Gracing EastWest Studio 2, the Grace M108 microphone preamplifier and analog to digital converter dishes digital audio via DANTE to the Focusrite MP8R to the Focusrite A16R into Pro Tools for high resolution 32bit 96kHz capture of all 250 large diap… — Gracing EastWest Studio 2, the Grace M108 microphone preamplifier and analog to digital converter dishes digital audio via DANTE to the Focusrite MP8R to the Focusrite A16R into Pro Tools for high resolution 32bit 96kHz capture of all 250 large diaphragm condenser mics for Audio Test Kitchen.

The microphone preamp has a profound effect on how a microphone sounds. So, among the hundreds of available options, how did Audio Test Kitchen select the Grace Designs M108 to represent the sound of all Large Diaphragm Condenser microphones?

When people realize they can audition the sound of over 250 microphones on Audio Test Kitchen’s free website, the second question they ask is, “What is the signal chain?” The first question they ask is, “Are these real recordings or is it modeling?” Over the course of three years, Audio Test Kitchen designed content (songs, instruments, and vocals in multiple genres), recording methodologies (lasers, anechoic chambers, and robots), and a custom web app to create the world’s most comprehensive resource of real microphone recordings that can be compared in real-time, online. Core to their recording methodology is maintaining integrity and 100% consistency in the signal chain.

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Audio Test Kitchen co-founders Alex Oana and Ian Hlatky felt just a little pressure when faced with selecting the single microphone preamp to reveal the performance of 250 microphones. “Seems like such a simple thing,” says Oana, “but our mic preamp choice had to precisely fit two significant criteria: sonic and political neutrality.”

“Our goal is to reveal the true nature of every one of these diverse microphones. In our audio engineering team’s experience, Grace preamps are transparent to the source. Just as importantly, Grace is such a widely accepted standard – it’s like the Switzerland of mic preamps. And as long as we’re going there with the metaphor, Grace is also built like a Swiss watch: precision craftsmanship and reliability.” — Alex Oana, Creator, Audio Test Kitchen

Tony Maserati, advisor to Audio Test Kitchen, introduced Oana to Grace co-founders Michael and Eben Grace to assist with their ambitious mission to create a new information layer that gives unprecedented access to artists to audition microphones and other gear online. "When the Audio Test Kitchen team approached us to use the m108 mic preamps as part of the default input chain in their mic evaluation tool, we were honored to oblige,” recalls Eben Grace. “To capture and document the different performance properties of various microphones would require an input chain that is trusted to be detailed and transparent – exactly what the m108 provides.”

“The m108 came into the picture offering us not only trustworthy microphone amplification, but analog to digital conversion. While there are many fantastic separate converters and interfaces in our industry, the close integration of preamp and AtoD conversion can actually manifest more minimal, efficient design. Suddenly we had both our mic preamp and our converter!” recalls Oana.

“I also installed our optional Dante card in the M108’s expansion port just in case they might need it,” Michael Grace remembers.

“We were really fortunate that the Dante card started shipping with the m108 the very week we needed it. Dante enabled us to place the mic preamps in the live room within a single, short mic cable’s distance from the microphones, convert immediately to digital, then handoff to Focusrite RedNet via Ethernet for interfacing with Pro Tools and monitoring in the control rooms at EastWest, Chris Lord-Alge’s Can-Am, and Gold-Diggers LA. On top of that, we controlled mic preamp gain remotely via the included web browser control. Discovering the m108 was serendipitous and gave huge sonic and connectivity benefits we hadn’t anticipated,” says Oana.

“We feel a real responsibility to honestly convey the passion 54 microphone manufacturers poured into their products. The sound and reliability of Grace was integral to creating this resource artists rely on to choose the right microphone to convey their passion,” Oana asserts.

“Their highly rigorous, scientific approach to the project has really paid off. We are truly blown away at the amount of work they have done and how effective the outcome is. The Audio Test Kitchen microphone comparison tool is a first, and Grace Design is proud to be a partner,” — Eben Grace, Grace Designs

In October, 2019, Audio Test Kitchen launched their debut equipment comparison category, ‘Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphones,’ which totals more than 300 physical microphones, capsules, voicing settings, and virtual microphone models. Audio Test Kitchen will be expanding to include additional professional audio and musical instrument categories with the goal of, “establishing a new, critical information layer in the industry that empowers musicians and audio creators to make confident decisions about the gear they rely on,” says Oana.

Audio Test Kitchen’s unbiased audio product comparison website AudioTestKitchen.com, enables users to clearly hear the true personality of gear. Variables in the source and signal chain are eliminated so that the only difference heard is between the gear itself. More information about the entire signal chain used by Audio Test Kitchen can be found by clicking the ‘i’ button next to the source selector on app.audiotestkitchen.com.

For more information on Grace Design, please visit https://gracedesign.com/

For more information on the Grace m108, please visit https://gracedesign.com/products/microphone-preamplifiers/m108/