Recording - September 2016 - 49

range is quite respectable, but it will
exhibit a touch of self noise when pushed
to the edge of its gain range with a passive ribbon or low-output dynamic mic.
Fitting the "unique sonic stamp" definition,
the Auteur MKII is a high-quality preamp
with its own unique and useful sound that is
a true workhorse at an exceptional price.
B12A MKII
The B12A MKII is a single-channel
preamp that is a classic console-style
preamp design. It's inspired by, but not
a clone of, an API 312A circuit. It lives
in a half-rack chassis like the Auteur (or
a 500 Series module), finished in a
smoky brushed silver with black lettering
and a large stylized orange gain knob.
It shares the same controls as the Auteur
MKII, including phantom power, pad,
and phase reverse, as well as the same
inputs, outputs, and power source.
So what's the difference? It provides a
narrower but hotter gain range ( 44 dB,
from +26 dBu to +70 dBu), has an 18
dB pad, and comes with a front-panel
switchable Hi-Z instrument input (43 dB,
from +10 dBu to +53 dBu). Internally it
has a Cinemag input transformer coupled

with the Edcor output transformer.
The B12A is more weighted, punchier,
and richer in overall tone than the
Auteur. While it's not a direct clone, it
does offer the telltale upper-mid punch
and rich yet constrained transformer lowend that 312A circuits are known for.
It handles low-output mics better than
the Auteur, and I loved it with a Shure
SM7 on vocal duties-it's a beautiful pairing. It is well suited for snare, punchy kick
drums, electric guitar cabinets, and miked
bass cabinets. Speaking of bass, the Hi-Z
input is very nice for direct bass duties.
On passive-pickup basses it has a very
vintage, almost punk-rock tone, and on
an active bass it is very thick and bold.
The B12A MKII works with a wider
range of mics than the Auteur and adds
Hi-Z DI capabilities-not a bad tradeoff
for a still very affordable single-channel
pre. Like the Auteur MKII, it represents a
sizeable improvement on budget preamps for very little cash.
Prices: Auteur MKII, $649 (2-channel halfrack) or $399 (1-channel 500 Series);
B12A MKII, $649 (1-channel half-rack) or
$599 (1-channel 500 Series)

A Chat With Black Lion's
Nate Bierdeman
While doing this review, I had the
chance to head down to Chicago and get
a tour of the Black Lion operation, meet
the hardworking and dedicated staff, and
sit down with CEO Nate Bierdeman.
How did Black Lion start? Was it strictly
a mod company at first?
Nate Bierdeman: It was, yeah. The original
owner of the company had been experimenting with different components and arrangements of components within the context of various circuits to see if he could make them
sound better. He had a friend who said "Hey,
is there anything you can do to make this
MOTU 828 sound better?" He was able to



http://www.kiqproductions.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2016

Contents
Recording - September 2016 - Intro
Recording - September 2016 - Cover1
Recording - September 2016 - Cover2
Recording - September 2016 - 1
Recording - September 2016 - 2
Recording - September 2016 - 3
Recording - September 2016 - 4
Recording - September 2016 - 5
Recording - September 2016 - Contents
Recording - September 2016 - 7
Recording - September 2016 - 8
Recording - September 2016 - 9
Recording - September 2016 - 10
Recording - September 2016 - 11
Recording - September 2016 - 12
Recording - September 2016 - 13
Recording - September 2016 - 14
Recording - September 2016 - 15
Recording - September 2016 - 16
Recording - September 2016 - 17
Recording - September 2016 - 18
Recording - September 2016 - 19
Recording - September 2016 - 20
Recording - September 2016 - 21
Recording - September 2016 - 22
Recording - September 2016 - 23
Recording - September 2016 - 24
Recording - September 2016 - 25
Recording - September 2016 - 26
Recording - September 2016 - 27
Recording - September 2016 - 28
Recording - September 2016 - 29
Recording - September 2016 - 30
Recording - September 2016 - 31
Recording - September 2016 - 32
Recording - September 2016 - 33
Recording - September 2016 - 34
Recording - September 2016 - 35
Recording - September 2016 - 36
Recording - September 2016 - 37
Recording - September 2016 - 38
Recording - September 2016 - 39
Recording - September 2016 - 40
Recording - September 2016 - 41
Recording - September 2016 - 42
Recording - September 2016 - 43
Recording - September 2016 - 44
Recording - September 2016 - 45
Recording - September 2016 - 46
Recording - September 2016 - 47
Recording - September 2016 - 48
Recording - September 2016 - 49
Recording - September 2016 - 50
Recording - September 2016 - 51
Recording - September 2016 - 52
Recording - September 2016 - 53
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Recording - September 2016 - 55
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Recording - September 2016 - 71
Recording - September 2016 - 72
Recording - September 2016 - Cover3
Recording - September 2016 - Cover4
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