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03/17/2025
Perfect Introduction to DIY 500 Series Gear
For starters, I don't know that I'd recommend this as your *very first* soldering project. It is not a difficult build at all, but personally I'm glad I tried my hand at something even simpler (like a Fuzz Face-style pedal) first to "iron" out the kinks in my soldering technique. My first pedal build did have some issues, which were not hard to trace out and fix in that tiny circuit.. This circuit is nothing crazy but it is definitely more complex than a Fuzz Face! Just food for thought.
That said, I don't have a ton of experience beyond a handful of pedal builds and a whole lot of cable assembly, and it went very smoothly, testing out as expected on first power up. All in all, the build was finished and tested about a day and a half after the parts arrived, probably ~5-6 hours total, moving at a leisurely pace. Also it arrived lightning fast, being on a different continent (US) I didn't assume I'd have the parts within a week of ordering, let alone have the whole thing built, but sure enough it arrived only five days after ordering, mad props to Sound Skulptor for that.
Lastly and most importantly, the quality - this thing sounds phenomenal. Optos are my favorite style of compressor and I'll admit I was highly skeptical $300 would build me anything all that special, but I was wrong. Almost bummed I have no need for all those LA-2A plugins I've got now... This is all I'll need, at least until I find a good tube-based opto build to add to the collection! Even then, I have no doubt this will be getting used heavily for a very, very long time. Especially love it on a bass track, no surprise there as that's always been one of my favorite uses for an opto. I also have no doubt that I will be ordering many more kits from Sound Skulptor, if their other units live up to this experience then I can't imagine there being a better value on the market.
02/14/2025
I love it
The LA502 is my first, but definitely not my last Sound Skulptor module. The kit is very well sorted and the instructions are excellent. There are numerous Youtube videos in which Sound Skulptor modules are assembled. If you prepare yourself, you will also learn some tricks on how to solder better.
I took my time with the assembly and worked carefully. As a result, everything worked right away.
And the sound of the compressor? Fantastic! I love it on vocal tracks.
Many thanks to the Sound Skulptor team
02/08/2025
EQ250 done....and happy
Have built this kit,all went very well and easy,absolutely no issues.Parts were complete to the very last solder nail.I loved the idea to have a 250-style eq in stereo,mainly on the bus (I already have a few mono versions which are frequently used with an MS-matrix).Build quality is excellent,the pots are directly mounted to the frontpanel so nothing wiggles or feels floppy.The knobs are collet knobs,this couldn´t be done better.I ran some music through it for testing,it sounds gorgeous!
Again: Chapeau bas to Jean-Pierre and his team!
As said before:I´m happy!
12/17/2024
Carnhill Charm
I just finished my first MP573 build, and yeah there's a reason why this style of preamp has a place in history. On my first mic test, with just a standard dynamic vocal mic, it took me about 20 seconds to dial in the right amount of gain and sonic character my ears have been hearing on the radio for decades. I can't wait to power up the U87 and Mojave MA300.
I bought this 1073 build specifically due to the fact that it uses the Carnhill transformers. I've used plenty of 1073 clones ( personal builds, and otherwise) and I can say for certain that without them in the circuit path you will never recreate the sonic breakup character loved by so many (Audio geeks and just music lovers etc).
Hearing is believing!!!!!!
Super well done to SSK for some fantastic circuit engineering.
Cheers.
Dog House Studios
12/13/2024
Awesome thickness!
This was my second Sound Skulptor pre, and like the first one, was very easy to build due to the very detailed assembly guide. Every component is of high quality. But here comes the best part: the sound of this pre is unbelievable! It makes everything sound thick and full. Amazing on any instrument or voice. If driven hard on drums, it does that beautiful saturation, cuts down the peaks, while adding even more punchiness to the sound. Gorgeous!
11/09/2024
WONDERFUL-sounding compressors!
These compressors were a very easy build, with fewer components than other Sound Skulptor kits.
This is a nice payoff, because you get a phenomenal sound for quite a small effort.
VERY glad I purchased. They are installed next to my CP4500, and my two CP554s.
09/28/2024
Incredible compressor
I built two of these mono units in March 2024.
I work for the national broadcaster in my country and I have been using these on individual bus and master bus duties for my music recordings ever since.
Authoritative, full range, sublime.
They can be transparent if at 1.5 ratio with a low threshold, or give you very solid control with a ratio of 2 onwards. The threshold control is important and powerful.
Wonderful kits, they complement our genuine Neve 2254/E units perfectly. I think these are a viable replacement for the real thing, in a time when the real ones are getting much harder to find.
09/26/2024
Perfect!
This is a high-quality and useful piece. Kit instructions were great and it went together quickly. I have it standing vertically in the center of the speaker shelf on my console with a 500-series Bluetooth module in it, and wired it into one of the master section tape inputs. It’s dead silent and works beautifully!
08/28/2024
Definitely worth it.
My favorite DIY preamp. Brilliant and clean sounding, one doesn't have to be professional sound engineer to note the sound quality of this preamp. I am a beginner when it comes to building DIY stuff, still managed to build it and really happy I made the decision of purchasing this
07/17/2024
Very flexible limiter/compressor
I've been using my CP1176 for about 6 months now, on two to three sessions a week. After getting to know it well, I can tell you all with confidence that it is a great limiter & compressor, I thoroughly recommend it. It really does grab the attack at the quoted 20us while remaining transparent. A friend has lent me his unit and I've been using the two on my front end: the first set as a traditional limiter (super fast attack and fast release) with input (threshold) set to just catch the peaks, and the second as a compressor, with say 5ms or more attack time and slower release. This is an awesome combo and is giving a lot of clarity to my mixes. I've used it on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar amps, bass (both DI and amps) and piano (no drums yet). Perfectly useable on all these sources.
Things I like:
1. Attack time 20us to 20ms. This varies from the "real" 1176 spec, whose slowest attack time is 800us (0.8ms). Having this longer attack time allows you to use it as a compressor and preserve some transient attack. This is a very worthwhile change to spec.
2. High Pass Filter. I use this nearly always on bass, it is a great feature.
3. Very accurate gain reduction metering. The 1db LED steps are great for dialling in the right amount of GR.
To the designer: Wishlist:
-switchable HPF of 80Hz and say 160Hz.
-Get rid of the DIST feature - I've never found a reason to use it. Perhaps replace it with a LPF at say 200 or 250Hz?
-External sidechain access (I understand 500 format makes this hard)
-a stepped pot version for those intending to build units for stereo use. I've used them in stereo and wasn't convinced my level calibration was correct.
-re-label the OFF switch to ON!!!
Keep up the good work Sound Skulptor, this is a great piece of equipment. I'm amazed at the pcb design and how you've managed to get so much circuitry in a 500 format unit.