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 David
Bock made a name for himself working as a tech in some of the
most famous studios in the US, like Hit Factory and Oceanway.
A big part of his job was repairing vintage mics over and over
again, and making "this U47" sound like "that U47"
when the client demanded it-tough job! He knows mics inside and
out, and users his ears. So who better to create "New"
vintage mics? When we met David he was building the ELUX 251,
and a slew of other mics like the U95S. Since then, we've introduced
the E47, the Ifet7, the E49 and David's only getting started.
The real idea behind Soundelux is to recreate the entire "ideal"
mic closet that was demanded at those famous studios. David has
a talent, designing "to a sound", rather than building
something and trying to convince you to like it. When designing
a new model, David always gets as close as he can to memory, then
rents the acknowledged best vintage mic he can find for comparison.
All Soundelux mics should beat 9 out of 10 of the best examples
of the vintage original, and cost about half the going vintage
price. We are very proud of David's work, unique among manufacturers!
| The
secret behind Bock
Audio Designs
is David Bock, a highly experienced studio technician and
designer of audio that cut his teeth working in such places
as Hit Factory and Oceanway. For studios like these, the
in-house microphone collection is perhaps their most important
asset, and one that needs constant maintenance as it is
usually made up of 20, 30 or even 40 year old microphones.
 David's
experience working on these old microphones again and again,
listening to critical differences between them and why one
sounds different than another (in very good rooms with top
quality preamps) is what makes him unique among mic designer/manufacturers.
Original
vintage mics have become increasingly scarce and very expensive.
The most important of these large diaphragm mics to many
studios have been the tube 47, the ELAM 251, the 67, the
FET47 and the M49. Studios that have traditionally relied
on these key microphones are left to work either without
them or endure very high expenses and very high maintenance
practices.
The
BockAudio goal is to restore some of these
older microphone sounds to their rightful place in the
studio by creating a sonic equal that's reliable yet affordable.
A tough goal for sure! But as the reviews and owners have
told us, Soundelux
is right on the money. If you know what the original sounds
like, you'll probably love the Soundelux equivalent.
(Photo
courtesy George Petersen)
Where
do I buy Bock
Audio Mics?
Accessories:
Sabra-Som
Pauly
 Bock
Audio 151
2006
Tec Award Nominee!
The 251 has been the most
used vocal mic for decades and the 151
puts this sound in reach of a greater
number of engineers and artists.
Insiders
Say: "You could say it's huge sounding."
I NEED
IT!
Download
the product
sheet (pdf)
|
The higher end BOCK AUDIO 251 is treasured by users
for its extraordinary up close cardioid performance on premier
voices and its distance performance on piano, ensembles and orchestras.
Many of our customers have asked for a vocal mic only version at
reduced cost and this drove development of the BOCK 151. The 151
is a microphone designed to sound as close as possible to the flagship
BOCK 251 up close but cost 30% less.
The BOCK 151 Microphone uses a proprietary BOCK hand made
German capsule, a proprietary BOCK hand wound vintage style
audio transformer, a NOS tube in the mic amplifier and a BOCK
hand built custom outboard power supply. The BOCK 151 adds
a unique "brite/normal" switch which delivers two
sounds in one mic. “Bright” allows unfiltered extended
high frequency response that defines a modern high end condenser; “normal” offers
a less bright, more vintage style high frequency response more
forgiving to sibilant singers and or voices that need a darker
treatment.
The BOCK 151 offers enduring qualities impossible to fully describe in writing.
