Recording - November 2014 - 43

more the threshold clamps down, the larger the range of sound it grabs. As a result,
you hear more clarity (highs) and/or more
fullness and thump (lows). The Tube Mode
controls can be thought of as "mix" knobs,
determining how much of the expanded
signal is blended in.
In use
Initial setup was tricky for me. It's a bit of
a balancing act between the three sets of
input and output controls to get the unit to
be close to the same volume when in use,
bypassed, or when taken out of the chain,
i.e. bypassed in my DAW. SBS claims the
unit has a true bypass switch. Usually this
means that when bypassed, the signal running through the unit should be the same
volume as if you were to physically remove
the unit from your chain. On the SP-1PRO,
this is not the case; when I first inserted it
out of the box, both the effected and
bypassed levels were much quieter than my
raw signal. This tells me that the dry signal
through the unit is still post-input controls.
Once levels were set, though, it was
smooth sailing as I got the hang of the simple and interactive controls. The SP-1PRO
actually manages to do exactly what it
says it does, adding both fullness and clarity, all with a hi-fi tube signature. The unit
can be subtle or more extreme, yet at the
same time it feels like it's not doing much...

until you bypass it and notice how much
it's really doing. Even with the threshold all
the way down and the Tube Mode section
at minimal settings, it still has an audible
effect on your signal, adding hints of fullness, sonic separation and clarity.
On the low end it adds round low fullness that can subtly bolster the overall bottom of a mix or highlight the thump of a
kick drum or bass guitar with ease. The
high-end can be bright and sparkly or
subtle and open depending on its setting.
While it is a 2-channel box, I enjoyed its
effects on mono bass guitar, lead vocals,
and acoustic guitar. Overall, though, it spent
most of its time on my drum bus, on stereo
keyboard tracks, and especially the 2-bus.
This is one of those boxes that, once
added to a mix, might leave things sounding dull and lifeless when you disengage
it. It can be addictive and easy to
overuse! As with a bus compressor, I
achieved the best results when I integrated the unit into my sessions and mixed
into it from the start, adjusting it as the
mix progressed. This is a much better
option than slapping it on at the end.

boutique in every way... except one,
which leads me to my only real complaint.
Sonically and internally, this is a topnotch box. Cosmetically, at this price point
I think SBS Designs should consider taking
a page from companies like Avalon,
Moon, Millennia Media, and Summit, with
a thicker anodized faceplate and a more
high-end audiophile look. A piece of this
sonic caliber, at this price, needs to look as
good as it sounds-and frankly it doesn't.
I actually prefer the logo and modern look
of its Jensen-transformer-equipped big
brother, the SP-1.
That said, this box does something no
other device on the market does, which is
rare and commendable these days, especially when it sounds this good. Every now
and then a company comes up with a box
whose science seems almost magical-
you throw it on your master bus and things
just sound better, with results that you listen to later and are proud of, rather than
wondering, "What was I thinking?" To the
list of those boxes, like the Empirical Labs
Fatso and AnaMod ATS1, we now add
the SBS Designs SP-1PRO.

Conclusion
Bottom line, the SP-1PRO sounds great!
It imparts a very hi-fi tube signature with
loads of separation and sparkle. Its price is
sobering, but this is a serious device that's

Price: $3595
More from: SBS Designs,
www.sbsdesigns.com; dist. by MV Pro
Audio, www.mvproaudio.com


http://www.sbsdesigns.com http://www.mvproaudio.com http://www.cras.edu http://www.cras.edu http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/consumer.html

Recording - November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2014

Contents
Recording - November 2014 - Cover1
Recording - November 2014 - Cover2
Recording - November 2014 - 1
Recording - November 2014 - 2
Recording - November 2014 - 3
Recording - November 2014 - 4
Recording - November 2014 - 5
Recording - November 2014 - Contents
Recording - November 2014 - 7
Recording - November 2014 - 8
Recording - November 2014 - 9
Recording - November 2014 - 10
Recording - November 2014 - 11
Recording - November 2014 - 12
Recording - November 2014 - 13
Recording - November 2014 - 14
Recording - November 2014 - 15
Recording - November 2014 - 16
Recording - November 2014 - 17
Recording - November 2014 - 18
Recording - November 2014 - 19
Recording - November 2014 - 20
Recording - November 2014 - 21
Recording - November 2014 - 22
Recording - November 2014 - 23
Recording - November 2014 - 24
Recording - November 2014 - 25
Recording - November 2014 - 26
Recording - November 2014 - 27
Recording - November 2014 - 28
Recording - November 2014 - 29
Recording - November 2014 - 30
Recording - November 2014 - 31
Recording - November 2014 - 32
Recording - November 2014 - 33
Recording - November 2014 - 34
Recording - November 2014 - 35
Recording - November 2014 - 36
Recording - November 2014 - 37
Recording - November 2014 - 38
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Recording - November 2014 - 40
Recording - November 2014 - 41
Recording - November 2014 - 42
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Recording - November 2014 - 47
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Recording - November 2014 - 49
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Recording - November 2014 - Cover3
Recording - November 2014 - Cover4
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