My Magic Bullet – Burl Mothership by Shawn Dealey

First, let’s establish what a “magic bullet” is. Merriam-Webster defines it as:

“Something providing an effective solution to a difficult or previously unsolvable problem.”

In my opinion, a magic bullet is a box or device that magically makes things better. It’s one of those units (or any similar tool) that sparks an “Aha!” moment — something that, when you plug it in, makes everything you do immediately better, and you wish you could rewind your career by a decade or two and do it all over again with this newfound tool. I’ve been truly fortunate to experience this many times in my career, and now I’m asking others if they’d care to share similar experiences.

Shawn Dealey’s Magic Bullet

I asked Shawn Dealey, Sweetwater Studios’ Producer/Engineer, what piece of gear changed the way he worked, and his reply was immediate.

“The Burl Mothership. It changed everything.”

Shawn is talking about the Burl Audio B80 Mothership chassis, fully loaded with BAD8 cards for A/D, BDA8 cards for D/A, and the BMB1 DigiLink Motherboard to interface with the Avid gear that runs Pro Tools.

Burl Audio B80 Mothership

Shawn Dealey says:

“We recently added a new piece of gear in the studio that has really connected the dots for getting me the sound I’m looking for even quicker than before. The Burl Mothership is that final missing link to my recording process. It has completely solidified the way that I record and the choices that I make while recording. It enables me to get the sounds I’m looking for quicker and more efficiently and makes it easier to mix the tracks once I’ve recorded them through those converters.”

What Makes the Burl Audio Converters Different?

“I’ve used almost every converter around, and the biggest difference I noticed when I added the Burl converters was their musicality. It’s how it makes the combination of all the instruments running through them sound more cohesive. So, everything I’m recording feels like it fits together better from the start. When I’m working on a record and it just immediately feels like the pieces fit together like I’ve never experienced before, that’s huge. It’s an ideal place to start when you’re cutting tracks.”

Burl Audio and Digital Conversion

“I’m familiar with the Burl products. I’ve been using the B2 Bomber ADC as the input into my stereo Pro Tools mix rig for almost a year now.”

“Some people may not realize how big an impact the conversion makes on the sonic signature of a recording. Ideally, the converters would be transparent and stay out of the way. But given the option of them being transparent or making it better, I’ll take better — always.”

How Does It Impact Your Workflow?

“The Burl converters allow me to get the sound I want way faster. Being able to hear the instruments integrated better allows me to be more in tune with the choices I’m making.”

“Partly because of the input transformers, I have to do less when recording to make things sound the way I want them to. There are lots of decisions you make before putting up a mic (the guitars, amps, drums, tuning), and this unit allows all those to come through into the digital realm more efficiently.”

Similarity to Tape

“I feel that, historically, the sonic signature of recording to tape helps make a cohesive-sounding recording because everything is recorded to the same tape machine on the same tape formula. That’s how the Burls hit me — they have that same cohesiveness where there’s saturation happening. The discrete Class A circuitry in the converters and the correct phase response gives me that familiar sonic signature with everything working together far better than I’ve found with other options. It gives me the results that I’m looking for, consistently.”

Has It Changed How You Record?

“Well, because I don’t have to work as hard to get things to sound like I’m expecting them to sound. When I pull up the mics on a drum kit, it feels good, sounds good, sits right, and I use less EQ. It sounds truer to the source. And listening back through the Burl DAC gives me a better picture of what I’m getting. All that combined helps give me better-quality recordings. To me, it’s the ultimate missing link in making things sound right to my ears.”

Now It’s Your Turn to Add Burl to Your Studio

If you’re ready to move to the next level and want to experience the sound of Burl Audio, then call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer to find out which Burl Audio products are right for you. We’re here at (800) 222-4700. Whether you need just two channels, four, eight, 16, 32, or more, Sweetwater has the Burl Audio products for you.
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