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03/12/2024
My own private Abbey Road!
I’m a rookie in soldering, so I did some cheap 10€ practice kits before building this preamp.
The instructions you get are very clear and - with the help of some pictures - easy to follow (but still, stay focused!!).
Off course I made a mistake somewhere, but Jean-Pierre was very helpful (thanks, JP!!).
In the end we got it running.
I’ve just finished building my 3rd AB528 and they all work fine (and they look great!)!
I have the preamps on a RME soundcard and two ISA-One preamps.
For me, the AB528 is definitively at the same quality level, but it adds more character.
You can really distort the sound if you push it hard enough.
The DI generates a nice full sound!
Other than that it’s even more satisfying to use gear that you assembled yourself!
Thanks for making this possible!!
Currently working on my 4th …
03/05/2024
Topgear!
I’m a rookie in soldering, so I did some cheap practice kits before building this preamp.
The instructions are very clear and thanks to the pictures easy to follow (but still, stay focused!!).
Off course I made a mistake somewhere, but Jean-Pierre was very helpful (thanks, JP!!).
I’ve just finished building my 3rd AB528 and they all work fine!
I have my RME preamps on the soundcard and two ISA-One preamps.
For me, the AB528 is definitively at the same quality level, but it adds more character.
Also the DI generates a nice full sound!
Other then that it’s even more satisfying to use gear that you assembled yourself!
Thanks for making this possible!!
Working on my 4th …
02/11/2024
A great microphone
During the last weeks I used the SK49 on a lot of vocal sessions, female and male.The results are stunning.This convinced me to get another one as a stereo pair on instruments, (chamber) orchestra, choir etc.Again absolutely great sounding.The capsule is fantastic,usefull in a lot of situations.
Has a lot of of polar patterns "in between" the standards which makes it even more universal (9 in complete!) - plus hpf if you want.A very warm sounding though not too coloured,clean,wide open and really full range microphone!
Everything I have heard from it while recording with "clean" gear like Millennia Preamps etc.was spot-on.When used with a more colored amp like 1073s etc it can easily convert itself into a soundmonster.....if you're after that...? Gorgeous!
The build quality is excellent, everything is included down to the very last nut and bolt.
The instructions are very clear and easy to follow.Just be patient and keep your workbench clean.
Once done you will have a marvelous microphone that stacks up to the "big ones" with ease!
A big thank you and my deepest respect to the people at Sound Skulptor!
Chapeau!
P.S.:Did I mention that it looks absolutely killer?
11/16/2023
Great kit to built for a classic compression
It's quite impressive to read schematics, to put together all the elements of a genius' piece of audio hardware, and it's quite rewarding to listen to it in action!
I really enjoyed to follow the guide and assemble this CP4500 kit: everything is so carefully prepared by SoundSkulptor, the documents and the components. The calibration procedure is quite straight forward.
I already have an ssl bus comp clone, and ...plugins. This compressor is renown for it's punch and glue, kinda transparent compression, within small amounts of compression. But with right gain structure and heavy compression, harmonic distorsion occurs .The 4 options to taylor the sidechain signal are very efficient to skulpt the compressed sound to taste: i love the CP4500.
Thanks you SoundSkulptor
08/24/2023
Sounds amazing!
Fun to build and sound just amazing. Use it a lot on the master bus. Even when I'm just listening to ready made music through my monitors I've noticed I often prefer to send it through the CP4500 (with basically no compression engaged, but still let the audio pass through) just because I perceive it sounds better then. Might be ghosts in my head, or the circuits give the audio some mojo. Great kit!
06/15/2023
Best compressor I have heard!!!
I have a lot of good compressors in my studio. Heritage Audio Successor, Tegeler Audio Creme, AML 52F50 (Neve 2254), FMR Audio RNLA500, CP5176 (1176) and Golden Age Comp 2A etc.
They are all good compressors. Specially the Tegeler Creme, AML 52F50 and CP5176 are great and I use them all the time. But the MU524 is outstanding!
Haven't heard anything like it. It's like breathing new life into vocals, instruments and Master-Bus. The compression is smooth, but the overall sound is many times better than bevor. How is this possible?
Great job Sound Skulptor!!!
05/06/2023
A great compressor
This is the second Sound Skulptor kit I built as I was really impressed and happy with first. I already have an 1176 compressor clone, a Lindell Lin76, but the idea of having one in 500 format was really attractive and I knew the quality would be top notch.
Obviously, due to size, this isn't a one-to-one copy of the 1176 but it does everything my Lin76 does and has "that sound". A test with a drum loop I found online sounded huge. The gain reduction meter works really well too. Once again, I didn't get my moneys worth but I got a whole lot more.
Documentation was thorough and detailed. The setup guide was easy to follow and, although I have proper test equipment like a function generator and oscilloscope, I just adhered to the guide using basic equipment and I got a perfect result. I highly recommend this kit without hesitation.
04/24/2023
Awesome preamp
I've built tube amps, transceivers, radios, fuzz boxes, but this is my first pro audio kit and my first 500 series module. The documentation is detailed and excellent, the quality of parts is high, and the panel looks professional. There is no need to trawl through forums for information, all the information needed to build it is an a few PDF files. It worked the first time and the finished module looks as good as a commercial product. Yes, it also sounds beautiful and crisp. I got way more than my moneys worth and plan on building more Sound Skulptor modules. These are kits done properly.
04/16/2023
D.I.
Outstanding good sounding D.I. box for a real attractive price in this segment. Compared to a Reddi Box to me there is no loss in sound quality and this one is so much more versatile ! I use it in tube mode at the moment and most likely the distortion button on for a vintage P-Style Bassound recorded directly just like a dream. Planning a A/B with a REDDI box coming soon !
04/11/2023
The Better Maker
First, while I have assembled other DIY kits, there were certain aspects with this kit that were challenging. Soldering the pin connectors was not exactly easy. I made sure to go over the instructions many times before each step and I took my time. The pay off was that the preamp worked after the final step and has worked solidly since. (I did have one issue in the middle of the build, but JPK quickly rectified it. Wonderful customer service.)
I have never recorded through an EMI preamp or the TG, but what I can tell you is that everything is thicker recorded through the AB528. For example, my snare through an SM57 has more detail and just needs less eq and/or compression.
Using some other old dynamics on guitar with the gain cranked up and the output trim low, really gave some pleasing sounds.
Even the cheap 20 dollar monoprice ribbon mic had depth yet a richness on guitar room.
Keep in mind this is a home studio that is not fully treated. I feel like this mic pre is a better maker, and the kind of tool I want more of in my studio. I definitely see more Sound Skulptor products in my future.