Mercury Recording Equipment Company
Reviews
Mix Magazine March 2013
Mercury Grand PreQ15s
"Its overall tonality was extremely pleasant. The lower frequencies had a melty quality reminiscent of Neve electronics, but the high frequencies were a bit different. The upper midrange had a certain bite to it that could make a vocal really pop, cutting through a bed of midrange-y guitars... While this channel strip did great things for vocals and created an interesting vintage flavor on acoustic guitar, I was probably most excited by the sounds that I captured when plugging a guitar into the direct input." More...
Jean-Paul Fung
Mercury M72s
"We tried out a bunch of pres, but went with the SM7B into the Mercury M72s, which is an awesome clone of a Telefunken V72." More...
Marc Bauman
Mercury M72s
"At House Studios, The Mercury M72s/1 Mk. III has been an incredible addition and asset to our mic pre arsenal, with a totally unique color and vibe of its own. It has that delicious, gooey, smooth, warm, vintage tube tone that screams "High-end" and "Superb sound quality" to our clients. Whether you're tracking a vocal, drum overheads, kick drum, bass guitar, room mic, etc., a beautifully detailed and articulate sound will be obtained. This preamp has the ability to smooth and tame harsh, edgy transients and frequencies in a highly musical manner." More...
TapeOp Magazine #53
Mercury Grand Pre & Mercury AM16
"Now Mercury has a pair of solid state mic preamps that are no less impressive, yet a bit more affordable. Each has its own sonic character, with plenty of headroom and gain, low noise, and good, clean, no-fuss operation. In a sea of Neve clones, it's refreshing to know that there are some other options out there to provide us with a few more sonic flavors. Calrec and Langevin are certainly very worthy of imitation, and it's cool that Mercury Recording Equipment has figured out a way to make them available at a not-outrageous price." More...
Benjy King
Mercury EQ-H1
"Since the days of working at The Power Station and Media Sound in New York, I have longed for that Pultec sound and vibe. The Mercury EQ-H Equalizer gives me just that. David Marquette's dedication to sonic greatness is reflected in the unit. I love it! Now I just need four more!"
Benjy King was a Producer/Mixer/Engineer in New York City (RIP)
Electronic Musician October 2006
Grand Pre Studio Microphone Amplifier
"The Mercury Grand Pre delivers on its promise of dishing out the classic British sound of yesteryear. It sounds terrific on electric guitar, bass guitar, and kick drum, and it's useful on other instruments as well. Wherever you're seeking a smooth, full-bodied sound, this preamp would be a good candidate. The Grand Pre's wide-ranging gain capabilities make it serviceable for recording anything from loud drums to quiet acoustic instruments." More...
Ricky Skaggs
Mercury M72s
"The M72 brings the vocal up in your face in a mix. Not only that, when you're singing, you can distinguish every little nuance. A lot of mic pres are just plain vanilla - they don't do anything but give you level." in a Mix Magazine article
Michael Colucci
Mercury M72s
"I am reminded of you and your infectious passion for what you do everytime I walk into my studio now. I love seeing the equipment you made for me with your own hands, knowing the fact that I share that stage, so to speak, with so many highly successful artists, producers, and engineers. The look, feel of the controls, the aroma of warm tubes and analog circuits everything helps to create a confidence and excitement about what I'm doing. Your equipment functions and sounds like a million bucks."
Mix Magazine Feburary 2006
Mercury M72s
"Mercury's M72s is a faithful re-creation of the Telefunken/Siemens V72. The V72s was a rare, modified version specified for the EMI REDD 37 recording desk used by The Beatles and others at Abbey Road Studios during the 1950s and '60s... Using the [M72s] DI and advancing the gain upward (and backing the following compressor down) started to overload the M72s in the smoothest way. I liked that I could set the exact amount of breakup to taste--turn it way up and get the fuzz sound, just like on The Beatles' "Think for Yourself" from Rubber Soul." More...
Scott Humphrey
Mercury EQ-H1, Mercury EQ-H1, Mercury 66
"I called to set up a demo of the Mercury M66 Leveling Amplifier and they suggested I listen to the 2 Mercury EQs (Mercury EQH and EQP) as well. I was doing a mix at the time and thought it was a great time to listen in a "real" environment. Although I was not in the market for EQs I thought it would not hurt to listen to them. The EQs were flawless... I compared them to the two "vintage" Pultecs I had side by side... YOU COULD NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE. Listening with different instrumentation going through them and comparing them both at the same frequency settings side by side, the "vintage" units and the MERCURY EQs sounded EXACTLY THE SAME. I had not intended on purchasing the EQs but after listening to them on the mix I was doing... I purchased both of them!
The MERCURY M66 leveling amplifier was also amazing. It is warm and thick yet musical. I was able to also compare the Mercury M66 to a "vintage" Fairchild. With the applications we were using it on... I thought the MERCURY M66 sounded BETTER than the original "vintage" Fairchild.
When I pulled them both up in the mix I could hear the difference... it had the same character of a "vintage" Fairchild but a little something more that I liked more often then the "vintage" one. Bottom line... You will have to hear it to believe it."
TapeOp Magazine #49
Mercury EQ-P1, Mercury EQ-H1, Mercury M72s, Mercury M76m, Mercury 66
"For years, David Marquette cultivated a reputation for elegantly racking and powering Neve, Telefunken, and other desirable vintage modules. He eventually decided to branch out and produce his own versions of some classic vintage pieces under the Mercury name. I recently had a chance to try the entire line, and, boy oh boy, Marquette has done it right from start to finish. It's a happy day when you use gear that can seemingly only make things sound good. The debut line of outboard gear from Mercury accomplishes this in spades..." More...
Brian Garcia
Mercury EQ-P1, Mercury EQ-H1
"Dave's Mercury gear is insane! He provides amazing build quality, a beautiful aesthetic and impeccable accuracy. I cannot imagine a better version of what he manufacturers. He provides wonderful personalized customer service and is simply a great human being. Great job Dave! I am quite certain that Dave and Mercury will be the dominant force in our industry for years to come."
Brian Garcia is a Producer/Mixer/Engineer in Los Angeles. Credits include: Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Our Lady Peace, King's X, Dizmas.Audun Borrmann
Mercury M72s
"We have used the M72s over the last couple of weeks for tracking of several projects. We have tracked female and male vocals, reeds, brass, acoustic and electric guitars, acoustic and electric bass with it. Lots of different tube, ribbon, condenser and dynamic microphones. The sound is warm and thick, but also incredebly airy in a smooth way. the character it has, is addictive, and also very recognizeable. We are very happy with it."