We've been very busy here at High on Technology. We will have more information about this incredible concept album shortly, for now, you can push the No More Bread button and hear this epic labor of love and art.
There is literally something for everyone.
Dirk Ulrich and his Rockforce Tech Holding Company have acquired Apogee Electronics located in Santa Monica, California. This is the same investment entity that recently acquired Manley Laboratories.
Do you know what separated Leo Fender and made him unique? He tried his best!
I feel so lucky to have been able to chat with Oliver in Prosound forums. I never got to meet him personally but I felt a profound loss when he left us back in 2014.
I was a dealer for D’Addario guitar strings throughout the 1980s and I’ve used them even longer. The company has a history of innovating in accessories and it’s allowed them to grow in marketshare. There’s basically NEVER been a reliable, quality, TRS-to-TRS connector made by anyone (but me) so I was anxious to give this little molded jack-connector from D’Addario a try. Will the plugs fit right? Will the connections be solid? Is it worth $9 or more?
Slipping on the Sony MDR-7506 feels like greeting an old friend. Since 1991, these closed-back headphones have been heroes in studios worldwide, delivering no-nonsense sound that’s reliable. Are they still worthy of your consideration?
In Greek mythology, Orthros is a two-headed, serpent-tailed dog that guarded the cattle of the monster Geryon. Here, in the real world, where we actually live, Orthros is a deluxe A-B switching pedal from Joyo. The mythological Orthros, with its two heads, might symbolize the dual signal paths (A and B loops) the pedal manages, allowing you to switch or blend between two effects chains or signal routes. The pedal is really inexpensive and has many killer features, is it good?
I am pleased to announce that The John Hardy Company is now manufacturing the model 16C mic input transformer and 11C line output transformer. These transformers are now being used in the M-1, M-2 and Jensen Twin Servo 990 Mic Preamps of The John Hardy Company. The 16C and 11C replace the Jensen JT-16-B and JT-11-BM transformers respectively. The 16C and 11C are built to the exact specifications of the Jensen models.
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| Young Deane Jensen |
Back in the late 1970’s, if you called the Jensen Transformers business phone number, there was a good chance the man himself, Deane Jensen, would answer the phone. He did not identify himself, it was just a business-like “Jensen Transformers”. And I’d say, “I’m calling about a 21-xyz” and he’d launch into the features, advantages and benefits, no waiting, no looking in a catalog, instant knowledge, right there. He was brilliant for some products he developed but one aspect that is always overlooked; Deane Jensen was a genius marketing guy. If he got your ear, the things he said MADE you want Jensen Transformers. He was always enlightening and educational in the dozen or so times I got to talk with him. So here is my tribute to the man who made the very best low-distortion, precision audio transformers.
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| Can you spot the inductors? |
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| The Behringer PRO VS mini |
This post is really meant to highlight an older article here on High on Technology. It's for bass players using 4-string basses who are curious about that EXTRA LOW TONE ability of a 5-string.
Do you have rack-mounted gear you move in and out of your recording, control room area? I’m constantly working with literally, piles of gear. I have a lot of little wood blocks which I use to provide air space for cooling between stacks of gadgets. I have a lot of equipment racks in a variety of sizes but the problem with racks is all the space they take up. What if there was a way to have many of the benefits of a rack, without the rack?
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| OZZIE in 2010 |
It is shocking to report that Ozzy has left us. Today he departed the living.
July 5th 2025 was the final Black Sabbath concert, thankfully he was alive to play it.
We last saw him perform back in 2013 in LA. His voice blew out after about five songs but he soldiered on and completed the show. It was an amazing concert. He was an incredible performer.
Good bye Iron Man.
VCO: Discrete or chip-based, which is better? Does it matter? When I bought my Sequential Prophet-6 it was touted as great because it had VCO’s constructed from discrete components (like the original Prophet-5 synthesizer keyboards). Oberheim’s first synthesizer, the Synthesizer Expander Module (SEM) also was famously made from discrete components. Oberheim managed to take the original discrete SEM and make it into a polyphonic synthesizer, albeit a very expensive instrument (original four and eight voice synthesizers used multiple SEM modules).
In a parallel universe Dave Smith was innovating with the original Sequential Prophet-5 (five voice). Both of these great synth designers started by using discrete component designs and both migrated to using chips by Doug Curtis, creator of the famed 3340 VCO, on a chip, known simply as CEM. These chip based synths were the ones that were most popular by sales volume, playability and tuning-stability. The debate continues on today about which of these build schemes produces better sound. I think the most important thing is the music you make with any of these instruments but I still find their stories to be almost as fascinating as the instruments themselves.
Rick Derringer quietly left us on May 26, 2025. I saw him performing at the King Center a few years ago, he was still tearing up the guitar finger board. During that show he played the Edgar Winter classic "Frankenstein" completely on the guitar, including ALL the synthesizer parts. Music stardom has taken so many at young ages, he was only 77 years old. You rock on forever Rick!
Manley Labs, makers of iconic tube gear like the Massive Passive and one of the most expensive Variable Mu tube compressors, has been acquired in what is described as an all-cash transaction, by entrepreneur and industry veteran Dirk Ulrich, who is best known for iZotope.