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Author Topic: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!  (Read 29685 times)

Bruno Stevens

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For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« on: February 02, 2007, 12:12:22 PM »

Hello all,
I used to have a recording studio in Brussels, Belgium (Kitsch Studios). Eight years ago I changed career and became a photojournalist (you can google me if interested) specialized in war and tension zones. I still have a couple of vintage stuff from my studio days (I am sure Fletcher remembers me, hahaha), including a Fairchild 670 in near perfect condition. I am the second owner from new, it was bought new in the US in the late 60's or very early 70's by a now long dead French singer, Marc Aryan. Marc built a state of the art studio (Katy Studios) in his country house near Brussels that later (around 1976) became the first automated studio in the country with a JH528 MCI console (I was hired as a tape-op in february 1976, my first job ever in the business). The 670 was a center piece of the set up. Countless huge stars recorded in that studios and used that 670 extensively, including Marvin Gaye (Sexual Healing), Nina Simone, Anthony Quinn, and many, many, French and international artists of the day.

I bought a large part of the studio equipment after Marc's death in the mid eighties, including several pultecs, neumann valve mics, LA2A's, EMT plates and gold foils, a hammond C3 etc...

The Fairchild is in great condition, has been treated well all his life, and is in need of a worthy owner...

I can post or send pictures if anyone is interested.

Brunoindex.php/fa/4205/0/
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Fletcher

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2007, 12:38:08 PM »

Bruno!!  I'll be damned... from time to time I got to wondering whatever happened to you... now I know.  Good to hear from you!
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CN Fletcher

mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33
We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid


"Recording engineers are an arrogant bunch.  
If you've spent most of your life with a few thousand dollars worth of musicians in the studio, making a decision every second and a half... and you and  they are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives, you'll get pretty arrogant too.  It takes a certain amount of balls to do that... something around three"
Malcolm Chisholm

Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2007, 12:52:33 PM »

Fletcher,
just google me, you'll be surprised my friend...hehehe!

Anyway, interested by the 670??? Razz

Bruno
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ssltech

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2007, 03:49:36 PM »

Bruno,

I remember being awed at what you and George Gilbert were able to assemble out of an old Neve V3, an SSL computer and a hacksaw!

For those who don't know about Kitsch, it was a triumph of a studio. -great attitude!

hey... I wonder if Serge Gainsbourg ever 'passed through' the 670 Wink

Good luck with the sale!

Keith
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MDM (maxdimario) wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:36

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2007, 07:08:33 PM »

Actually,
it was a brand new VR60, and we integrated SSL computer and Massenburg automation and total recall...in 1989! In a wonderful 800sqft LiveEnd-DeadEnd room with daylight and garden...With the 40 or so valve mikes, the 5 pultecs, the 3 LA2A's and the Fairchild,  ATR100 1/2", Studer A820, Fairlight II, PPG, Bosendorfer...those were the days...


Gainsbourg didn't go through the 670, but Rufus Thomas, Toto, Michael Nyman, Youssou n'Dour, Miriam Makeba did...

Jacques Brel DID sing into one of my Neumann U48's...

B.

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ssltech

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2007, 09:51:31 PM »

I though it was about 1987, perhaps just before the VR was launched... and my memory hasn't aged well!

Jaques Brel is one of my absolute heroes. I have a Brel CD in my car autochanger at the moment, along with another CD by 'Le Serge'.

I can't afford the 670, but if you ever part with that U48...

You've led a wonderful life, Bruno. I've certainly had some fun in my time, but you shame me at times! Wink

Keith
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MDM (maxdimario) wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:36

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2007, 04:47:33 AM »

Keith,
my life isn't 'passed me' quite yet (I am 47)...and I would say that it is even far more interesting these days, living as a war photographer, than it was in my recording and touring days...but those were a good start...I agree!
B.
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Ivo

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2007, 06:37:02 PM »

Excuse me rather blasphemic questions, but (apart from its "antique" value) does it sound in any way clearly better than the modern high end Vari Mu compressors ? (Manley, Gyraf G10 etc.). Is it usable in a normal studio work of today bringing a sound which is not too much "retro" and also not too much noisy  ? Is the practical value in a direct relation with the price value ?
Is there any sound example or even comparison available somewhere ?
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Ivo

