Topic: Studio Gear

The hosts open the program from Austin, Texas, and Northern Silicon Valley, noting a recent illness and the debut of a new portable recording rig. This cutting-edge setup features a Universal Audio duo-core interface, a MacBook Air running OS X Mavericks, and a MIDI-controlled mixer designed to replace a massive analog rack. Despite the investment, the recording is plagued by system freezes and software instability during its first live trial.

Technical difficulties in the studio are addressed following the failure of a TLA 5052 tube preamp. The loss of the equipment has affected the audio quality, resulting in a less "boomy" sound. The discussion mentions listener-contributed gear, including an antique 1950s oscilloscope and various police scanners, while emphasizing the need for high-end replacement hardware to maintain broadcast standards.

Curry reviews a pair of custom V-Moda headphones sent by Sir Robert Goshko. The "Knight Edition" headphones feature the No Agenda shield. Curry praises the sound quality and design but wonders if they are intended as reference monitors or consumer listening devices.