Our Quest to Perfect Classic Sounds

Mercury Recording Equipment Co. was founded in 1999 by David Marquette, the original creator of Marquette Audio Labs in Hayward, CA. After years spent repairing, sourcing, and racking vintage audio equipment, David recognized the need to create a line of exceptional recording equipment that captures the essence of the classics, making the best sounding and rarest equipment in the world available to everyone.

Early Beginnings and the Birth of Marquette Audio Labs

Marquette Audio Labs was founded by David Marquette in 1994, born from his passion for music and a desire to help others create it. With a background in construction and studio remodeling, David transitioned from building spaces to crafting custom racking solutions for vintage audio equipment. His early work quickly gained a reputation for quality, combining durable, rock-solid build with a classic aesthetic that evoked the 1960s custom shop vibe. The gray hammer-tone chassis and clear, grained aluminum front panels with custom engraved name plates became hallmarks of Marquette Audio Labs' designs.

Expanding into New and Vintage Equipment

Recognizing the demand for high-quality audio equipment, David expanded Marquette Audio Labs' offerings beyond custom racking to include both new and vintage professional audio gear. The company was one of the first in the U.S. to deal Brauner Microphones and Soundelux (Bock) Microphones, among others. This expansion allowed Marquette Audio Labs to cater to a broader range of clients, from home studio enthusiasts to professional recording studios, providing them with the tools they needed to create exceptional music.

The Launch of Mercury Recording Equipment

In 1999, David took his vision further by launching Mercury Recording Equipment Company, dedicated to creating new versions of vintage recording classics that were no longer available. The Mercury 66 (Fairchild 660), Mercury EQH1 and EQP1 (Pultec Style EQs), and the Mercury M72s and M76m (recreations of the Telefunken/Siemens modules) became industry benchmarks, blending vintage tone with modern reliability. These products quickly garnered acclaim and solidified Marquette Audio Labs' reputation as a leader in high-quality audio equipment.

Commitment to Quality and Innovation

Throughout its history, Marquette Audio Labs has remained committed to quality and innovation. The company's custom racking solutions have evolved to include modern features like phantom power, phase control, and direct inputs, making them more versatile and useful for contemporary studios. Each rack is meticulously crafted to maintain the look of the vintage modules while enhancing their functionality, ensuring they remain a vital part of today's recording environments.

Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence

As of 2024, Marquette Audio Labs celebrates 30 years of dedication to helping musicians and audio engineers create music. David Marquette's love for writing, playing, recording, and listening to music has driven the company's growth and success. From its humble beginnings to becoming a trusted name in the audio industry, Marquette Audio Labs continues to innovate and provide exceptional products and services. As David says, "If you do what you love for a living, you will never work a day in your life." After three decades, Marquette Audio Labs embodies this philosophy, looking forward to many more years of contributing to the world of music.

Beginnings | The M66, EQ-H and EQ-P

The Mercury Recording Equipment line made its debut with three iconic recreations, the first being the Mercury M66, a variable bias, all-tube, transformer-based compressor inspired by the legendary Fairchild 660.

Given that the original tubes and transformers for the Fairchild 660 are no longer in production, recreating its authentic sound poses a significant challenge. However, after extensive research and rigorous testing, we developed the Mercury M66 using similar circuitry, specially designed tubes, custom transformers, and innovative design concepts. The result is a compressor that faithfully captures the essential sonic characteristics, performance, and features of the original Fairchild.

The next challenge was creating the Mercury EQ-H1 and Mercury EQ-P1 all tube and transformer equalizers, paying tribute to the legendary Pultec studio tube equalizers.

The Mercury EQ-H1 and Mercury EQ-P1 tube equalizers faithfully recreate the same sonic qualities as the early tube equalizers with a warm, distinctly rich tube sound, in an updated, modern design built to last a lifetime.

Next Steps | Recreating the Legendary V72 and V76 Microphone Preamps

The next two products from Mercury Recording Equipment, the Mercury M72s and M76m, hold a special place in the founder’s heart, drawing inspiration from the classic Telefunken Siemens V72s and V76m models. Driven by a passion for for these classic circuits, and the extensive knowledge of vintage Telefunken and Siemens modules, these designs emerged as modern updates that remain true to their legendary predecessors.

