BAE AUDIO
BAE, originally originally Brent Averill Enterprises, is an American company based in Los Angeles, California. It manufactures microphone preamplifiers, equalizers and compressors.
Founding and Early Years[edit]
BAE was founded by sound engineer Brent Averill in Los Angeles in the 1980s. The company built and restored analog preamps: non-digital sound manipulation devices for engineers, musicians and producers. Gathering and assembling pre-existing components from the 60s and 70s, Averill developed a reputation for racking vintage gear, most notably the classic Rupert Neve 1073 mic preamp.
Averill rescued analog modules that were being discarded as the industry converted to digital production methods. He created racks and added a power supply. He is said to have achieved a uniquely authentic sound by sourcing vintage parts from England and around the world and ‘racking’ them into 19” frames with added inputs, outputs and harness, making the units ideal for recording.[citation needed]
In 2000, BAE built the first new 1073 preamp since Neve Electronics.[citation needed] The company has stated that they build them using same techniques as the 1970s models, and are the only ones sourcing UK based St. Ives transformers (now owned by Carnhill), one of the original transformers of the Neves 1073.
Technology[edit]
The BAE mic preamp elevates an analog signal and brings it up to a level appropriate for recording. It is said to be the modern incarnation of the 1073, and can be used in the mixing, mastering, or recording stage before any digital audio processing has occurred. It can also be used to filter digitally composed music and can give a synthetic piece of music an organic sound. This analog filtering process is known in the music industry as “warming up.”
BAE’s stated philosophy is to build the machine as if it were, “constructed in a time machine,” using the same manufacturing techniques and components from the 70s. All units are hand-soldered using the same compressors and transformers of the original 1073 to preserve the warmth of the analog sound, but tailored to the needs of the digital recording and processing techniques of the modern age.
2008–Present, Loughman Years[edit]
In 2008, Averill retired and was bought out by Mark Loughman, a former musician and employee of the company. Under Loughman’s leadership, the company has grown its revenue, workforce and product line and the name has been changed to British Audio Engineering but retain the suffix BAE. Loughman focused on the creation of new products built around the output stage and added filters, compressors and new EQ points, allowing for signal tweaks that are ideal for digital editing following recording.
BAE’s clients have recently included Slash, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith and Metallica and the company’s products are said to be universally known among professional musicians, with a significant customer base among dedicated nonprofessional consumers.[citation needed] BAE’s custom racks are reputed for the ability to meet the specialized needs of high end clientele,[citation needed] however Loughman has stated that the company is still attempting to serve the wider needs of the greater music community and not exclude amateurs and enthusiasts. BAE offers student discounts and lower priced starter kits for entry level pieces.
Loughman’s stated goals were to avoid over-diversification, but still have an array of products that suit the needs of the music industry. Currently, the 1073 is still the flagship product, available in different versions with a mic preamp, line preamp and EQ control. BAE currently makes an array of other products that are similar but have different EQ points which allow control over various frequencies, as well as mic preamps with filters, and portable versions. The entire line is said to be based on similar technology but each variation is considered to be a different tool for a different job, designed to meet the ever changing needs of the global music community. Loughman has announced new products are slated for late 2015.
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