock solid 343v B+.  The changes to the power supply resulted in an increased voltage of about 5v and more B+ amperage than the EQ would ever need.  The changes to the B+ supply made me want to re-bias the EQ's amplifier tube... a change I will never regret!  I mounted a pot on the front panel of the EQ so I could adjust the bias by ear, while simultaneously recording before/after changes into Pro Tools.  I found the magic sweet spot, which was actually sweeter than ever before!!!  

Previously with the EQ bypassed and audio running through the amp things sounded fairly transparent, with some coloration - but essentially no significant changes to the sound quality.  The noise floor was measured at -76dB.   After the power supply and bias changes the EQ's amplifier (eq bypassed) sounded AMAZING!  It blew my mind, but it actually made the original audio sound more "real."  I could hear subtle details in the source material that I didn't even realize was there.  After listening to the original source material again I struggled to hear those subtle intricacies in the sound of the music... in fact it seemed like they weren't there.  This amplifier was able to extract something from the music that was clearly there, but hidden from sight.  That's the magic, folks!  Well, as excited as I was about the sound, I decided to test the S/N ratio.  The new noise floor was measured to be -85dB!!!  Woah!  Where did 9dB of noise go?  Amazing.  

To end this long rant of discovery, I will be building a new 1401 Stereo Mic Amp for LBA Studios in a couple weeks and all future builds will get the same. It will incorporate twin rectifiers, the new bias settings, and the front panel indicator lamp will be replaced by a more functional regulator tube glowing behind a clear jewel.  What does this mean for the 1401 Preamp?  More headroom for one, but also a richer, more detailed tone.  It will also get the back panel branding, "Rev A."    

I recently got back from a week in the tropics for my honeymoon.  My hands needed the vacation and where very thankful to finally have a break from working metal and building circuits.  Now that we're all healed up its time to dig in to some long awaited projects.  I spent my first few days back building some acoustic upgrades to the live room at LBA Studios and this week I'm living in the studio recording an album for a band called Molten Wax (you can meet a couple members in the new Gravitone 30 video).  As soon as we're finished tracking I'm planning to build a new plate reverb for the studio so we have the ultimate reverb for Mixing their album.  I'm still using my version 1.0 plate reverb at LBA Studios, but in a week or two we'll be upgraded to the new 1401 Plate Reverb (with remote-auto dampening panel upgrade)... and you can expect an impressive new demo video.

As soon as the reverb is done I intend to start working on the very long awaited production model stereo tube eq... The Flux Bender.  It will be done this year.  I'm making a promise to myself and to the world.  There, its official.      

Slated for release sometime mid July, we've been hustling to put together demos, product photos and lots of real world testing before the big day. Initially, the first testing was conducted with the Gravitone 30 configured as a guitar amp.  When running as a guitar amp, it runs a 12AX7 preamp tube, a KT88 power tube and a 5U4 rectifier tube to deliver more than 30 watts of creamy warm tone.  Its a very tasty guitar amp, designed to be versatile for studio applications.  One of several very nice studio features is the built-in reamping box.  However, the EQ is what makes it extremely versatile.  3 band passive EQ with 4 selectable mid frequencies.  

Over the past week I've been experimenting with the Gravitone 30 as the 1401 Analog Plate Reverb driver amp - its intended application.  As the reverb driver amp, the tube compliment is a 12AU7 preamp tube, a 6V6 power tube, and a 5AR4 rectifier tube to deliver ultra clean, highly detailed amplification.  As an ultra-linear single ended tube amp, its pretty much designed to be extremely detailed and ultra clean sounding, with a tasteful amount of that beautiful single ended tone.  The low gain, wide bandwidth 12AU7 ensures clean tone throughout the first 2/3rds rotation of the input gain knob.  Beyond 2/3 a mild amount of tube saturation can be heard with a subtle, but noticeable amount of breakup happening when wide open.  The 3 band EQ is extremely useful for plate reverb driver amp duties.  Yesterday I started Mixing a Folk-ish type acoustic record for a client at www.lbastudios.com.  The EQ on the Gravitone 30 proved to be more valuable than expected.  Having the ability to shape the sound before it hits the plate can drastically affect how well the reverb sits in the overall Mix.  The Mid section of the eq was particularly special in that it allowed me to find and suck out a little bit of a mid frequency that was competing for authority with the lead vocal.  By bringing back that mid frequency on the Gravitone 30 (pre-reverb) it allowed the lead vocal to stand out in the foreground, while still having reverb on it.  I rolled off some highs on the Gravitone 30 as well, because there was some minor sibilance on the lead vocal and the highs in the lead guitar tracks were a tad bright - both of which were going through the plate reverb.  That helped those tracks stand out tremendously.  Then the next step was setting up the plate reverb output amplifier, the 1401 Stereo Microphone Amp.  I rolled back the highs on this about 80% to make the reverb sound very dark.  It helped put the reverb further into the background, regardless of how much reverb was being used. With the treble all the way up, the reverb is more easily heard, but I think most people will probably want it to sound more in the background in general. Regardless of that, the most obvious thing I heard was the immense size of the reverb.  By size I'm not talking about quantity of reverb, I'm talking about stereo width.  I didn't know my speakers could put out something sounding that wide.  But, lets get back to functionality in the Mix.  When turning the treble knobs on the Stereo Mic Amp I began to see with clarity how amazing this reverb truly is.  Between the pre and post EQ, the ability to dial in pre-thickness, and the reverb decay time adjustment on the plate, the possibilities are ENDLESS!  It can be made to work perfectly in any Mix situation.  I'm sure there has never been a better sounding plate reverb and I think it can go without saying that even the best software based reverb doesn't even come remotely close to the sonic beauty created by the LBA 1401 Analog Plate Reverb system. This summer I plan to do a new Plate Reverb demo video to demonstrate the awesome abilities of this masterpiece of spacial enhancement.               

Keep an eye on www.digitalrecordingarts.com for a review of the 1401 Stereo Microphone Amp and the Ghost Box.  They have both units are in the process of reviewing.  Expect some real world details published on their website in the coming weeks.

I've seen some European review interest in the combo, which has caused me to plan a revision to the Ghost Box.  After I finish up the current build queue I'll be building a new version of the Ghost Box that offers the option of 120v or 240v operation so that our friends in Europe can experience ghost power.  The only thing I don't like about this is that I'll have to raise the price of the Ghost Box by about $75 to cover the cost of the power transformer and the additional labor to implement it.