The Mercury M72s microphone amplifiers pay homage to the iconic Telefunken/Siemens V72 modules crafted in Germany during the 1950s and 60s. These modules gained fame for their use by George Martin on early Beatles recordings at Abbey Road Studio in London.

The Mercury M76m is an enhancement of the classic V76m design, featuring output attenuation, level control, and selectable input impedance. A direct input, phantom power, and phase reverse, were added to both designs to improve their versatility, making the classic sound of these preamps available in a modern, useful design.

Bringing Back the Classics

Mercury Recording Equipment eventually expanded to include the Mercury AM16. This is a tribute to one of the founder’s favorite preamplifiers, the 1960s Langevin AM16, a class A circuit famous for being exceptionally open and musical.

Next the Mercury Grand Pre, a solid state, high gain, 70's British inspired microphone amplifier came into existence, a take on the best of the British sound.

In 2005, the Mercury FDI (FET Direct Input) was introduced, featuring a proprietary J-Fet circuit designed by John Hinson. This innovative circuit employs a class A tube topology with J-Fet technology, allowing you to capture every nuance of your direct recordings while delivering exceptional sound in front of both tube and solid-state circuits, letting the amplifier's character shape the overall tone.

D-Series | Modular Designs Done Right

The Mercury D Series G810 Rack System solves the biggest complaint for users of other '500 racks' in the marketplace: Lack of Power, especially when using products that are not built to the specifications of the '500' Standard. The products not built to that standard take more then their share of the power to work, which in turn causes problems with all other modules in the rack. This is not an issue with the Mercury D Series G810 Rack System.

The power specification for Mercury D Series G810 Rack System is much higher than the spec of the '500' Standard. Providing more power does not solve the power problems of '500' Racks, so, Mercury successfully designed a better Power Structure not just providing more amps/watts. Mercury designed the Mercury Power Regulation Circuit as a solution to '500' Rack power problems. The Mercury Power Regulation Circuit is not only in the rack, it is on every channel of the rack offering individual regulation per channel. The Mercury D Series G810 Rack System is the first '500' Rack to have this feature and is why we feel this is not only a better rack but a better system overall. The Mercury Power Regulation Circuit allows each channel to be isolated from the channel next to it or any other channel in the rack, which will protect from faults or emissions from problematic modules. No module in the Mercury D Series G810 Rack System shares DC power with another module in the rack.

A New Legend Is Born

The Mercury 666 is a new version of a mysterious classic... the Fairchild 666 which is not as well known as the Fairchild 660 (like our Mercury 66) or the Fairchild 670. We always try to be faithful to the original we are paying homage too, but, in this case so many changes needed to be made to make it more useful for modern recording we felt it was a great opportunity to make it the ultimate benchmark in modern tube compressors / limiters. We made the Mercury 666 quieter, more flexible and added an expanded feature set that is second to none let alone better than the original . Our goal was not to make it ‘as good’, but beyond better, and we feel we succeeded in doing that.

The Work Continues

Today, Mercury Recording Equipment still embodies a custom shop mentality rather than a large-scale factory, even as we continue to expand. Our products are labor-intensive and proudly crafted in the United States, utilizing only the finest parts and materials available. Every stage of assembly is performed in-house by skilled hands, ensuring that each unit is carefully crafted one at a time.

Our goal has never been to become the largest company or to ship the highest volume of products; instead, we prioritize maintaining the integrity of our creations and honoring the passion of the vintage equipment that inspired us. The vision of Mercury Recording Equipment is to produce superior recording gear, with quality and craftsmanship at the forefront of everything we do.

Since founding Marquette Audio Labs in 1994, I have racked hundreds of vintage modules including Telefunken, Siemens V-Series, Neve, Calrec, Langevin, Audix, Helios, MCI, WSW, ANT, Sphere, Fairchild and more. Now with Mercury Recording Equipment, I am using my continued passion and those years of experience to build quality products that pay homage to the classics.

— David Marquette, Founder of Mercury Recording Equipment