Recording - July 2018 - 52

Big Bear Audio MP1, MP1+, and Colour Modules

British
Console
preamp audio paths, compression
circuits, equalizer bands, tape saturators,
and more. The Big Bear Audio website
offers a selection of 17 DIYRE Colour
modules; for this review, I was sent three
of the preamp-focused choices.

British Console

The British Console module is a class-A
discrete circuit with a pair of independent
semi-opamps and 1960s/1970s-era
New Old Stock (NOS) silicon transistors.
It is obviously Neve-inspired and optimized to offer 2nd-order harmonics with
an asymmetrical clipping pattern. Thanks
to a pair of internal jumpers, it can also
be set to add an additional 8 or 16 dB
of input gain and saturation.
In use, the British Console is the most
saturated and intense of the three flavors I
was sent, especially when pushed with the
16 dB setting-it can be nicely overdriven,
and even pegged. I liked running signal
into it just at the threshold of clipping/drive,
especially on drums, bass, and vocals,
where louder levels of sound drive gently
into overdrive and yield a very convincing
classic 1960s sound that reminds me of the
early warm clipped sound of Decca-era
Rolling Stones. In other words, a classic
British Console, just like it says on the tin.
This module pairs best with the transformered MP1+ to my ears, especially when
chasing that vintage warm drive described
above. That said, it also balances well with
the MP1, which opens up the sound nicely
while retaining the gentle drive.

Discrete Saturator

The Discrete Saturator is, as its name implies, a fully discrete class-A signal path,
but one that uses both German-made
NOS germanium and USA-made silicon
52

RECORDING July 2018

Mass
Drivr

Discrete
Saturator
transistors as well as both germanium and
silicon diodes. These add diode-based
saturation and gentle circuit-driven compression to the sound. Like the British Console, this module is by the UK firm Bart
HRK (hence the price in Pounds).
Of the three Colours I was sent, this
one is my favorite for general all-around
use. It's not as driven or thick as the British
Console, but still adds a nice dusty texture to the tone that is subtle on its own,
and stacks nicely when multitracking. It's
vintage in nature but not heavy-handed,
and very much as I would imagine a
showroom-new late-1950s/early-1960s
germanium-era console might sound.
I like this module best when paired with
the openness of the MP1, where it adds a
beautiful texture that retains its 3D depth
and sounds great on low-end sources like
DI bass. If you want a fuller mid thrust,
and want to be closer to a vibey vintage
tone, then I would pair it with the MP1+.

Mass Drivr

The Mass Drivr is made by Louder Than
Liftoff, whose Chop Shop 500 Series
Filter/EQ was reviewed in April 2014. The
Mass Drivr is fitted with both a custom steel
wound transformer and one of LTL's integrated 2520-style Rogue Six discrete op amps.
It's based on a vintage API 325 line amp.
Of the three modules I was sent, it
gets the closest to hitting its target; it has
an API-ish sound, with the most open top
end of the bunch. Overall it sounded
like a nicely roughed-up version of my
trusty API 512C preamp: the same tone,
but a nice hint of gritty air on the Mass
Drivr. This one pairs best with the MP1+
if you want solid vintage tone through and
through, but works well on the regular
MP1 for deep low end and bass.

Conclusion

I really enjoy the paradigm of the Big
Bear preamps and the DIYRE Colour
universe. It is both creative and just flatout fun. It makes you want to experiment
with tone and vibe.
With just two preamps and three modules, I had an instant choice of eight sonic
possibilities in a very small footprint. The
only downside is that if you want to mix
and match often, pulling the preamps out
of their enclosure and swapping modules can get fiddly. The other downside
is that you will probably want to collect
Colour modules like trading cards, so be
ready for the addiction!
There are other companies offering
preamps as well as tone boxes for
DIYRE modules, and while I have not
heard any of the others yet, none of
them look this unique and boutique.
These are easily the most futuristic 500
Series modules I have ever seen or
used... which wouldn't matter if they
didn't sound great.
That's not an issue here. Even without the Colour modules, these preamps
sound fantastic on their own, and
they're really affordable for everything
you get. Big thumbs up to Big Bear Audio
for a unique and worthwhile new take
on mic preamplification!

PRICES: MP1, $399; MP1+,
$549; Colour modules (as
reviewed), £76, £65.17, $99

MORE FROM: Big Bear Audio,
ww.bigbearaudio.com;
dist. by Wave Distro,
www.wavedistro.com

http://www.bigbearaudio.com http://www.wavedistro.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - July 2018