Highland Dynamics

Founded by engineer and designer Bryce Gonzales, Highland Dynamics is a Los Angeles-based boutique manufacturer specialising in hand-built valve recording equipment inspired by some of the great American and British studio circuits of the past. Gonzales’ background in studio maintenance, restoration and custom equipment design informs products including the BG2 MK2 vari-mu compressor, BG1 Stereo, K-47 compressor and Delta 4-7 dual microphone preamp, with an emphasis on traditional construction techniques and carefully selected components.

Highland Dynamics equipment is built in small quantities, with designs employing valve gain stages, transformer-balanced signal paths and, where appropriate, point-to-point hand wiring. The Delta 4-7, for example, uses an EF86 gain stage and 6DJ8 output drive with selectable feedback-based gain settings, while the BG2 combines an all-valve, transformer-balanced signal path with vari-mu compression. The result is deliberately characterful analogue equipment designed for engineers looking for depth, harmonic colour and hands-on control rather than absolute transparency.