BAE sets up new UK Sound subsidiary

Analogue gear manufacturer BAE Audio, has created a new subsidiary, UK Sound.

The new branch of BAE Audio will develop and manufacture affordable, high quality analogue equipment for musicians and project studios looking to integrate vintage recording gear into their signal chains. The company’s first product, which will be on demonstration at the NAMM Show, will be its new 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor.

Designed and manufactured at BAE Audio headquarters in California, the 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor is a 1U rackmount unit that combines a preamp modeled on the beloved 1073 circuit, with a classic FET compressor. It is scheduled to begin shipping at the end of January 2017 at an RRP of $1,000.

“I am very excited to be able to bring the classic circuits that we know and love to an even wider audience under the UK Sound umbrella,” says Mark Loughman, President of BAE Audio and UK Sound. “There’s no reason why a home studio shouldn’t have access to tools like those used in big-name studios, and as such we are pleased to be able to offer UK Sound gear at an incredibly friendly price with very few compromises.”

UK Sound builds on BAE Audio’s commitment to recreate some of the most beloved vintage circuits of all time — but in a way that is accessible to a much broader audience of recording and touring musicians, as well as project studios. The 1173 Preamplifier/Compressor is the first of many models to be announced during 2017.

“Whether this is your first high-quality preamplifier/compressor or one of many, we are confident you will find plenty of reasons to use the 1173 on your next recording,” says Loughman.

“We are also striving to implement these classic circuits in interesting ways that will appeal to existing BAE Audio customers looking for new inspiration and potential sonic applications. Certainly, the 1173 goes a long way towards illustrating that,” he added.