It's been a few months since posting a blog on this page and I figured it was time. I also hope that no one thought it was from disinterest or that not much was going on, because it's quite the opposite. it's really because its hard to find a spare moment to do much of anything but microphones.
As many people know, I more or less help run another audio company by day (my day job, so to speak) and try to run Signal Art by night, so to speak. It seemed that, in part due to just a very slow build up and in part due to the pandemic, that Signal Art really started to gain traction and then downright explode in terms of traffic and orders about 5 to 6 months ago, and at the worst possible timing because my other company was coming into its own with our first product being very successful and getting really impressive orders right around that same time (we also build that product here). For the longest time, I was convinced that this 'fluke' would be over any day now and things would return back to their usual lull, at least in terms of Signal Art, and that I would have no need to change my relaxed, slow and methodical approach to building and modifying equipment. By the time I realized that this was not the case and that I had experienced a 'sustained growth' as a company, I was almost buried in orders; while my 'day job' at the same time was requiring more and more of my attention. People have had to wait longer than they expected to for their ReAmp, for their mic mod, and for their Signal Art tube 47. For this, I have to apologize. It shouldn't have happened, and I'm working to right the ship. As I'm fond of saying, these types of problems are 'good problems to have', and they really are; because, for one, I can spend the resources to at least get in some quality part time help.
We've now done just that, bringing in a different part time technician to help with each each company, and we are slowly starting to turn the corner. Of course, training and the time it takes to make these changes ends up putting one even further behind in the short term, we are now starting to see some dividends from these changes. Where as I was once inundated in nearly 40 mic mods on the books, I am down to around a dozen now. We are still about 24 ReAmps back ordered, but we are starting a new batch of 24 in just the next day or so, and that will clear those off the books. And we have about a half dozen tube 47's that need to get finished and go out; those will be in process soon as well.
It's been both scary and gratifying to see this business grow to the point where I'm no longer even able to do it all personally. It's honestly not something I expected to see from a website I made literally using pictures from my phone, and just gabbing about geeky details from my career in mics and audio equipment. But this is where we are at, and I'm committed now to see it through. We have a number of really interesting changes that are going to be made to the site soon. New products, new mods, etc. There are mods for at least 2 or 3 more mics (two more Sterlings, one more Warm) that have been proofed out and parts in stock, that I literally just haven't had time to list yet; so we're going to get those up shortly. In addition to that, we are going to announce some changes to the way we do the Premium and Baseline edition of our handmade tube 47 microphone, basically raising the bar up a bit. Lastly, some folks have asked if there is a way to take some of our mods even further, such as the upgrading the actual mic capsule on the WA-47 and WA-251, and getting even more extensive to the point of possible board replacement and re-engineering of some aspects of those mics... and the answer is yes, those things have been proofed out and there's going to be some news about this as well.
Exciting stuff, to be sure, with some cool new stuff on the horizon. Check back soon for some more updates on this front; and in the meanwhile we will keep giving it 110% toward trying to get caught up on orders!
best wishes and happy Easter!
-Chad