Talking Tubes with DW Fearn

DW Fearn knows tubes. Since he rediscovered the sound of tubes in 1991, DW (Doug) has crafted a legendary line of all-tube, all-red-front-paneled recording gear. In April I had the pleasure of visiting Doug at his home and workshop outside Philadelphia. Doug and I sat down on either side of a ribbon microphone and had a great conversation about tubes, electronics, and sound. During our conversation Doug tells the story of how he returned to tubes after decades of operating an all sold-state studio, and outlines the theory behind why tubes and transistors sound different in a clear and straightforward way. Download the mp3 or listen on iTunes . Subscribe to the DIYRE podcast Topics discussed: How Doug pieced together his first console from standalone amplifiers What happened when he replaced that tube gear with a solid-state console "We couldn't admit that it didn't sound good, so we just got used to it." How a demo tape from college in 1966 led him back to building tube amps "We didn't listen to recorded music in my household... live music was what I was exposed to. So when the time came to build a mic preamp, that's the sound I had in my mind." Tubes vs transistors: why it's all about headroom Even vs odd harmonics and how they relate to tubes vs transistors "The less you torture it, the better it's going to sound. So you keep the signal path as simple as possible." What Doug's new product design process looks like The one equalizer that knocked DW Fearn out DW Fearn refuses to wrestle a piece of gear into existence Many thanks to Doug for having me out to his home and sharing his knowledge so freely. Thank you also to Paul K of Firehouse Recording for connecting us. You can learn more about DW Fearn gear at DWFearn.com.