Composer Andreas Bicking on the VTC and EQP-1
- 15.10.2014
- Michael Krusch
- Artikel
- UserReview
- VTC
- EQP-1
Who Andreas Bicking Is
As a graduate of the "Hanns Eisler" Academy of Music in Berlin, a former member of the East German cult band "Stern Meißen," and long-time musical director of the Berlin cabaret "Die Stachelschweine," Andreas Bicking is a sought-after name on the German music scene. As the regular film composer for the TV series "Schloss Einstein," Andreas is thoroughly familiar with the challenges that come up in production workflows.Andreas Bicking on the Vari Tube Compressor and EQP-1
„A close colleague and friend, Michael Nass, keyboardist of the band „BAP,“ recommended the EQP-1 to me and introduced me to its technical side. Day-to-day studio life, especially as a film composer, is often very stressful. Being last in the chain, you get the nearly-finished film projects, so you're usually working under extreme time pressure.
The analog devices from Tegeler Audio Manufaktur have become indispensable tools for me in this way of working.
I run the Vari Tube Compressor on the mix bus and haven't had to worry about compression since. The Vari Tube Compressor „glues together“ what belongs together, without the compression becoming annoying or too audible. The EQ, in turn, lets me fit everything perfectly into the mix with just a few simple moves. In this combination, everything in the mix falls into the right place and also sounds very warm and musical.
Those are sonic results I could never achieve any other way.“
Andreas Bicking's current production – the album „Auserwählt“ with Manfred Krug & Uschi Brüning
www.andreas-bicking.de
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Vari Tube Compressor and EQP-1: The Duo on the Mix Bus
The two units Andreas Bicking names are the combination he runs on the mix bus – compressor and equalizer. The Vari Tube Compressor is a vari-mu tube compressor built on the principle of the Fairchild 670: it starts compressing very gently and only grabs harder as the input level rises, and per channel the signal passes through three transformers and four triodes. That is exactly why it "glues together what belongs together" without the compression becoming annoying or too audible – the micro-dynamics stay intact, and a low-cut in the side chain keeps low frequencies out of the control circuit. The Classic Equalizer EQP-1 is a passive tube equalizer modeled on classic vintage EQs, with inductors and capacitors in the filter section: bass boost and cut at 20, 30, 60 or 100 Hz, a high boost with adjustable bandwidth between 3 and 20 kHz, and a high-frequency attenuation at 5, 10 or 20 kHz. Bicking describes working with it as "a few simple moves"; independently of that, the tube amplifier stage and transformers already densify the signal slightly as soon as the unit is in the signal path, before any filter is set.
Both units can be tested for 14 days in your own studio; more experiences with the VTC on the mix bus: Dominique Klatte on a vinyl production and Zeitgeist Mastering's video review of VTC and EQP-1.
Want to test the Vari Tube Compressor in your own studio for 14 days?
Register here
Learn more about the Vari Tube Compressor
Want to test the Classic Equalizer EQP-1 in your own studio for 14 days?
Register here
Learn more about the Classic Equalizer EQP-1
Related: Jazz on Vinyl: All-Analog Recording with the VTC · Zeitgeist Mastering: VTC and EQP-1 Video Review · Adrian Tucker Interview: Producing with the VTC