VELVET MASTERING
www.velvetmastering.com

SAVITA MUSIC
www.savita.cz

Tomas Danko

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2007, 07:02:26 PM »

If you count all them tubes and transformers and then think about what euphony may lie within those... Smile
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Ivo

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2007, 07:54:06 AM »

The question is, if you listen to some blind samples of various compressors including Fairchild, would you suddenly jump out of the chair when hearing the Fairchild sample because it would sound that much better than all the others ? Or without knowing what it is you may not notice the difference or it may even not sound the best of all ... I don´t know, I just ask ... Considering 4-5 times higher price than most of other high end compressors (apart from being a rare antique), this question is interesting for me ...
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Ivo

VELVET MASTERING
www.velvetmastering.com

SAVITA MUSIC
www.savita.cz

Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2007, 09:35:19 AM »

Well,
The Fairchild is one of the quietest units I have ever used, the audio is just going trough a very simple classA 6386 (ok, 8 of them) amplifier, remember, it was designed as a no-compromise mastering limiter at a time when the record industry was pushing for 'hifi-quality' (the mid 60's). The input and output transormers are ENORMOUS, so is its headroom. The unit is almost transparent when no gain reduction is applied, but as soon as you start limiting...well, magic sets in...your mix becomes punchier and yet somewhat more open...
You can also use it as a tracking compressor on just about anything, it does wonders on  a lead vocal, or saxophone or bass...
Some pieces of equipment are more than just machines: a good U47, a Pultec EQ1A, an ATR100 1/2, a Memory Moog, ATC20A, VOX AC30, a beige 1961 Fender Bassman...
B.
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ssltech

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2007, 06:07:05 PM »

I do service a 670 here in the US, and I can tell you that they DO sound wonderful. -Compress gently and it'll treat your audio very kindly. Push it a little harder and it starts to squash more firmly, but still somehow manages not to 'damage' the sound.

Of course the 'DC threshold' presets (on the bottom right of the unit, right nest to the "Don't Touch!!!" trimpot -which from memory sets the regulated DC voltage and is quite critical) are rarely set the same on any two Fairchilds, and are often hidden behind a metal panel to the point that people aren't aware of their existence... (where was I going with this... -oh yeah,) so that no two that you'll ever find usually have the same ratio, and they often differ from channel-to-channel in a single stereo unit... but they DO sound fabulous.

Why's it so highly rated? -My honest opinion:

basically the audio path is an input transformer, an attenuator, a tube (okay... eight 6386 halves wired in cross-parallel push-pull, but basically acting like one more powerful tube) an output control and an output transformer. It simply CANNOT get cleaner than that. Add to that the fact that the sidechain is treated very cleverly, and you have a device that just works well.

Many compressors in the hands of the unfamiliar are "hard work" to get unobtrusive, nice-sounding compression, or have 'booby-traps' which you have to avoid... but I wonder if ANYONE here can ever recall a 670 sounding bad in ANYBODY's hands? -EVER?

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've heard a 670 make weak mixes sound stronger, though I've NEVER heard one make a strong mix sound weak.

Not claiming it's impossible, but I really DO think you'd have to be a complete fool to mess up a signal with one... And I've evern met some fools who couldn't do it!

Keith
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MDM (maxdimario) wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:36

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2007, 10:27:28 AM »

Hello all,
as I don't want to break this forum etiquette another time, could someone tell me what would be good PROFESSIONAL forums to post a 'for sale' equiment list?
I am in the process of finalizing the list that will include approx 20 Neumann vintage mikes and other VERY cool stuff...

