API am so excited. (See what I did there?)

Thank you, income tax return. My goal for the next few months is to get enough outboard preamps that I can get rid of my aged Soundtracs PC MIDI 16. A big part of that is (well, was) having a few channels of API and now that has been accomplished. Pictured above is the API-6b 500 lunchbox with three channels of preamps. The first two on the left are genuine APIs racked by OSA before they did their own production line of 312 clones and the third is a Classic API VP-26, a 312 clone that by many reviews sounds better than a genuine channel. In my very brief tests, I’m liking the VP-26 better than the OSAs. A bit punchier, a bit more presence, though that isn’t to say that the OSAs are bad by any means — all sound awesome. I sampled my drums and played with Drumagog to replace hits in existing recordings since my next session is a few weeks away. I’m gonna buy a fourth channel sometime soon, probably another VP-26, so I can do snare and three toms simultaneously. I’m still not feeling APIs for kick, at least not for metal.

I also just ordered a Tech21 Sansamp RBI. It’s a bass preamp and DI that many engineers and bassists, including my dear friend Shawn Riley (of Rumpelstiltskin Grinder and Woe), absolutely swear by. I love bass. It’s so under-appreciated in metal and I’m glad to have another tool at my disposal to make it sound even more awesome.