Why have a pair of speakers when you can have a quad (literally)?
If your living room is dominated by a gigantic pair of speakers, then why not dominate it some more?
I have written about electrostatic loudspeakers before. Not to bang on too much, if you haven't heard electrostatics, then you should. You will realize immediately how colored moving coil loudspeakers are in comparison. But hey, that's the way the world is and we live with it.
Probably the best-known electrostatic loudspeaker is the Quad ESL-57. The '57' stands for 1957, the year when it was designed. Despite their design being more than half a century old, examples in good condition still sound great.
But...
The problem with the ESL-57 is that it doesn't go very loud. So what do you do if you want more volume? Why, simply double up. And that's what you see in these photos - stacked electrostatics. In very nice cabinets as far as I can see.
These particular examples are up for auction on Ebay at the time of writing (June 15, 2012).
This actually wasn't all that uncommon a thing to do. I remember other references to stacked electrostatics from years gone by. The boss of SME (of pickup arm fame) had a set.
Of course, desirable as such a set-up might be to have in your living room, you won't get far without the approval of your significant other. So do consult before you bid. Or just bid and, if you win, tell us what happens...
it's all about knowing how to use it”
To become a hit, your song needs a BETTER TITLE!
Have you written a great song? Thought of a clever title for it? Then think again - you may need to change the title for it to become a hit. Read more...
Have you written a great song? Thought of a clever title for it? Then think again - you may need to change the title for it to become a hit. Read more... How to get a 'vintage sound' in your recordings
Vintage and retro equipment is very popular these days. But is that all you need to achieve a vintage sound? Read more...
Vintage and retro equipment is very popular these days. But is that all you need to achieve a vintage sound? Read more... Would you pay $130 for a resistor?
Electronic circuits are packed with resistors. Normally they cost no more than a few cents each. But this one, from a vintage vacuum tube mic, is on sale for $130 US dollars. $130 US dollars! Read more...
Electronic circuits are packed with resistors. Normally they cost no more than a few cents each. But this one, from a vintage vacuum tube mic, is on sale for $130 US dollars. $130 US dollars! Read more... Record on a workstation - export to your computer. Could this be the best of both recording worlds?
An RP reader asks whether he can record on his workstation and then export tracks to his computer for editing and mixing. Why would he want to do that...? Read more...
An RP reader asks whether he can record on his workstation and then export tracks to his computer for editing and mixing. Why would he want to do that...? Read more... Why haven't you had a Hot 100 hit yet?
Anyone with a home recording studio now has the means to create a hit. So why haven't you yet? Read more...
Anyone with a home recording studio now has the means to create a hit. So why haven't you yet? Read more... A song that can't be sung effectively by one person with one instrument isn't a great song
Written any great songs lately? Did they need a massive production with hundreds of tracks to sound good? Then they are not great songs. Read more...
Written any great songs lately? Did they need a massive production with hundreds of tracks to sound good? Then they are not great songs. Read more... Q: Should I record at 44.1 kHz or 96 kHz?
There seem to be a lot of different sample rates in digital audio. I would like to know how to choose which sample rate to record at. Read more...
There seem to be a lot of different sample rates in digital audio. I would like to know how to choose which sample rate to record at. Read more... A very unusual tape recorder used for mastering
If you look at the photo carefully, you will see that this Studer A80 analog tape recorder has several more tape guides than the norm. It's used for mastering. But why? Read more...
If you look at the photo carefully, you will see that this Studer A80 analog tape recorder has several more tape guides than the norm. It's used for mastering. But why? Read more... Why you will be beaten to success by people who are no better than you
You would have thought that being brilliant would make you a front-runner, but it is the average masses who are in the lead, and you are trailing badly. Why...? Read more...
You would have thought that being brilliant would make you a front-runner, but it is the average masses who are in the lead, and you are trailing badly. Why...? Read more... Microphones do matter
In contrast to my recent article where I said that choice of microphone often doesn't matter, there are times where selecting the right microphone can make an enormous difference to your sound. Read more...
In contrast to my recent article where I said that choice of microphone often doesn't matter, there are times where selecting the right microphone can make an enormous difference to your sound. Read more... Q: How do you use a mixing console with the Pro Tools Mbox?
I want to use a mixing console like they have in pro studios. I need to connect it to my Pro Tools Mbox audio interface. How can I do this? Read more...
I want to use a mixing console like they have in pro studios. I need to connect it to my Pro Tools Mbox audio interface. How can I do this? Read more... Q: Should I monitor on headphones or loudspeakers?
Is it good for an engineer to use headphones when mixing, without hearing the music from monitor speakers? Read more...
Is it good for an engineer to use headphones when mixing, without hearing the music from monitor speakers? Read more... So your bass rig on stage goes next to the drummer? Did you want to go deaf?
It's an old cliche of rock music that the bass guitarist should be close to the drummer. But with modern technology does this still matter? And will you indeed go deaf? Read more...