While Chinese condensers try to impress with lots of top and bottom end on first
listen, they lack midrange so critical in defining a great vocal. The BOCK 151
built-in midrange presence curve, so important in “cutting through” a
dense mix, is impossible to obtain through EQ. Time has proven this vocal sound
must come from the mic itself. The unique BOCK AUDIO "brite/normal" switch
adds long term versatility. The high frequency response is extended but never
gets harsh or gritty. The BOCK 151 Proximity Effect (bass gets stronger with
closeness) is naturally powerful without being too boomy or bottom heavy. Midrange
is smooth and does not require post EQ. Best of all, the BOCK 151 has a way of
lifting the singer’s vocal to a higher level when they hear themselves
for the first time on this great microphone. The BOCK 151 is perhaps the biggest
bargain in lead vocal microphones available on the market. |
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Bock
Audio 251
The vintage 251 is THE vocal sound people ask for, but
the original (vintage) versions are 50+ years old and sound very different
from one
another. Repairing, rebuilding and “nursing” original 251’s
along has been David Bock’s work spanning over 30 years. The risk
for a modern studio or end user to depend on a vintage
mic on a daily basis is increasingly problematic.
The BOCK 251 is David Bock’s answer to the vintage mic dilemma of getting “that
sound” without the headaches. It is a premier lead microphone for premier
voices. It is built to last and provide the studio and user with many years of
daily, high end performance.
The BOCK 251 provides the user with absolute confidence that this is
the mic you put in the most critical situations. The BOCK 251 uses a proprietary
hand made German capsule, a proprietary hand wound multi sectioned audio
transformer, a NOS tube in the mic amplifier, a hand built outboard power
supply and a custom low capacitance audio cable. This is one of the best
overall mic packages available on the market at any price. The BOCK 251
is the ideal microphone to choose when there is a variety of applications
that must met with absolute top recording quality. With frequency response
that extends well beyond the normal range of typical studio microphones,
the BOCK 251 sets new standards.
For vocals, the BOCK 251 instantly delivers that huge vocal
sound you have wanted for years. It sounds equally impressive on females
and males. It will capture
the most intimate and subtle details of a vocal yet maintain integrity at high
SPL’s. It holds up track after track, “sitting on top” in extremely
dense mixes without EQ.
For instruments, the BOCK 251 offers very high end performance on critical stringed
instruments, orchestras, choirs and small ensembles. The outstanding transient
response reveals elusive harmonic details that spell the difference between good
and great in your recordings.
I NEED IT!
Download the
product sheet (pdf)
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Bock
Audio 195
The
BOCK 195 is custom built, hand made cardioid patterned, phantom
powered, large diaphragm FET microphone. In designing the
195, David Bock set out to create an extreme value in studio
mics that could satisfy a wide range of demands for highly
experienced engineers that own many more expensive microphones,
yet need additional mics within a budget. It delivers superb
results on lead vocal tracks as well as in instrument and
guitar amp use, providing remarkable fullness and presence
with exceptionally low background noise.
Unique
to the BOCK 195 is the switches that enable you to customize
the sound for the application at hand. The combinations of
tone switches allows for unmatched versatility in a professional
studio mic. Three different switches are offered: a "Mode" switch,
a “PAD” switch and a “LOW CUT” switch.
The Mode switch offers two modes of operation, FAT and NORM.
FAT is a low end boost between 10Hz and 400Hz for that distinctive
sound of older tube classic cardioid condensers. NORM is
extended flat response with slightly elevated high end typical
of FET condensers. The 195 PAD reduces the mic sensitivity
by 10dB for louder sources such as a guitar amp. The LOW
CUT reduces frequency response by 10dB at 20 Hz to clean
up the bottom end of vocals, bottom heavy source or a boomy
room.
The U195’s unique amplifier circuitry is key to why a 195 sounds so different
in use compared to other FET mics. It offers superior response to wider dynamics
while avoiding the typical transistor low-level high-order harmonic distortion
commonly found in other FET mics. The BOCK 195 also contains a unique to the
industry output transformer—many times the size of competitors. Audio professionals
know a large and well designed transformer is the key to wonderful analog sound.
Our proprietary transformer design takes up half the room in the mic body! We
did this not just to prove that bigger is better, but to increase the low frequency
headroom beyond that of other transformer coupled mics..
Insider's
say:
You may own a lot of mics, but this is useful no matter what you
own!
I NEED IT!
Download the product sheet (pdf)
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