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Comprehensive Gear
Tests That Help You More
What Is the Clip-A-Lator?
We set out to bring something beyond
just talk and opinion, and the Clip-A-Lator is the result of that labor.
How to Use Our
Tests
Clearly laid out folders enable you
to quickly find the style of gear you want to hear, sort by brand and
model, then stream or download each audio / video clip. When mousing
over a track you will notice an arrow appear to the right; click that
arrow to download the file to your DAW, iPod etc. We have provided a
video file (.flv format with an audio resolution 4x higher than
YouTube) for each test so that you can see and hear a piece of gear
being pushed to its limits. The Clip-A-Lator is a different kind of
"shootout", please read the details below.
Clip-A-Lator
Audio: Head to Head Shootouts
We have provided rock based tracks
(drums, bass, guitar, male vocal) as well as acoustic based (guitar,
cello, female vocal) and a rock style stereo mix. Our hardware testing
is always done the same,
using unprocessed audio files via the same 24 bit SSL converter
channels and Mogami cables, performed here at the ZenPro studio. The
original files were recorded
cleanly with no compression or EQ. All instruments and vocal parts were
chosen for their range and tone, which are in need of dynamics control
and frequency balancing /
accents. After testing the gear, we render final clips at 320k mp3
using the highest quality settings, delivering excellent sounding files
that don't take forever to download.
Clip-A-Lator
Video: Bringing You Context
Gear processing is typically close in
settings, however none of this gear can do exactly what another piece
can do (and sometimes they share almost no common settings). Our videos serve one purpose only; to
bring context to the audio files. How hard could we have pushed that
compressor? How bright could that EQ have been? Upon first look these videos seem somewhat random and
without purpose, but it takes a bit of studying and listening to
discover what they can tell you. They are not made to just sound "good" or similar to other gear, they are
purposely pushed to show the full control they have. We chose drums and
vocals for each video as they typically show off how extremes are handled.
Repeatable
Testing: Future Proofing is Here
By creating a real world but
repeatable test we have ensured that gear released in the future can be
tested and added to the Clip-A-Lator, yet still be processed on the
same equipment with the same purpose built DAW session. When new stuff
arrives we simply create the audio and video files and Clip-A-Late it!
Nothing is
Perfect: What the Tests Can't Do
I wish I could say these tests were
perfect, but they are not. I will however say that to me they make the
most sense when it comes to having some context. Audio files are great,
shootouts are wonderful, but without seeing them pushed to their
fullest and hearing the result it's hard to say you're making the right
choice. We have planned and executed what I believe is the greatest
comparison "system" available for helping choose gear across all price
ranges. I threw out every notion I ever had about shootouts and arrived
at what you find populating our Clip-A-Lator today. Each piece of gear
inspires us in a different way when being used, it's only natural. It
will never replace you being able to personally use the gear on your
music!
Meet the
Players: Featured Artists
The
Thirsties are a Columbia SC USA band who deliver what most would
call the "Athens" sound; singing guitars, syncopated bass, driving
drums and post new-wave male vocals. I have engineered & produced
several of their records here in my studio over the years, and they
were recently featured on the PBS series "Southern Lens".
I Nine is an acoustic pop based act from
Orangeburg SC, discovered by film maker Cameron Crowe and featured on
his movie "Elizabethtown", they went on to get signed to J Records by
Clive Davis himself. The band stopped by ZenPro Audio's studio to track
a portion of their song "Ickis Wish" featured on their album "Heavy
Weighs the King".
A huge thanks to both bands for great
playing!
Files Play Together as Two Songs
The Thirsties
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I Nine
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| Drums
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Acoustic Guitar
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| Bass
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Cello
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| Electric Gtr
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Female Vocal
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Male Vocal
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***FILES ARE FOR ZENPRO
AUDIO CUSTOMERS ONLY AND ARE NOT TO BE RE-DISTRIBUTED IN ANY MANNER***
***BY USING THIS SITE YOU AGREE TO ONLY DOWNLOAD THESE FILES FOR
PERSONAL USE WHEN PURCHASING FROM ZENPRO AUDIO***
***FILES ARE THE PROPERTY OF ZENPRO AUDIO LLC***
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