The Sound engineer's Guide to the Galaxy

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I started writing this article in the midst of a lockdown, a moment of reflection and nostalgia, 12,000 km away from home, just a stone's throw from the South Pole, immersed in the South American magical realism, amidst a pandemic, empanadas, and revolutions.

In the past 3 years, I took a break from the metropolis and moved to Chile, working for Stam Audio as the Director of Engineering, involved in the development of highly complex projects geared towards intercontinental distribution. It has been an incredibly enriching experience, both personally and professionally, allowing me to tackle pro-audio design at an advanced level.

I have just returned to Italy, ready to reopen the doors of Braingasm Lab in Rome and rev up the engines at full throttle, armed with a new wealth of experience and the desire to rediscover the personal relationship with my clients.

RIPARAZIONE U67

RESTAURO U87 - TEATRO DELL’OPERA DI ROMA

Mass production is an opportunity in terms of product distribution and processing times, but 2 years after the introduction of Magnitube, Ferro, and Multi-Deluxe, which performed very well in the international market, I felt the desire to return to custom shop and repair work. This is the activity with which I started and it transformed Braingasm Lab from a desk and soldering iron in the home workshop into a recognized and appreciated brand.

CUSTOM M49’S

CUSTOM U47’S

POINT TO POINT ACTION

I have created an illustrated guide to large-diaphragm condenser microphones, inspired by the classics, differentiating designs based on the main components that characterize a microphone's sound, listed in order of importance.

This "Sound engineer's Guide to the Galaxy" started as a divertissement (in the true sense of Blaise Pascal), a frivolous distraction in a moment of existential crisis. However, I decided to continue it as a tribute to my visceral passion for microphones and as a critique of the incurable heaviness of our French neighbors.

To design the guide, I chose to start with what I believe is the most defining element in a microphone's sound, identifying the 4 most well-known large-diaphragm condenser capsule models (M7, K47, K67/87, and CK12) and continuing the analysis of subsequent stages.

my beloved 1960 u47

my favourite vocals recordng setup

drums recording with my neumann u47

• Capsule: The beating heart of a microphone, the electroacoustic transducer, a bridge between two worlds (acoustic and electric), largely responsible for frequency response, detail, and definition. It would take an entire blog to talk about capsules and describe all the ones I've tried, disassembled, broken, and repaired, up to designing and producing (with the help of specific machines and specialized engineers) a Braingasm signature line that I use both in my models and as an alternative to the originals in major repairs.

• Amplifier: With few exceptions, there are two choices: tube or J-FET, sometimes configured as unity gain active elements (simple impedance converters), other times as true amplifiers (gain stages). The most significant differences concern headroom, transient response, and harmonic content. The debate of 'one is better than the other' is inconclusive, just like the intuitive misconception that a tube distorts and a transistor doesn't, or that the tube is more 'colored.' Nonsense. It depends. Always. Don't be fooled.

• Output Stage: Again, there are two options here, solid-state driver or transformer. The interaction of these elements with the amplifier on one side and the external world on the other influences frequency response and the S/N ratio, determining also the microphone's output impedance. With few exceptions, a tube microphone always requires an output transformer configured as step-down. As a general rule, the higher the tube gain (technically its transconductance), the higher the required transformation ratio, necessitating a higher-quality transformer in terms of inductance and core material. The risk in this case is a loss in low-frequency response, ringing or resonances, and worsening of the S/N ratio. The choice of the amplifier circuit and output stage becomes crucial not to nullify the work of a good capsule. In my 'MAGNITUBE,' for example, I chose a tube highly valued in the hi-fi world, not microphonic, and with low output impedance, rarely used in a microphone but very similar in curves to a VF14, which I know well from owning a Neumann U47 (S.N. 4805 from 1960). This (somewhat unexplored) choice offers significant advantages because it allows the use of a low-ratio transformer (in my case, a Sowter 9145, used as an input transformer in the 1073, in my case wired in reverse), ensuring a full spectrum response and huge headroom.

In the case of a J-FET amplifier, on the other hand, a high-ratio output transformer is always necessary (generally between 7:1 and 10:1), as in classic designs like U87 or KM84, which inspired my 'FERRO.'

Finally, in the case of a transistor output stage, we find 2 BJT connected in transconductance, the classic 'Schoeps CMC-style' amplifier, ultra-linear, quiet, and low-consumption, which inspired my 'MULTIDELUXE.'

magnitube power supply

drums recording with braingasm microphones

bg7 capsule

CONCLUSIONS

Fortunately, there are none. I will never speak about which microphone is better or worse than another.

Use your ears, unleash your passion for sounds, experiment, and have fun, in defiance of Blaise Pascal!

In studio with Roberto Rosu. Low-end theory and Dick Mics.

What is a world-renowned sound engineer doing at a small synth and electronic musical instruments expo? He observes carefully, looks around in search of the latest recording innovations, gathers information, asks questions, and listens attentively to the answers, genuinely interested in staying one step ahead of the current trends.

I met Roberto Rosu at the Soundmit in Turin last November, drawn to my booth adorned with prototypes of the new Braingasm microphones and the first unit of the UNO tube saturator.

