N7CAL.COM

Over the years as my interest in ESSB grew, I had no idea as to what gear I would need. That was largely due to the fact that I didn't know what I was shooting for. Did I want to just enhance my sound a little? Did I want to EQ? Would I need to compress? Did I need to add effect to my sound? I had No answers in the beginning to any of these questions and because of that I just threw gear at a radio thinking it would sound good, Not so! There are many units out there that you can get cheap, and there is a reason that they are cheap. Not only are they functionally sub-standard but they are more than likely not able to handle the RF environment either. Tapco, Phonic, Korg just to name a few are companies that have a following in the music application but for your HF environment they fall well short. That doesn't mean that you have to go out and buy top of the line gear but you do need to find gear that can handle your needs as well as the RF. Orban, HHB, Bellari, Symetrix, DBX and Behringer are just a few manufacturers you might see in a ham shack and most are affordable.

Behringer stuff is very popular for a number of reasons. Its not very susceptible to RF. Its not very expensive. Its not difficult to operate (excluding the 2496) and there are alot of people running it so there is a wealth of info as to its application into ham radio. A simple rack might consist of the following:

MIC 2200 Mic Preamp

MDX Compressor, either, 2200, 2400, etc...

Peq 2200 Parametric EQ (5 band)

Just those few pieces will make the difference between lifeless audio and a natural fuller sound. About $150.00 and youre in. I went that way for a while and I found it to be lacking for what I wanted to do. I had no noise gate and my dynamics were flat. There was no fidelity. From there I went through a number of setups until I found a set up I really liked. That is, until I got into tube gear. But the setup I had that I really liked for quite some time was as follows:

DBX 286A pre amp

DEQ 2496 Ultra Curve pro

Ultrafex Pro EX 3200

Virtualizer Pro DSP 2024

That set up ran about $400.00 and It really opened me up to alot of things. First of all, the 2496: If you read on NU9N.COM you will find an entire section dedicated to the 2496. It is a great piece of gear. It is a multi band compressor. A Dynamic Enhancer. A noise gate. A parametric EQ. A De-esser. A feedback destroyer of sorts, meaning that you can attack specific frequencies within your shack be they feedback, fan noise, whatever! It will do everything that you need! There are a large number of Audio guys that run the 2496. It is not for the plug and play crowd. You have to learn how to use it. More importantly, you have to learn what you want it to do! You cant just turn knobs on it and suddenly find nirvana. You need to understand the processes that you are trying to implement. Take multi band compression for example. You will need to control the lows so that you dont fold and pump the bottom. Your highs will need to be controlled so that you can have the definition in the higher frequencies without tearing or excessive brittleness. The 2496 is capable of doing all of this and once you know what you're trying to achieve then you will have to learn how to make the 2496 do its thing.

After messing around with the 2496 for a while there was still one thing that I was unable to do. Wide band fidelity. For that I was going to need a different radio. Enter the Voodoo Modified FT 1000 MP MKV. This radio was modified by WZ5Q. Mike is the king of the Kenwood TS-950. He has developed and preformed extensive modifications to the 950 that have put it head and shoulders above all other radios in the ESSB realm for smoothness. His mods to the receive, transmit and monitor sections make his radios the premier ESSB rig. I am lucky enough to have the only Yaesu that Mike has ever, or will ever work on. It transmits and receives 6k. Its receive section is very flat making for good recordings, The monitor section has been modded as well to allow for truer rendering of my audio for testing and adjustments. It is a wonderful rig for ESSB.

The Warm Sphere of Confusion and Space Cadet Glow

(Name that Tune!)

You might think that with the rack dialed in and the radio doing what I wanted that I would be satisfied. Not quite, there was one more step for me. Tube gear. I had been listening to Mike, WZ5Q and Eddie, W5NVI for a while as they developed a sound with tube gear that is so rich in texture and warmth that I had to try it. My first piece was the Bellari 533. It is a compressor and exciter. As I got used to what tubes brought to the table I realized that I would need more. My next piece was a tube eq, the HHB Radius 20 modified by Mike and I have to tell you that once I got this eq I really started to see what tube technology brought to the table. The warmth and the texture of the audio with the tube eq was an absolute quantum leap from the digital eq's. Just like a parametric eq is a huge leap from graphic eq's, so is the tube stuff.

From that point on I was bitten. Tube all the way!! The next piece was the Bellari 562 Sonic Tube Exciter. This piece really added a spatial quality that I never dreamed possible. Also, the analog approach really maintains a dynamic clarity that I didn't see with the digital stuff.

I want to talk a little bit about using the tube EQ vs. the Digi-Wigi EQ. When I was using the 2496 and Eq'ing with it, everything was based on exact numbers and bandwidths. I used to think that having exact numerical numbers and a hundred memories was the way to go. I can tell you that by the time I had used this setup for a year, I had saved 40+ settings and I was so lost in the numbers that I had forgotten how to listen. The second I put the tube eq in the rack I started to listen and I could hear again. The Radius 20 has two channels and four bands per so there are 8 filters available. At this time I only use 4. And I dont add anything. I basically only cut. I cut at 160Hz, 350Hz and 6K. With the tube gear throughout the rack I have more balance and I need less Eq.

To me a tube EQ with no memories is so much more intuitive. I think that all the techno gear is great. Spectra-Plus is absolutely necessary! But I crippled myself by depending solely on the technology. I had to learn to trust and develop my ear. I had, for a long time, been dependent on what the graph had to look like. With all the filters available in the 2496, I was just sure I had to use them. I mean, thats what they are there for right? In going that route I forgot my primary reason for getting into ESSB in the first place. To develop my own sound. I cant just go with the numbers and have them apply. We are all different. Different mics, different voices, different set ups entirely. I have to find MY sweet spot. The tube gear is teaching me to listen for my spot. It is more about the feel and balance available in the tube gear than with the Digi-Wigi stuff

All in all the balance, sound and level control with the current rack far exceeds the old Digi-wigi

The rack is almost all analog now with the exception of the TC Electronic Triple C.

Here is the current rack in its entirety

Bellari 533 for Pre Amp/Exciter

Bellari 562 Sonic Tube exciter

Aphex 622 Expander Gate

HHB Radius 20 EQ

Behringer Ultrafex Pro EX 3200

Behringer Virtualizer Pro DSP 2024

TC Electronic Triple C Multi Band Compressor

Behringer MX 882 Mixer

Behringer RX 1602 Mixer