Shocked

Bruno
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theo mack

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2007, 03:16:23 PM »

heres one on ebay,

I wonder if it was a scam?

http://cgi.ebay.com/FAIRCHILD-670-STEREO-COMPRESSOR_W0QQitem Z200071692940QQihZ010QQcategoryZ23793QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem

item #
Item number: 200071692940
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theo mack
Freelance Audio Guy

Las Vegas, NV.

halljams

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2007, 06:39:43 PM »

I'm gonna bid 20 bucks on it and hope to win!
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Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #15 on: February 06, 2007, 07:06:23 PM »

I don't know if the ebay one is a scam, but it looks like it has gone through some mods, quite a few components seem to have been replaced, and I suggest you compare the ebay pictures with mine's which is 100% original condition, here is the picture from the inside of mine that I posted on the other thead:

Bruno

Oh, and Keith, do you remember that the floor on the VR60/SSL CPU/GML auto control room was actually made of...LEATHER!!! The coolest floor ever!index.php/fa/4243/0/
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Fletcher

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2007, 11:53:26 AM »

That is one of the cleanest ones I've ever seen!!  One thing we used to do as a matter of course around our shop when we used to deal in things like 670's was to pull the big "orange square" and replace it.

The big "orange square" is a "Selenium" rectifier... if it happens to go it will emit a poison gas [or so I am told] which kinda puts a damper on things... so we used to replace it with a "diode bridge" of the same value... didn't make a damn bit of difference to the actual audio but made me feel better that we wouldn't accidentally poison a client [we prefered to do that intentionally].

Peace.
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CN Fletcher

mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33
We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid


"Recording engineers are an arrogant bunch.  
If you've spent most of your life with a few thousand dollars worth of musicians in the studio, making a decision every second and a half... and you and  they are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives, you'll get pretty arrogant too.  It takes a certain amount of balls to do that... something around three"
Malcolm Chisholm

ssltech

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2007, 12:00:07 PM »

Bruno Stevens wrote:

...Keith, do you remember that the floor on the VR60/SSL CPU/GML auto control room was actually made of...LEATHER!!! The coolest floor ever!

You know, it always baffled me that Kitsch wasn't better known in the UK.

-People all knew about PUK, and Wiselloord and other mainland-Euro "star" facilities, but Kitsch was a GREAT place. -Ideas were generated and FOLLOWED-THROUGH. Seriously.

A couple of them may have been viewed as 'follies' (the console and the floor argubly being two) but the gear was always top-drawer stuff.

Damm. I love Europe.

Keith
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MDM (maxdimario) wrote on Fri, 16 November 2007 21:36

I have the feeling that I have more experience in my little finger than you do in your whole body about audio electronics..

alexstringer

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2007, 09:13:06 PM »

If i may suggest Bruno, put your name or email adress on those pictures if you want to make them public. I'm afraid some crook is gonna steal them as easily as dragging them down on his desktop and  you'll see soon your Fairchild on Ebay High Definition for a hand full of $$$
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Bruno Stevens

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #19 on: February 09, 2007, 09:03:21 AM »

Dear All,
Sale pending on the 670...I am not extremely happy with the amount but the cash offer comes from a reputable Belgian studio, so no transport, insurance, international payment etc...
So if you still want it...hurry! Razz

Bruno
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Fletcher

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2007, 05:08:46 PM »

How'd that go?
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CN Fletcher

mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33
We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid


"Recording engineers are an arrogant bunch.  
If you've spent most of your life with a few thousand dollars worth of musicians in the studio, making a decision every second and a half... and you and  they are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives, you'll get pretty arrogant too.  It takes a certain amount of balls to do that... something around three"
Malcolm Chisholm

Alan Meyerson

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2007, 12:08:27 AM »

Bruno,
I think I remember you. I used to work at Studio Katy, in 1978 or 79. I met Marc in New York and he hired me.
I was a little young for the job and he sent me home with my tail between my legs.
I Did get to record and mix a Chet Baker album while I was there. It was Chet, Steve Houbein, Bruno Castelluci, Kermit Driscoll. Does it ring a bell. It was a beautiful studio. I remember it well.
Anyway, thanks for a walk down memory lane.
Alan Meyerson
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valerios

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Re: For Sale, Fairchild 670, 2nd owner from new!
« Reply #22 on: October 28, 2010, 07:35:10 AM »

Hi Bruno!! I'm Valerio from the Cave studio based in catania (italy). I know it's late but I have seen you message on gearslutz and I want to tell you if you still have the gear today.
If yes I want to know the list and the fees prices for each piece.

best regards

Valerio Mina

valerio-save@hotmail.it
www.facebook.com/valerio.mina
studio number (+39) 095 7465086
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