Not knowing him personally, I started chatting, engaging in a long and incredibly interesting (almost philosophical) conversation about modern studio recording. We discussed avant-garde, innovation, technique, and taste, exchanged phone numbers, and scheduled a meeting in Rome to try out my microphones. At that point, the reveal: the conversation ended, and we said our goodbyes. I couldn't wait to hear his opinion on my new ideas still in prototype form. However, deep down, I didn't have high expectations. Could a master like Roberto truly be interested in discovering the sonic concept of a handcraft audio producer striving for innovation at all costs?

YES.

This same attitude reminds me of my encounter with another master, Joe Chiccarelli, exactly a year ago at the Forum Music Village in Rome during the sessions for Morrissey's "Low in High School" (easy to remember due to the near-arrest of the sad boy in a car going the wrong way on Via del Corso).

Roughly the same age, same lineage, same humanity, the same desire to engage in conversation as long as banalities aren't spoken, the same love for this profession, and some peculiar shared passions: a minimalist approach (easy, fast, and reliable), enthusiasts of low-end theory (of which I have always been a supporter), sound shaping printed in tracking, and the mandatory 'Dick Mic' on the drums.

Almost a year after Soundmit, Roberto contacts me to try out the microphones and UNO in a lighter context than mainstream productions, where there is less room for fantasy.

We meet at Tube Recording Studio with Enrico Moccia and Francesco Lupi for the sessions of Giuseppe Ricca's new album. Roberto is miking two different drum kits, with the idea of using them on different tracks of the same album based on the sound each track requires (and already here, you can understand his philosophy in recording).

As far as i remember the input list was:

Bass Drum: D12, Subkick, Braingasm Ferro

Snare: sm57 sopra e sotto (top-bottom)

Hat: KM84

Toms: MD421

Floor: MD421 (top-bottom)

Center Room: Ribbon + Binaural head

He further differentiates the two kits by mounting ribbon microphones as overheads (Coles on one kit and Braingasm on the other) and Dick Mics (SM58 and MD 441) passed through UNO to add some saturation. I follow the setup for as long as needed and bid farewell before becoming superfluous.

We meet again at his studio in Ostia to take my gear back, with the idea of conducting an interview to publish on this blog. However, in practice, we spend three hours talking once again about new trends in studio recording, electronic avant-garde, innovation, and technique.

Time passes, and every now and then, I think, 'focus, ask the questions you wanted to ask, record the conversation,' but instinctively, I chose to push distractions away and live that moment as an unmissable opportunity for personal and professional enrichment.

It's quite like going to concerts, being close to the stage, sweating instead of watching through your phone and worrying about posting live streaming on Facebook.

Let’s meet in the pit.

Roberto Rosu’s discography on:Discogs

Joe Chiccarelli, Braingasm & The Pirate Sessions

“The ribbons sounded great on electric guitars and drums. Really big sounding with rich low end. Perfect for loud rock guitars. 
On drums the mics were well balanced and full sounded.
We also used the FET condenser on acoustic guitar and it delivered a clear and very forward sound.
The mics really helped out the sessions. We appreciate it immensely,
Well done.  Joe C”

— Joe Chiccarelli

Rome is like a big city with a small-town soul—you know it when the super-secret news of the day spreads from Salaria to Eur in just a couple of hours. "Oh, did you hear that Joe Chiccarelli is in Rome?"

If you're not in the sound business, you immediately think it's the new acquisition for AS Roma football Club. But if you are, the excitement is inevitable because Joe is a gem in the industry, with a résumé full of Grammys and stellar collaborations (from Frank Zappa to U2, Strokes, and so on).

Joe is at Forum Music Village, the most beautiful recording studio in Italy, created by “Il Maestro” Ennio Morricone, producing Morrissey's latest album (and probably dealing with all the tough nut to crack that our sad boy from Manchester might throw at him), in what he himself, once it's all done, has dubbed 'The Pirate Sessions.'

I schedule a meeting with him, to get to know him, have a chat, and, most importantly, to see if there's a chance to get him to try out some Braingasm microphones. He agrees, enthusiastically, and welcomes me during the soundcheck. He halts everything, asks for some time, and sits down to talk with me. "Hey, show me what you've got." He's a kind man, an artist, and a top-notch professional—the kind who doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, isn't resting on laurels, and is still open to discovery and experimentation.

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Joe takes my Deluxe 47 and sets it up as a mono room mic on the drums. He cranks up the gas (on the Neve VR Legend at the Forum), starts tweaking with Gain, Compressor, and EQ, squeezing out every nuance from the microphone. He gives a thumbs up, smiles approvingly, and continues the check. I finally relax and introduce him to the Braingasm Vintage Ribbon.

Joe adds another dose of enthusiasm and tells me he'll try it on Jesse and Boz's guitars.

At this point, I'm already completely satisfied. I leave just before becoming a pain in the neck, telling him we'll meet again after everything is done to pick up the microphones and get some feedback.

I come back just before the teardown, Moz has already been repatriated, and Joe is finishing up some things. I find my Ribbon on Jesse Tobias's Divided by 13, and Joe tells me he used it throughout the session, replacing his usual Royer R 121. He also really appreciated the Deluxe 12 on the acoustic guitars.