DIY Recording Equipment

A DIY stereo VCA bus compressor kit reconstructed from an original console circuit, offering classic attack, release, and ratio controls plus a variety of switchable mods like sidechain HPF, mix control, and transformer coloring.

A 500-series optical compressor/leveling amplifier that recreates the LA-4's opto leveling behavior with an upgraded signal path, offering a choice between modern or vintage output stages, a sidechain high-pass filter, and a parallel MIX control.

A VCA-based channel compressor module for the Colour format inspired by 80's and 90's console channel strips, featuring selectable ratio and attack/release time constants using a THAT Corp 2181 VCA.

A Colour-format compressor module recreating the peculiar attack/release characteristics and dense distortion of the classic Shure Level-Loc limiter, with a selectable release time jumper.

A diode compressor module for the Colour format using miniature Neutrik transformers, capable of subtle smoothing to aggressive limiting with vintage warmth.

A 500-series mic preamp kit adapting the vintage three-stage 1073-style circuitry, featuring a Grayhill gain switch, line mode, adjustable input impedance, and Carnhill transformers.

A transparent, low-noise 500-series microphone preamp with a single Colour module socket for adding adjustable analog character to the signal.

A Colour module that accepts any 2520-style discrete operational amplifier (DOA), allowing users to add the tone and saturation of various discrete opamps to their signal chain.

A two-channel inline mic booster kit that provides 26dB of extra clean gain for ribbon and dynamic microphones, with high input impedance and phantom power protection.

An analog tape-emulation Colour module that recreates tape compression, harmonic saturation, and a resonant high-pass filter for warmer, fuller tone.

A Colour module combining a discrete opamp (DOA) with a Cinemag steel-core transformer to emulate the punchy, saturated sound of a vintage American console channel.

A recreation of the class-A transistor circuitry from the channel strip of a rare 1970s Trident console, designed to add fullness, width, and saturation to any signal. It is compatible with the Colour format.

A Colour module using two discrete class-A transistor saturation stages, a JFET for asymmetrical clipping and a five-transistor discrete opamp, to add thick, musical vintage saturation to any source.

A boutique passive direct box kit with a through jack for patching to an amp or speaker and a switch for instrument or amp/speaker source selection. It features a Neutrik XLR output with ground lift switch and offers two transformer options.

A beginner-friendly DIY kit for a passive re-amplifier with a Neutrik combo XLR/TRS input jack and a three-way filter switch, used to send recorded or mixed audio into guitar amps and effects pedals.

A two-channel, balanced line/mic pad kit with selectable -10dB or -30dB attenuation, used to pad mic preamp output or run line-level signals into mic preamp inputs.

A blank prototyping circuit board with labeled power, ground, and audio I/O buses for designing custom Colour modules compatible with the Colour Palette.

An alternate horizontal-orientation front panel for the OLA5 Optical Compressor, made from anodized aluminum matching the stock panel. It can be swapped in by removing the knobs and mounting screws.

A simple discrete opamp kit with pre-mounted SMT components, designed as a version of the API AP2520-style opamp with a standard 990/2520 footprint.

A ribbon-cable extender that lets a 500-series module be tested and calibrated outside of the rack while remaining connected.

A 2-channel, high-current 500-series power rack chassis available in desktop or 19-inch rack-mount format, providing clean regulated power for 500-series modules.

A pair of powder-coated steel rack ears for mounting the PR502 chassis in a standard 19-inch rack, including mounting screws.

A 500-series module offering three Colour module slots with individual drive/trim controls and bypass switches, letting users combine multiple analog color stages in one slot.

A 2-channel rack-mount channel strip featuring mic preamps, line inputs, and three Colour slots per channel with a wet/dry mix control for analog coloration.

A Colour module inspired by the channel strip circuitry of a late-80's cassette 4-track recorder, producing solid-state dirt to trashy distortion with NOS opamps.

A diode distortion Colour module designed by audio expert Ethan Winer, offering Glue and Mojo gain modes plus symmetrical and asymmetrical clipping options for subtle warming to intense distortion.

A 500-series passive tone-shaping equalizer based on classic Pultec EQP filter circuitry, offering low-frequency shelving and high-frequency peaking/shelving bands with a choice of modern IC or vintage discrete-opamp/transformer output stages.

An add-on module for the EQP5 Passive Equalizer or OLA5 Opto Compressor built around a custom output transformer and discrete opamp. It gives signals a more forward, vintage character based on components found in classic API consoles.

A classic figure-8 ribbon microphone kit with a pre-assembled ribbon transducer and custom transformer, housed in a machined stainless steel body with a gold-plated XLR connector.

A DIY ribbon microphone kit featuring a hand-tuned 1-inch ribbon motor made of Japanese aluminum foil and neodymium magnets, paired with a custom toroidal transformer, in a machined stainless steel body.

A dual-mode Colour module combining a high-frequency harmonic enhancer and a low-frequency saturation-based bass maximizer.

A fuzz module based on the classic Fuzz Face circuit with silicon transistors, adapted with a lower filter cut-off to be useful on sources beyond guitar. It is compatible with the Colour format.

An expandable, high-powered headphone amplifier kit designed for critical studio monitoring, using a parallel dual-opamp design for low distortion and high current output into low-impedance headphones.

A stereo microphone bar with two adjustable clips for shock mounts and an adapter for mounting on a mic stand, designed for Blumlein pair recording.

A Colour-format module porting a classic pedal overdrive's soft clipping circuit to line-level signals, providing anything from subtle crunch to heavy distortion.

A universal switch-mode external power supply that provides +/-16v and 48v phantom power for DIYRE rack-mount kits like the PR502, Colour Duo, and G Bus. A companion THRU cable allows daisy-chaining power to up to four units.

A passive stereo input switcher kit that allows selecting among 10 stereo (or 20 mono) 1/4-inch inputs to route to a single stereo output pair, with no coloration or gain change.

A microphone shock mount designed to mechanically decouple the mic from a stand, reducing unwanted noise and vibration.

An 8/16x2 passive analog summing mixer kit that sums balanced line inputs down to a single stereo mic-level output pair for use with external mic preamps.