It's an old cliche of rock music that the bass guitarist should be close to the drummer. But with modern technology does this still matter? And will you indeed go deaf? Read more... Why you should put the soloists behind the choir for recording
For performance, the soloists stand in front of the choir. But for recording, perhaps they should stand behind. Here's why... Read more...
For performance, the soloists stand in front of the choir. But for recording, perhaps they should stand behind. Here's why... Read more... Flute, clarinet and other woodwind - how much key clicking is too much?
Try close-miking a flute or any other woodwind instrument and you will pick up a whole load of key clicking. What can you do? How much is too much? Read more...
Try close-miking a flute or any other woodwind instrument and you will pick up a whole load of key clicking. What can you do? How much is too much? Read more... Should your loudspeakers have digital inputs?
An RP visitor enquires whether the Genelec 8240A with digital inputs and DSP is suitable for the home recording studio. Hmm... Read more...
An RP visitor enquires whether the Genelec 8240A with digital inputs and DSP is suitable for the home recording studio. Hmm... Read more... If your microphone had no diaphragm, how much better could it sound?
Every microphone used in pro audio has a diaphragm. Suppose that a new technology could detect sound in a non-invasive way. Surely that would be much more accurate than the mics we now have? Read more...
Every microphone used in pro audio has a diaphragm. Suppose that a new technology could detect sound in a non-invasive way. Surely that would be much more accurate than the mics we now have? Read more... What is your main concern if your interest is voice over?
So you're setting yourself up in the voice over business. What should you think about before anything else? Read more...
So you're setting yourself up in the voice over business. What should you think about before anything else? Read more... Q: How can I work on my voice?
It's a simple question, but the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Read more...
It's a simple question, but the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Read more... How can you keep up in the fast-moving music and sound industry?
Gosh - the music and sound industry moves so fast that if you blink it will be in a totally different solar system. How can one ever hope to keep up? Read more...
Gosh - the music and sound industry moves so fast that if you blink it will be in a totally different solar system. How can one ever hope to keep up? Read more... - Is it possible to produce classical music?
Classical music just needs to be recorded, doesn't it? Well in some cases it really can be produced. - M-Audio Studiophile AV 30 monitors - Could they be Auratones for the digital age?
Can an $89 pair of monitors really be an effective tool in the recording studio? Or are they only good for 'media creation? - Can a pianist's wrong note played in 1962 be fixed in 2013?
A wrong note that has resonated for more than half a century is fixed - without the aid of a time machine. - Are certain mic/preamp combinations special?
An RP reader finds that a certain combination of microphone and preamp works much better than he expected... - Why haven't you had a Hot 100 hit yet?
Anyone with a home recording studio now has the means to create a hit. So why haven't you yet? - Can guitarists be trusted with their own equipment?
What sounds good to the electric guitar player doesn't necessarily sound good to the audience. A live sound engineer explains... - What is your main concern if your interest is voice over?
So you're setting yourself up in the voice over business. What should you think about before anything else? - Can you print a vinyl record on a 3D printer?
Amazingly, the answer to this question is - almost - yes! - An interesting microphone setup for violinist Nigel Kennedy
If you're miking one of the finest violinists in the world, should you point the mic at the double bass instead? - To mic or not to mic the backline? That is an interesting question raising fascinating further possibilities
An RP reader fears losing cabinet resonances if the backline of his band is miked up through the PA. But perhaps it is innovation in live sound that has been lost over the years. - When working in a new theatre, always find out where the tielines go
Any theatre would have tielines from the stage to the sound control booth. But from one side of the booth's window to the other? - Top producer 'steals' song as part of massive publicity stunt
A major producer has 'stolen' a song from a pair of unknowns. A crime, or normal everyday life in the music business? - If AKG makes a USB microphone, does it mean that the time has come for USB mics?
AKG makes some of the best mics in the world. AKG also makes a USB mic. A great USB mic? - Would you record vocals like this?
Two singers, one microphone. Could it cause an Internet sensation? - Hum - Can you hear it, even if you can't hear it?
If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound (if no-one is around to hear it?) If you can't hear hum, then is there no hum? - Preparation for mastering: Don't do any mastering yourself
Are you planning on getting your tracks mastered? Then the first rule of preparation is not to master the tracks yourself. - A hum generator plug-in? We want one!
You can get a plug-in to emulate virtually any analog audio process these days. But what about hum? Where's the plug-in for that? - An inside view of the weirdest recording session ever, at the BBC!
Take a 300-year old bass line, a cello player with just seven days' experience, and some highly uncool-looking musicians... and make a recording that is really top of the pops for weird! - Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]
![Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]](http://www.record-producer.com/i2/julia-lezhneva.jpeg "Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]")
Sometimes unusual microphone placements can capture an interesting sound. In this instance, the sound is completely wrong. - When is a click not a click? When should you fix a click, and when should you leave it alone?
Clicks occur for all kinds of reasons - imprecise editing, random noises, gremlin infestation. But when do you need to do something about them?