The U 87 Ai is the epitome of a large diaphragm condenser microphone. Its tapered body and iconic headgrille design have become part of the collective consciousness: This is what a studio microphone looks like. The same is true of its sound: The U 87 Ai represents studio quality; it has become the gold standard by which other microphones are measured. The audio quality is incredible, even when going through Bluetooth. I have an aptX enabled phone so I'm getting high quality/low latency sound while watching movies. I use the Creative BT-W2 on my computer which allows me to use these as a gaming headset without sacrificing sound quality, unlike other Bluetooth dongles. Drew and Callie don't monetize any content from the Gold Machine project. The best way to reward our efforts is by reaching out. Start a discussion, suggest a game, or leave a nice review someplace. We started these IF projects to meet people and have some rewarding IF conversations.

The pad and LF rolloff switches also do exactly as you'd expect, but the FLAIR button is interesting. According to the manual, there's something like 2.5dB of boost centred at 6kHz, but the subjective effect seems much more subtle. The sound remains perfectly smooth but articulation improves and details stand out more. It's as though the sound gets closer and becomes better focused but without any blatant signs of enhancement. Furthermore, FLAIR doesn't seem to have a significantly adverse effect on sibilance. Conclusions the FLAIR button is interesting. According to the manual, there's something like 2.5dB of boost centred at 6kHz, but the subjective effect seems much more subtle. The sound remains perfectly smooth but articulation improves and details stand out more. In over 11,000 sq ft, Arches London Bridge provides cavernous gallery space to showcase Direct From Graceland: Elvis. The exhibition will feature artifacts owned by Elvis Presley, direct from the icon’s Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee - including his military uniforms, his American Football uniform, his TCB Super Trike Motorcycle and Ferrari Dino GT4, and a fantastic array of his famous jumpsuits – plus personal items like Lisa Marie’s baby clothes, Elvis’ first job application and the crayon box he took to school.

The addition of the FLAIR enhancement is tasteful and effective, and though it isn't adjustable, the amount of gloss added is subtle enough and musical enough that further adjustment would probably be quite unnecessary. Normally, the phase switch is only useful when recording with two or more microphones when there may be phase differences to compensate for, though there is at least one situation where it can be useful with a single mic. I don't know if you've noticed this before, but switching the phase of a vocal mic when you're monitoring your own performance via headphones causes a very significant timbral change. This is due to the interaction of the sound of your voice inside your head and the sound from the headphones. Often you'll find one position better for monitoring than the other — you can try this on any mixer or mic preamp that has a phase switch.

Among the items from Graceland that will be displayed is Elvis' red MG automobile as featured in his classic film "Blue Hawaii," a gold-plated rotary dial telephone from Elvis' upstairs bedroom, the keys to Graceland and his gold microphone used on stage in Las Vegas, 1969. Some of the most recognizable items traveling from Memphis to London are the Gold Lamé Suit worn by Elvis in the 1950s, plus one of the two jumpsuits he used for his 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" television special and the cape he famously tossed into the audience at the end of the show. This podcast (Gold Microphone) is a spinoff from Drew Cook's project to play and document every Infocom game. You can find that content (still in process) at Gold Machine. Drew Cook and Callie Smith come together here to have less formal conversations about the joy of playing these classic games.

DEALER FINDER

I can't help but get the impression that most of us employ a dual standard when it comes to deciding what we're prepared to pay for studio equipment: if something makes an interesting noise, we'll dig deep to be able to afford it, but at the same time we seem to resent paying a penny more than we have to for gear like microphones, mic preamps, patchbays, cabling or even computers. Even so, just about anyone who's had any experience at all in recording will concede that good mics and good mic preamps can make a significant qualitative difference to the way a recording sounds — the trouble is that the esoteric models tend to come with esoteric prices. Viewed simplistically, the Gold Mike comprises a pair of independent mic preamps sharing the same 2U case. Convex mesh grilles on the front panel show two selected ECC 83 (dual‑triode) valves glowing away inside the unit, but as with other SPL tube products, this one uses hybrid circuitry in an endeavour to combine the best attributes of both valve and solid‑state technology. Aaron's current project, 50 Years of Text Games, is a history of interactive text as told in essays, images, and infographics. See below for more information, including Aaron's sample book chapter about A Mind Forever Voyaging. We're looking forward to seeing the final product! Technically speaking, the U 87 Ai is a traditional design whose timeless formula has remained unchanged for decades. The U 87 Ai uses the same dual diaphragm condenser capsule design as its predecessor, the no less legendary U 67 of the early 1960s. Its head amplifier, too, is based on the same design principles as its tube driven predecessor, but the U 87 Ai realizes them by means of a unique FET circuit with a minimal signal path and a transformer balanced output, ensuring maximum signal integrity and high common mode rejection.

These are by far the best pair of headphones I ever experienced. I am very satisfied with how these feel when wearing them for a prolonged period of time. These are surprisingly lighter than what they appear. Although I'm very gentle handling these headphones they feel very sturdy, especially where the band adjusts. It takes a bit of force to adjust which is great because I don't want them to resize on me while simply wearing them. Sometimes I am able to hear the hinges make a noise when they flex from head movement, but it is not noticeable once audio is playing. The exhibition also moves beyond the familiar story of his musical and acting career to present his more private side - his devotion to his parents, his love of books, motorcycles, horses, karate, and his iconic Graceland Mansion. It includes garments and jewelry worn by Elvis throughout his life, personal items from Graceland, vintage Elvis-branded merchandise, costumes, scripts from Hollywood movies and much more.A large and suitably retro knob sets the mic gain, up to a generous maximum of 72dB, though the bulk of the gain comes from the solid‑state (class A Analogue Devices SS2017 chip) front end. Laser‑trimmed input resistors are used to achieve a high degree of common‑mode rejection, which means less interference when using long balanced mic lines. The valve stage comes next, and contributes just 6dB to the overall gain along with whatever magic it is that valves bestow. Using a hybrid approach like this is not a new idea by any means, but SPL have been fastidious in their choice of components and circuit board layout to enable them to achieve a dynamic range in excess of 110dB along with very low distortion. In effect, they've achieved the paper spec of a well‑designed, all‑solid‑state preamp while still including a valve stage. A star grounding system is used to minimise hum, while each channel has a separately regulated phantom power supply. SPL first came to fame with their Vitalizer, a sort of enhancer‑cum‑equalizer based on psychoacoustic principles. Since then, little psychoacoustic twists have popped up in many of their designs, and the Gold Mike is no exception. This time they've developed something called FLAIR that can be switched in to gently enhance the presence of vocals and other sounds. Unlike so‑called 'Air' EQ that relies entirely on high‑frequency EQ boost, FLAIR combines a broad‑band boost centred at 6kHz with phase‑shifting effects to accentuate upper harmonics without making the sound rough or aggressive. The circuit employs an inductor/capacitor filter and mixes directly in with the valve's source signal via a front panel switch. There's no user adjustment — you either use it or you don't. I read the manual twice to try to find out what FLAIR actually stands for, but if it's in there, I couldn't find it! Layout Callie Smith and Drew Cook welcome guest Aaron A. Reed to discuss his 50 Years of Text Games project as well as 1985's A Mind Forever Voyaging. Aaron's experiences as both reader and author lead us to some great exchanges and insights into Steve Meretzky's classic game about art, political witness, and as-yet unexplored possibilities in computer games.