With a commitment to 'put the ritual back in to music listening'
and 'to support new music and lost treasures on vinyl', the label
releases extremely high quality and previously unreleased
vinyl cuts as well as new recordings by contemporary artists.
Gearbox Records is a vinyl led record label with its own
analogue vinyl cutting facility at the Tileyard Studios
complex near King's Cross, London.
Founded in 2009, Gearbox has already established a catalogue of over 25 releases including limited editions and deluxe box sets, which are sold around the world through a network of specialist record stores and through
its own online music store.
‘With its satisfyingly fat vinyl platters, audiophile-friendly downloads and imaginative catalogue of rediscovered gems
(plus new recordings), LP specialist Gearbox is becoming one
of the wonders of the age’
Philip Johnson, The Independent
‘For those who prefer their jazz on vinyl, the redoubtable
UK-based Gearbox label - famed for their attention to detail
in regard to vinyl mastering - leads the way’
Charles Waring, Record Collector
‘Pure analogue jazz from vinyl-only label Gearbox is bucking
the digital trend by putting sound quality and sheer enjoyment
of the physical article above everything else’
Sally Evans-Derby, Jazz Journal
‘If you’re into post bop British Jazz, dedicated to analogue
sound and expensive heavy duty hi-quality vinyl, the website
of Gearbox Records has to be a regular stop-off’
Paul Bradshaw, Stereophonic Supply Company
‘Gearbox has one goal and that’s to produce the best
sounding vinyl that can be made....the sound is like nothing
else I’ve encountered’
Jason Kennedy, The Ear
ANALOGUE CHAIN
VINYL MASTERING
The studio was principally built for Gearbox Records to master and cut its own records exactly how it wants, with no digital in the signal path or even a digital to analogue convertor to generate preview signals.
It features an all valve playback area
for vinyl and digital playback and for demonstrating great hifi provided by
our partners Audio Note.
The studio is available to hire with an
hourly charge for mastering and cutting,
transcriptions, edits, reviews and playback.
For a quote please email:
EQUIPMENT
The lathe
Vintage Haeco Scully with Westrex
(Western Electric) heads and cutting amps.
The EQ
Vintage Lang Pultec EQ and limiter,
Maselec master control and de-esser,
Prism Maselec EQ.
Hifi
Audionote turntable, 300B valve integrated, 211 valve Tomei power amp, M6 valve pre amp with phone stage, speakers and cables for mastering and high-end referencing; Dual HS130 with Rogers LS3/5A speakers and Tripletone stereo valve amp for mid-market hifi referencing.
Studer C37
At the source end of the chain is the legendary broadcast Studer C37 valve 1/4 inch tape machine. Andreas Kuhn of Analog-Audio in Switzerland (whose family used to build these, and as a result has blueprints and Studer tooling to do a proper job) has refurbished this to as good as new. After A/B testing at his studio against a very good digital source and more modern tape machines, even a tone deaf person would have heard the difference. Even when we recorded a modern CD onto the Studer, and compared the original CD and the tape at 15 ips, the tape was much more open sounding, with no sound degredation. Unbelievable for such a vintage piece of kit.
Mics & field recorder
Vintage 1950’s Shure dynamic microphone.
Vintage RCA KU-3A ribbon microphone..one of only 600 of these unidirectional ribbon mics made for Hollywood studios in the late 1950s. Field recorder: Nagra SN “Serie Noir”, so called as it was commissioned as a surveillance reel to reel for the CIA in 1970. It is broadcast quality, stereo, all analogue, uses an AKG D109 microphone and is powered by AA batteries!
Equipment Summary
Haeco Scully lathe, Western Electric cutting amps and head; Maselec master control, EQ and de-esser; original Lang Pultec EQ; Urei high and
low pass filters; fully restored Studer C37, ex Decca Philips Pro51, Revox A671 tape machines; Telefunken U73b compressor/limiter; Telefunken
V72 and V76 mic preamps; Audionote 211 valve monitoring amps,
speakers and turntable; rare 15 ohm Rogers LS 3/5A near-field monitors driven by Tripletone valve amp; ex BBC MC EMT 948 reference turntable; Dual turntable for mid-market spec referencing; 1959 RCA KU-3A "skunk" ribbon microphone (only 600 made) and AEA mic pre; assorted Ortofon mono and stereo MC vintage cartridges and 12" tonearm for playing transcription discs; professional tape baking facility; Audio Desk
Systeme ultrasonic vinyl cleaner.
A Specialist Factory company © GEARBOX RECORDS 2014