Hairball Audio Lola Microphone Preamp

[@wychwoodmusic]

"This must be the best and funniest song named Lola," he thought to himself, briefly forgetting about the existence of the Kinks. Well, maybe it's the best sincere lovesong named Lola!

[@TheRecordist]

Hahaha. You know it! Hahaha

[@MarkYoshimotoNemcoff]

All hail the Lola! That sounds absolutely bonkers with the Atlantis. Nice job on the build. And I agree that the Lola is probably one of the absolute best preamps out there. Great overview of the whole Lola experience!

[@TheRecordist]

Woo hoo! Thanks, Mark! I agree! The Atlantis and the Lola sound amazing together. It’s my favorite mic and preamp combo of all time currently.

[@windpeoples]

Snake, your passion for small businesses is much respected!

[@TheRecordist]

Hey thanks very much! I love it when companies are made up of just one, or a handful of passionate people who just love what they do!

[@jenslempke7883]

Snake, you're simply the best. Watching your videos is like zipping the greatest cocktail in the world, with the ingredients knowledge, humour, talent and human warmth. And your songs should be up there on billboard and every list in the world ❤

[@TheRecordist]

Oh hahaha. Well thank you very much! That certainly made my day! Cheers, my friend! ❤️

[@lisabethlawrence]

thank you for this! I have been really interested in Lola preamp and I'm going to go for it! It looks like such a great company too and I want to support that.

[@TheRecordist]

@@lisabethlawrence oh yes. I can tell you that it’s my favorite preamp that I’ve tried so far! And what a fun build (if you’re into that part). Great guy. Great company. Great product!

[@lisabethlawrence]

@@TheRecordist I'm psyched about building it! Thank you for all your content. It's great!

[@TheRecordist]

@@lisabethlawrence hey thanks! Do come back and me know what you think of it!

[@PeterJDeVault]

That's all the motivation I needed to build a couple of those - very well done!

[@TheRecordist]

Woo hoo! You’ll love them! Cheers!

[@CaptainMoto]

Hey snake, Congrats! You’re evolving into a pro builder. Listening on earphones , gotta get in the studio later to hear your great demos. FYI , on your advise I grabbed a prebuilt DIYER 1073 and one of their two slot 500 chassis, I’m loving It. Now I’ve got an open slot …….hmm, what shall I fill it with? Lola?

[@TheRecordist]

Oh yes! Everyone needs a Lola! It’s an incredible preamp! I’m glad you got a 73P! I’ll be getting one for this channel this month. And thanks so much, Captain! Cheers!

[@mattytwohatsmusic]

I come for the audio lessons but stay for the movie refs. The plaid bit and matrix refs were hilarious.😂

[@TheRecordist]

Hahaha. Awesome! I’m so happy when someone gets them and appreciates them! Cheers!

[@sand8286]

Upload the full song to spotify please

[@TheRecordist]

Hi there. I only write and record mini songs for this channel, but most of them are on all the streaming services. Here’s Lola on Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/5FS8fDB1YTpEOIYhBFJ7al?si=djg8u0H9Q8O4DiwNN-Uz5g&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0z4lYyJEXrhesnO2NabLyU

[@hackinghifi4247]

For us newbies - is the benefit of a preamp just to add gain and some flavor to the mix before it hits the audio interface? Thanks for all you do!

[@TheRecordist]

Hey great question! Mics put out a signal that is far too low to be recorded. So it needs to be amped up before it can be recorded. Preamps bring a mic up to line level. Most interfaces and recorders today come with tiny modern preamps built in, but they are flavorless and sterile. In the old days they were made with tubes and transistors and transformers and all kinds of parts that created a sound we’ve all come to love (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, etc). So, yes. Hand-built preamps that replicate the parts used in the old days impart a wonderful sound to the mic. All the big studios in the world use various outboard preamps to achieve that sound. Thanks for the question!

[@hackinghifi4247]

@@TheRecordist awesome that makes sense thanks for the reply! Love your videos but they make me want to buy many microphones haha.

[@TheRecordist]

@@hackinghifi4247 hahaha. So sorry about that. They make ME want to buy many microphones too! Cheers!

[@garyduganmusic]

Excellent review, Snake! I loved your LOLA song, too. One burning question: What is the purple colored mark on the top grille of your Lauton mic? Kind of looks like lipstick?!

[@TheRecordist]

Hey Gary! Thanks very much! It’s actually the light from the neon ghost I have behind me (camera left) shining through the mic grille. Haha.

[@The-Logician]

I once knew a girl named Hairball Lola…. Or was it Lola Hairball…. Can’t remember exactly.

[@TheRecordist]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[@pablogarin]

As an electrical engineer (and software engineer) I understand the feeling. The first time I soldered a board I also became hooked on the feeling, and I've doing that ever since. It's amazing, especially when you plug in your project and it works (not so much when it doesn't, waaaaaay less when they blow up).

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahaha. What a great feeling, eh? It’s so great! So empowering! Cheers!

[@jonbellona]

Great job AB'ing op-amps. I own two LOLAs that I built (both 990s) and this was one component I didn't know the sound difference between. Now I do! Thanks! The BA-512s do sound good. And for a good description of audio transformers, I found DIYRE's video actually nailed the main components and the why we chase "the sound of iron". kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5-QnYt8idqAnKs

[@TheRecordist]

Hey thanks! I love the BA-512s! I’ve seen that very video before! But I watched again anyway because I love it. I once saw an interview with a transformer maker. He hand makes them. He said no one knows why transformers work and if they say they know, they’re lying. Hahaha. They know how to make them and how they work. But not why. It’s fascinating! Thanks for the link!

[@savethefails]

I heard you were dead…

[@TheRecordist]

I am… 🤓

[@savethefails]

@@TheRecordist seemed like the only appropriate response when some tells me that theyre Snake.

[@savethefails]

@@TheRecordist also...I was 11 when I saw Escape From New York in the theater. Opening weekend. Good times.

[@TheRecordist]

@@savethefails hahaha. That was well done! I was just around the same age! We’re old!

[@savethefails]

@@TheRecordist old indeed sir...old and wise like the NPC that gives out all the good side quests.