I couldnt stop gushing about the pre’s at this years TapeOp conference. I was on one of the main “big” panels this year, and I was honored that so many people wanted to talk to me! The pre is amazing. I really dont think they will be leaving this studio, in fact, Tony and I were wondering what the price would be for us to get the rack and two more, if not four more. I could see the Sage pre’s being the front end for almost everything I do! I have used almost EVERY mic pre known to man at this point, and the Sage pre’s are really, really great. They hear things the way I hear things! Big, punchy, tons of great transient whallop… Impact… Open top end…. all the good stuff, with just enough discrete “gleam” to the top end (the sound of headroom). They sort of remind me of a helios crossed with something.. maybe an old calrec or API… maybe… certainly some helios goodness in there… maybe a trident A range… Regardless: LOVE them.
You will have a hard time prying those pre’s out of Studio G, and my hands! I have used the Ball with a sage pre, into a pultec EQP1R, into a neve 33609 limiter as my MAIN mono ambient mic for drums on the last two records i have done!
I am very much a fan of the sage electronics stuff, obviously.
Joel Hamilton
Studio G