Recording Magazine’s reviewer Paul Vnuk, Jr. played with our Silkworm preamp in his Wisconsin studio for a few months. He put the unit through the paces on several, mainly acoustic signal sources, including vocals, acoustic guitars, hand drums and kick. I’m not sure if he tracked bass through it. I don’t think he did, otherwise he’d notice the deep, effortless low end, thanks to the capacitor-free signal path.
I also wish he had a chance to try the Silkworm on a full drum kit, since this is one of it’s fortes. Also the vibe switch’s “S” (smooth) setting would shine on an overdriven guitar amp. But hopefully one of the next Silkworm reviews (2 more coming soon, one by Mix Magazine, the other by Sound On Sound) will showcase the Silkworm on a wider variety of signal sources.
Nevertheless, Paul was very happy with his recording session results; one of the songs he tracked almost entirely through the Silkworm (except for a group vocal track that required multiple preamps):
I tracked the whole song entirely through the Silkworm, one solo instrument at a time. I instantly favored the forward push of the W setting coupled with the OT output setting, and that is where it stayed for the whole song. The results were full and solid, and the Silkworm did well to capture the raucous nature of the track.
For her vocal, I stayed with the OT output setting but this time put the Vibe switch in P mode. I used the Silkworm with a Pearlman TM-47 mic (a Dave Pearlman designed tube mic inspired by the legendary U-47) and was very pleased with the weighty and sonically pleasant nature of the recording.
For other than a remark on the way things were labeled on the front panel, Paul was very pleased with the preamp and concluded:
Users will happily live with the naming conventions if they have a chance to use a preamp that sounds this good!
The Silkworm is a great-sounding, solidly built, and highly versatile entry into the world of 500 Series preamps. It evokes a classic preamp sound with(out) being too heavy- handed, and its wonderful sonic alterations take it over the top.
Thank you Paul and Mike from the Recording Magazine!
Read the entire review here.
Asta la Pasta!