what makes the Api 312 special?

After monkeying with balancing chips, different opamps.  Ran real audio through my 312ish copies and although they sounds good, there is debate of it's value.

A great engineer who was with me in this venture said what's the point, aside from pad, polarity and phantom there is only 1 gain knob. you can't distort it. Look at a 1073 there is a potential nine places where it can distort.  If you can't drive it then what is the point.  Now i understand his point about distortion but I don't know...

I am wondering should there be an output pot?

Like the CAPI preamps? 

Man, it's a crack-headed world when everyone suddenly thinks, after DECADES, that a one knob preamp might be pointless. 

Has the talent all gotten to a place where it can't drive itself, it needs a preamp to do it? 

Me, I use lots of no-knob preamps just fine.  Pad/no pad, those are the options. 

Has the talent all gotten to a place where it can't drive itself

Click to expand...

Maybe the talent got day jobs to pay the bills.
I experimented with driving preamps hard and found it wasn't very pleasant - I've tried API, NEVE, and a RCA tube. (IMO)

Yeah I think the one knob is fine for me and the single 5534 is fine for me to. it sounds good  to me. But since it came from someone I respect made me sink a little and want to rethink some stuff.


I guess you can't please everybody... on ward and upward

Have you ever listened to a 512c vs the onslaught of clones?

Yes the old studio I worked in had a pair in the 500 rack along side 2 X 525's and 2 X 550a's

HI Guys,

well from my limited experience using my API-312 pre amps with Sowter 4220 transformers in them, the output level compared to my SSL 9k pre amp is a lot more compressed in a nice way where the output level is just as loud as the SSL 9k, more t do with the transients, the output level looks lower but sounds just as loud.
Im just finishing another pair of 312 and a quad SSL 9k, got stereo 1073 coming next month to build!!! very excited.

regards

Spence.

pucho812 said:

Yes the old studio I worked in had a pair in the 500 rack along side 2 X 525's and 2 X 550a's

Click to expand...

and...

I heard a shootout not that long ago between a 512c and clones, and difference was immediately noticeable.

...but I've never compared a 512c to my 325/2622 converts.

desol said:

pucho812 said:

Yes the old studio I worked in had a pair in the 500 rack along side 2 X 525's and 2 X 550a's

Click to expand...

and...

I heard a shootout not that long ago between a 512c and clones, and difference was immediately noticeable.

Click to expand...

aren't 512c pres supposed to be a different version than the 312ish copies anyway ?

Yep.

A 512c is an actual API preamp....a copy is a copy....is a copy.

I meant different as in : even an API 3124 with 4*312 pres is supposed to sound different from a 512c , right ?

Well, I'm assuming it would depend on which versions of said preamp. An original 312 from 1976 should sound a little different.

What I can say, is that if I were API...the president of API!....I would make them both identical, except for a few amenities in the 512c.
ie: 512 sounds identical to 312, apart from form factor and/or a few bell's and whistles.

desol said:

pucho812 said:

Yes the old studio I worked in had a pair in the 500 rack along side 2 X 525's and 2 X 550a's

Click to expand...

and...

I heard a shootout not that long ago between a 512c and clones, and difference was immediately noticeable.

Click to expand...

what was the difference? better/worse or another color?

Well , if it's thought as a fader, and gives you the extra degree of resolution
to drive the recorder [ especially if the input is stepped ] is it " worth " it?

electrisizer said:

desol said:

pucho812 said:

Yes the old studio I worked in had a pair in the 500 rack along side 2 X 525's and 2 X 550a's

Click to expand...

and...

I heard a shootout not that long ago between a 512c and clones, and difference was immediately noticeable.

Click to expand...

what was the difference? better/worse or another color?

Click to expand...

It was just better, nicer top end, better detail. The sound on the 512c (acoustic guitar-strummed) resembled the beginnings of a 'record quality' sound, like what you would normally associate.."hey, that sounds like a record." Rather than...it sounds like a generic mid forward preamp. The difference was subtle, but you could tell the difference.